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r1uncie"Indl3.na
Date of gr-aduatlon
,
3)) .~,) II
The.sl':"·
1.-1>
.;')4-&1
Heroes Of
~yn
Rand And
~rledrich
:Z.l}
Wilhelm NietzSChe
, G)
en
.££,7
Throuqhout tIme
-
... ........ . .
r-; -.;
Iv =reated an
I;
peo~le
F:.~.r! ~j
II
~deology
~ave
t.:
- ..... I!'_"._.' '_I
.-..
.(.,
held tne :dea th2t _
these
~ucer
philo~opners
{or people who Cel:eve In the heroIc
-
..... M
::.... i IW
=3r~thustra
and tnouqht she dIscovered an :ntellectual mate.
and wanted the herOIC man;
here was a writer who believed
that a man should have 3 great purpose.
for his own sake.
motives.
a purpose which
IS
for hIS own happiness and his own selfIsh
Here was a wr1ter who revered the heroIc
1n
man,
who defended individuallsm::'.nd desplsedaltru1sm."
Rand's subsequent heroic be1ng 1S sIgnificantly sImIlar to
Nietzsche's overperson.
On the other hand.
culties in Nietzsche's overcerson -
1
-
hIS
Rand realIzed diffi-
'w1ll
to power',
for
e<ample.
~t~er
DUE
For Nietzsche the
people and Rand
to these
~verDerEon
de~es~ed
confli~~s.
t~:~
wcul~
Mave power ever
tncu~nt.
Rand.
~cr
a
pers~n
Rand olsenqaged herself from NIetzscne's
She lost her Intellectual mate.
Tnese conflicts as well as crItIcIsms of each Individual
argument will
dIscussed later in the essav.
be
EiF'iJ3 I T I :IN
NIetzsche.
unlike Rand.
super persen completely.
never develops the philosophy ot the
iJf Nietzsche's works.
Thu~
SogKe
most elaborates the ideas of the super flqure=
however,
Nietzsche does discuss the super figure somewhat 1n
other worKs such as in Birth aDd Tragedy.
complete
3r
Still,
chetype concernlng the super figure,
je gathered throughout his works.
there is not a
3nd details must
3later discusses that there is
not enough information in the SCIences to percelve how the super
figure would come about.
information.
However.
(402)
1 i ke Zarathustra,
N~etzsche's
People need to gather and discover more
wi 11
some philosophers thlnk Nietzsche.
"teacrl "/ou the supennan"
0::: auf mann 1:4").
heroic figure or as he calls lt -
(overperson or super person)
IS
'Ubermenscn'
characterized by will to power
and a caste system.
First of all.
the purpose of the overperson 1S
2
'will to
For Nietzsche this concept means that the
will control his/her
surroundings
3S
ThIS includes the
env~ronment.
weLl as
t~e
overpers~n
SOC121
~hVS1C31
ones.
t.;- .::;:
j e\/21 ;':'1== .Tten t
intellectual
~ower.
.
.
~
;
.,'..: . . . . 1..
power
LS
won ever
i
::: i.'7?
.\..
t. ~l t·?
nat~re.
b .::+. "::,
:1. '::
then ore can
u~e
thi~
power
In
order
d e \,/ i=: 1 := ~=;
rnu. :::. t
more In order to keep qrowlnq
~eSlre
towar~s
If a perEon achIeves some power but
~oes
tne overnot
~ork
anq
t..:he
..,.". -40·
L:::· .~.
Iii
enVIronment In order to be In contrel.
Power gIves the person
more freedom to move and do what IS deSIred and thIS WIll result
in future progress of his/her goals.
ferce and conflict..
~=
If the person does not
~a~e
heishe can not. be the overman because he/sne
mIssing an essential element In growth.
When discussIng WIll to power,
conce~tions
come.
or ideas.
Accordln r;
the war for an Idea,
(SInce
willln~
c21"ned
==·3.nnot
Nietzsche discusses a war of
tlo '3l.ater,
;IThe Qr-e:3.t \'J3.r ma','
for rule and organIzation of the earth
complIance with the ldea on the part of all ccnqr~.nted)
thl
:':'31
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has searched through
to find the overperson but oan net
~i5tory
seem to discover one.
The great indlvlduals of history have
of the same attributes ot the
fails,
such as
no~
supe~
=,:,-' :.':..1
2dd~
s:Qnl~loanoe
person but somethinq always
using force preoerlv.
