ABSTRACT
Ayn Rand advanced and propagated the view that rational selfishness should be
pursued at all cost instead of altruism, that the individual should be allowed by
all to live as he or she pleases. The only duty of government, according to her, is
to make sure that nobody takes away the freedom of the individual. This
research work is aimed at evaluating this moral theory of Rand called objectivist
ethics, to determine it’s strength and weakness and implications on man and
society especially the African society which is communalistic in nature. Even
though we agree with Rand that man has the tendency to become selfish and
defend individualism, we do not agree with her that selfishness is a virtue. This
work after examining the different positions of both philosophers, sociologists
and Anthropologists on the objectivist ethics of Rand, concludes that the moral
theory of Ayn Rand, if left the way she posited it, will make the individual
person the sole authority in morality, that is nothing but relativism in ethics. The
individual is good but the group is better. The society can only survive when the
different individuals complement one another, not just to live in a world where
every man considers issues and actions right or wrong, depending on how he or
she is affected. Rand’s ethics cannot be universalized, as it will help to
propagate and promote some issues like abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality,
artificial insemination among others. Acceptance of this theory of Rand does
great harm to the society, as it is considered not the ethics of living on earth at
all.
, C & NNAEMEKA, J (2021). Implications Of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Ethics In Modern Day Society. Afribary. Retrieved from https://tracking.afribary.com/works/implications-of-ayn-rand-s-objectivist-ethics-in-modern-day-society
, CHUKWUMA and JOSEPH NNAEMEKA "Implications Of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Ethics In Modern Day Society" Afribary. Afribary, 05 May. 2021, https://tracking.afribary.com/works/implications-of-ayn-rand-s-objectivist-ethics-in-modern-day-society. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
, CHUKWUMA, JOSEPH NNAEMEKA . "Implications Of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Ethics In Modern Day Society". Afribary, Afribary, 05 May. 2021. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. < https://tracking.afribary.com/works/implications-of-ayn-rand-s-objectivist-ethics-in-modern-day-society >.
, CHUKWUMA and NNAEMEKA, JOSEPH . "Implications Of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Ethics In Modern Day Society" Afribary (2021). Accessed December 22, 2024. https://tracking.afribary.com/works/implications-of-ayn-rand-s-objectivist-ethics-in-modern-day-society