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Ayn Rand

The Virtue of Selfishness: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition Mass Market Paperback – November 1, 1964

by Ayn Rand (Author), Nathaniel Branden (Contributor)

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A collection of essays that sets forth the moral principles of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's controversial, groundbreaking philosophy.

Since their initial publication, Rand's fictional works—Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged—have had a major impact on the intellectual scene. The underlying theme of her famous novels is her philosophy, a new morality—the ethics of rational self-interest—that offers a robust challenge to altruist-collectivist thought.

Known as Objectivism, her divisive philosophy holds human life—the life proper to a rational being—as the standard of moral values and regards altruism as incompatible with man's nature. In this series of essays, Rand asks why man needs morality in the first place, and arrives at an answer that redefines a new code of ethics based on the virtue of selfishness.

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Print length

173 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Signet
Publication date

November 1, 1964
Dimensions

4.19 x 0.46 x 6.88 inches
ISBN-10

9780451163936
ISBN-13

978-0451163936
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.

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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0451163931
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Signet; Mass Paperback Edition (November 1, 1964)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 173 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780451163936
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451163936
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.21 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.46 x 6.88 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #31,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14 in Epistemology Philosophy
- #131 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality
- #446 in Classic American Literature

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930 ratings

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4 star		10%
3 star		5%
2 star		2%
1 star		3%

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Panochey

The Fundiment of Reason

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018

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Ayn Rand teaches you how to think logically, rationally, and why it is important to understand what makes us all tick. Her writing is so knowledge-dense that I advise you to take this is small bites, digest what you have read, re-read it again, chew it some more, and then take your next bite.

If you want to fight the collectivist and the statist where they stand, you need to be able to expound on the concepts found in the Virtue of Selfishness with sound conviction and a thorough understanding of the underlying principles. If you have this, there will be none that can withstand your logic. The Marxist, the so-called progressive, the socialist and the mystic, (regardless of flavor), will crumble before you as you destroy all of their dogmatic talking points.

WARNING: Doing the above will subject you to the violence they will turn to once you have pissed them off. When they realize that your arguments are virtuous, the only recourse they have left to them is to physically attack you. Violence is the primary tool of the communist and the fascist. It's what they use when they can no longer subjugate you with Altruism, (the surrendering of a greater good for a lesser one). Be prepared. You've been warned.

65 people found this helpful

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Jeff

Ayn Rand was Brilliant, but...

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019

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My General Overview:

Ayn Rand has a 'controversial', but brilliant and effective philosophy that can best be applied to your personal life and sense of ethics.

She advocates both ethical and rational egoism and dismisses altruism as a vice rather than a virtue. Ayn made a great case against altruism in favor of ethical/rational egoism as a much better alternative. Her writing style is concise, direct, and illustrative of her points and arguments. It's accessible to readers who don't have a thesaurus nearby at all times, so this is much better than Immanuel Kant's confusing, convoluted, nonsensical work.

Ayn Rand also makes a strong case for the rejection of mysticism and the adoption of reason as your primary guiding principle in life. Objectivism is a very motivating philosophy because, if you live by it, you will be pursuing your Values (she uses the word 'values' to describe passions and aspirations).

The core components of Objectivism are Reason, Productivity, and Self-Esteem, all great on their own, but even better in combination. Ayn's philosophy addresses how we ought to live, in a very practical sense rather than meandering abstractions like some other philosophers.

My Contentions:

Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, is great when applied to your personal life. However, my biggest contention with her work is the fact Ayn endorses capitalism that is unregulated by the government. No; I'm not a socialist. I'm a capitalist, but I believe government regulation is an extremely important aspect of a market economy.

There are too many real world examples (i.e., 2009 recession, Flint Michigan's water, etc.) of unregulated or barely regulated markets causing serious economic problems and, worse, even public health concerns. So, while I'm on board with Objectivism as a personal philosophy, I'm certainly not on board with it as a POLITICAL philosophy. Definitely not.

Ayn Rand dismisses collectivism as inherently bad, while individualism is heralded as inherently good. To a certain extent, I agree with this assessment, but Ayn paints a picture that's way too 'black and white' on this issue. I believe MOST collectivism is bad, but I can't help but notice Social Collectivism, such as government building roads or providing single-payer healthcare, is reliably successful. Research the Nordic Model if you don't believe some forms of collectivism can actually be good.

Yes, most collectivism fails by almost every measure, but SOME forms of collectivism are very successful and beneficial to society.

I agree with Ayn Rand's advocacy of Individual Rights being of maximal importance. However, there must be a government that both grants and protects those Individual Rights. They do not come out of thin air; they're not 'natural' rights. Rights are social constructs, so while I agree Individual Rights are the most important thing in society, I don't believe those rights to be self-evident.

We human beings must figure out what those rights are, set up a system that grants them, and also have a system that PROTECTS them. No rights are natural or just fall out of the sky. Individual Rights are the most important thing we need in society, so I agree with Ayn Rand on that bit, but rights are still social constructs at the end of the day.

