David Kelley: ‘Ayn Rand and the Rebirth of Liberty From (1991)’

Source:Libertarianism.Org- author David Kelley talking about Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, in 1991.

“David Kelley is a political philosopher, writer, and the executive director of the Atlas Society. Kelley is a strong proponent of Objectivism and has published a wide range of literature including A Life of One’s Own (1998) and The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand (2000).

In this lecture, which was given at the International Society for Individual Liberty’s 1991 conference, Kelley talks about Ayn Rand’s contribution to the free-market individualist movement. He says that as Aristotle defined metaphysical individualism, the Austrian economists defined methodological individualism, and John Locke and other Enlightenment philosophers defined political individualism, Ayn Rand defined ethical individualism and cognitive individualism through her philosophy, Objectivism. Kelley also answers an extensive list of questions from the audience about everything from epistemology to metaphysics.”

From Libertarianism.Org 

If your definition of individualism is a philosophy based on individuals and that individuals should not only act in their self-interest, but that there’s nothing immoral about that and that selfishness is actually a good thing and that people should believe in one’s self and hold that to their highest value (I get that this is a long definition) then Ayn Rand was perhaps the most individualist of individualists that we’ve ever had.

I’m willing to bet that most Americans are individualists at least to some extent (including Socialists and religious fundamentalists, at least privately) but what separates Ayn Rand and her followers from let’s say your everyday individualist, is that Randians take their individualism take it a step further. And argue that selfishness should always rule over everything else. And that selfishness is always a good thing and people who act in someone else’s interest, even at their own expense, is showing weakness.

I believe your everyday American tends to believe that self-sacrifice (at least up to a point) are actually good things. Which is why most Americans aren’t Randians or Libertarians, but people who believe in both the individual, as well as the greater good. 

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