Rand's insight is to ground the morality of individualism in the instinct for survival in all living entities and in the particular mode of survival of the human species: the ability to conceptualize in higher-order thinking and thus make rational choices, not just automatically react to sensory stimuli as other animals presumably do (Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology). Natural human rights, she asserts, require the freedom to make those choices for a purposeful life. The intertwined primary rights of life and liberty are not just the means of mere physical Links Of London Charms(http://www.links-of-london.org/S-Charms-4.html) survival but also the means of a happiness that is more than simply wish fulfillment in avoiding pain or seeking pleasure. The purpose is survival as "man qua man," she avers, which fulfills the self by employing one's rationality productively as an achievement (Virtue of Selfishness 28).
Rand's glorification of human productivity translates into technological control of nature as humanity's supreme achievement by obeying its laws as objectively and scientifically as one knows how, of course. For her, the pursuit of happiness entails a self-esteem that is founded on coping rationally with the absolute existence of the material world, which is why she calls her philosophy "Objectivism." Her exemplar hero, Howard Roark, as an architect, becomes the embodiment of her anthropocentric ethic. The novel opens with Roark confronting a magnificent landscape, only to be inspired by its potential for him to exploit: "These rocks, he thought [...] are here for me; waiting for the drill, the dynamite and my voice". Later, a character who shares Roark's view remarks, "When I look at the ocean, I feel the greatness of man. I think of man's magnificent capacity that created this ship to conquer all that senseless space". Rand's view is very different from the attitude of Thoreau, an admirer of nature whose highest good was not to produce from it, but simply to reach spiritual epiphanies in contemplating it. That view would be irrational mystical subjectivity to Rand, who disdains such sources of joy. Roark's only respect for nature is to create edifices that aesthetically harmonize with the landscape and that take maximum advantage of the climate in which they are set. This is the major factor in the "objectivity" of his original designs. Philosophers Douglas Den Uyl and Douglas Rasmussen consider Rand's theory a contribution to ethics, because, instead of defining morality as exclusively centered on others, in a concern traditionally based on supernatural fiat, she bases morality on the teleological necessity of individual self-interest as a living organism ("Life, Teleology" 66-68). In sum, one's existence creates a primary Links Of London Earrings(http://www.linksoflondon4u.com/earrings-c-183.html) moral imperative for "the virtue of selfishness." This could also be encapsulated in the first of three related rhetorical questions posed by the ancient Jewish sage, Rabbi Hillel: "If I am not for myself, who will be"
Hillel's second question, "But if I am for myself alone, what am I," hints not only at the self's relation to others but also at the very constitution of one's self-consciousness. Rand affirms that, because human consciousness exists only at the level of the individual, each rational person deals with other people according to how rational they are. Personal relations are not just a material quid pro quo, but include higher goods she calls "spiritual," defined as "pertaining to one's consciousness," and "moral," which derives the rights of others from one's own (Virtue 28-29). Accordingly, the rational person is capable of honoring and even loving another according to the degrees of joy that one takes in the relationship.
Author Resource:-
The Links London are the best choice for people , they are very fashion and beautiful.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.talkinmince.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
