Ayn Rand’s World Outlook of Objectivism Free Essay Example

Ayn Rand‘s revolutionary works led to the creation of a philosophical trend in America that gained growing international recognition. She was a founder of objectivism. Ayn Rand institute of objectivity can be informally characterized as the “world outlook of Life on Earth.” Its goal is to help in the formation of a generation of “new intellectuals” who will assert the mind, individualism, and morality of reasonable egoism as integral means of achieving prosperity and happiness in this world. She singled out three opposing ideas.

These are mysticism, collectivism, and altruism as ideas responsible for undermining the foundations of Western civilization.

However, in the process of developing her views, Rand appealed to the ordinary reader. She considered world outlook to be important for all people. In the sixties, Rand briefly described her philosophical views in the newspaper column of the Los Angeles Times. She wrote that objectivism includes the following. Real facts remain facts, regardless of feelings, desires, hopes or fears of a person.

The mind (the property of a person to identify and integrate data from the sense organs) is the only way to embrace tangibility by a person, his only source of attainments, the only persuasive to changes and the only way to live in our world. Each person is finite. He is not a mean to achieve the goals of other people and should exist without sacrificing for other people, or for other people sacrifice. The pursuit of his reasonable selfish interests and the desire to accomplish blessing are the highest moral value in his life.

The ideal political and economic system is capitalism.  It should be based on the principles of free competition.

This is a system in which people conclude transactions with each other as traders who exchange freely, at their own volition and for mutual benefit. This is a system in which no person can receive from others the value by physical strength, and no person can provoke the application of state’s power versus other people. The state acts only as a police officer. It protects the privileges of the citizen; it uses force only as a countermeasure and only versus those who initiated its use, for example, versus criminals or foreign invaders. There should be an unmitigated detachment of the state from the economy.

Ayn Rand is the author of three novels, one story, several short stories and screenplays. The novel “We the Living” is a realistic work; “The Fountainhead” is a social novel with elements of utopian ideas; “Atlas Shrugged” is a completely utopian work. Her ideal hero can fully realize his potential only in a free country. The heroes of the book “We the Living” lived, suffered and loved in a non-free state. The novel “The Fountainhead” discloses the problem of “secondary people,” that is, the majority that owes its existence to “primary people” – intellectuals since they can live only by the cost of their capabilities. These “primary” people should be cherished and appreciated by humanity.

Things that can happen if the “secondary” people do not fulfill this “duty” can be seen in “Atlas Shrugged,” where the best part of humanity announces a strike. Thus, the novel is a consequence of the problem that is posed in “The Fountainhead.” Rand praises the best qualities of a person. There are intelligence, independence, and self-esteem. “Atlas” embodied all the important provisions of the “world outlook of objectivism,” based on the principles of individualism, advisable egoism and reason, which are the intellectual justification of capitalism as opposed to socialism. The book is replete with complex philosophical discourses and unpopular ideas. However, it is still worthy of attention.

Ayn Rand is the author of three novels, one story, several short stories and screenplays. The novel “We the Living” is a realistic work; “The Fountainhead” is a social novel with elements of utopian ideas; “Atlas Shrugged” is a completely utopian work. Her ideal hero can fully realize his potential only in a free country. The heroes of the book “We the Living” lived, suffered and loved in a non-free state. The novel “The Fountainhead” discloses the problem of “secondary people,” that is, the majority that owes its existence to “primary people” – intellectuals since they can live only by the cost of their capabilities. These “primary” people should be cherished and appreciated by humanity.

Things that can happen if the “secondary” people do not fulfill this “duty” can be seen in “Atlas Shrugged,” where the best part of humanity announces a strike. Thus, the novel is a consequence of the problem that is posed in “The Fountainhead.” Rand praises the best qualities of a person. There are intelligence, independence, and self-esteem. “Atlas” embodied all the important provisions of the “world outlook of objectivism,” based on the principles of individualism, advisable egoism and reason, which are the intellectual justification of capitalism as opposed to socialism. The book is replete with complex philosophical discourses and unpopular ideas. However, it is still worthy of attention.

References

• Reconsidering Ayn Rand, Michael B.Yang – WinePress Pub. – 2000
• Ayn Rand: a sense of life: the companion book, Michael Paxton – Gibbs Smith – 1998
• Ayn rand: atlas shrugged, the fountainhead, Ayn Rand – New Amer Library – 1997
• American novelists since World War II, James RichardGiles – Wanda H.Giles – Gale Group – 2000

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