The Necessity of Selfishness

Previously, parents quickly taught their children the importance of sharing and considering others’ needs before their own. They expected their offspring to submissively sacrifice incongruent desires and wishes. Parents did not tolerate selfishness from anyone at anytime. Then came the millennials, also called the me generation. The typical millennial, concerned only with his or her own happiness, pursues self satisfaction relentlessly. They only reflect upon their fellow man’s needs when it benefits them. Millennials have been called lazy, selfish, and worthless by their peers. This leads one to ponder selfishness’ roots, how it became such an undesirable trait and whether or not it actually impairs society. Through Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand argues the sensibility and appropriateness of selfishness.

To fully understand this issue, one must first understand the reasoning behind Rand’s opinion. John Galt illustrates that one’s very survival depends on if they can determine and meet their own needs. It is when one sacrifices their own comfort for his or her constituents’ desires that they discover the true value that self-interest holds. “ ‘Sacrifice’ does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of good for the sake of the evil…If you own a bottle of milk and give it to your starving child, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to your neighbor’s child and let your own die, it is.” (Ayn Rand 941) Here Galt reveals that the very act of living as selfishness’ byproduct. His statement illustrates the evil and misery that occur when one sacrifices their own good for another’s. One can not help realizing selfishness’ incredible value when confronted with its alternative: sacrifice. “It is not a sacrifice to ...

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... believes that selfish people are those who demand the freedom to live honestly. Only productive individuals gain her endorsement. She does not advocate survival from other peoples’ success or nor does she promote societal leeches. Thus selfishness’ beneficial results cause the audience to realize self-interest’s practicality.

Atlas Shrugged reveals Ayn Rand’s opinions about selfishness’ morality and sensibility. She defines selfishness as living out one’s values. Then Rand progresses, writing society’s destruction as sacrifice’s result. This creates a need for a new moral system. Her inclusion of selfish characters allows the audience to see selfishness’ affect: existence. By equating sacrifice and selfishness to death and existence, Rand provokes her readers’ thoughts and encourages an evident choice; however, the very act of reflection makes the decision.