Biography
"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." Ayn Rand -Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand (Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum); February 2, 1905 - March 6, 1982
Rand's Philosophy:
Objectivism
Objectivism is the idea of a rational self interest self responsibility
The best way to describe Any Rand's philosophy is in her own words. As such, here is a quote of Rand from 1962: "... Objectivism holds that:
- Reality exists as an objective absolute - facts are facts, independent of man's feelings, wishes, hopes, or fears.
- Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man's sences) is mans only means of prociving reality, his source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.
- Man - every man - is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness, is the highest moral purpose of his life.
- The ideal political-economic system laissez-fair capitalism. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system in which no man may obtain any values from others by resulting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man's rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. In a system of full capitalism there should be (but historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church" From: www.aynrand.org
Objectivism is, therefore, basically based on the idea that reality is an objective absolute. It also holds that happiness is the highest moral goal.
Political Views:
Ayn Rand's political views are anti-communist, anti-statist, and pro-capitalist. They also emphasized individualism, and the constitutional right to life, liberty, and property.
Libertarianism
1. "I do not join or endorse any political group or movement. More specifically, I disapprove of, disagree with and have no connection with, the latest aberration of some conservatives, the so-called "hippies of the right", who attempt to snare the younger or more careless ones of my readers by claiming simultaneously to be followers of my philosophy and advocates of anarchism. Anyone offering such a comination confesses his inability to understand either." [ Ayn rand "the objectivist" September 1971] www.aynrand.org
3. Many see Libertarianism as an act of threat of the establishment of a state but all that Libertarianism promotes is the maximum increase of liberty to citizens and is the absence of tyranny. www.chaospark.com
4. Promotes no supreme ruler to community and do not act as socialism or communism do.
5."A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."(Ayn Rand) www.brainyquotes.com/quotes/author/a/ayn_rand.html
Randian Hero
1. The concept Ayn Rand had for an ideal man, as in her fiction books she wrote, is a man who possessed strong, high morals and is heroically rational. The hero represents the kind of man that performs actions to his will along with the way he survives is by reason. Also, the hero's "highest moral purpose" to him is happiness.
2. Ayn Rand's characteristics of her hero are for him to be "tall, blond, clear-eyed, ruggedly handsome and well-built"(Tucille 116-117). For woman, she is to be slim, have pure calmness in her, and stand in ways that make her look powerful, more advance than others. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randian_hero
3. That the Randian Hero independence leads them to wherever he/she wants and leading to conflicts to other people. But the hero continues to achieve their goals.
4. Marxist philosopher "sees the Randian hero to be phallocratic" due to the hero being seen as a feminine subject made in "the desire of the Other to a "being of pure drive" indifferent towards it". thus, seeing the hero as not a true universal hero but as a feminine hero (Zizek 107-108).
5." Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice."- Ayn Rand www.brainyquote.com/quotes/author/a/ayn_rand.html
Ethics and Morals:
Abortion
Ayn Rand was definitely pro-choice. She said that "Abortion is a moral right" and that the decision should be left to the woman involved.
Views on Euthanasia:
"the essence of political liberty is the right to control one's own body (and to end it's existence), free of state coercion." - Dr. Bernstein, a professor of philosophy and a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, promoting the philosophy of Ayn Rand author of Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
" It is no accident that the strongest hostility towards euthanasia comes from devout religionists. For on their view, a man's life does not belong to himself, but to God. The anti-evolution law did not permit a man to choose how to think; the anti-euthanasia does not permit a man to choose how to live. The first was directed against man's mind, the second against his body, but the principle is identical: the individual's life is ultimately to be controlled by some higher authority." -Dr Bernstein www.aynrand.org
Views on the Death Penalty:
"Life is a choice we must make consciously and seriously, or else we may find that, by default we have chosen the alternative: suffering and death," -ayn rand
Ayn Rand's view on the Death Penalty is unknown for she never provided an answer for that topic. But according to her philosophies and words, she believed that a person has no right to take another person's life. So in conclusion, Ayn Rand would not have supported the Death Penalty.
Some of Rand's quotations:
"Happiness is that state of consciousness that proceeds from the achievement of one's values."
"I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction on my being. I am the warrant and the sanction."-Anthem
"Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and, like all of man's values, it has to be earned."-Atlas Shrugged
"That which you call your soul or spirit is our consiousness, And that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character."-Atlas Shrugged
The quotations above were found at www.quotationspage.com
Sources:
1. www.aynrand.org
2. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randian_hero
3. www.brainyquote.com/quotes/author/a/ayn_rand.html
4. www.quotationspage.com
5. www.chaospark.com
Comments (10)
adamm said
at 1:09 pm on Feb 17, 2009
who are you guys
skylerw said
at 8:43 am on Feb 27, 2009
dang you guys are far
jeng said
at 8:49 am on Feb 27, 2009
This is Jenn and Sara's page =]
saram said
at 9:00 am on Feb 27, 2009
:]
Don Pogreba said
at 10:46 pm on Mar 5, 2009
I'm a little concerned that this seems like it might need to have some more diverse sources and less direct quotation from other pages. I'd really like to see a section on the Randian hero as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randian_hero
adamm said
at 10:37 pm on Mar 6, 2009
thanks for da advice pogreba
saram said
at 7:58 am on Mar 9, 2009
adamm-find views on death penalty :]
jeng said
at 7:59 am on Mar 9, 2009
Oh and add a list of sources on the bottom. =] thanks
jeng said
at 8:07 am on Mar 9, 2009
check www.noblesoul.com
adamm said
at 11:40 am on Mar 9, 2009
NO!!!
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