Ayn Rand

1905-1982
American Author

Ayn Rand Background

Born in Russia in 1905 as Alisa Zinov'yevna
Rosenbaum
She moved to the United States in her twenties in
1926 less than a decade after the 1917 Russian
Revolution
This revolution established the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union), a
communist government
Communist troops in Red Square in 1917

Ayn Rand Background

She opposed the communist government that had
taken over her country and which was beginning to
spread around the world
Actually, Rand opposed all forms of Collectivism
She is famous for several novels including Anthem,
The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged, which voiced
this opposition through literature

The Collective vs. the Individual

Collectivism: a philosophy that stresses human

interdependence and the importance of a social
collective, rather than the importance of separate
individuals.
Collectivists: one who focuses on community and
society, and seeks to give priority to group goals
over individual goals. Cooperation is key.
Its roots go back to the concept of Holism from
Aristotle
Holism: The whole is more than the sum of its
parts Aristotle

The Collective vs. the Individual

Collectivism inspired some political philosophies:

--Socialism: property & distribution of wealth are controlled
by governments to increase social and economic equality.
Another philosophy inspired by Collectivism:
--Communism: goal is to form a classless society based
on common ownership of the state where everyone is
equal. The roots of communism go back to the
philosophical work of Karl Marx who believed communism
should replace other forms of government.
Marx: From each according to his abilityto each according
to his needs.

Thomas More (English Author) invented the term Utopia

in 1516it translates to no place, and it is a fictional paradise where
everyone is equal. In some ways, Communism seeks to achieve this
kind of paradise or at least a workers paradise. The workers
paradise was Marxs last stage in his vision for his collectivist society.

Society vs. the Individual

Dystopia is a vision of an often futuristic society,
which has developed into a negative version of
Utopia. A dystopia is often characterized by a
totalitarian form of government. It often features
different kinds of repressive social control systems,
a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and
expressions and a state of constant warfare or
violence.
Look for some of these features in her novels, such
as in Anthem

Society vs. the Individual

Individualism: a term used to describe a social outlook
that stresses independence and the importance of
individual self-reliance & liberty. Individualism is
therefore opposed to collectivism, holism, socialism,
communism, and totalitarianism.
Totalitarianism: government regulation of nearly every
aspect of public & private behavior. Some
individualists believe that collectivism will ultimately
lead to a totalitarian government, leading to a form of
dystopia

Rand and the Individual

Rand came to see the individual as the answer, in

many ways, to the purpose of life
The expression of the individual is continually
expressed through her fiction, such as in the lost I in
Anthem, Howard Roark in The Fountainhead, and
John Galt in Atlas Shrugged

Rand and Objectivism

Rands belief in the self, or ego, came to be

represented in a philosophical framework of thinking
she called Objectivism
Objectivism can best be understood by its goal, which
is to achieve personal happiness through ones own
efforts
One does not give or receive anything undeserved,
and who does not envy what others have
It has been criticized as a philosophy that is, in
essence, selfish or self-centered

Rand and Objectivism

Ayn Rand: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of
man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the
moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as
his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
The idea of objective principles relates to the idea that
there are objective realities about life that are not
dependent on what anyone thinks they are independent
Some of these are the fact that people deserve respect,
individual rights, and one should live with moral integrity
In conclusion, we must create our own happiness