Transcript Objectivism 101: Life and Happiness

Objectivism 101
Diana Mertz Hsieh
Lecture Three: Life and Happiness
Tuesday, July 2, 2002
13th Annual Summer Seminar
of
The Objectivist Center
Objectivism 101 Schedule
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Philosophy
Reality and Reason
Life and Happiness
The Virtues
Individual Rights
Spiritual Fuel
Ethics
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that defines a
code of values to guide actions and choices
Values are that which we act to gain and/or
keep
Virtues are the actions by which gain and/or
keep our values
Four Strains of Ethics
Flourishing Ethics: The good life
– Happiness, pleasure, contemplation, individualism, moral
character, friendship
Supernatural Ethics: Service to a higher realm
– Absolute moral commandments, obedience, spiritual
purity, suffering in this life
Bourgeois Ethics: Conventional success
– Hard work, honesty, faith, prudence, kindness, thrift,
service to others, patriotism
Social Ethics: Service to society
– Secular moral duties, serving the welfare of society,
equality, collectivism, social activism
Why Do We Need Ethics?
All living creatures face a fundamental
alternative of life versus death
Life makes the pursuit of all other values
possible
The individual’s life is his/her own highest value
We need ethics to rationally guide our choices
and actions towards the highest value of our
own lives
Life as the Standard of Value
Life is the ultimate value and thus the standard
of value in ethics
We do not seek a miserable life of bare
subsistence, but rather a rich, full, happy, and
interesting life!
Happiness and the Moral Life
Happiness results from the achievement of
values
Happiness is the reward for a moral life
Happiness is an end-in-itself, simply to be
enjoyed!
Ayn Rand on Happiness
“Happiness is the successful state of life, suffering is
the warning signal of failure, of death. Just as the
pleasure-pain mechanism of man's body is an
automatic indicator of his body's welfare or injury, a
barometer of its basic alternative, life or death—so
the emotional mechanism of man's consciousness is
geared to perform the same function, as a barometer
that registers the same alternative by means of two
basic emotions: joy or suffering.”
Ayn Rand
“The Objectivist Ethics”
The Virtue of Selfishness
Life and Happiness
Life is…
– The ultimate value
– The standard of value
Happiness is…
– The reward for a moral life
– An end-in-itself
So Objectivism advocates rational egoism
Altruism and Egoism
Who is the proper beneficiary of moral action?
Egoism: Moral actions are those which benefit
yourself
“I’m looking out for #1”
Altruism: Moral actions are those which benefit
others
“I am my brother’s keeper”
Self-Interest
We always ought to pursue our long-term selfinterest
How do we determine what is in our selfinterest? What values and virtues will promote
our life and happiness?
Three answers:
– Authority: “Follow the tried and true”
– Emotion: “Do whatever makes you happy”
– Reason: “Just the facts, ma’am”
Moral Principles
We determine self-interest through reason
Moral principles are general ethical truths
We need moral principles in order to make
ethical choices quickly and accurately
Moral principles identify the long-range goals
and means of achieving them that promote life
and happiness in the usual circumstances of life
Values of Life and Happiness
Rational values are the things that act to gain
and/or keep consistent with life as ultimate
value
– Material values
Food, shelter, medicine, wealth, water
– Spiritual values
Art, philosophy, self-confidence, knowledge, creativity
– Social values
Friendship, dissemination of knowledge, trade, love
Virtues of Life and Happiness
Rational virtues are the characteristic means by
which we achieve values that promote life
The eight major Objectivist virtues:
– Rationality
– Productiveness
– Independence
– Honesty
– Justice
– Benevolence
– Integrity
– Pride
The Need for Moral Principles
“You might say, as many people do, that it is not
easy always to act on abstract principles. No, it is
not easy. But how much harder is it, to have to act
on them without knowing what they are?”
Ayn Rand
“Philosophy: Who Needs It”
Philosophy: Who Needs It
Social Ethics
Social ethics concerns our interactions with
other people
How should we interact with other people?
The Necessity of Sacrifice?
Option One
Option Two
 Sacrifice others to yourself
 “Might makes right”
 Mastery over others
 Egoism?!?
 Sacrifice yourself to others
 “Service to others”
 Servitude to others
 Altruism
 Inherent conflicts of interest
 Inherent conflicts of interest
Option Three: Trader Principle
Values (including wealth) can be created and
destroyed
There are no necessary conflicts of interest for
those who live by production and trade
Trade is voluntary exchange to mutual benefit
Trades can be material and/or spiritual
John Galt’s Oath
“I swear—by my life and my love of it that I will
never live for the sake of another man, nor ask
another man to live for mine.”
-- John Galt, Atlas Shrugged
In social ethics, Objectivism advocates…
– Not sacrificing of others to oneself
– Not sacrificing of oneself to others
– But creating and trading values
The Mind-Body Dichotomy
Spiritual things are radically different from (and
usually superior to) material things
The mind/soul versus the body
Spirit versus matter
Theory versus practice
Thought versus action
Reason versus emotion
Moral versus practical
Mind-Body Integration
Our minds and bodies are intimately
interconnected and intertwined, so…
– The moral is the practical
– Reason can be in harmony with emotion
– Material values are just as necessary to life as
spiritual values
The Summary of Ethics
“The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to
suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live.”
Ayn Rand
“Galt’s Speech”
Atlas Shrugged
Today’s Topics
Four strains of ethics: flourishing, supernatural,
bourgeois, social
The purpose of ethics
Life as the ultimate value and standard of value
Happiness as the reward for a moral life
Egoism and altruism
Self-interest
Moral principles, values and virtues
Sacrifice versus production and trade
Mind-body integration