Here are some possible answers for the previous questions posted on "The Ethics of Emergencies"
1) What is the theme of this essay? (“Theme” being defined as what an author wants to say about the particular subject he has chosen to write about.)
Answer: For those who have already accepted that man is not a sacrificial animal, and that help to others is not a moral duty, what are the principles by which one identifies and evaluates the instances involving a man’s nonsacrificial help to others. (Sig. Ed., pg. 44, 2nd full para down.) In other words, is helping others always inconsistent with Ayn Rand’s philosophy, and if not, when is it okay to help others?
2) What is an “emergency”?
3) What does Ayn Rand mean by the “hierarchy of values”? (You may need to look at an outside source, such as “The Ayn Rand Lexicon” –see entry on “Teleological Measurement”- for this answer.)
4) What is a “sacrifice” according to Ayn Rand’s philosophy? Give a made-up example of what, according to Ayn Rand’s philosophy, would be regarded as a “sacrifice”. What does Ayn Rand regard as the “rational principle of conduct” regarding one’s hierarchy of values?
a) “Sacrifice” is the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a non-value. (pg. 44, 3rd full para. Down)
b) A man has to choose between saving his drowning wife and saving a drowning stray dog, and chooses to save the dog.
c) “…always act in accordance with the hierarchy of your values, and never sacrifice a greater value to a lesser one.” (pg. 44, 3rd full para. Down)
5) What is “love”, according to Ayn Rand’s philosophy? What are some of the different types of love, and why are they all still considered to be love?
a) “…love is an expression and assertion of self-esteem, a response to one’s own values in the person of another. One gains a profoundly personal, selfish joy from the mere existence of the person one loves. It is one’s own personal, selfish happiness that one seeks, earns and derives from love.” (pg. 44, 2nd full para from the top.)
b)
6) In discussing the issue of helping others with critics of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, I often find that they will claim that any sort of regard or liking of other people is forbidden by her philosophy. They will claim that ascribing to Ayn Rand’s philosophy means that one must renounce any desire to be around other people. In the realm of economics, this view is easily refuted, since the division of labor, based on the principle of trade, clearly makes business associations with others in one’s self interest. (Imagine trying to produce all of the material products that you enjoy on your own without the benefit of trade with other human beings.) However, in the realm of love, the benefits of one’s friends and lovers are often less tangible. Describe some of the benefits associated with friendship and love.
7) In “The Ethics of Emergencies”, Ayn Rand describes a husband who spends a fortune to save his sick wife, and explains that this is not a sacrifice, and therefore is in his self-interest. She presents a counter-example to show why this is in fact not a sacrifice by the husband. Describe that counter-example.
Answer: “But suppose he let her die in order to spend his money on saving the lives of ten other women, none of whom meant anything to him –as the ethics of altruism would require. That would be a sacrifice.” (pg. 45, Second Full Para Down)
8) What does Ayn Rand say is the “…proper method of judging when or whether one should help another person…”? Describe how Ayn Rand answers the question of whether one should save a drowning person based on this method.
a) “…by reference to one’s own rational self-interest and one’s own hierarchy of values: the time, money or effort one gives or the risk one takes should be proportionate to the value of the person in relation to one’s own happiness.” (pg. 45, Second Full Para From Bottom)
b) “If the person to be saved is a stranger, it is morally proper to save him only when the danger to one’s own life is minimal; when the danger is great, it would be immoral to attempt it…If the person to be saved is not a stranger, then the risk one should be willing to take is greater in proportion to the greatness of that person’s value to oneself.”(Pg. 45, First full para from bottom.)
9) Ayn Rand says that deciding whether to save a drowning person (or a person in a fire, or other emergency) depends on how much of a value the drowning person is, and that the greater the value, the greater the risk one should be willing to take. (See pg. 45 of Signet Ed., Second Full Para From Bottom) Define what “risk” means in this context.
Answer: Risk is probably defined in this situation as something like "the chance that your life will be harmed".