'_', ',.-\
._', ...
(Salter
ma~
d=
~
,
II
to their lives.
i"1\/
aSIng.
pose of his iife.
phll~sochy
Nith
hiS
'hercle
~:he
J.n
hero~c
~80
!.M,
\
Rand's phllosophy focuses essentially on the
;!
so~e
ONn happiness as the moral
Wlth preduct:ve
aC~levement
pur-
as hlS noblest
of the herolc figure can be troken down to three
reason,
purpose and self-esteem.
not emphasize these components,
If the person does
he/she Nill not be and could not
be the supreme beIng he/she is capable of belna.
are entwined to make the person an end to hlmself.!herself.
The
being will not sacrIfIce hImself/herself or anvthing for others.
i4S John
of
!~al1::.
it that I
sai,j in Atlas Shrugged,
"I
SV-Je·ar b··,' m·/ life and 10'/e
will never live for the sake of another man,
another man to 11'·.··e for mlne"
(7311.
nor ask
The heroic figure has a
oode of ethlcs by which to live and for whIch fight=
and the
her01C fiaJre must have the characteristIcs of
reaso~.
purpose,
and self-esteem.
Reason IS one component =+ the her=lc beinq for
·3. C
t
~.-
:::. t ::. .:::; n .~.l
~L
This
~erson
has to perceIve the
ratlo~al
~av
~o
1S
~efine
pr·:; . . /i lice :::f
fact~
IS
impor~ant
beca~s2
the
In order to obtaIn the best
to surVIve and to stay alive.
It
ethics,
~and.
~owever.
Rand does
the prOVlnce of morality of the science of
for men what
IS
a rational standard and what
'moral ltv of the SCience of ethICS'
~..
j. ";:.
1. 1. -../ 1
n!~
".
1" 0 t-
oneself and havlnq a purpose to do the best In one's field.
Rand.
~~
thIS person
For
has only two choices to make on this SUDject:
oe ratIonal or not to be rational.
The herolc figure will choose to be rational.
IS an Individual.
creature.
For Rand,
because he/she
the person alone is the rational
because he/she is the one who thinks.
process performed not by men,
SOCIety, committee or
but by man -- ln the slnqular.
'orgarnc'
gt-·oup can do i.t"
'~Felho-t-t
No
b).
Rand's philosophy is based on the individual because the indiVIdual
is the one who makes the choices to be rational by uSlng
rns/her mind.
r"
This way the individual
her surroundings,
vidual
is able to adapt to his/
to do his/her work and to be happy.
The indi-
lIves lIfe for himself/herself by being ratIonal.
6
However,
when reasan IS not
Therefore,
ThE person
l~
~sing
past Instead of
In~eqrated
~he
Into a person slife,
person 1S
actin~
wro~qly.
unImaglnat:.e and lazy ideas based on
facts that WIll achieve cetter results.
emotions should not De the cause of deciSIons.
iustIfv them somehow -- then he
demnlng himself to mIsery.
IS
faIlure.
If a
acting Immorally,
t~e
Also,
ma~
he
IS
IS
con-
defeat and he will achieve
(F:and,
I:: t er-/ I
a
Rand believes emotions can not be the cremlses of
i?'~'J
deci~lon.
but Instead emotIons are for enjOYInq lIfe and
Another aspect of Rand's herOIC figure
have a purpose to his/her life.
to what a person does.
1=
that he/sne must
Purpose qives meaning and depth
It is a goal which the person sets and
achieves for himself/herself.
he/she is an Individual.
He/she does not live far others;
Purpose encompasses the heroic figure's
work and the heroic figure is an end unto himself/herself.
bel i e'.,.'es that "the most depr aved t \,lpe of human bel :;g"
~'Jithaut
a purpose"
(Rand.
Interview 5).
1
s
to
the man
The heroic figure's
purpose is to passionately and indiVIdually work towards and
accomplisn his/her goals.
In work.
the herOIC figure will do the best that IS
-.."
i
P05S1-
The Individual will oe uncomcromisinq In work so heishe
ble.
will receive the best result.
individual will
In order to complete the job, the
use reason and hIs/her mlnd to crEate.
reason why the person WIll
be uncompromisIng
IS
The
because he/she
--
for hIs/her work.
to tell
.{,_ i
Inclvloual what to do but thIS will not ce.
t~e
'-
l.
