Ayn Rand’s Objective Ethics And Its Literary Representation

Ayn Rand and her objectivist philosophy are sought after by modern American right-wingers but are ignored by academia.However,the spiritual power in her literary works has influenced many readers,and the sales of Atlas Shrugged are second only to Bible sales.Such a stark contrast illustrates the tremendous tension contained in her theory.This paper views her philosophical discourse and literary creation as an organic interactive whole.While exploring her ethical thoughts,it also seeks to explore the complementary expression of her doctrine in literature.In the foundation of her metaphysics and epistemology,there are issues of logical assumption and confusion in her argument,which result in a weak foundation for her philosophy system.In her ethics,she uses life as the logical starting point,then discusses the concept of value in the practical sense,criticizes the ethics of altruism,and puts forward the ethics of"selfishness" while advocating egoism.Her criticism of altruism often focuses on the crushing of the individual’s reasonable interests in collectivism and utilitarianism,and the over-praise of others,which ultimately leads to the overestimation of the individual’s aforementioned reasonable interests,the loss of self,and the stagnation of social,economic,and political disasters.Her ethical system emphasizes the important role of reason in the process of constructing self-value system,resolving the contradiction between the self and others,and making ethical choices.Both the contradiction in her philosophical basis and the criticism of her ethics system are reflected in the narrative and ethical approaches she uses to develop characters and plots in her literature.