humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare

On Mar 4, 2:35 am, "Peter Farey"
wrote:
> "lackpurity" wrote:
>
> > Elizabeth wrote:
>
> > > Nashe is accusing the author of Hamlet of working
> > > with or having worked with, a faction of poets. Nashe
> > > would know this well, he was targeted by Mary Sidney
> > > Her Ladyshippe who wrote a verse making fun of his
> > > name, she calls him something like 'Gnashadoccio'
> > > (McCarthy).
> > MM:
> > Preface To Greene's Menaphon
>
> > An excerpt:
>
> > It is a common practice now-a-days amongst a sort of
> > shifting companions, that run through ever art and thrive
> > by none, to leave the trade of noverint whereto they were
> > born and busy themelves with the endeavours of art, that
> > could scarcely Latinize their neck-verse if they should
> > have need; yet English Seneca read by canlelight yields
> > many good sentences, as Blood is a begaar, and so forth,
> > and if you entreat him fair in a frosty morning, he will
> > afford you whole Hamlets, I should say handfuls, of trag-
> > ical speeches.
>
> > MM:
> > I'd like you to explain your POV more clearly. This
> > paragraph by Nashe seems to fit well with William Shake-
> > speare of Stratford, Elizabeth. It also seems congruent
> > with what Jonson wrote of Shakespeare, "small Latin and
> > less Greek."
>
> Nashe's words are widely if not universally believed to
> be referring to Thomas Kyd, a playwright known to be born
> to "the trade of noverint" (scrivener), his father having
> been warden of the Company of Scriveners.
>
> Nashe continued:
>
> But O grief! *Tempus edax rerum*, what's that will last
> always? The sea exhaled by drops will in continuance be
> dry, and Seneca, let blood line by line and page by page,
> at length must needs die to our stage, which makes his
> famished followers to imitate the kid in Aesop,
>
> Another clue?
>
> who, enamoured with the fox's newfangles, forsook all
> hopes of life to leap into a new occupation, and these
> men, renouncing all possibilities of credit or estimat-
> ion, to intermeddle with Italian translations...
>
> Kyd (unlike Nashe) did not go to university, but did go to
> Merchant Taylor's school, where he learnt both French and
> Italian, and later used this ability to translate works of
> both Robert Garnier (his Senecan play *Cornelie*) and
> Tasso (*Il padre di famiglia*).
>
> The reference to Hamlet is therefore usually taken to be
> an earlier version of the play (the 'Ur-Hamlet') written
> by Kyd. Isabelle Kittson Brown, cited by Elizabeth, is
> I think very much in the minority on this one.
>
> Peter F.
>
> - Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Applied Educational Research Journal (AERJ)
22 (3) 2009

The Impact of Objectivism on Humankind:
National and International Implications

Jennifer Tremaine Butcher
PhD Student in Educational Leadership
College of Education
Prairie View A&M University
Assistant Principal
Aldine Independent School District
Houston, Texas


William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Professor and Faculty Mentor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
Prairie View A&M University
Member of the Texas A&M University System
Visiting Lecturer (2005)
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Distinguished Alumnus (2004)
Central Washington University
College of Education and Professional Studies

______________________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACT

Ayn Rand's books, Atlas Shrugged and Virtues of Selfishness, provide
salient and penetrating ideas that impact people's lives. Ayn Rand
named her philosophy "Objectivism". Based on Objectivism, one's own
life and happiness is the ultimate good. There should be a morality
of rational selfishness to achieve happiness. One should not give
undeserved rewards to others or ask for them to be given in return.
Objectivism teaches that one person's happiness does not come at the
expense of another's. There should be a life a mutual respect and
benevolent independence that is possible for all. The values of
Objectivism are the revenue to a happy life.
______________________________________________________________________________


Introduction

The Objectivist ethics rebuilds morality from the ground up. The
values of Objectivism include such things as wealth, love,
satisfaction in work, education, artistic inspiration, and much more.
The cardinal value of Objectivism includes, reason, purpose, and
self. The Objectivist ethics honor achievement and encourage the
celebration. Ayn Rand was once asked if she could present the essence
of Objectivism while standing on one foot. Her answer was:

* Metaphysics: Object Reality
* Epistemology: Reason
* Ethics: Self-interest
* Politics: Capitalism
*
Ayn Rand called objectivism her philosophy for living life on earth.