For
a group trIES to work on a prOjEct together,
person WIll end up compromislnq tnemselves to complete tne project .,
It IS
man
reason is always an :ndivlduailst. shunninq SOCIety'S
C1
3
single mInd that creates the best result.
When dOlnq hisiher warv.
do
wna~
lS
best for hIs/her worK and himselfiherself.
Th~
Roark,
15
the indIvidual WIll underqo nardships to
FouDtalnh~ad.
Rand's heroic fiqure,
an architect who goes througn poverty,
rIdIcule and
cri~lclsm
However,
For
different jObs.
to be able to design his bUIldIngs to hIS
Roark had a purpose -
-
to deSIgn bUIldings.
Through his determInation and his individualistIC ethics he succeeded in accomplishIng superIor aesthetic and functIons.
The
purpose in an heroic figure's life is his/her passion to accomplish his/her work properly.
Another attribute of the heroic flgure is self-esteem.
person will have a high regard for himself/herself.
person is an end in himself/herself.
II
because the
14 man of sel f -esteem [i s]
a man irl lc'.'8 \'Jith himself and IrJith life"
heroic figure has self-esteem,
A
(F:and.
\iirtqi!O 66).
The
and he/she will not sacrlfice
himself/herself for anythInq that will compromise hls life.
person's life and hapPlness is the most important value to
8
The
him/her and it can not be risked or lost fer something
t:o hIm/her.
15
Sel f -est2EiTl
engaged in a process
i,
o~
c~'~.n
l:JI:?
(Ti';'l.i
qrcw~h,
nta.l ned
en
50
:::Jr-;
lrrelev~nt
a-5 :::Jne
1'·;,- 5CJ 1 (Jnq
long as one
15
commlttsd
Self-esteem can be acnieved through the individual's work and
out he/she must always malntain It.
lIfe.
cares onlv
~or
others.
Instead.
the socIetv should have indi-
viduals wIth high self-esteem d01ng what 15 best tor his/her own
self-Interest.
Ilfe.
wor~
because the individual has hlOh regard for hls/her
Self-esteem WIll
lead the lndIvidual to accomplish his/her
and to lIve life completely.
F:and t:el i e'/es that the het-oi c f i gur'e actuell 1'/
5·:::JC 1 f?t·/ •
st .
ist·::; in our
When she completed Atlas Shrugged she wrote:
that no one will
e>~ 1
e:~
tell me that men such as I
That thIS
boo~
has been written
wrote about don't
and published B a k e r e >~ p la 1.
Ii 5 ,
1S
II
my
t h 1'5
1 ';::.
Rand's ontological argument for the existence of heroes.
SInce she could conceive of men greater than ordinary men.
mU5t
e:~
exists,
l'st"
(100).
Also.
they
Rand belIeved that the heroic figure
because people purchased her books.
The herOlC figure is
real to Ayn Rand and she centers her philosophy around the indi\/i dual.
She knows that the lndlvidual exists in our world by
having the attributes of reason,
purpose and egoism.
To
i~vn
R.:::<.nd
the heroic figure will save and create a proper world to llve and
9
CF.:ITICISt1S
r"
,
0
have a conceot of the super person.
Both Nietzsche and ,,:an
However.
their thouqhts varv on the followlnq issues:
tenc2 of the super person.
~ldual
versus socletv.
individual
~re
the concept of power and the Indi-
Before these concepts are discussed.
2rguments of Nietzsche and Rand need to be
theY assumlnq the riqht prInclples to beqin
tne
qUestl0ne~.
wlth~
NIETZSCHE'S ARGUMENT
The overperson's purpose ot will to power is to be in
control and the master of his/her envlronment.
hIs/her work.
hlmself/hersel~
so mucn in control.
and other people.
There will
an earthquake takes place and destroys a city.
o'~er
t'Jo per'son ca.n be
be events which happen that the
person could not have prepared for or prevented.
has no control
This iricludes
FC:lr-
i nst·ance ~
The o"'y'erper':;:or,
thIS aspect of his/her environment.
The
person WIll not be in control of the disaster and thls WIll cause
hIm/her to lose control of other aspects of his/her life.
No
person is able to be in complete control of hls/her world because
unexpected events WIll arIse.
Also.
if the over person has to be in control of hls/her
environment. this will not leave him/her much tlme to develop
hImself/herself.
The person would always have to be
controlling the things around
him/her~
her not to grow as an individual.
hIstoric age.
watchlng~
and this would lead him!
For lnstance,
during pre-
the person was constantly concerned with control-
ling survival needs -
-
food.
shelter and self-protection.
