Abstract:
Ayn Rand advanced and propagated the view that rational selfishness should be pursued at all cost instead of altruism, that the individual should be allowed by all to live as he or she pleases. The only duty of government, according to her, is to make sure that nobody takes away the freedom of the individual. This research work is aimed at evaluating this moral theory of Rand called objectivist ethics, to determine it’s strength and weakness and implications on man and society especially the African society which is communalistic in nature. Even though we agree with Rand that man has the tendency to become selfish and defend individualism, we do not agree with her that selfishness is a virtue. This work after examining the different positions of both philosophers, sociologists and Anthropologists on the objectivist ethics of Rand, concludes that the moral theory of Ayn Rand, if left the way she posited it, will make the individual person the sole authority in morality, that is nothing but relativism in ethics. The individual is good but the group is better. The society can only survive when the different individuals complement one another, not just to live in a world where every man considers issues and actions right or wrong, depending on how he or she is affected. Rand’s ethics cannot be universalized, as it will help to propagate and promote some issues like abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, artificial insemination among others. Acceptance of this theory of Rand does great harm to the society, as it is considered not the ethics of living on earth at all.
