Ayn Rand

1905-1982American Author

Ayn Rand Background

Born in Russia in 1905 as Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum

She witnessed both the Kerensky and Bolshevik Revolutions during her

teenage years in Russia.

The communist victory in Russia resulted in the

confiscation of her father's pharmacy and periods of near-

starvation for her family.

Communist troops in Red Square in 1917

This revolution established the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics - (U.S.S.R. or Soviet Union), a

communist government.

When introduced to American history in her last year of high school, she immediately took

America as her model of what a nation of free men could be.

In late 1925 she obtained permission to leave Soviet Russia

for a visit to relatives in the United States.

Although she told Soviet authorities that her visit would be short, she was determined never

to return to Russia, and she never did.

She moved to the United States in her twenties in 1926, less than a decade after the 1917 Russian Revolution.

Ayn Rand

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.

Collectivist: 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.

Two are:Socialism and Communism.

The Collective vs. the Individual

--Socialism: property & distribution of wealth are controlled by

governments to increase social and economic equality.

--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 ability—to each according to

his needs.”

Thomas More (English Author) invented the term “Utopia”

in 1516.

The Collective and Utopia

Utopia 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 Marx’s 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.

Think about these features as you read any of Rand’s novels,

such as 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

Rand’s 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 one’s own efforts.

One does not give or receive anything undeserved, and one

does not envy what others have.

It has been criticized as a philosophy that is, in essence,

selfish or self-centered . . . is it?

Rand and ObjectivismRand: "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.

We must create our own happiness.