He!
she did not create and explore new and different things often.
10
If the overperson was always controillno thlnqs,
be able to create and
However,
de.elc:;p
3.
de~elop
some people will
pr"oper::'.ttitude.
he/she would not
better qualities.
araue
tha~
For instance.
2
person can always
Fran~l
qeSCrl~es
orlsoners In concentratIon camps who always have a qood attItude
even when the conditions were bad.
prIsoner oecame was the result of Inner deciSIon,
result of =amp Influences alone.
Some of the prIsoners were able to
There
15
i~
~eep
therefore.
of all,
vlew~
In the concentration camp the prIsoners
control but being control.
oners to staY alive,
any
theIr attitude throughout
a difference between Frankl's and Nietzsche's
~irst
were not
Fundamentally.
and not tne
In order for the
pr~s-
they needed to develop an attitude of per-
The prisoners needed to belIeve that theIr life is
~aluable
and that they are lmportant.
However,
in control of the environment and this will
the overperson is
limit hIs/her tIme
The overperson will be worried about minor
daily events more than the prIsoners will be,
because the pris-
oners are stripped down to the very basic essentials of life and
are not concerned with non-trivial matters of daily liVIng.
However. the overperson has to be concerned with these trivia
matters because he/she is in control and needs to be aware of all
SItuatIons around him/her.
attitude,
Also,
the prisoners may have a proper
but they did not develop into a technical community.
In the camp the prisoners were Involved with iust staying alIve;
11
therefore.
they did not develop science.
fer m.
Though.
fcwm'3.
The prisoners
forms.
WIll
math and advanced art
they did have some art and musIc but in primitive
did
not have the t:me to
because they were oeing controlled.
nc~
develop these forms,
de~elop
these
The O··ier ,Tlan.
-."1
.:::\ J.
.-. __.
=-'_'
III
because he.'sne is controlling tne
environment and will not have time to dedicate to the sciences
The overperson will
be concerned with controllIng tne
environment and society and will
not be able to create and
better qualities.
de~elop
Fwrthermore.
the overperson can use phvsical and intellec-
tual power to control his/her environment.
For Instance.
other,
if
~nv
use of physical
people pet Into a war and destroy and kill each
they mav be destrovInq an overperson.
This o\/erperson
might have been a Child when the war was belnq fouqht.
he/she was killed.
pOint
IS
and therefore.
But
could not save the world.
The
that phvsical force destroys and it may destrov the
future as ieJell.
Having phYSical power does not make uSing It
correct and maybe the overperson should not use it.
It is possible that a real overperson would realize that
physical power destroys=
and therefore.
he/she would use it
scarcely and only when absolutely necessary.
Instead~
person would use his/her intellectual power first.
has not been a real overperson.
have prevailed in
practice~
the over-
5i nce thet-e
the use of physical power may
because real
individuals have to
compensate the lack of intellectual power with physical power.
After all~
the person who uses phYSical power effectively does
not necessarily have intellectual power.
For
instance~
a bully
in grade school will
use force to get someone's lunch money.
Usually the bully who uses force
IS
not the most Intellectually
If the bullv was more Intelligent,
i no 1. i ned.
realize that he/she could make money
~"
theG he/she would not threaten SOcIetv.
~
he/she
more efflcient way and
Fhysic3l
~oroe
can solve
some problems more rapidly and effortlesslv than can intellectual
res~lts
However.
effi~lent
of phYSIcal force might not be the
~05t
result for the future and they can cause oroblems in
Niet~3cne
claims that the gre3test war would be over conHowe~er.
how does the person know whICh concept
Concepts worth fiqhtlnq for may differ among
different people.
hi.:::.::,r,:,r·
c~··ln
H1SC,
lndJ.··.'1.cj~).31
durlnQ war a person mlqht flqnt for
c:c'ncept.
instt~.3cj
of t.he concept of the
The countries and Individuals involved were
concepts.
fIghtIng for different reasons and
believed they were fighting for
011.
For example,
some
while others believed they
Still others were
fighting because of their friendship t.owards Kuwait..
reasons are different.
person?
These
Which of them is correct for the cver-
Maybe the over person is holding the wrong view.
Nietzsche's overperson also has to have t.he characteristic
of belonging to a type of aristocracy.
In this arlstocracy the
ever person will be in control because he/she asserts himself!
herself above the human race.
