Objectivism

Ayn Rand

Max Wawer

Mr.C.Brown

February 22, 2010

Word count-3838

Table of contents:

1. Introduction p3

2. How it all began: We the living p4

3. The creation of a philosophy: Anthem p7

4. Objectivism for the individual: The Fountainhead p9

5. Objectivism for the world: Atlas Shrugged p11

6. Where have we ended: Conclusion p14

Bibliography p16

Abstract

This essay discusses the evolution of objectivism throughout the novels We the Living,

Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand, born in Soviet Russia had in

her mind a philosophy built around reason, self-esteem, and the ego. This essay describes

how objectivism began, and the elements that were incorporated. Elements such as the

evils of collectivism were first shown in We the Living. Anthem gave us a definition of

the individual that built upon the ideals of the prior novel. The Fountainhead showed a

single objectivist, and what obstacles he must face in his life. Atlas Shrugged took all of

the values that had been shown in the prior novels and showed us the true beauty of

capitalism in relation to objectivism. The philosophy never truly changed over the course

of the works; it simply gained a more defined shape. It always has, and always will be the

philosophy for living on Earth.

Ayn Rand was born in Russia and lived through the soviet revolution. She

survived all of the torment of having her family’s company nationalized and having to

escape across the border to freedom (Heller, p 1-2). She learned to detest communism

and everything that it stood for and looked to capitalism as an ideal. This was the

beginning of a theme which would carry throughout all of her novels; growing and

becoming more entrenched in the plot. Eventually these ideas burgeoned into an entirely

new philosophy that still inspires people the world over - Objectivism. This paper will

discuss how these values were initially presented throughout her novels as a theme, and

how they continued to grow and expand, becoming progressively more and more central

to the works.

Objectivism is a philosophy about living and existing on Earth. There are a few

pillars that make up the groundworks of objectivism. These are objective reality, reason,

self-interest, and capitalism. Objective reality simply states that there is a world around

us, that we can feel through our senses. “A is A”. We can perceive reality, but we cannot

change it. Reason states that we can take the facts that we observe and translate them into

knowledge. It continues that reason is the only true method of acquiring knowledge and

thus rejects any form of mysticism or information obtained through emotions. It rejects

anyone who says that true knowledge is impossible. Self-interest states that man is an end

in himself. Living is an end in itself, and that no man should sacrifice himself for others

or sacrifice others for himself. A man’s goal must be the rational pursuit of his own

happiness. Finally the ideals of capitalism are key to objectivism. We should treat each

other as traders, willing to give value in exchange for value, through mutual consent for

mutual gain. There should be no force used. Capitalism respects the right of individuals,

and this is what makes it so powerful.

Objectivism is about reason, purpose, and self esteem. We must use our

reasoning. We must have drive or aspirations. Finally, we must have a belief in ourselves,

and in our identity. The topic of this essay is the evolution of objectivism as a theme

throughout Ayn Rand’s novels (Rand-A, p. 259).

The first novel, We the Living was an incredible look into the lives of those stuck

in a Russia that could not care for them. The plot was one of the strongest and most

emotionally gripping of Rand’s novels, but the themes portrayed are much more

important. We see here in Rand’s first novel the basis of some of her favourite and most

famous ideals. It is very easy to see connections between Objectivism and the themes

built up through the novel.

“When the state’s needs come first, the individual is construed not as a sovereign,

self-determining being, but as a mere cog in a larger machine, an ant serving his colony;

his specific hopes, goals and values are of no consequence” (Bernstein, p. 283). The

individual versus the state is one of the primary themes of We the Living. This exact

theme is not truly brought up in the later novels, but it serves as a base for a very

powerful theme; that of individualism versus the world. In We the Living, Kira and Leo

are two people who have the will to work for their own enjoyment, as opposed to that of

others. Characters such as Comrade Sonya work only for the state. When one works only

for the enjoyment of others it is against the fact that people are meant to build their own

path in life based on their own strengths and wishes.

A theme portrayed in We the Living that is fully formed, is the idea that living is

an end in itself. The Soviets think of their lives in terms of what they can do for the state,

but Kira and Leo simply enjoy living. Living and enjoying life are valid goals in and of

themselves. Taking pride in your own work and your own life is something that should be

done by everyone, but people get bogged down by what they should be doing. Simply

creating value in your own life is a worthy effort (Bernstein, p. 282)

An integral part of objectivism that is looked at in We the Living is the ideal man.