If Individual Rights were truly self-evident, these huge authoritarian nightmare governments of human history would have never existed. But, sorry... they did exist and some still DO exist (i.e., North Korea), so rights are social constructs, not self-evident, and we must establish those rights ourselves, as humans. I agree with Ayn Rand about using Reason as our primary guiding principle; we have to use Reason to determine what our Individual Rights are. They're not clear until we make propositions and arguments in favor of why certain rights ought to be granted/protected in our civilizations.

Property Rights are also something I agree with Ayn Rand on. Yes, I definitely believe in private property being extremely significant to a prosperous society. However, those too, like the Individual Rights, are not self-evident and we must figure out for ourselves what these Property Rights are, what they mean, what the nuances and implications are, etc. And we should use Reason, not Mysticism, to do that.

My Politics:

Since I know Ayn Rand's work is very politically charged ever since the Tea Party movement leaders pretended to be Objectivists (they were definitely pretending and probably didn't even read Ayn's work)… I will go ahead and reveal my personal political beliefs.

I'm a Social Democracy style liberal and a Civic Nationalist. Now that you know that about me, you can probably see why I had some issues with the political implications of Ayn's philosophy. But, that's okay.

Objectivism is still a great PERSONAL philosophy to live your life by; I just think you ought to evaluate your politics differently than how you live as an individual. Politics is a lot more nuanced and complicated than Ayn makes it out to be. A market without government regulations is simply NOT the solution to modern economic struggles and it also isn't an ideal market in my view.

Why 4 Stars?

Because I have a lot of contentions with Ayn's economic and political ideas. Having said that, Objectivism is sound, logical, and great for your personal life.

32 people found this helpful

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G. M. Reszel

A tough read the religious need heed

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2021

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During your preflight they tell you to secure your own mask before you help others. In a nutshell this book is that. Your happiness and ambition are paramount for the success of your life. Your quest for these things is not evil but rather a moral imperative; even indicative you are on the right path. So far it has been very tough for me to digest this book; long sentences with ideas that conflict years of indoctrination. Rand’s words are important to those (like me) who have been raised they are a dirty doormat. You will do well to read and reread and ponder. This could be the most important book of my life. I will update as I understand better (and when I actually finish the book) but for now I am walking with a weight lifted.

4 people found this helpful

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jimsstones

Maybe I should become more selfish.

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020

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Apparently selfishness does not include towards wife. Wife makes me very happy sometimes so it is in my self interest to support her. But still I am thinking maybe I spend too much on her.

Anyway the alternative, altruism, living as a slave to support communist state is not very attractive. The main difference between Communist Russia and US is that in US people have more stuff. The proletariat was fooled into thinking they would have more stuff with communism. They were more miserable and poor than under the Czar.

5 people found this helpful

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Cal Sand

Rand is essential

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021

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Either you like an author or you don't. My contention with Rand is probably my own brain. I have to read her very slow as her ideas are so against social norms that I have a difficult time thinking about her ideas clearly. And her content is sometimes unnecessarily heavy. I feel like if she thought it through more or took more time to draft it things could be stated in a more simple way. Something for the lay person to easily understand.

The ideas in this book are profound and should at least be considered. Am I good just because I'm trying to do good? Or is it only good if the results are beneficial to those around me?

We live in a society that in general is trying to do the right thing. But that right thing often imposes a very negative result on many people. So the people doing the right thing feel good about themselves, believe in their own rightness, and impose laws accordingly. While others suffer as a consequence.

What leads us to believe what they are doing is the right thing? Rand cites, most often, it is whim. And the result is living in a society whose laws and regulations are based on the moral whim of a few people.

2 people found this helpful

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Cynthia Gillis

radical and rational ethical theory

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018

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Challenging millennia of ethical ideas that demand that individuals submit themselves to serving others, the author presents a clear, unapologetic egoistic approach to ethics. It presents a vision of people living in a society where each can live up to their greatest potential, and a vision of people living honestly and harmoniously . I love her approach.

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

A. W. Wakefield

Must read it, but don't stop here.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2018

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Ayn Rand takes you further through an economic system before running out of steam than anyone else. You do have to have the mental agility to accept her redefinition of certain everyday terms, though. I find her the most persuasive of the modern philosophers as her premises are the simplest. Only one, really. Strongly recommended, together with others of hers. If you prefer your philosophy packaged, read also Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

3 people found this helpful

Allan

Very influential & though-provoking, skilled use of language. Will have a profound impact on you.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2021

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As usual, Ayn Rand has such control and finesse over her writing. And she leverages this skill to provide a very thought-provoking, bold and very convincing ideas of about Individualism, all while debunking the fad of Altruism.
Not a book for the narrow-minded or the faint-hearted ! Very relevant in a period where capitalism and right-wing politics, individualism and selfishness is all frowned upon.

