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Altruism Versus Selfishness
 

Rational egoism isn’t an idea which can be  philosophically defended with rigor. My view on human ethics are stated in Atheism Scepticism and Philosophy, and is referred to there as Moral Reciprocity. It has much to do with Human Rights. However, a great deal of the theory is social morality and isn’t an ethic that young radical individualists can sink their teeth into. I can’t say that I disagree with Bertrand Russell when he said that egocentricity can’t be the foundation of any worthwhile ethic. However, I would like to weigh in on the Randian Argument. Unlike Rand, I believe that ultimately everyone is selfish and that altruism is a form of selfishness. I mean to say, we are unselfish for entirely selfish reasons, such as recognition, a sense of worth, duty to our code and so forth. The ideal of rational altruism and/or selfishness, is what is at issue here. Which concept should a human being choose? I prefer the ‘and/or’ part. If you’ve achieved currency with only one of these ideals, be it Mother Theresa’s version or Ayn Rand’s, you’ve in all likelihood short-changed yourself.

Altruism and selfishness in their best lights aren’t equal ideals; however, achieving a balance between the two is important. It may be difficult, but both self-empowerment and charity towards strangers, can and must be the goal of the modern rational individual. A limit on your moral obligation to yourself doesn’t exist in any strict sense, while limits on helping strangers does. You’d go broke if you tried to help everyone; plus you don’t have the time to decide who is deserving of your help and who is the charlatan. Empathy and love of others must guide you, yet you must have the wealth, judgement and time to help before you decide to improve the condition of others.

A champion first, a saint second

The moral base of liberty is reason. Our ability to create ideas gives us actual freedom to choose. Since our voluntary focused awareness is needed in this process, state, church, family and cultural coercion is forbidden except in emergencies. I refer here to Robert Nozick’s ideas of individual human borders. The rational self-managed individual should certainly be granted the protection for everything we mean by personality, character and self, (including ego, mind, soul, nous, I, etc.). Self-independence, especially economic independence, should be stressed, as well as what we now call, getting a life, a work-ethic, finding love and laughter, obtaining property, having good friends, practicing charity to strangers, standing by family, developing an honest disposition to the world at large, acquiring an education . . . in a word, morality. These days, a life of goodness is most importantly, self-management, (i.e., creating a personal brand): the No’s in life are far more important  than the Yes’s. Self-denial, then, is an important tool to build character. For instance, Ayn Rand’s brand was  hurt by her own affiliation to her cult. She permitted herself to be divined. This from a rational individualist is a fatal flaw. Mother Theresa’s brand was ruined by accepting dirty money and supporting oppressive right-wing regimes. Her ignorance of economic philosophy allowed her a Robin Hood morality.

Youthful mindless selfishness is not surprising, but hedonism is morality’s worst enemy, not either rational altruism or selfishness per se.  Being charitable towards others, like self-empowerment, is a learned habit. They’re not only gratifying but essential.

Unconditional love is like investing in the future of the world
Self love is like investing in your own future

Nozick and the Randian Argument have no real impact on the issue. Rand maintained that man’s life was a metaphysical foundation to everything that flows from him; a person seeks to realize his self and is therefore inviolable. My criticism of Rand is not against this idea. What’s to disagree? Nozick argues against her on a technicality.

It’s her constant shrill tone of voice that’s objectionable. She took an intrinsic skeptical position to religious absolutism. She was generally inside the existentialist’s camp but embarked on a path to Objectivism, itself a form of religious absolutism. Meanwhile she was crippled with self-indulgent subjectivity.

Most importantly, her defense of Aristotle and capitalism were badly framed and eventual failures. She was at heart a Platonist.

Capitalism, especially the American version, isn’t compatible with human rights in any broad sense. American society committed genocide against its first people. Capitalistic exploitation was a part of that. America has overthrown many democratically elected governments and behaved imperialistically, often motivated by their capitalists. They have exported terrorism in places like El Salvador, East Timor and so forth. They are today a real threat to liberty around the world, especially if they became a fascist regime in the future, a real possibility if they become insolvent.

Rand should have positioned herself on the side of Human Rights. She defended capitalism without hardly a remark on externality. Let’s not allow a corporation to pollute and call it progress. They, as all organizations and societies, must be respectful of the planet, this limited resource.

Besides, Capitalism isn’t really an ism, it’s an adjunct to other isms. Her view had a codicil of laissez-faire. An individual’s right overtakes X Corporation’s right to manufacture X, if while doing it, it hurts people. Can the separation of economy and state ever he effectuated? (I believe it can!) If so, can the corporate tycoons and the politicians be kept away from one another in a bull market? If that and other like problems can be overcome,  let’s move on. However, just as a democratic society is backed by law and police, so the capitalists need arbitrators and regulators. Similar to all segments of society, they require clear resolute enforced rules to reduce fraud and to allow the most meritorious entrepreneurs to succeed and come out on top, not the robber barons and criminals who’ve done so in the distant and more recent past.

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