Kira is the best representation, while Andrei and Leo show us how easy it is to fall short

of this. Kira is a woman who cares for her own ability. She wants to build, not for the

sake of others, but for the sake of herself. She wants to build for the sake of the building.

This sets her apart from the soviet engineers. Her pleasure comes from the success she

creates, and not from any compliments she might receive due to them. This aspiration to

build is present strongly in all of Ayn Rand’s novels and is a key component of all of her

characters. People need to feel pride in their work, and enjoy working for their own

betterment. Leo has these qualities, but lacks the will to live. Andrei has all of them as

well, but lacks an individual identity.

Along with the aspiration to build comes a certain worship of man. While

communism states that all men should be treated equally, we see in objectivist philosophy

that those who are great should be idolized. They should be lifted above others in a sort

of worship. Not of the person themself, but of their ability. We can see that Kira reveres

Leo as a person with ability; a person who can move the world (Milgram, p. 25)

Although Kira sees religion as an affront to those like her who move without it,

there are undoubtedly religious aspects throughout We the Living. This contradiction is a

common theme throughout the books, and will be brought up repeatedly. The worship of

a god is against the idea that man can be god-like. Religion entails believing in an

omniscient presence that is capable of any number of miracles and is more powerful than

any human being. The worship of humans, not as gods, but as godly is key to

objectivism. We see Kira by herself in We the Living for this value. Although Leo is a

person who can be idolized, it never truly seemed that he ever managed to set anyone else

on a similar pillar (Milgram, p. 39)

The driving concept behind objectivism is that of seeing man as a heroic being.

Looking at mythology we see heroes who created civilizations and battled monsters of

untold strength. To this day there are people like this who exist, and they will always

continue to exist. They will found corporate empires and battle diseases. Humans have

unlimited potential and are capable of doing anything. Kira wished to build skyscrapers

and great colossi of metal. She would have done so if she had not lived in the Soviet

Russia. There they treat people as tools, or as cogs in a machine, not as fully functioning

individuals. People are capable of working independently. This is something communism

cannot understand. This point however is not very well developed in We the Living. We

can see that Kira and Leo are the heroes of the story, but they never really reached the

status of true heroes. They had the aspirations, and the ability, but not the opportunity

(Milgram, p. 229)

Looking at We the Living it is obvious where Ayn Rand’s thoughts lay. Although

she was not a philosopher, nor did she have any set rules, she had a system of ethics and

beliefs that came across very strongly in her novel. Her hatred of what communism did to

Russia had spurred her to look deeply at capitalism and its ideals. The foundations of

objectivism were firmly laid out in this book, but they were still only ground workings.

Points were still missing and others remained incomplete. All ideas require a start though,

and We the Living is a powerful beginning.

The second book written by Ayn Rand was Anthem. The working title of this

novel was Ego, but this was eventually changed to Anthem. It is an ode, a celebration, an

anthem to the ability of humans (Rand-A, p 6).

This book is a departure from the firm grounding in reality of her other works. It

takes place in a surreal world under a dictatorship that has banned the word “I” and

allows no innovation. It is a novelette that acts as an intermediary between the ideals of

objectivism in We the Living and true philosophical underpinnings in the later novels.

This short novel is all about objectivism and egoism.

The evils of collectivism are strongly presented in Anthem. It was an intense

socialism that threw the world into its current dystopia. The individual was destroyed. All

that remained was the mass. A society built around collectivism cannot grow.

All aspirations that come as part of being human were taken away. We can see

Rand stressing that most goals that people have are individual goals, and that they cannot

be assimilated into a whole. Living for the sake of living is strongly represented in

Anthem. “We wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day

our sight were growing sharper than the hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal” (Rand-A,

p. 15). Equality wishes nothing more than to live with the freedom to his own actions.

Freedom is a cornerstone of objectivism and life (although still within the boundaries of

not curtailing the freedom of others), and we can see this clearly throughout Anthem.

