Written on September 28th, 2011
Rand
criticized altruism as the precept that one should give up his life
and welfare for others while demanding that others do the same.
She
said, “It’s fine to help other people if you want to” “when
and if those others mean something to you selfishly”, and she did
not consider reciprocating gifts to others – even those whom one
loves – as a moral duty.
In
light of these comments, it appears that what Rand most abhorred was
not the act of giving to others so much as the promotion of
the idea that one should feel obligated to give to others.
She
also characterized reciprocal altruism as “an exchange of…
presents that neither party wants”.
Did
Rand fail to take into account the free-market principle of
subjective value; i.e., the idea that transactions which are mutually
voluntary are always mutually beneficial by the subjective standards
of all parties to the transactions?
How
can those who subscribe to Rand’s philosophy – evidently equating
the feeling of
moral obligation with coercion and force themselves –
simultaneously advocate the abolition of obviously coercive Statist
social-welfare programs while actively discouraging charitable giving
to those disadvantaged whom they do not know and expect the
disadvantaged to receive any benefit from the moralistic capitalist
system which Rand recommends be practiced?
How
is the Randian capitalist who – when asked to participate in a
mutually-voluntary transaction (which would not take place unless
each party found the transaction to be in his mutual interest and
benefit) – feels it appropriate to actively discourage charitable
giving to the disadvantaged (even at the risk of their prolonged
suffering and death) any different from the socialist laborer who
consents to have profit extracted from him by a capitalist
entrepreneur, and then unionizes his fellow employees, and actively
encourages workplace democracy as well as the eventual violent
overthrow of the capitalist system?
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