Ayn Rand’s philosophy is Objectivism, which Janaya already explained. She uses the definitions of the word ego and the idea of man’s self to express her views on objectivism.
She describes ego, not as a representation of a person, but rather the person himself, or his identity (“Man’s self”). She believes that man’s mind is the basis of reason and judgment, which means that all of one’s opinions, emotions and individuality revolve around their ego.
She emphasized this by using her quotations to show how collectivism, and valuing the majority rather than the individual is erasing the aspect of people that makes them separate from everyone else. This is why she believes socialism, communism, and the Bolsheviks are problematic.
The first quote is “‘For the Council of Vocations knows in its greater wisdom where you are needed by your brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little minds.’”
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This shows how the aspirations and dreams of the people don’t matter. In this society, people are only valued for what they contribute to society, but not who they are as a person and what their hopes and dreams are.
Ayn Rand uses this quote to express Russian communism by using the Council of Vocations as a symbol for the Russian government. The Council of Vocations is portrayed as a controlling force that depletes individuality by forcing the people into professions that they do not want, simply because it will help the whole society, yet the individual's well being isn’t
Unlike during the Unmentionable Times, when men created “towers [that] rose to the sky,” it is an affliction to be born with powerful intellectual capacity and ambition in Ayn Rand’s apocalyptic, nameless society in Anthem. Collectivism is ostensibly the moral guidepost for humanity, and any perceived threat to the inflexible, authoritarian regime is met with severe punishment. The attack on mankind’s free will and reason is most evident in the cold marble engraving in the Palace of the World Council: “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (6). Societal norms force homogeneity and sacrifice among all people.
Ayn Rands novella, Anthem, displays the influence a collective society has on an individual while bringing attention to the flaws of a system where individualism is forbidden. The main character, Equality, exhibits freethinking and curiosity, which is dangerous in a community that strives for uniformity and passiveness. In Anthem, Equality’s assessment of his transgression is justified because the council used his “sin” to contain his desire to learn in order to maintain a balance in their collectivist society. Equality is deeply passionate about gaining and spreading information, which goes against the status quo of conformity and one mindedness, because of this he is isolated from others in his community. Intelligence is restricted in this
In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, mankind is a philanthropic machine. The brotherhood nobly works together to achieve a common goal. In doing so, each man is asked to disregard his own personal means and goals. For every decision must be a collective thought and every advancement, a joint action. However, one man in this machine malfunctions.
Is it possible that Equality didn’t make a wise decision during his time in Anthem? Should he have given away his light bulb so the scholars would destroy it? In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, a man named Equality struggles to accept the way people live in his town. His brothers are brainwashed into believing their lives mean nothing.
Ego, a word that has been despised for centuries. It denotes self-absorption, narcissism, and being “stuck up”. It is assumed that people with an ego are very antagonistic and always looking to put others down. While ego may have a negative connotation, it is actually an intrinsic characteristic that allows no two human beings to be completely alike. Ego was motivation for the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s Anthem.
Judging the morals in life regarding different societies expectations quickly became the focus of Equality’s thoughts, exactly as Ayn Rand had made it the importance of her own efforts. Objectivism is different from what many people live by, but it worked for Equality by the end of Anthem. It is important to realize everybody needs different things, which leads to thinking diversely. Some need self-respect to be able to give respect, and others live their life following instead of leading. It is impossible however, to say objectivism needs to vanish when it never has before, more so, the world would be unbalanced with only equal thoughts from all; there would be no innovation if all thoughts were for the same narrow concept.
When one is confined to society and held captive against their ego, it is imperative that they learn to eulogize their own individuality, and learn to improve themselves. In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to communicate the importance of the individual. Equality has always had his own sense of individuality that causes him to stand out and defy the social norms. His individuality allows him to persevere and diverge from collectivist society.
Individuality allows every person to be themselves and be different from each other. However, In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Rand describes a society where the people were not allowed to openly be themselves, or else they would be punished for being different. The main character, Equality, notices he is different slowly throughout the novella, but kept continuing to be like everyone else for awhile. These rules exist in this society to strip human individuality in order to achieve total equality.
Obstacles of Advancement In Ayn Rand's Anthem, we encounter a very unstable future society. Totalitarianism has overtaken this culture. This means that one group of people rules over society and tolerates no variation of opinion. We find the people in Anthem's society to be slaves to the god "We" and individuality eliminated as much as possible.
She thought on the fact that your interest is yours is not relevant to their importance relative to the importance of the interest of others. So, it is a mistake to treat your own interests as if they are more important than the interest of others. Personally, I agree with Ayn Rand’s view supporting ethical egoism. I’ve realized that I only do whatever I choose to do for my own self benefit and self-interest.
Collectivism and Selfishness in Anthem Imagine living in a world where everybody's lives are completely mapped out by the government. Where every decision is made without the input of the citizens it affects. In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts a completely collectivist society, where every idea, action, and invention is purely for the benefit of society as a whole. Everything is done with the entire population in mind, and individuality is extremely frowned upon.
Objectivism in Ayn Rand’s Anthem Ayn Rand established her philosophy of objectivism in order to eliminate the traditions she experienced while she was growing up under collective governments, and to emphasize the importance of the individual over the collective group. It can be defined as a philosophy for living stating that man himself is the greatest power, and man must decide what is best for himself based on reason. The four basic tenets of objectivism are reality exists as an objective absolute, reason is man’s only method of interpreting his surroundings, man must exist as an individual in order to pursue his own interests, with the ultimate goal being happiness, and the economy of an objectivist society should be laissez-faire capitalism,
The possibility of altruism as presented by Ayn Rand presents a difficult challenge even for the intellectuals she refers to. In fact Ayn Rand states in her interview with Mike Wallace; “Aristotle is the only philosopher who ever influenced me”. When we think about this is quite the statement. Aristotle was born in and died in the 3rd century B.C. Two thousand years had passed, give or take, before Ayn Rand was born (in Russia, in 1905) and she is asking us to accept that she found nothing else that could influence her in the intervening time period?
Considered to be Ayn Rand’s “philosophical and artistic capstone,” Atlas Shrugged proves to be her most fictionally expressive piece on her philosophy known as objectivism. In his piece, Edward Younkins, aiming for a broader audience, delves into several levels of Rand’s “Bible of Objectivism” and its present importance. Being published around the same time as Atlas Shrugged’s semi-centennial anniversary, the recent restoration of appeal in the novel and flood of copies sold throughout the current economic crisis brands this illumination of Rand’s thoughts and beliefs applicable to the never-ending discussions about Rand’s part in the anti-communist movement in the United States. Those reading this collection to attain a new-or-improved understanding
At the same time, Josh does have another motive of wanting to move the majority of the Packing and Distribution Department. Josh is a perfect example of Ayn Rand’s Egoistic Approach, where he is thinking of himself as he knows that Iceland is one of the poorest countries in Europe, he wants to receive the credit for benefiting the society with jobs, but this is a byproduct following his self-interest, not his goal (Brown University, 2011). Non-Ethical Issue Josh decides to go ahead and move most of the German production and distribution business to Iceland as well as open a new distribution center. In moving to Iceland, he decides to exclusively staff young workers and let the workers go before they reached the age of 19 prior to the time