ayn rand
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Ayn Rand
1905-1982American Author
Ayn Rand Background
Born in Russia in 1905 as Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum
She witnessed both the Kerensky and Bolshevik Revolutions during her
teenage years in Russia.
The communist victory in Russia resulted in the
confiscation of her father's pharmacy and periods of near-
starvation for her family.
Communist troops in Red Square in 1917
This revolution established the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics - (U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union), a
communist government.
When introduced to American history in her last year of high school, she immediately took
America as her model of what a nation of free men could be.
In late 1925 she obtained permission to leave Soviet Russia
for a visit to relatives in the United States.
Although she told Soviet authorities that her visit would be short, she was determined never
to return to Russia, and she never did.
She moved to the United States in her twenties in 1926, less than a decade after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Ayn Rand
She opposed the communist government that had taken over her country and which was beginning to
spread around the world.
Actually, Rand opposed all forms of Collectivism.
She is famous for several novels including Anthem,
The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged, which voiced
this opposition through literature.
The Collective vs. the Individual
Collectivism: a philosophy that stresses human
interdependence and the importance of a social
collective, rather than the importance of separate
individuals.
Collectivist: one who focuses on
community and society, and seeks to give priority to
group goals over individual goals.
Cooperation is key.
Its roots go back to the concept of “Holism” from
Aristotle.
Holism: “The whole is more than the sum of its
parts” – Aristotle
The Collective vs. the Individual
Collectivism inspired some political philosophies.
Two are:Socialism and Communism.
The Collective vs. the Individual
--Socialism: property & distribution of wealth are controlled by
governments to increase social and economic equality.
--Communism: goal is to form a classless society based on
common ownership of the state where everyone is equal.
The roots of communism go back to the philosophical work
of Karl Marx who believed communism should replace other forms of government.
Marx: “From each according to his ability—to each according to
his needs.”
Thomas More (English Author) invented the term “Utopia”
in 1516.
The Collective and Utopia
Utopia translates to no place, and it is a fictional paradise where everyone is equal.
In some ways, Communism seeks to achieve this kind of
paradise or at least a “workers paradise.”
The “workers paradise” was Marx’s last stage in his vision
for his collectivist society.
Society vs. the Individual
Dystopia is a vision of an often futuristic society, which has
developed into a negative version of Utopia.
A dystopia is often characterized by a totalitarian form of
government.
It often features: different kinds of repressive
social control systems,
a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and
expressions,
and a state of constant warfare or violence.
Think about these features as you read any of Rand’s novels,
such as Anthem.
Society vs. the Individual
Individualism: a term used to describe a social outlook that
stresses independence and the importance of individual
self-reliance & liberty.
Individualism is therefore opposed to collectivism, holism,
socialism, communism, and totalitarianism.
Totalitarianism: government regulation of nearly every aspect of public & private
behavior.
Some individualists believe that collectivism will ultimately lead to a totalitarian government, leading to
a form of dystopia.
Rand and the Individual
Rand came to see the individual as the answer, in many ways, to the
purpose of life.
The expression of the individual is continually expressed through her fiction, such as in the lost “I” in Anthem, Howard Roark in The Fountainhead, and John Galt in
Atlas Shrugged.
Rand and Objectivism
Rand’s belief in the self, or ego, came to be represented in a
philosophical framework of thinking she called Objectivism.
Objectivism can best be understood by its goal, which is to
achieve personal happiness through one’s own efforts.
One does not give or receive anything undeserved, and one
does not envy what others have.
It has been criticized as a philosophy that is, in essence,
selfish or self-centered . . . is it?
Rand and ObjectivismRand: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with
productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his
only absolute.”
The idea of objective principles relates to the idea that there are objective realities about life that
are not dependent on what anyone thinks – they are
independent.
Some of these are the fact that people deserve respect,
individual rights, and one should live with moral integrity.
We must create our own happiness.
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