Purpose of the Article

The purpose of this article is to discuss the ten most
penetrating ideas presented in Atlas Shrugged that impact people's
lives. Key ideas from Virtues of Selfishness will also be discussed.
Objectivism is an integrated system of thought that defines the
abstract principle by which a man must think and act if he is to live
the life proper to man. Ayn Rand portrayed her philosophy of
Objectivism in her novels. The values, ethics, and virtues of
Objectivism are key elements that impact humankind. The ten ideas
presented in this article will have a profound impact on society.

Objectivism

Objectivism is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand that
encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics,
and aesthetics. Objectivism holds that there is a mind-independent
reality. This means that individuals gain knowledge by processing the
data of perception using reason. The proper moral purpose of one's
life is the pursuit of one's happiness or rational self-interest. The
only social system consistent with such morality is laissez-faire
capitalism. Objectivism derives it name from its conception of
knowledge and values as objective rather than subjective.
In Objectivism, one's own life and happiness is the ultimate
good. There should be a morality of rational selfishness to achieve
happiness. One should not give undeserved reward to others or ask for
them to be given in return. Objectivism teaches that one person's
happiness does not come at the expense of another's. There should be
a life of mutual respect and benevolent independence that is possible
for all. The values of Objectivism are the revenue to a happy life.
Objectivism is an integrated system of thought that defines the
abstract principle by which a man must think and act if he is to live
the life proper to man. The values, ethics, and virtues of
Objectivism are key elements that impact humankind.
As noted earlier, Any Rand is a noted philosopher. According to
Kritsonis (2007), it is the special task of the philosophers to
attempt a comprehensive interpretation of human nature. Philosophers
use the results of their own reflection and incorporate and coordinate
the work of inquirers from other scholarly specialties. The many-
sidedness of man is allowed in the comprehensive view. Man is a
complex energy-system and an intelligent adaptive organism with
neurophysiological mechanisms. Man is also an organized social animal
with demand for goods and power, a maker of culture, a user of
language, and a being who lives in a natural and social environment.
Man is a creature of feeling, a unique being, a doer, judge of good an
evil, a dweller in time, and a creature of God.
A philosophical summary of man is that man is a rational animal
that has a unique property in the ability to reason, and the
distinctive quality in the life of man. Man has a peculiar sort that
is determined by the power of thought. Expressions of reason are
man's social and cultural forms. Embodiments of man's reason entail
arts, his morality, his history, and his worship. A philosopher is a
person who seeks wisdom, clarity, and understanding. Philosophers are
viewed as scholars and thinkers.
Ayn Rand presented her philosophy in the novel Atlas Shrugged.
She used her characters to explain Objectivism. The speech delivered
by the strikers, such as Francisco's speech on money and John Galt's
radio address embodies the rationality and self-interest. The heroes
are idealized in the novel. Dagny, Rearden, Francisco, and John Galt
are all physically attractive and perfect individuals. On the other
hand the looters are weak, evil, and irrational. The producers are
made to feel morally obligated to provide for those who do not
produce, but live off the products made by others.
John Galt is the most important character in Atlas Shrugged.
Rand presents him as a man in his most ideal form. He is described as
physically beautiful, brilliant and accomplished. He has developed a
revolutionary motor, and he has also created a philosophy of reason.
Galt represents the central focus of Rand's philosophy. This is the
idea that the mind is the only mean by which man can achieve
prosperity. Just as the motor that Galt developed can drive industry,
the mind is the power that drives civilization. Galt believes that
without the minds of the great thinkers and himself, the motive power
of the world will be lost and the motor will stop.


