What is wrong with Ayn Rand?

Answer 1

Ayn Rand promoted the ethical system of rational egoism or rational self-interest, which is not the same as the everyday meaning of "selfish." Selfish tends to mean concerned with one's own interests to the extent that you disregard or trample the interests of others. But this is not the kind of selfishness that Rand was advocating.

Quoting from Rand's essay, "The Objectivist Ethics:"

"The Objectivist ethics proudly advocates and upholds rational selfishness—which means: the values required for man’s survival qua man—which means: the values required for human survival...

The Objectivist ethics holds that human good does not require human sacrifices and cannot be achieved by the sacrifice of anyone to anyone. It holds that the rational interests of men do not clash—that there is no conflict of interests among men who do not desire the unearned, who do not make sacrifices nor accept them, who deal with one another as traders, giving value for value."

What did Rand mean by values? She argued that certain values were necessary to promote our survival and happiness. In other words, she viewed these values as rational or objective. These values include reason, pride (self-esteem), productiveness, integrity, honesty, independence, and justice.

To understand how Rand concluded that rational self-interest should guide our moral decisions, you need to understand her reasoning. Again, quoting from "The Objectivist Ethics:"

"The first step is to assert man’s right to a moral existence—that is: to recognize his need of a moral code to guide the course and the fulfillment of his own life...

The reasons why man needs a moral code will tell you that the purpose of morality is to define man’s proper values and interests, that concern with his own interests is the essence of a moral existence, and that man must be the beneficiary of his own moral actions.

[Because] all values have to be gained and/or kept by men’s actions, any breach between actor and beneficiary necessitates an injustice: the sacrifice of some men to others, of the actors to the non-actors, of the moral to the immoral. Nothing could ever justify such a breach, and no one ever has."

Answer 2

Critics argue that Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism promotes selfishness and lacks empathy for others. They also criticize her novels for being didactic and her views on government intervention as unrealistic.

Answer 3

Nothing was wrong with Ayn Rand. She contributed much to society, publishing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. She also pioneered the reason driven philosophy, Objectivism.