Anyone familiar with Ayn Rand will know of her politics but in this case, I want to focus on her armchair philosophical movement known as "Objectivism." From an outward perspective and, admittedly after having only given it a passing glance (and discovering it's not worth my time), I have noticed one glaring problem here. The ultimate goal of the "objectivist" is to maintain their own personal happiness.
And fuck everyone else.
Why should the objectivist help that puppy that's about to get run over? It might endanger their own life and happiness, so fuck the puppy. Why should they help anyone? It's not going to make them happy, fuck 'em. Doing the right thing simply because it's the right thing to do? What's the benefit to the objectivist? If it doesn't benefit them, then fuck it. It's a way of thinking that says any act of altruism is unimportant if it means putting yourself second for the sake of another individual in need. Any act of altruism is enough to render Objectivism invalid. But when you start thinking in those terms, it reminds me of another, psychological condition.
Sociopathy.
Now, unlike the popular conception, being a sociopath does not automatically make a person bad. Of course, it doesn't make them good, either. A sociopath is a person without a conscience or empathy, so they need a logical reason to preform an act of altruism for the simple fact that they can't feel on a gut level when something is wrong. Again, this does not make them bad in it's own right because, by and large, they can play by society's rules. However, it does make them prone to manipulation. But, conversations about sociopaths are best left to others.
From my own perspective, I have a lot of trouble telling the difference between Objectivism and Sociopathy. Both discount altruistic acts unless it brings benefit to the person preforming the act and both seek only their own personal happiness. Please, show me the difference between being an Objectivist and being a Sociopath.
Someone best said: "Ayn Rand is for self-centered douchebags who just don't want to admit they're self-centered douchebags."
I can assure you there is no difference whatsoever between an Objectivist and a Sociopath. Ayn Rand herself once championed a man as the ultimate Objectivist hero, who murdered a young girl, cut her to pieces and left the pieces scattered on the road.
ReplyDeleteIt really is that terrible.