What Are We Living For? Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and Anthem

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What Are We Living For?Ayn Rand, Objectivism,
and Anthem

• Feraco-Eberle
• Myth to Science Fiction
• 12 February 2009

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A Note Before Beginning

• I introduced some of these concepts last week
  during the Litmus Test, but I wanted to go over
  them a bit more thoroughly today
• I dont wish to mischaracterize Objectivism, so
  many of these explanations are taken directly
  from the Rand Institutes website Ive taken the
  liberty of simplifying some of the language, but
  Ive tried to preserve her original intent

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Why Form a Philosophy?

• The unexamined life is not worth living.
• Socrates
• The goal is to make sense of a world that doesnt
  always make sense
• I mentioned human inertia yesterday
  philosophical study helps us resist that inertia
  by forcing us to take a longer look at the
  reasons behind the things we do
• Lifes more worthwhile when you understand it!

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Rands Philosophy

• Rand named her belief system Objectivism, and
  described it as a philosophy for living on
  earth
• vs. a philosophy that serves largely for
  intellectual exercise
• Whereas many philosophers believe that multiple
  answers exist to large philosophical questions
  or that, in some cases, there is no objectively
  truthful response Rand argues that even
  abstract questions have concrete answers
• Therefore, Rands philosophy is less a system of
  questions and more a system of answers
• The degree to which you buy into her system
  depends not on whether you find her questions
  intriguing , but on whether you find her answers
  believable

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Her Argument for Philosophy

• In order to live, man must act we cant wait
  passively for life to happen to us
• In order to act, he must make choices we cant
  always be the acted-upon
• In order to make choices, he must define a code
  of values our choices need to be consistent
  because theyre made in the interest of living a
  consistent life
• In order to define a code of values, he must know
  what he is and where he is
• This means knowing himself his thought
  processes, his nature, etc. and the nature of
  the world and universe surrounding him
• People cannot escape from this need the only
  variable is whether the philosophy guiding them
  will be chosen by their minds or by chance.

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Objectivism 101

• The nature of reality Objectivism holds that
  things are what they are, independent of anyones
  knowledge or wishes.
• Objectivism rejects both the view that reality is
  some supernatural realm inaccessible to reason or
  that everyone has his own subjective reality.
• Knowledge Objectivism holds that reason is mans
  only means of knowledge and tool of survival and
  that certainty is attainable.
• Objectivism thus rejects both the view that there
  is some non-rational means of knowledge (e.g.,
  faith or intuition), and the view that knowledge
  is impossible and truth is relative to the
  individual or culture.

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Objectivism 101

• Human nature Objectivism holds that individuals
  have free will, are autonomous and independent
  by using reason, they can determine their own
  beliefs and values and thus control their own
  lives (Man is a being of self-made soul).
• Objectivism rejects the view that an individuals
  thoughts and actions are the inevitable result of
  factors (e.g., heredity or environment) beyond
  his control.

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Objectivism 101

• Ethical standards Objectivism holds that ethics
  is objective and factual the standard of moral
  value is that which furthers the survival of man
  as a rational being.
• Objectivism rejects the view that ethics is a
  matter of opinion, that right and wrong are
  determined by social convention, ethnicity,
  personal preference or religious commandment.

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Objectivism 101

• Morality Objectivism holds that every individual
  is an end in himselfwhich means that each
  individual should be selfish, should live by his
  own mind and for his own happiness, neither
  sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing
  others to himself.
• Objectivism rejects the view that an individuals
  moral worth is determined by his altruistic
  service to society, the needy, the nation or some
  deity.

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Objectivism 101

• Politics Objectivism holds that capitalism is
  the only moral social system and that the only
  proper purpose of government is the protection of
  an individuals right to this life, liberty,
  property and pursuit of happiness.
• Objectivism rejects the collectivist view that
  government exists to further the common good,
  the will of the majority or any particular group
  (e.g., the working class) and, unlike
  libertarianism, it rejects the view that
  government is evil by nature.

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Objectivism and Anthem

• Does the society in Anthem reflect these beliefs?
  
• It does, but in opposition to them
• We have a monolithic and collectivist government
  one thats uniquely filtered through Rands
  perspective on collectivism that shuns dissent
  and independence
• The society rests on the belief that individual
  needs are entirely useless that we can best
  serve ourselves by serving others, even to the
  exclusion of our own self-interest
• Self-interest, in turn, is banished
• As it turns out, scientific investigation and the
  pursuit of knowledge qualify as self-interest!

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Anthems Society

• Rand has carefully crafted a society that
  violates each of the beliefs she defines as
  Objectivist principles
• The society does not worship a divinity, but it
  does worship a concept (unity) to the exclusion
  of realistic analysis
• Rands main problem with faith is her belief that
  it blinds people to reason and truth
• The truth (as she presents it) is that Equality
  7-2521 is so clearly superior to the rest of his
  peers that any sort of judgment that fails to
  recognize this represents a crime

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Anthem Characters Chapter I

• Equality 7-2521
• Henceforth known simply as Equality
• A curious and intelligent young man who suspects
  hes different from others an awful thing! at
  an early age
• Union 5-3992
• A mentally handicapped youth who suffers from
  epilepsy and works with Equality in the streets
• International 4-8818
• Equalitys only friend
• Someone honest enough to decide against reporting
  Equalitys discovery, but lacking the courage to
  do anything to support him

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The Characters and Society

• International is an artist
• Equality is a scientist or scholar (and,
  according to Rand, a genius)
• Neither is an ideal street-sweeper, obviously (if
  such people exist)
• Rand implies that Union is one
• Rand stacks the deck by placing the novels two
  thinking characters in the same position as Union
  5-3992
• This implies that the societys structure of job
  placement is so blind to peoples individual
  abilities that it sees Union and Equality as
  equally capable (a conclusion Rands Objectivist
  beliefs cannot support)

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Pragmatism v. Blindness

• However, theres also the argument that the
  societys leadership is merely behaving
  pragmatically
• It sees Equality and International as dangerous
  to its rules stability because it believes them
  to be capable of sowing dissent and individuality
  
• Contrast this with the harmony of a collective
  agreement
• In this case, the leadership isnt blind
• Indeed, its very aware of the perceived threat
  Equality poses
• It simply chooses to act in a way that defies the
  very reality it recognizes
• Thats what angers Rand the leaderships
  decision to act in defiance of truth and reason
  in order to compromise freedom

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Freedom!

• Another aspect of the collectivist society that
  offends Rand is its hostile attitude towards free
  thought
• Equality struggles to think for himself
• Society has given Equality purpose, but it has
  tried to rob him of his self-awareness and his
  ability to reason
• Equality represents Rands argument that the
  freedom to think can be threatened, even
  compromised but never fully eliminated
• Thought is instinctive
• While morals are largely dedicated to regulating
  instinctive reactions, they cannot eliminate the
  instinct
• When Equality chooses not to ignore his
  instincts, Rand posits that he seizes his freedom
  back from the collective that has compromised him
  until then

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Well Continue

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