Innovation was destroyed so that no person could stand above any other. Careers

were doled out instead of chosen. Anthem shows us a world completely lacking in the

spirit of laissez faire. We can see what would become of a world that has destroyed the

individual. However, as in We the Living, we cannot truly understand capitalism and its

importance without a contrast between both it and socialism at the same time. Capitalist

spirit is key to objectivism, but it is not fully addressed in this book.

We see the definition of the ideal man continue to form. Equality, or Prometheus,

is a person who believes in his own ego. “The Ego is the “I” or self of a person”

(dictionary.com, /ego). It is the fundamental being of a person, and it is fully explored in

Anthem. I and Ego give individuals their identity. The ideal man must be an individual

with the self esteem to be able to trust himself. The ideal man should be a person who has

the ability to add value to the world, and not shy away from doing so. Overall, the ideal

man must be able to stand on his own, live apart from the mass, and be his own person

(Lewis ,p. 184-187).

The point of rationality is brought up in a similar manner to that in We the Living.

We see so many people acting irrationally, with only one or two capable of true reason.

We see how important it is. Life based on emotion is empty. Reason is the process by

which we as humans take in information through our senses and create conclusions. Yes,

our senses can be tricked, but they are still the most reliable source of information we

have.

Anthem took some of the key ideas from We the Living, and became a novel that

consists almost singularly of ideas. We can see ideas truly given form in this novel.

While in We the Living we could see the problems associated with communism, Anthem

gives us a true look at what a collectivist world would be like. The lack of individual

identity, and the lack of aspiration are horrifying. We can look and see the ideals of

objectivism in the word “I” and the “Ego”. Although, Anthem left out many parts of the

philosophy, it gave us a definition of the human identity that will be featured prominently

in the books to follow.

The Fountainhead was the first true commercial success for Ayn Rand. It took an

objectivist hero and set him in a modern city. We see the challenges faced by Roark in

living in a world that lacks identity and feeds on the lives of others. This book is about

the individual versus the world, and is the lead up to the next novel which takes the same

ideas to a higher level.

The main character of Anthem was an idea, but Roark is a human. His life is

building and creation; he loves life and is a true capitalist. However, while he will not

sacrifice others, he will still sacrifice himself. He is but a fraction of a step away from the

perfect objectivist man. Roark is an atheist who will never let his own values be changed.

He makes judgments based solely on reason. His beliefs lie in the strength of the human

will and ability.

The working title of this book was Second Hand Lives (Berliner, p. 44). Almost

everyone is living a life that they have borrowed from their family, or stolen from those

around them. Their lives don’t belong to them, and so they can never truly enjoy them.

They work towards goals that others have given them. Only when a person lives their

own life can they really live. The individualist qualities which were so prevalent in

Anthem have been toned down a little and refined for The Fountainhead. We see the

masses of people not as evil, but pitiful. However, a portion of objectivism that is often

overlooked is its optimism. We see a world full of people who are not living, but we also

see that among them there are men like Roark, who live with every ounce of their being.

The change of the title of the novel to The Fountainhead reflects this feeling. The

fountainhead symbolizes the place from which all of the talent and ability flows. Anyone

has the opportunity to drink its waters and accept the mantle of being a heroic being, they

need simply bow towards reason and be confident in their own self. Individuals are the

fountainhead of civilization.

Pity is the most disgusting feeling possible for an objectivist. The Fountainhead is

the first work to touch on this aspect. To feel pity for someone is to put yourself above

them; to say that, “I am better than you, and you need my pity”. You are saying that they

need the mass in order to live; that they are incapable of conquering their circumstances

and rising to their potential. You are telling them that they cannot be the hero that we all

have the ability to become (Rand-TRM, p. 131)

In The Fountainhead we see further refinement of the definitions of collectives. In

the previous novels we see the collective as being the government and the people who

follow it blindly. Rand herself described it as “Individualism versus collectivism, not in

politics, but in man’s soul” (Boeckmann, p. 134). In The Fountainhead we see that the

collective can include anyone. Regardless of political background, all that it requires is a

weakness of spirit or a lack of esteem for the self. Anyone who sacrifices others for

himself, or himself to others lacks the strength to stand on his own.