10) At the beginning of the essay, Ayn Rand describes four of the psychological/intellectual consequences of one who accepts the morality of altruism. The third is described as “A nightmare view of existence –since he [the altruist] believes that men are trapped in a ‘malevolent universe’ where disasters are the constant and primary concern of their lives.” Later in the essay, she then discusses the issue of whether one should save a drowning person (pg. 45, Signet Ed., First Full Para From bottom), and says: “If the person to be saved is a stranger, it is morally proper to save him only when the danger to one’s own life is minimal; when the danger is great, it would be immoral to attempt it…If the person to be saved is not a stranger, then the risk one should be willing to take is greater in proportion to the greatness of that person’s value to oneself.” She seems to think that at least two factors should be taken into consideration in deciding what to do in this situation: First, what is the value of the person to you, and, second what is the risk of you dying in the rescue attempt? How would a “malevolent universe premise” affect this calculation?
Answer: A person who believes that the universe is “out to get them” will tend to think that any action they take is going to end in failure, and will therefore perceive the risk as great. A man who does not ascribe to the altruist ethics will tend to hold the opposite viewpoint, and therefore, will view the risk of saving a drowning person in a more realistic perspective, and will therefore be more likely to take action despite the relatively low value of the drowning person to him.
11) Ayn Rand says that “The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not ‘selflessness’ or ‘sacrifice’, but integrity. Integrity is loyalty to one’s convictions and values; it is the policy of acting in accordance with one’s values, of expressing, upholding and translating them into practical reality. If a man professes to love a woman, yet his actions are indifferent, inimical or damaging to her, it is his lack of integrity that makes him immoral.” Consider two examples of a person who acts in an emergency to defend his values: (1) A mother who runs into a burning building to save her children, despite the great risk to herself. (2) A man who enlists in the Army to fight in a war necessary to defend his country’s freedom, despite the possibility of being killed in combat. In both of these situations, commentators in our popular culture would tend to describe these people as “brave” or “courageous”, rather than as having “integrity”. Is it possible to reconcile the description Ayn Rand gives of these people (having integrity) with the description that our popular culture would give (having courage)?
Answer: I suspect Ayn Rand probably thought that courage is a form of integrity.
12) What attitude does Ayn Rand think one should have towards strangers, given the subject of this essay? Why does she think this is the proper attitude? What does Ayn Rand mean by “species solidarity”? In judging others, what is the initial premise one should act from when meeting a stranger?
a) “The generalized respect and good will which one should grant to a human being in the name of potential value he represents –until and unless he forfeits it.” (pg. 46, last full para)
b) “A rational man does not forget that life is the source of all values and, as such, a common bond among living beings (as against inanimate matter), that other men are potentially able to achieve the same virtues as his own and thus be of enormous value to him.” (pg. 46, bottom)
c) (pg. 47, first full para from top)
d) All men are innocent until proven guilty. (pg. 47, Second full para down)
13) What does Ayn Rand mean by “metaphysically normal” conditions, as opposed to an “emergency situation”? What is the goal in an emergency situation?
a) “By ‘normal’ conditions, I mean metaphysically normal, normal in the nature of things, and appropriate to human existence. Men can live on land, but not in water or in a raging fire…By its nature, an emergency situation is temporary; if it were to last, men would perish.”(Pg. 47, last full para.)
b) “Since men are not omnipotent, it is metaphysically possible for unforeseeable disasters to strike them, in which case their only task is to return to those conditions under which their lives can continue.” (pg. 47, last full para.)
14) Ayn Rand gives an example of one hearing “…that the man next door is ill and penniless. Illness and poverty are not metaphysical emergencies, they are part of the normal risks of existence; but since the man is temporarily helpless, one may bring him food and medicine. [sic] if one can afford it (as an act of good will, not of duty) or one may raise a fund among the neighbors to help him out.” (pg. 48, Sig. Ed. Second full para from top) The example of voluntary, non-sacrificial charity given is an example of helping out others in one’s local community (one’s neighbor). Would Ayn Rand’s philosophy tend to encourage such local charity over giving to anonymous individuals that are not in one’s local community?