When the overperson asserts him-
self/herself upon the human race,
1.3
he/she mlcht stifle the civili-
zation because the civilIzation will not be free to choose Its
productive and
free~
tc be
c~eative
because of the will to
instance,
if the
should
fouqnt for.
b~
The human
effo~t.
oV2rrer~on
1S
powe~
f:~hting
will not be acle
~ace
of the cverperson.
+or his/her cause,
For
the
position of control does
not entail hlsiher fighting for the right cause.
P '~)V·jl;:::)o-
and
In will to power,
•
keepi~g
that one
cont~Gl
~ould
the overperson must always be fightIng
his/her defenses raised.
~V2rperson.
However,
if there were more
they would have to fight and try to get
of each other.
This
IS
so,
because the first overperson
not want the other overpeople to get ahead or to become
mere dominant than himself/herself.
The overpeople would be
constantly fIght each other in the aristocracy class of overpeople.
because the overperson wants to be in control.
But, the
overperson would not be able to further the development of mankind if they are always fIghtIng among themselves.
Nietzsche would belIeve that the overpeople would not fiqht
amongst themselves.
Instead,
a coalitlon of the overpeople would
be formed in order to assure that their objectIves were being
meet.
The overpeople's purpose is to control the society and
they woulj work together to achieve this goal.
a
grou~
Also,
if there is
controlling, the organization of the society may be
14
better and thls wlll
lead to harmony wIth the overpeople.
NIetzsche's aristocracy woulj form a coalItion that would work
together and perform the dutIes
However,
o~
the overpeople such
·1',..
l'll.,
:::\.::;
to
It is still possible that one of the overpeople
A person's self-interest could destroy the coalition and
f!g~ting
amcng the overpeople could occur.
Al~o,
Nietzsche's overperson
try to become the
ove~person
What.
then,
~trlvinq
~
but he/she will
e~ist.
always fail
~o
in order for
3
person to strive towards
he/she wants a reward or satisfactlon.
to become the overperson will never qaln satisfaction
because he:sne
time,
not able to
is the motivation for a person to work
Often,
something.
IS
~s
never able to reach hIs/her qoal.
person wil!
!4+t.er
2.
become discouraqed and DIve up because he/she
For p/ample,
teachInq about the overperson,
Therefore,
Zarathustra becomes frustrated in
because he sees no result::; In his
he retreats back to hiS cave in the
mountains and then descends later to try again.
tries agaIn but he may not always keep trying.
to achieve the goal of overperson.
being rejected many times.
{~
persDn rna\'
tl'""';
but he/she may stop after
A person wants to achieve the goals
he/she sets and if he/she realizes that the goal can not be met,
the person may stop striving towards it..
However,
It might be argued that a person tries to become
The person is
looklnq at the outcome or satisfaction.
1 <:::
no~
but instead the person is
lookin~
A~istotle
at the act itself.
self-contained gCjaJ.
cc~n
"E;;ci=2llence ofacti\lit··/
bt::·~
arques that
di::!nE2 pl.lr-el";/ for
he
[Ar~st0tleJ
t.he
says,
aC~lon
s;.':1.k2
IS
it.·;:·21f ..
D+
w~at
wIth a
we
see~
as
.'.'
.
•1. I I
If
t:on out
~t.
then thE person Wlll
Keep strIvInq
thE person who 1S
towa~ds
the
The person would be
fi~htin~
3
~eve~
endIng battle.
Rand ,olds that the herolc belng will
ratIonal
o~
There wlll
every issue.
Howeve~~
always be
comp12~el~
how can a person do this?
be instances when he/she wlll
something that is not loglcally ratlonal.
be persuaded to do
For
e~ample.
a person
walks past a new born baby and smiles instantly at It.
at the baby has no rationale behind it.
the person or lead him/her to perceive
Every person does irrational thinqs.
Smil1ng will
~acts
not benefit
more efficientlv.
Would the heroic fiqure not
5·;"(111e a.t +:.he t:,,,,'.b'/ or 1.-::: he/she ·:;:.utflclently in control
of his/her
body and emotions that he/she recoqnizes this as irratIonal?
1.6
Also.
--..
F'::In,j belie"'/('2':;: tha.t3.ii in:ji'·.;idu..;:11
HIll
t!e
,3.1v-J3,··,'::
t-3.-
t.ional.
as one's source of
r-·
,'::::' ':.~
:::
i ,
•.
._"
._~
~
knowledge,
one s
c~lv
Guide to action.