Another interesting concept that had been shown in We the Living, but not

discussed at all was the union between mind and body. Sex and other bodily desires are

often looked down upon by society, but Rand believed that the body should be exalted

just as much as the mind. The material of a man should be worshipped just as much as his

intelligence. Whenever we saw Leo and Kira make love it was a moment of triumph, not

something that should be marked at disgusting. Whenever Roark takes Dominique it is a

challenge that both of them conquer. It should be looked at as a feat that has been

completed by two worthy equals, not as something sinister done by one member to the

other.

Roark lives in the future, as well as the moment, but never in the past. Tradition is

evil. It conditions us to live our lives the same as everyone around us and everyone

before us. All of the architects in The Fountainhead look to the past for inspiration for

building, but Roark looks to the present. He builds what is right for the time and place,

not what was right hundreds of years ago. Many people see traditions as pleasant

activities or tendencies which group us together, but truly, they grind away at our

individualism (Milgram, p. 9).

While We the Living, and Anthem had settings that were foreign and fantastical

respectively. We can now see what these ideals and challenges look like in view of a

western, modern world. The Fountainhead gave us a look at emotions which were nearly

exempt from the previous novels. Reason has always been very important to objectivism,

but now we can see why emotions should be handled with caution. The most important

addition that is given by The Fountainhead is how we look at the collective. It is not our

affiliations that make us part of the mass, but our inner weaknesses. All humans have

individual personalities, individual wants, individual visions of themselves, but these

disappear over time. Only by confidently holding true to ourselves can we live our own

lives.

Atlas Shrugged is the magnum opus of Ayn Rand’s works. Her final work of

fiction before she devoted all of her time to writing papers to put her philosophy into

exact words stands as a literary classic. The setting is similar to The Fountainhead in that

it takes place in a modern, Western society, but while it focused on objectivism as it

relates to individual people like Roark, we see that there are numerous individuals all

around the world. This work is about individuals versus collectivism. We see the

weakness of the majority, and their strength over individuals. However, we see that there

is always hope, and always a way for the single identity to survive.

Capitalism, while always hinted at in the other novels truly comes to the forefront

of Atlas Shrugged. The dollar is the symbol of achievement. Capitalism rewards

individualism. It rewards those who step forward and create. All through Atlas Shrugged

anti-capitalistic laws are put in place, but all they serve to do is destroy. The “anti-dog eat

dog” law, and the “equalization of opportunity” law both took companies that were

healthy and drained the life out of them. Laissez-faire capitalism is the only system that

Ayn Rand sees that is fair (Rand-A, p. 261). These laws proclaim fairness by taking from

the rich and giving to the poor. They look to Robin Hood as a hero. Robin Hood is as

much of a thug as any of the villains in this story. The concepts of private property and

the fact that your work becomes your reward tie directly into individualism. Capitalism

gives people the right to their own lives.

Taking something that has been earned by another without any work on your part

is indescribably evil. Their earnings are a symbol of their achievement. When someone

takes that away from them, the symbol loses all value. The dollar is a symbol of a person

who works. Stealing is just another method of destruction, not only of a symbol of

heroism, but of what the victim is building. Money is something that must be created by

one’s own work. If gained by any other means it means nothing.

Many look at people who rely on reason as cold-hearted animals, but it is reason

that sets us apart from beasts. The Fountainhead showed us why we need reason, but

Atlas Shrugged shows us what happens to those who abandon it. They become animals

that live in constant denial of their ideals. They live off the corpses of others while

preaching their morality. A mind can only live under such contradictions for so long

before it crumbles, leaving behind a shell of the former being.

John Galt is the ultimate and final heroic being. We have seen the progression

from Kira, with aspirations to build; Prometheus and his celebration of the individual;

Roark and his desire for both of these, as well as his intense reason and love of life. John

Galt is all of this and more. Never will he accept the sacrifice of others or himself. He

holds the dollar as his idol, but still continues to worship all those with strength and

ability. His sense of self is unshakable. However, the single most important piece of him

is reflected in this line which became the title. “If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the

world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees

buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his

strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down on his shoulders—

what would you tell him to do?” “To Shrug.” (Rand-AS, p. 455). While others in the

world such as Dagny and Hank continued to push harder and harder to keep the world

running, Galt is the only one who could see that a strike was the only option; the

withholding of services for fairness. It is such a simple idea, but one that is necessary for

true heroism.

