“The Objectivist Ethics”
by Ayn Rand
Part 3 (pp. 30-39):
Club discussion agenda
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Introductory outline
14. The basic social principle of the Objectivist ethics: because every man is an end in
himself, each must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing the self to others, nor
others to the self, and one’s own happiness is one’s highest moral purpose.
(Page 30; paragraph 67.)
15. Psychologically, successful living is experienced as happiness, because emotions
are automatic estimates of what furthers or threatens one’s values. But emotional
responses depend on chosen values, which can be rational or irrational. So,
genuine happiness is possible only through rational values.
(Pages 30-32; paragraphs 68-76, see especially paragraph 76.)
16. Happiness is achieved only by pursuing rational values, but the reverse does not
necessarily hold. Hedonism defines value in terms of happiness, which is circular.
Other allegedly rational codes cause conflict between men; on these codes, the
(undefined) happiness always frustrates the (undefined) happiness of another.
(Pages 32-34; paragraphs 77-81; see especially paragraph 80.)
17. Objectivism rejects the idea that self-interest requires or permits sacrifice, by
upholding rational (not whim-based) selfishness. There are no conflicts of interest
among men who desire the rational, not the unearned, and trade values for value,
whether materially, or spiritually (in the form of love and friendship).
(Pages 34-35; paragraphs 82-88.)
18. Men benefit from living in society primarily from the acquisition of knowledge
and trade. But this benefit is possible only if it is a rational, productive and free
society, one not altruistically geared towards the needs of parasites.
(Pages 35-36; paragraphs 89-91.)
19. The basic political principle of the Objectivist ethics is that no men may initiate
force against others. Force may only be used in retaliation, and the only proper
function of government is to protect men’s rights to life, liberty, and property. So
the Objectivist ethics is the basis for pure unregulated laissez-faire capitalism
(Pages 36-37, paragraphs 92-96.)
20. The above shows that the Objectivist ethics is the morality of life, but the mystic,
social, and subjective schools are the morality of death. Each of these not only
demands sacrifice, but also alienates the good from the life of individual men on
Earth.
(Pages 37-39, paragraphs 97-102.)
21. Philosophy has lead men to adopt the morality of death. If civilization is to
survive, we need philosophy to reject the morality of death and embrace the
morality of life.
(Page 39, paragraphs 103-106.)
Discussion questions
(Priority questions are marked with an asterisk (*).)
1. How do the seven selfish virtues (mentioned in the previous section, paragraphs
63-66) help explain the basic social principle of the Objectivist ethics, that we
should neither sacrifice ourselves to others nor others to the self? Focus in
particular on explaining why selfishness demands not sacrificing others to the
self. That is: why does it violate the virtues of rationality, honesty, justice, etc., to
sacrifice another to one’s self?
2. (*) What view about the nature and cause of emotional responses is crucial to
understanding the Objectivist view that happiness is achieved only by the pursuit
of rational values? (See paragraphs 68-71.) How does this view of emotions
compare to other conventional views about emotions?
3. How does Ayn Rand’s discussion of the relationship between the achievement of
life and happiness help address the mistaken view that man’s life is merely
physical survival that can and should be pursued at any price? (See paragraph
76.)
4. (*) How does the previously-mentioned view of emotions support the Objectivist
claim that one person’s happiness does not require or permit the sacrifice of
another person? (See paragraphs 80-81.) What additional facts about the nature of
life in human society illustrate how rational men’s interests are in harmony, rather
than conflict? (See paragraphs 87-90.)
5. In what way are friendship, respect and admiration a form of spiritual payment?
How do emotional responses which result from the recognition of a value of
another person compensate or reward the person for offering that value? Why
would you want another person to recognize your value? (See paragraphs 8788))
6. (*) Why do men need freedom in order to benefit from living in society? Why are
the chief values of civilization—knowledge and trade—only available when men
are free from the initiation of physical force? (See paragraphs 90-91.)
7. Rand argues that the Objectivist ethics of rational selfishness is the moral base for
the original American system of pure, unregulated laisseiz-faire capitalism. Why
might she think this? Why is it one’s rational self-interest to live in a system in
which one’s rights to life, liberty and property are protected? Why is it in one’s
rational self-interest to live in a system in which everyone else’s rights to the same
are protected? (See paragraphs 93-95.)