Answer: I tend to think yes, because people you actually know or people in your own community would tend to be of greater actual or potential value to you, and you could also better determine if they are in need of food/medicine/shelter because of their own irrationality, or if they are helpless through no fault of their own.
15) What are the metaphysics of the altruist morality? What are the metaphysics of the egoist morality? What fact does Ayn Rand point to show that the altruist metaphysics is wrong?
a) The malevolent universe metaphysics. (pg. 48, bottom)
b) The benevolent universe premise.
c) “As the simplest empirical refutation of that metaphysics –as evidence of the fact that the material universe is not inimical to man and that catastrophes are the exception, not the rule of existence –observe the fortunes made by insurance companies.”(pg. 49, first full para. At top)
Monday, August 27, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Meeting to Discuss "The Ethics of Emergencies" by Ayn
What: Discussion of "The Ethics of Emergencies" by Ayn
Rand, in _The Virtue of Selfishness_, using questions
attached. Please read (or re-read) the essay before
you come.
Where/When: Sign up with yahoo group for time and location information
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/opar-announce/
Questions: (Please print out)
1) What is the theme of this essay? (“Theme” being
defined as what an author wants to say about the
particular subject he has chosen to write about.)
2) What is an “emergency”?
3) What does Ayn Rand mean by the “hierarchy of
values”? (You may need to look at an outside source,
such as “The Ayn Rand Lexicon” –see entry on
“Teleological Measurement”- for this answer.)
4) What is a “sacrifice” according to Ayn Rand’s
philosophy? Give a made-up example of what, according
to Ayn Rand’s philosophy, would be regarded as a
“sacrifice”. What does Ayn Rand regard as the
“rational principle of conduct” regarding one’s
hierarchy of values?
5) What is “love”, according to Ayn Rand’s philosophy?
What are some of the different types of love, and why
are they all still considered to be love?
6) In discussing the issue of helping others with
critics of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, I often find that
they will claim that any sort of regard or liking of
other people is forbidden by her philosophy. They
will claim that ascribing to Ayn Rand’s philosophy
means that one must renounce any desire to be around
other people. In the realm of economics, this view is
easily refuted, since the division of labor, based on
the principle of trade, clearly makes business
associations with others in one’s self interest.
(Imagine trying to produce all of the material
products that you enjoy on your own without the
benefit of trade with other human beings.) However,
in the realm of love, the benefits of one’s friends
and lovers are often less tangible. Describe some of
the benefits associated with friendship and love.
7) In “The Ethics of Emergencies”, Ayn Rand describes
a husband who spends a fortune to save his sick wife,
and explains that this is not a sacrifice, and
therefore is in his self-interest. She presents a
counter-example to show why this is in fact not a
sacrifice by the husband. Describe that
counter-example.
8) What does Ayn Rand say is the “…proper method of
judging when or whether one should help another
person…”? Describe how Ayn Rand answers the question
of whether one should save a drowning person based on
this method.
9) Ayn Rand says that deciding whether to save a
drowning person (or a person in a fire, or other
emergency) depends on how much of a value the drowning
person is, and that the greater the value, the greater
the risk one should be willing to take. (See pg. 45 of
Signet Ed., Second Full Para From Bottom) Define what
“risk” means in this context.
10) At the beginning of the essay, Ayn Rand describes
four of the psychological/intellectual consequences of
one who accepts the morality of altruism. The third
is described as “A nightmare view of existence –since
he [the altruist] believes that men are trapped in a
‘malevolent universe’ where disasters are the constant
and primary concern of their lives.” Later in the
essay, she then discusses the issue of whether one
should save a drowning person (pg. 45, Signet Ed.,
First Full Para From bottom), and says: “If the person
to be saved is a stranger, it is morally proper to
save him only when the danger to one’s own life is
minimal; when the danger is great, it would be immoral
to attempt it…If the person to be saved is not a
stranger, then the risk one should be willing to take
is greater in proportion to the greatness of that
person’s value to oneself.” She seems to think that
at least two factors should be taken into
consideration in deciding what to do in this
situation: First, what is the value of the person to
you, and, second what is the risk of you dying in the
rescue attempt? How would a “malevolent universe
premise” affect this calculation?
