Analysis: The Virtue Of Selfishness

The Chinese Philosopher and originator of Taoism, Lao Tzu, once said, “Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained.” This, precisely, is where mankind derives what it means to be good. In a culture where goodness is often defined vaguely, there is a sort of universality attributed to the virtues of compassion and integrity. Compassion is the quality of love and mercy for fellow man, a merit that works in accord with integrity, one’s unfaltering commitment to their innate morality. To be stated briefly, if one is to walk the road of life, these values in tow, the brand of goodness will surely follow.

Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, supports the view that kindness ultimately results in good

In “The Virtue of Selfishness,” Ayn Rand, a philosopher and the founder of Objectivism, showed herself to hold a rather unorthodox view of what it means to be “good.” Rather than embracing a view geared towards altruism, Rand leaned on pure logic saying that “Reason is man’s only guide to action.” She held the view that man, in his existence, holds no obligations to help another if it does not end in his own happiness. Concerning morality on this issue, Rand said, “[Man’s] highest moral purpose is the achievement of his own happiness.” In essence, this means to say that morality is in place to lead man towards self-benefit. Rand views selfless virtues as in opposition to the to the pursuit of happiness. This, however, seems directly contrary to human nature. Morality, thus our desire to help others, does not always procure a beneficial return. One could argue that compassion is merely a tool of survival with a “good feeling” attached to it, but in the case of Dirk Willems, and even Job, this is clearly not the case. Suffering for compassion is simply not self-serving, thus, morality cannot be solely related to calculating