It
+- .
q
t) 1. ~..
-j ••
' •••
i::::
"'t::' .
15
the
uSlnq his/her mind
The Qerson did not S2e
2
one
onl~'
~nat
., ,.-.
...
;
j
certaln angle to the
RatIonality sometimes
:an go
as~ray
believes
~hat
l~
the heroic figures will
not make these mlstakes in
because of their str:ngent use of ratIonalIty.
ever.
F::3.n cj
the premlses or conclus:ons are Incorrect.
rational:ty does not entail that mIstakes WIll
How-
not happen.
The heroic figure is not above mist'::lkes because he/she is just
h :.J.man.
Furthermore.
tJe rational.
rational
heroic figures are not the only people who can
For instance,
as a herolc figure.
choose not to fight.
he/she
1""
a coward or altrUIst can be
For example,
iust as
the coward mIght
because the opponent is twice as bIg as
The coward is rational
about the deCISIon because
he/she taKes the facts of the situation and does Hhat is best for
17
J. . .
Also.
hlmseli!herself.
the altruist will make ratIonal declsians
even though the deciSIon may net benefit
hi~ih2r
work and
~ls/~er
nece~sarll~
~ur~c~e
IS
When dealing WIth
~l~/her
wor~
life.
he/~he
being uncompromIsing does
entail that the Individual will de his her best
For instance.
and
For
The herOIC flcure's
However.
net
hlmselfiher~elf.
a dictator
lS
planning a mIlItary InvaSIon
will not listen to hIs/her milItary
advIsor~'
ideas.
He/she could have taken the sugcestlon
of the military advisors and won the battle.
tor Lsed his/her
~aulty
reasonIng and lost.
Instead the dictaIt may not always be
It depends on the SItuation and
effective to be uncompromIsing.
A person does need to discover and be uncompromising
in some situations but not ln all of them.
Furthermore,
Rand says that a person must be an indiVIdual
and work alone in his/her work in order to do his/her best work.
Rand's point can by summed up witn the old adaqe that a ciraffe
is a horse designed by a commIttee.
be done by Individuals alone.
However,
At times,
not everything can
individuals need the
knowledge and support of his/her fellow workers.
He/she ma""'" not
be able to see all the angles of a problem or he/she may get
lB
.........
'.-'.'
::: '-'-,:- :'.
-. +:_.
.::t
e:·: .::'Imp 1'2.
::::.::1
I!
., ..:::'
.-';
'~'.;--
, i';::\
~
.", .-- (' ...
.~
..·..i.
,._ ..
.•-!,
...i'...' ..:'''.. :.
'
j...'
,,'
b",...
:T::::'=.~ .t.
.L i
+2 .
,...-'. .,
\/lcj1...·.·~l
1 i f e i s not a",,·
,......'
'_l I ... I I
'''J 0
r t h 'y' t: 0
me s. s:
;TI .. /
iT! i
n E'.
;!
Instead.
r·.
most people
will try to rescue the stranjer or get help.
make the person have an'l
The person who
15
l'2s~
self-esteem than the heroic being.
wll!lng to help may have hIgh regs.rd for
high regard {or oneself does not mean that one can not help
i:J the r' ':'~.•
._
Another problem that Rand faces is that she believes that
if one is able to conCElve the herOIC fiqure then he/she
~ces
However. conceivlnq does net mean that somethlnq
~ill
e:":i':=-:' .
E~:<
i
st.
The
Ir
partIcu!ar, one can concelve the same attrIbutes for the
However.
does net prove
to
b21~eve
thiS argument
there is an extraterrestrial belno.
t~at
thIS argument about the extraterrestrial belne.
This is also true
must conceIve that the beinq
~oes
about Rand's herOIC fiqure.
One has to conCSlve that the herOIC
The conception ot an idea does not prove that
flOure does exist.
somethlnq
e~lsts.
eXlsts.
one
More evidence
IS
needed to oreve the eXIstence
of the herOIC being.
Also,
can Rand find historIc examoles to prove that a herOIC
beIng does exist?
able to give real
If the herolc belng does exist.
Rand should be
examples in addition to the fictitious ones
that she writes about In The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged,
Howard Roark.
John Galt and Hank Rearden.
never be able to exist,
The heroic figure may
because people may not be able to fully
achieve the features Rand attributes to the figure.
CONFLICTS BETWEEN RAND'S AND NIETZSCHE'S PHILOSOPHIES
First of all.
