These virtues productivity, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, pride are all applications of the basic virtue, rationality. Most people take for granted that actions intended to benefit others are good and that actions intended to benefit oneself are bad.
Why do we need them? How do we decide who should be the beneficiary of our actions? Only when one answers these questions, Rand argues, is one in a position to evaluate egoism and altruism as good or evil.
One theme of this book is that morality is a matter of principle, not divine revelation or subjective desire. A properly defined principle — one that identifies an actual truth about human action — should be acted upon consistently, never compromised.
Or between truth and falsehood? Unfortunately, principles have gotten a bad name because conventional ideals like self-sacrifice cannot be consistently practiced without inviting disaster. As a result, compromise becomes essential to survival, consistency seems dangerous, and philosophers like Rand are marginalized as dangerous fanatics. Egoists are generally assumed to prey on others.
He does not treat men as masters or slaves, but as independent equals. He deals with men by means of a free, voluntary, unforced, uncoerced exchange — an exchange which benefits both parties by their own independent judgment. After mastering the ins and outs of business on his own, he founded The Entourage for people who want to learn the fundamentals of business from people who have actually successfully run companies, not professors standing behind lecterns.
The Entourage is now Australia's largest educator of entrepreneurs with a global community of more than 80, of them. It's also branching into Southeast Asia and in will be accredited to offer bachelor's degrees in business and entrepreneurship through live workshop environments, online classes and one-on-one mentorships.
Here's why he says selfishness is the key to being the best version of yourself, which can lead to success in business and life. While every human being starts life utterly selfish and unaware of anyone else's needs and desires, many people mature and exist at the other end of the spectrum in a state of perpetual selflessness.
But people who constantly give their time, attention and energy to others often burn out or get sick. Rather, it's treating yourself with kindness in the same way you would treat the people you love. This idea is tied to ancient notions of self-sacrifice as a virtue, with selfishness framed as its antithesis. In reality, we have it backwards. Selfishness, on the other hand, is foundational to every moral edict we hold dear, whether we realize it or not.
Our moral intuitions are finely calibrated to spot self-interested behavior, sometimes to the point of cynicism.
We consider those who anonymously give to charity more virtuous than those who make it public—but regard with even greater suspicion those whose good deeds are discovered and lauded by others.
Perhaps that was their scheme all along, we think, and their anonymity was a ploy to appear more good than they really are. Such is the psychological and social power of appearing selfless, of seeming to give without getting anything in return. There are certainly people who game the system in this way, donating to charity for the tax breaks or social approval, and caring little for the actual cause or the well-being of others.
Ask yourself, what could motivate someone to give to charity, fund medical research, or invest in underserved communities other than their own self-interest? Imagine your ideal world.
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