Atlas Shrugged took all that had culminated in The Fountainhead and polished it,

extended it, and dug just a bit deeper into some of the characteristics of heroism.

However, the true progression came in the integration of capitalism into every facet of

living. All men are traders and should thusly abhor violence. Even more though, we have

to build the life we want to live. Finally, we must value nothing higher than the force of

our own mind.

We have seen objectivism grow throughout these novels from a set of ideas to a

monument to which those who accept the mantle of heroism can hold onto. However, the

one thing that remained constant throughout all of this was Ayn Rand herself. Much like

the characters in her novels she had an ideology that remained constant throughout her

entire life. She learned more about herself, and was able to express her ideas in a more

concrete fashion.

Objectivism began as the ideals of young woman under the oppression of a state

which left no room for breathing; no room for a single person. We have seen the ideas

grow from subconscious thoughts to confident proclamations of what humanity should be

like. It teaches us how to live on Earth. It tells us how to know. It tells us we as humans

have the potential to be heroes, and that we need simply embrace ourselves. We need

simply look to the word I, grasp it, and know that we have the strength to live, the reason

to celebrate individualism, the ability to push forward ourselves and civilization, and the

right to shrug off the demands of anyone who seeks to tear you down.

Bibliography

Berliner, Michael. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead: Howard Roark and Frank

Lloyd Wright. Maryland. Lexington. 2004. Print.

Bernstein, Andrew. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘We the Living’: The Integration of Plot and

Theme in ‘We the Living’. Maryland. Lexington. 2004. Print.

Boeckmann, Toer. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead: The Fountainhead as a

Romantic Novel. Maryland. Lexington. 2004. Print.

"Ego." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 01 Feb. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ego>.

Heller, Anne. Ayn Rand and the world she made. New York. Nan A. Talese. 2009. Print.

Lewis, John. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘Anthem’: Sacrilege Towards the Individual

Maryland. Lexington. 2005. Print.

Milgram, Shoshana. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead`: The Fountainhead from

Notebook to Novel: The Composition of Ayn Rand`s First Ideal Man. Maryland.

Lexington. 2004. Print.

Milgram, Shoshana. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘We the Living’: From Airtight to We the

Living. Maryland. Lexington. 2004. Print.

Milgram, Shoshana. Essays on Ayn Rand’s ‘We the Living’: We the Living and Victor

Hugo. Maryland. Lexington. 2004. Print.

Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York. Signet. 1995. Print.

Rand, Ayn. The Romantic Manifesto. New York. Signet. 1971. Print.

Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. New York. Signet. 1996. Print.

Creation versus destruction

Productive achievement People must earn their chances

Victimization

The value of competition

The dollar

Atlas Shrugged

HEROIC MAN IS UNCOMPROMISING

“If We the Living had exposed the lethal effects of totalitarian state power on the

best and most spirited individuals in a closed society; if Anthem had charted an escape

from the tyranny of brotherhood, and if The Fountainhead had defined the struggle of a

free, active, self-reliant individual against a culture of suffocating conformity, then Atlas

Shrugged extended the perspective to reveal a new ideological and social order, one in

which those who are independent, purposeful, creative, and proud no

Allyssa Rosenbaum changed to Ayn Rand (just as each of her novels changed?)

The symbol of the skyscraper

Roark was a true man

optimism

(Movers)

The original title of the novel, Airtight,

If men are treated as a group, how can those who are great stand out from those

who are not.

Value versus collectivism

Individual versus the state

Evil of collectivism

The aspiration to build

Projection of the ideal man.

---Man-worship

--- Atheism

Living as an end in itself. Worthy of life.

Capitalism

Atheism

The sanctity of life

Rationality. Not a vicious beast.

Optimism in the midst of sadness.

Had all of these ideas and feelings, but had not truly formed them into a cohesive set of

rules.

There are those who say that we are incapable of knowing anything, but humans are

capable of taking information and extrapolating from it. We are capable of amazing feats

of reasoning, and this sets us apart from animals. There are those who would describe

humans as brutish animals, but that is truly diminishing our ability. It is reducing us. By

saying we cannot genuinely have knowledge we are saying that we

The individual is his own source power. The world needs individuals who are strong

enough to