11) Ayn Rand says that “The virtue involved in helping
those one loves is not ‘selflessness’ or ‘sacrifice’,
but integrity. Integrity is loyalty to one’s
convictions and values; it is the policy of acting in
accordance with one’s values, of expressing, upholding
and translating them into practical reality. If a man
professes to love a woman, yet his actions are
indifferent, inimical or damaging to her, it is his
lack of integrity that makes him immoral.” Consider
two examples of a person who acts in an emergency to
defend his values: (1) A mother who runs into a
burning building to save her children, despite the
great risk to herself. (2) A man who enlists in the
Army to fight in a war necessary to defend his
country’s freedom, despite the possibility of being
killed in combat. In both of these situations,
commentators in our popular culture would tend to
describe these people as “brave” or “courageous”,
rather than as having “integrity”. Is it possible to
reconcile the description Ayn Rand gives of these
people (having integrity) with the description that
our popular culture would give (having courage)?
12) What attitude does Ayn Rand think one should have
towards strangers, given the subject of this essay?
Why does she think this is the proper attitude? What
does Ayn Rand mean by “species solidarity”? In
judging others, what is the initial premise one should
act from when meeting a stranger?
13) What does Ayn Rand mean by “metaphysically
normal” conditions, as opposed to an “emergency
situation”? What is the goal in an emergency
situation?
14) Ayn Rand gives an example of one hearing “…that
the man next door is ill and penniless. Illness and
poverty are not metaphysical emergencies, they are
part of the normal risks of existence; but since the
man is temporarily helpless, one may bring him food
and medicine. [sic] if one can afford it (as an
act of good will, not of duty) or one may raise a fund
among the neighbors to help him out.” (pg. 48, Sig.
Ed. Second full para from top) The example of
voluntary, non-sacrificial charity given is an example
of helping out others in one’s local community (one’s
neighbor). Would Ayn Rand’s philosophy tend to
encourage such local charity over giving to anonymous
individuals that are not in one’s local community?
15) What are the metaphysics of the altruist morality?
What are the metaphysics of the egoist morality?
What fact does Ayn Rand point to show that the
altruist metaphysics is wrong?
Rand, in _The Virtue of Selfishness_, using questions
attached. Please read (or re-read) the essay before
you come.
Where/When: Sign up with yahoo group for time and location information
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/opar-announce/
Questions: (Please print out)
1) What is the theme of this essay? (“Theme” being
defined as what an author wants to say about the
particular subject he has chosen to write about.)
2) What is an “emergency”?
3) What does Ayn Rand mean by the “hierarchy of
values”? (You may need to look at an outside source,
such as “The Ayn Rand Lexicon” –see entry on
“Teleological Measurement”- for this answer.)
4) What is a “sacrifice” according to Ayn Rand’s
philosophy? Give a made-up example of what, according
to Ayn Rand’s philosophy, would be regarded as a
“sacrifice”. What does Ayn Rand regard as the
“rational principle of conduct” regarding one’s
hierarchy of values?
5) What is “love”, according to Ayn Rand’s philosophy?
What are some of the different types of love, and why
are they all still considered to be love?
6) In discussing the issue of helping others with
critics of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, I often find that
they will claim that any sort of regard or liking of
other people is forbidden by her philosophy. They
will claim that ascribing to Ayn Rand’s philosophy
means that one must renounce any desire to be around
other people. In the realm of economics, this view is
easily refuted, since the division of labor, based on
the principle of trade, clearly makes business
associations with others in one’s self interest.
(Imagine trying to produce all of the material
products that you enjoy on your own without the
benefit of trade with other human beings.) However,
in the realm of love, the benefits of one’s friends
and lovers are often less tangible. Describe some of
the benefits associated with friendship and love.
