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| SOME THOUGHTS ON ETHICAL SELFISHNESS | |||||||||||||||||
| By Ronald C. Tobin | |||||||||||||||||
| E-Mail: [email protected] | |||||||||||||||||
| Recently I was involved in a rather intense online discussion regarding rational selfishness. To me, this is a fairly cut and dried topic. That is to say, having read The Virtue of Selfishness back in June of 1981, and having reflected on the messages Rand and Branden imparted in its essays, I accept rational selfishness as being an important part of living a truly ethical lifestyle. To me, having one's primary concern be their own welfare, their own wants and needs taken care of first, is logical and ethical. Of course, the flip side of that equation is that I must respect the rights of others to do exactly the same, and I do. | |||||||||||||||||
| I believe in helping others out when I can and when it pleases me to do so. I try not to take advantage of others and expect them to not try to take advantage of my good nature as well. For me, rational selfishness can be a discipline - I know for a fact that I can be too generous for my own good. I have what is called a 'rescuer complex.' This means I want to try and save everyone. I have generally learned to master and control this urge, and I think rational selfishness has played a large role in this. | |||||||||||||||||
| People who are not libertarians or Objectivists do not understand that there are at least two different types of selfishness. The type that most people are familiar with is more properly called the 'lone wolf' or irrational selfishness. The lone wolf cares not one wit for the rights and concerns of others, he is out there to better himself no matter what harm he may cause to others in the process. They do not matter to him (or her, of course, as the case may be. However, probably due to the effects of socialization there are far more men who fall into the lone wolf category than do women). This person is, by nature, destructive and certainly has no place in the freedom movement. The lone wolf respects his or her own self-ownership, but looks at other people as being toys, pawns to be played with. This is the person who tends to succeed in big business (climb up the ranks by trampling others and stabbing them in the back) in the modern American Imperium. If the lone wolf form of selfishness were truly the only one out there, then obviously it would have no place in a rational system of ethics, and I would not continue to have these conversations regarding the term. | |||||||||||||||||
| Rational selfishness, the base of the ethics of Objectivism and thus the ethical basis of most forms of libertarianism, does not call for being a lone wolf in any way, shape, or form. Each individual is endowed with the absolute right of self-ownership by virtue of being born human (I am not discussing the possible rights of other life forms in this article. Being a human, I am concerned with how humans ought to interact with each other). You have the right to pursue your self-interests and better your lot in life, but not to the detriment of others. Nor do others have the right to impose claims on you. If you want to be a hermit, fine. You also have the right to end your own life at any time - but you do not have the right to harm others in the process. Further, you have the right to decide where and how to spend or save your income, the fruit of your time and labor. No State has the right to demand a portion of it from you. Those States that do are thieves, pure and simple. | |||||||||||||||||
| Speaking for the only person I can by right speak for, myself, the ethics of rational selfishness help me by making certain that my own needs, and those of my family, are my top priority. Then I decide when to be charitable, but more often I help others to help themselves, and I really enjoy helping others on projects that I also benefit from. I will, at times, help people just because by assisting them it makes me feel good and I know that also helps me in the long run. In those regards, I do what I do because I WANT to, and not because someone out there tells me I HAVE to. Forced good works are not good works, forced charity is theft, not charity. Taking care of yourself first is the foundation of what rational selfishness is all about. This sure does not sound wicked and evil to me. | |||||||||||||||||
| Anyway, this article is just meant to be an overview, an invitation to further discussion and debate, either here and via e-mail or regular mail for those without Internet access. I am closing with this little quote from Rand's Atlas Shrugged, because it really relates to my attitudes about how I live life and why: | |||||||||||||||||
| "I swear-by my life and my love of it-that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." | |||||||||||||||||
| That simple statement changed a lot of my outlooks on life back in 1981, and I still find it to be profound. And now I have said all that I wish to say regarding this topic at this time. Comments and criticisms are welcome, as always. | |||||||||||||||||
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