Rand and Nietzsche disagree on the issue of
20
Rand believes that the
figure does
exist~
because
~ne
her~lc
is able to conceive of the
f:[ i;iu.r-F2.
Hcwever.
ablejcct~i~e
P3~j'~
no
~e31
neither of these philosophers have
+or the nerOlC
of the figures.
can Gever be attained,
of the
a
wor~
or overperson to exist.
fi~~re
heroic fIgure caG not be proven to exist,
~:amples
cre~ted
Also.
tecause there is
Niet=sche's cverperson
so people will not be motivated to achIeve
philosophIes will be discussed In the ep110gue.
~WG
Arother
~onflict
in Rand's and Niet=scne's PhIlosophy
15
the
Nlet=sche believes that the overperson has to have the WIll
to power and to be In control of
hIs/her envIronment which will
surroundings.
completely.
However.
include his/her work,
people and
Rand rejects the concept of will to power
Rand believes the individual has no riqht to use
force and control over other people.
Leonard Peikoff.
F:3.nd. states "man's 1 if>:=:,
r.:lV
3.5
requ.ired
hi·:; nature,
an heIr of
is not thE?
life of a mindless brute. of a looting thuq or a moochinq mystic.
but the life of a thinking being and not life by means of force
or fraud.
p
~-
i c: e
11
but life by means of achIevement -- not survival at any
(6) ..
Rand's herOIC figure is not driven bv power.
21
but
instead he/she is driven bv the will to do his/her
Her
for
~he
~ak2
must
~iGUre
philo~OPhV
does
nc~
wor~
and
condone controllinq someone
of being :n power.
be
uncompromIsIng In dOIng hlS.'her work and do
a~!-
.j .. _.,
has an aspect of WIll to power In
Re3rjen
~ses
MlS
character.
the WIll to power to be aole to produce a cetter
concepts agaInst his family.
gD~e~rment
manuf3ctu~e
and the society as a whole.
He wants to be able to
his steel the best way and to charge the price he
-4- -,
:_"-'
This heroic fiqure.
power
~~
his character.
bei~g
suppressed,
Therefore~
Rearden,
has an aspect ot will to
If the heroic person's concepts are
he/she must fight against the suppressor.
Rand does have a sense of will to power in her dogma.
If the person's purpose in life is being sacrifIced,
b€'?
power must
used.
Another point that Rand and Nietzsche disacree on
role of the herolc person or the overperson In society.
wardl,.
the
IS
(jut-
Rand's philOSOPhY encompasses the indlvidual WhIle
NIetzsche's philosophY encompasses the society.
only for himself/herself.
On the other hand,
that the overperson e/Ists ta be in centrel
and society by using
phvsi=~l
secletj OGes the goal
J.
of the environment
irtellectual
power.
f-, ':;,
:::
{irst.
h~mselfiherself
an~
Nletzsche believes
I t will
=, :::' t'- e -.-
be seen in the {allowing para-
]r?phs that Rand and Nietzsche have botn individuallsm and
s DC i e t / t: L, i 1 t
i. n t. D "t h e i r
P "'j:. 1.
end in himselfiherself.
:[r-;
The
Fq!!.nt~J.irjhe.,:l.d.
0 s;. 0
phi e s
For Instance,
i. n d ire c t 1.,.' .
Howarj Roark,
an
architec~
e;<i"I.::'" for hlm',;islf becau'sis he \-J.3.nts"to
create his Dwn bUlldings.
However.
the heroic beIng would con-
tribute much to sacietv,
because he/she would be produclnq be"tter
pt··:.:duct s.
For instance,
when Howard Roark constructs hIS
buildings,
he is contributing to the SOCIety bv creatIng
buildIngs that are excessive to the people's needs.
On the other hand.
NIetzscne's overperson eXIsts for
himself/herself in some degree.
because he/She must be an In-
dlvidual
in order to have tne attributes of the overperson.
However,
the overperson is,
controlling the society.
by using the will
also.
contributing to the society bv
The overperson will make society better
to power.
The herOIC figure and the overperson
have characterIstics that wlll both benefit himself/herself and
the Soclety
3S
3
whole.
However.
the two philosophies emphasize
diffe~entlv.
the indiYldUal and socIety
.f;.
i
:~
,.. j, !,-
....
d
c: (.:~ ":::
T.£
.:.