7) In “The Ethics of Emergencies”, Ayn Rand describes
a husband who spends a fortune to save his sick wife,
and explains that this is not a sacrifice, and
therefore is in his self-interest. She presents a
counter-example to show why this is in fact not a
sacrifice by the husband. Describe that
counter-example.
8) What does Ayn Rand say is the “…proper method of
judging when or whether one should help another
person…”? Describe how Ayn Rand answers the question
of whether one should save a drowning person based on
this method.
9) Ayn Rand says that deciding whether to save a
drowning person (or a person in a fire, or other
emergency) depends on how much of a value the drowning
person is, and that the greater the value, the greater
the risk one should be willing to take. (See pg. 45 of
Signet Ed., Second Full Para From Bottom) Define what
“risk” means in this context.
10) At the beginning of the essay, Ayn Rand describes
four of the psychological/intellectual consequences of
one who accepts the morality of altruism. The third
is described as “A nightmare view of existence –since
he [the altruist] believes that men are trapped in a
‘malevolent universe’ where disasters are the constant
and primary concern of their lives.” Later in the
essay, she then discusses the issue of whether one
should save a drowning person (pg. 45, Signet Ed.,
First Full Para From bottom), and says: “If the person
to be saved is a stranger, it is morally proper to
save him only when the danger to one’s own life is
minimal; when the danger is great, it would be immoral
to attempt it…If the person to be saved is not a
stranger, then the risk one should be willing to take
is greater in proportion to the greatness of that
person’s value to oneself.” She seems to think that
at least two factors should be taken into
consideration in deciding what to do in this
situation: First, what is the value of the person to
you, and, second what is the risk of you dying in the
rescue attempt? How would a “malevolent universe
premise” affect this calculation?
11) Ayn Rand says that “The virtue involved in helping
those one loves is not ‘selflessness’ or ‘sacrifice’,
but integrity. Integrity is loyalty to one’s
convictions and values; it is the policy of acting in
accordance with one’s values, of expressing, upholding
and translating them into practical reality. If a man
professes to love a woman, yet his actions are
indifferent, inimical or damaging to her, it is his
lack of integrity that makes him immoral.” Consider
two examples of a person who acts in an emergency to
defend his values: (1) A mother who runs into a
burning building to save her children, despite the
great risk to herself. (2) A man who enlists in the
Army to fight in a war necessary to defend his
country’s freedom, despite the possibility of being
killed in combat. In both of these situations,
commentators in our popular culture would tend to
describe these people as “brave” or “courageous”,
rather than as having “integrity”. Is it possible to
reconcile the description Ayn Rand gives of these
people (having integrity) with the description that
our popular culture would give (having courage)?
12) What attitude does Ayn Rand think one should have
towards strangers, given the subject of this essay?
Why does she think this is the proper attitude? What
does Ayn Rand mean by “species solidarity”? In
judging others, what is the initial premise one should
act from when meeting a stranger?
13) What does Ayn Rand mean by “metaphysically
normal” conditions, as opposed to an “emergency
situation”? What is the goal in an emergency
situation?
14) Ayn Rand gives an example of one hearing “…that
the man next door is ill and penniless. Illness and
poverty are not metaphysical emergencies, they are
part of the normal risks of existence; but since the
man is temporarily helpless, one may bring him food
and medicine. [sic] if one can afford it (as an
act of good will, not of duty) or one may raise a fund
among the neighbors to help him out.” (pg. 48, Sig.
Ed. Second full para from top) The example of
voluntary, non-sacrificial charity given is an example
of helping out others in one’s local community (one’s
neighbor). Would Ayn Rand’s philosophy tend to
encourage such local charity over giving to anonymous
individuals that are not in one’s local community?
15) What are the metaphysics of the altruist morality?
What are the metaphysics of the egoist morality?
What fact does Ayn Rand point to show that the
altruist metaphysics is wrong?
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