Phil Donahue Show: Ayn Rand- Altruism (1979)

Source:Fully Booked Club- Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand on altruism.

“Context: This article looks at the virtue of selfishness & the vice of altruism, according to Ayn Rand‘s philosophy – widely referred to as “objectivism”. Rand is a Russian-American writer and philosopher, best known for her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. She has also published two collections of essays: The Virtue of Selfishness and For The New Intellectual. She is a strong advocate for rationality and capitalism (while being a firm critic of mysticism and socialism).”

From the Fully Booked Club 

“Ayn Rand: Why Altruism is Wrong” 

Source:Common Sense Capitalism- Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, on The Phil Donahue Show, in 1979.

From Common Sense Capitalism 

Objectivist Philosopher Ayn Rand, on The Phil Donahue Show in either 1979 or 1980. They talked about Russia pre-Communist Revolution and after the Communist Revolution there. She lived in Russia pre-Soviet Union as a little girl and after the Communists took over a teenager and young woman. I think living through communism and left-wing collectivism and authoritarianism, explains a lot as far as why she became an Objectivist and wanted to get out of Russia and live in the free world.

Source:Phil Donahue Show- Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, on the Phil Donahue Show, in 1979 or 80.

Ayn Rand on Russian communism on the Phil Donahue Show from 1979, saying that Russian Communists believed that people weren’t people, but collections of the state, subjected to whatever the state wanted them to do.

The main difference between authoritarianism and liberal democracy is, authoritarianism depending on what type of authoritarianism we are talking about, it’s all about the state. A big centralized government, where all power is centralized in one political party, generally.

In an authoritarian state, the people are there not to live their lives, but to serve the state. And once they get out of line, decide to live their own lives, or speak out against the state, they do that at their own risk. And risk severe harm to not only them, but their families as well.

This is the main difference between living in an authoritarian state which is what Soviet Russia was, or living in a liberal democracy like the United States. In a liberal democracy and free society, people tend to control their own lives. And then have to deal with the consequences of their decisions for good and bad.

In a communist stat (to use as an example) individuals don’t exist. It is all about the state and the state is the society. Meaning the big central government decides what everyone needs and what everyone can do and use and just about everything else.

In a communist state, everyone in the country, is there to serve the state and especially the Communist Party and communism. Not there to make the best out of life that they can for themselves and their families.

If freedom scares you and you don’t think you would be able to manage your own life, trying doing time in jail, or prison. Or living in a communist society, because freedom won’t be something that you would ever have to deal with. 

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