,
t.hi::::
._._!_
the~e
can
IS
an heroic
st~lve
pe~son
othe~
o~
overpe~50n.
tc become thE
For :nst3ncE,
the
1 :::!
hand,
Howeve~.
Rand believes that the
he~olc
flcu~e
NIetzsche emphaSIZES WIll to power 3nd arist=cra-
cy.
There are weaknesses WIthin the
th~3.t
mU.::t
t)e
these philosophers
\/i e~t.,Jed
doct~lnes
ot each phllcsoohv
..
-.J:.
( .;
!
hero:c person and the oyerperson
Three main areas of conflicts
a~e
con~lict
at
c2~tain
the
points.
the folloWlnq:
society. The conflicts must be studied in order to develop fully
the conceot of the heroic person and overperson.
A combination of attributes from Rand's herolc person and
Niet=sche's overperson will
can exist in society.
lead to a more capable figure that
This fIgure needs to have a purpose to
24
glve
him!he~
pe~50n
tual
and a qoal
to strive towarOs.
to achieve the qoal.
decide if
the goal
for
Intellectual
it would be better to
Furthermore.
~ork
powe~
with a
will
let the
g~ouP
o~
by
An example of this type of fIqUre
himsel~/he~5elf.
The film is based
~lre.
Brltish 3thletes who prepare and play in the lQ24 OlympIC
to be the fastest runner.
power to accomplish his goals.
hlS
t.he
the person must want to accomplish
might bs seen in the film Chariots of
U~0n
Al'3CJ'I
needs to be commItted to the purp2se and use of intellec-
powe~
pers~n
dl~ectlon
runnlng Skills.
Abraham
H€-?
For
u. S2"::·
j..~.';
I I .1.
inst3~ce.
R_
::l-
in or=er to lmprove
a professIonal
hi~es
lr-,tf:?llectuE(l
becaJse
t~ainer
he can not 1mprcve hlS runnIng skIlls by hlmself.
against
nlS
unlverslty's motto of
profeS51snal trainer,
hi,::. (Joals.
~.ch 1 '.~\/t:?
because he
r,.i
:::;.l..J
I.... ';:
k~cws
the trainer wil: help him
U'::;>?2'::;
'I
achieve his purpose of winnIng
traIner,
r-. ", .-
-4-i--·o
,_ j 1\.0_
~~ith
because he wants to win for himself and
• j ..
J. ' _ .
p~oye
2.
that he
Abrahams exemplifies some of the characteristics of
Rand's and Nietzsche's higher figure.
Rand's and Nietzsche's heroic person and overperson 1S above
and beyond what can be achIeved.
The~efore,
flexibility and a
mixture of both philosophies needs to be incorporated into the
concept of the
supe~
pe~son.
Rand and Nietzsche jemand
Also,
they are
rigo~oue
attrlbutes
unccmp~omisinq
fG~
theIr
in that the swper-
person must held 311 the
at~ributes.
mising he/she may miss opportunitles
The person will not
/:du.31.
..
- ~ ..
;:';-::;' :;.";,i!i~~
;
.1.
'=
~row.
,........;'-·.1 .::
'!
When someone
~nd
not grow
1S
~=
uncomproan lndi-
beC30se heishe is iimit:nq
:'-.r-
.-
,.-" .1.
... ~
",.
:_; i
'-'-
.=,,=,::", J. ?::.
t
~
~:·CS·=~. [~:l E?"
the
-",
,....
-'"~
..... ; : ,_..1
1:::;'~'~;
- .........
<:"='•• J
'I
•
Nletzsrhe's Zarathustra.
Kaufmann,
Walt3r.
",~I
_ '••• 1 ..
The PQrtable
What
oJ
.1.
Nietz~ch2.
Niptz~che
The
~eans.
',_.' """....-
!
'-..'i
!
:-',
:::1•. :_.J
i... i=:
•
Peikoff,
...j.
Leonard.
Rpt.
;4t 1 cIS
by Hvn
Rand Institute.
~3hruqqed.
PI a'lbo·,!.
'!
. ..
:::'0'-'
i w ...;...
Random House,
With Alvin Toffler.
F:~Jt.
Institute.
The virtue of Selfishness.
Salter, William Mackintlre.
Nietzsche The Thinker.
Fr-ederick Uqar PUblishing Co.,
Wright.
B.
Wlilard Huntington.
V':.
Huber::;ch,
1'=?':='8.
What Nietzsche Taught.
1915.
~27
1957.
b-..,'
H'/rl
F:and