Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rational Egoism Essay

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The theory of rational egoism developed by Ayn Rand seems an optimal approach to the resolution of personal and societal issues from the moral perspective despite the presence of contradicting opinions in this regard. At first, it seems inappropriate when considering a short-term perspective, but the idea of using reason as the only guidance can provide better results for the communities than altruism (“Revisiting Ayn Rand’s philosophy,” 2018). This standpoint can be explained by the fact that individual actions solely intended for one’s benefits ultimately result in the creation of advantages for society as a whole (“Revisiting Ayn Rand’s philosophy,” 2018). In this case, the elaborated theoretical framework can ensure better outcomes for everyone since the initial motivation would be personal gains, which is easier to instill compared to collective considerations.

One of the examples of its application in practice is the issue of assistance provided to citizens in need by the government, which is deemed harmful as per the model presented by Rand. In this situation, the emphasis on one’s rationality in managing various affairs as a reasonable way to make moral judgments in the decision-making process positively correlates with better results (“Revisiting Ayn Rand’s philosophy,” 2018). They can be explained by the fact that self-interest tends to turn into the interests of society over time, and the inequality in the distribution of resources among people leads to their enhanced activity (“Revisiting Ayn Rand’s philosophy,” 2018). In this case, both corporations and individuals benefit from their collaboration since it is based on mutual assistance on the grounds of shared goals. As a result, there are no problems in terms of sufficiency of resources for both citizens and different entities, and their participation in projects of different kinds is the key to prosperity.

Reference

(2018). Ethics Sage. Web.

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