"The title of this book may evoke the kind of question that i hear once in a while: "Why do you use the word 'selfishness' to denote virtuous qualities of character, when that word antagonizes so many people to whom it does not mean the things you mean?" To those who ask it, my answer is: "For the reason that makes you afraid of it."
But there are others, who would not ask that question, sensing the moral cowardice it implies, yet who are unable to formulate my actual reason or to identify the profound moral issue involved. It is to them that I will give a more explicit answer.
It is not a mere semantic issue nor a matter of arbitrary choice. The meaning ascribed in the popular usage to the word "selfishness" is not merely wrong: it represents a devastating intellectual "package-deal," which is responsible, more than any other single factor, for the arrested moral development of mankind." — Ayn Rand
Today we dive into a series of writings by Ayn Rand in her book, "The Virtue of Selfishness." Beginning with a philosophical exploration of ethics and moral values, by deriving them from the individual. By taking that which we can know and understand about existence within ourselves and our own goals and lives, and then from that deduce a moral ethic that can keep society alive and prospering. In the similar way that self ownership is determined, and slavery is denounced, that Austrian economic theory is architected, and the foolish contradictions of Keynesianism are revealed, Ayn Rand takes us from the individual, to a moral ethic that celebrates life and cooperation. If you haven't explored, this will be a great series.
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If you haven't yet, definitely check out Atlas Shrugged
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"The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities."
— Ayn Rand
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