The-Morality-of-Capitalism-PDF

I not refuse, out of respect for my own dignity as a moral being,to regard myself as a means in the service of others?Toward an Individualist EthicsAyn Rand’s case for capitalism rests on an individualist ethicsthat recognizes the moral right to pursue one’s self-interest andrejects altruism at the root.Altruists argue that life presents us with a basic choice: we musteither sacrifice others to ourselves, or sacrifice ourselves to others.The latter is the altruist course of action, and the assumption isthat the only alternative is life as a predator. But this is a falsealternative, according to Rand. Life does not require sacrifices ineither direction. The interests of rational people do not conflict,and the pursuit of our genuine self-interest requires that we dealwith others by means of peaceful, voluntary exchange.To see why, let us ask how we decide what is in our self-interest.An interest is a value that we seek to obtain: wealth, pleasure,security, love, self-esteem, or some other good. Rand’s ethicalphilosophy is based on the insight that the fundamental value,the summum bonum, is life. It is the existence of living organisms,their need to maintain themselves through constant action tosatisfy their needs that gives rise to the entire phenomenon ofvalues. A world without life would be a world of facts but notvalues, a world in which no state could be said to be better orworse than any other. Thus the fundamental standard of value,by reference to which a person must judge what is in his interest,is his life: not mere survival from one moment to another, butthe full satisfaction of his needs through the ongoing exercise ofhis faculties.Man’s primary faculty, his primary means of survival, is hiscapacity for reason. It is reason that allows us to live by production,and thus to rise above the precarious level of hunting andgathering. Reason is the basis of language, which makes it possiblefor us to cooperate and transmit knowledge. Reason is the basisof social institutions governed by abstract rules. The purpose ofethics is to provide standards for living in accordance with reason,in the service of our lives.78