Makes you re-realise the virtues of selfishness and how focusing on yourself is the greatest contribution you can make to society. Ricardo's law of absolute advantage holds I guess. This book had a profound impact on me.

Herman Norford

In Praise of Capitalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2012

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Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness" is certainly an interesting and thought provoking collection of essays. In the book you get what is displayed on the cover by means of its title, namely an undiluted brand of selfishness. But don't be put off by the brand because whilst many might disagree with the book's broad thrust there is certainly plenty of food for thought.

The collection of essays was written in the early 1960's making some of them 50 years or nearly 50 years old. The range of topics the essays cover is quite broad including issues such as: mental health versus mysticism, the ethics of emergencies, selfishness, the psychology of pleasure, man's rights, the nature of government and racism to mention a few of the topics. Most of the essays were written by Rand with some contributions from one of her disciples, Nathaniel Branden. If there is a single unifying issue threading its way through the essays it is the concept known as an "ethics of rational self-interest". Rand begins her collection of essays with "The Objectivist Ethics" in which she seems to be in search of an Ethics that is based on rational objectivity. This first essay should be read carefully as it provides the theoretical foundation for all the other essays.

In her effort to lay the foundation of an objectivist ethics, Rand outlines a dense argument by analogy in order to undermine the acceptance of Hume's argument that one cannot derive "ought" form "is". In other words, something that is a fact does not tell us how we should behave or act. In short, Rand's dictum states: "the fact that a living entity is, determines what it ought to do." Although she does not undermine Hume's argument, to some extent her argument here is quite persuasive especially as she emphasises the point by telling us that: "knowledge for any conscious organism is the means of survival; to a living consciousness, every "is" implies an "ought".

What we get in the Objectivist Ethics feels like a sermon. A sermon blasted at the reader from a right wing perspective. Although Rand was an atheist one is left with the impression that the text of "The Objectivist Ethics" could serve as a new chapter in the bible for those right wing USA preachers and broadcasters. It's a text that rails against slot and dependency. We are told: "Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceed from the achievement of one's own values. If a man values productive work, his happiness is the measure of his success in the service of his life."

Let's be clear what's been railed against in these essays is altruism. The OED defines altruism as: "The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others." In the essay, The Ethics of Emergencies, for Rand this position is almost despicable and she has an interesting way of turning the issue upside down. She says: "By elevating the issues of helping others into the central and primary issue of ethics, altruism has destroyed the concept of any authentic benevolence and good will among men." But despite this hard headed stance against altruism and one's intuitive negative reaction against it, nonetheless one is left feeling that there is some truth to the objectivist ethics as many of our behaviour and actions are borne of selfishness.

The relevancy test raises its head in relation to these essays or at least some of them. The obvious question is 50 years on does these essays address the contemporary socio-economic, political and moral situation in which human beings find themselves? Some might want to argue that the question is at least debateable for me the short answer is yes at least some of the essays do address our contemporary situation. Where rand points out that: "moral neutrality necessitates a progressive sympathy for vice and a progress antagonism to virtue" one can easily apply that dictum to the liberalism that we encounter today in so many aspects of our lives - for example those in authority wanting to sit on the fence and try to find reasons to mitigate bad behaviour.

One question to bear in mind when reading these extreme right wing texts is to ask oneself who are these kinds of texts ruling out or ignoring? Reading between the lines of many right wing texts one could sometimes detect the sexist, homophobic and or racist nature of them. Ayn Rand's essays are no exception. She holds the USA and its historical trajectory in high esteem. But in doing so Rand appears willing to overlook one of the indelible stains on the USA - namely slavery. In discussing the declaration of independence in relation to man's right, Rand points out that the limits of a government role in society is one of protecting man's rights from physical violence. As a result of this limited role of government in relation to the USA of course Rand goes on to say: "The result was the pattern of a civilized society which - for the brief span of some hundred and fifty years - America came close to achieving" tell that to those who suffered as slaves and those still suffering from the legacy. Although she acknowledges that such high aim was not "consistently practiced" she nonetheless blames what she calls "America's inner contradiction" on "alturist - collectivist ethics". This is disingenuous those who did not achieve high standards set by the declaration of independence were of the same right wing, individualistic ilk as Rand.

Rand's essay on racism is to be applauded. I broadly agree with some of the points she raise. However, I found it ironic that she should attribute the critical points she makes to collectivism rather than to her own right wing followers. I guess the extreme brand of right wing politics and philosophy Rand puts forward knows how to perpetrate its racism in a subtle and covert manner.

Whatever, my stance is towards the essays, they certainly are engaging and thought provoking. Some fifty years on the essays resonate, they are still relevant and worth reading.

7 people found this helpful

Jason

Handy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2020

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A brief but pointed introduction to Objectivism, it pulls no punches.
A good description if you don't want to slog through Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead.

J. McGuinness

If only you would just Chapter One!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2018

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Chapter One of this book, on its own, is a classical piece of writing and of almost science in terms of explaining the hierarchy of sensations and concepts.

One person found this helpful