8. (*) How does Ayn Rand’s final discussion of the nature of the mystic, social, and
subjectivist theories of ethics explain her contention from the beginning of the
essay that the failure to find a rational code of ethics is responsible for the
collapse of civilization? (See paragraphs 97-102.)
Closing
9. How does the following passage—depicting a dialogue between Rearden and
Dagny in Atlas Shrugged—reflect the view that happiness is not an undefinable
primary?
"I've always wanted to enjoy my wealth," he said. "I didn't know how to do it. I didn't
even have time to know how much I wanted to. But I knew that all the steel I poured
came back to me as liquid gold, and the gold was meant to harden into any shape I
wished, and it was I who had to enjoy it. Only I couldn't. I couldn't find any purpose for
it. I've found it, now. It's I who've produced that wealth and it's I who am going to let it
buy for me every kind of pleasure I want...
"I've never despised luxury," he said, "yet I've always despised those who enjoyed it.
I looked at what they called their pleasures and it seemed so miserably senseless to me—
after what I felt at the mills. I used to watch steel being poured, tons of liquid steel
running as I wanted it to, where I wanted it. And then I'd go to a banquet and I'd see
people who sat trembling in awe before their own gold dishes and lace tablecloths, as if
their dining room were the master and they were just objects serving it, objects created by
their diamond shirt studs and necklaces, not the other way around. Then I'd run to the site
of the first slag heap I could find—and they'd say that I didn't know how to enjoy life,
because I cared for nothing but business."
He looked at the dim, sculptured beauty of the room and at the people who sat at the
tables. They sat in a manner of self-conscious display, as if the enormous cost of their
clothes and the enormous care of their grooming should have fused into splendor, but
didn't. Their faces had a look of rancorous anxiety.
"Dagny, look at those people. They're supposed to be the playboys of life, the
amusement-seekers and luxury-lovers. They sit there, waiting for this place to give them
meaning, not the other way around. But they're always shown to us as the enjoyers of
material pleasures—and then we're taught that enjoyment of material pleasures is evil.
Enjoyment? Are they enjoying it? Isn't there some sort of perversion in what we're taught,
some error that's vicious and very important?"
"Yes, Hank—very vicious and very, very important."
"They are the playboys, while we're just tradesmen, you and I. Do you realize that
we're much more capable of enjoying this place than they can ever hope to be?"
"Yes."
…
He held her eyes, then looked away. They were silent for a long time. He glanced at
the soft twilight around them, then at the sparkle of two wine glasses on their table.
"Dagny, in my youth, when I was working in the ore mines in Minnesota, I thought that
I wanted to reach an evening like this. No, that was not what I was working for, and I
didn't think of it often. But once in a while, on a winter night, when the stars were out
and it was very cold, when I was tired, because I had worked two shifts, and wanted
nothing on earth except to lie down and fall asleep right there, on the mine ledge—I
thought that some day I would sit in a place like this, where one drink of wine would
cost more than my day's wages, and I would have earned the price of every minute of it
and of every drop and of every flower on the table, and I would sit there for no purpose
but my own amusement."
—Ayn Rand , Atlas Shrugged, pp. 346-8.
Promoting the Discussion
E-mail to be sent out
Conventional wisdom often holds that we face a dilemma: either we surrender our
interests to others or we exploit others. According to this view, there are unavoidable
conflicts of interests among people.
In our final discussion on the “virtue of selfishness,” we’ll examine the psychological and
social facts Ayn Rand identifies that undermine the inevitability of conflict and sacrifice,
and her view of how the rejection of sacrifice supports the establishment of laissez-faire
capitalism.
“[J]ust as life is an end in itself, so every living human being is an end in himself, not
the means to the ends or the welfare of others—and, therefore, that man must live for
his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. To
live for his own sake means that the achievement of his own happiness is man's highest
moral purpose.”
—Ayn Rand , “The Objectivist Ethics”
Material to be discussed:
 “The Objectivist Ethics,” pp. 30-39 in Ayn Rand’s *The Virtue of Selfishness*
o Order the book:
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o Full text online:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ari_ayn_rand_the_obj
ectivist_ethics
o Condensed lecture version, read by Ayn Rand, online:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename-reg_ar_ethics