The Virtue of Selfishness

Throughout history, man has been offered the following alternative: be moral through a life of sacrifice to othersor be selfish through a life of sacrificing others to oneself. In The Virtue of Selfishness, Ayn Rand blasts this as a false alternative, holding that a selfish, non-sacrificial way of life is both possible and necessary for man.

The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays presenting Ayn Rands radical moral code of rational selfishness and its opposition to the prevailing morality of altruismi.e., to the duty to sacrifice for the sake of others.

In The Objectivist Ethics, Rand gives an outline of her code of rational selfishness, and of her argument establishing it as the only objective, fact-based moral code in human history. In the course of the essay, she raises and answers a fundamental and fascinating question: Why does one even need a morality?

In essays including The Ethics of Emergencies, The Conflicts of Mens Interests, and Doesnt Life Require Compromise? she raises common ethical questions, shows how altruism has crippled peoples ability to approach them rationally, and explains how her moral code provides a solution to them. In Mans Rights and The Nature of Government she applies her ethics to formulate the basic principles of her political philosophy, while rejecting the altruistic doctrines of rights to health care, employment, etc.

The Virtue of Selfishness is indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the crucial ethical issues at the root at so many of our cultural debates todaywho wants to understand the revolutionary ideas that guide the lives of Ayn Rands fictional heroeswho wants to lead an existence that is both moral and practicalwho wants to discover why, in the words of one of the heroes of Atlas Shrugged, the purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  1. The Objectivist Ethics, Ayn Rand (1961)
  2. Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice, Nathaniel Branden (1963)
  3. The Ethics of Emergencies, Ayn Rand (1963)
  4. The Conflicts of Mens Interests, Ayn Rand (1962)
  5. Isnt Everyone Selfish?, Nathaniel Branden (1962)
  6. The Psychology of Pleasure, Nathaniel Branden (1964)
  7. Doesnt Life Require Compromise?, Ayn Rand (1962)
  8. How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?, Ayn Rand (1962)
  9. The Cult of Moral Grayness, Ayn Rand (1964)
  10. Collectivized Ethics, Ayn Rand (1963)
  11. The Monument Builders, Ayn Rand (1962)
  12. Mans Rights, Ayn Rand (1963)
  13. Collectivized Rights, Ayn Rand (1963)
  14. The Nature of Government, Ayn Rand (1963)
  15. Government Financing in a Free Society, Ayn Rand (1964)
  16. The Divine Right of Stagnation, Nathaniel Branden (1963)
  17. Racism, Ayn Rand (1963)
  18. Counterfeit Individualism, Nathaniel Branden (1962)
  19. The Argument from Intimidation, Ayn Rand (1964)
• Index

(Paperback; 173 pages)

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