Moral Code in Rand

 

On Page x of her book, The Virtue Of Selfishness, Ayn Rand writes this: “If you wonder the reason behind the ugly mixture of cynicism and guilt in which most men spend their lives, these are the reasons: cynicism, because they neither practice or accept the altruist morality—guilt because they dare not reject it.”

 

My response: Rand insists that people feel cynicism and guilt because they are existing and practicing an amoral or immoral moral code, altruism. They may not accept the altruist morality (most of them do actually) and they do practice it because it is socially praised and rewarded, and due to their predominant, natural herding instincts.  They probably do feel guilty for not rejecting it. And deep down they know they are living a lie, and all of this makes them unhappy and sick.

 

Rand continues: “To rebel against so devastating an evil, one has to rebel against its basic premise. To redeem both men and morality, it is the concept of ‘selfishness’ that one has to redeem.”

 

My response: If altruism is evil, that redefining egoism as virtuous is a strong step towards nudging humans to lead moral lives finally

 

Rand continues: “The first step is to assert man’s right to a moral existence—that is: to recognize his need for a moral code to guide the course and fulfillment of his own life.”

 

My response: We can and must lead moral lives, for that God commands us to do, and it is the only means of serving God. Rand knows nothing of this. We must lay out a moral code to live by, and then we must practice it faithfully.

 

Rand continues: “For a brief outline of the nature and

the validation of a rational morality, see my lecture on ‘The Objectivist Ethics’ which follows. The reason why man needs a moral code will tell you that the purpose of morality is to define man’s proper values and interests, that concern with his own interests is the essence of a moral existence, and that man must be the beneficiary of his own moral actions.”

 

My response: Rand self-refers to her moral system as rational morality, so it makes sense that she has been referred to as a rational egoist. We need a moral code which is dominated by our need to define or proper values and interests, centering on his needs and pursuits as self-benefiting.

 

Rand continues: “Since all values have to be gained and/or kept by men’s actions, any breach between actor and beneficiary necessitates an injustice: the sacrifice of some men to others, of the actor to the actors to the nonfactors, of the moral to the immoral. Nothing could ever justify such a breach, and no one ever has.”

 

My response: All values must be brought to life by being lived, so it is unjust to force moral actors to sacrifice their time, energy, and the fruits of their labor to immoral nonactors. First, we identify and present our values, and then we live them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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