Selfishness

Selfishness is the concern with one's own interests. According
to Rand (1964), the word selfishness is a synonym of evil; the image
it conjures is of a murderous brute who tramples over piles of corpses
to achieve his own ends, and one who cares for no living being and
pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any
immediate moment. Selfishness is the concept or practice of concern
with one's own interests in some sort of priority to the interests of
others. It often refers to a self-interest that comes in a particular
form or above a certain level. One will tend to act selfish for one's
own self-protection. Selfishness refers to self which is the
individual.
According to Rand (1964), to be selfish is to be motivated by
concern for one's self-interest. This requires that one consider what
constitutes one's self interest and how to achieve it. One cannot be
concerned with or desire that of which has no knowledge. Selfishness
entails a hierarchy of values set by the standard on one's self-
interest and the refusal to sacrifice a higher value to a lower one or
to a nonvalue.
Rational selfishness or rational self-interest holds that
individuals should act on what is in their long-term self-interest.
This requires respecting the individual liberty of others by
refraining from initiating coercion against them. In philosophy the
term egoism refers to self interest rather than selfishness. To eat to
support your life is selfish. To have pride in ones accomplishments
and character is selfish. To use one's mind in the pursuit of ones
own happiness is selfish. By what standard can one judge these
selfish things as evil? The standard can only be an irrational one.
Altruism is unselfish concern for the wellbeing of others.
Altruism focuses on a motivation to help others or want to do good
without reward. Altruism is giving without regard to reward or the
benefits or recognition. The advocate of altruism maintains that one
ought to act, or refrain from acting, so that benefit or good is
bestowed on other people.
Rand (1964) states, "Since every purposeful action is motivated
by some value or goal that the actor desires, one always acts
selfishly, whether one knows it or not." Being selfish is being
motivated by concern for one's self-interest. One must consider what
constitutes self-interest and how to achieve it. Selfishness entails
a set of values by the standards of one's self-interest, and the
refusal to sacrifice a higher value to a lower one.
Genuine selfishness is a genuine concern discovering what is to
one's self-interest is an acceptance of the responsibility of
achieving it. It is a refusal to betray it by acting on the whim,
mood, impulse, or feeling of the moment. Those who affirm that
everyone is selfish base their statement on an expression of
disapproval.
Lillian Rearden displayed her selfishness in her desire to mock
her husband. Hank Rearden had given his wife a bracelet that was
created from the first batch of Rearden Metal. It symbolized his ten
years of work and labor. The bracelet represented his pride and love
for his work. Lillian wore the bracelet to mock Hank. Dagny
recognized and understood the importance of the bracelet and insisted
on trading her diamonds for it.
The striker's valley is a representative of rational
selfishness. This term is defined again as the belief that an
individual should pursue the life-enhancing values that promote
happiness. The love triangle involving Dagny, Galt, and Francisco
displays an act of selfishness. Galt pursues the love on which his
happiness is based, regardless of the circumstances.
Selfishness is man's evil. Man's good is to give up his personal
desires to deny himself. Man's good is to negate the life he lives.
Sacrifice is the highest virtue within man's reach. The surrender of
value is sacrifice. In order to achieve virtue, one must seek no
gratitude in return for sacrifice.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is "reality" that the external world exists
independent of man's consciousness, independent of any observer's
knowledge, beliefs, feelings, desires, or fears. Meaning that A is A,
that facts are facts, and that things are what they are, and the task
of man's consciousness is to perceive reality, not to create or invent
it. Objectivism rejects the belief in the supernatural. It is
assumes that the only factors morally relevant to environmental
problem are human rights and welfare.
A proper valuing of the natural environment is essential to
broader human virtue that can be called the appreciation of good.
Values are not natural properties that we see in a non-human world,
but there are simply things we create or reflections of our subjective
tastes. The virtue of appreciating the good applies to our attitudes
about the natural environment.
One should appreciate what is good. We should expect a virtuous
person should value love and respect among friends and acts of
kindness. In Atlas Shrugged, Hank Rearden believes in what he can see
and make. Being motivated by his own values makes Rearden successful
and virtuous.
What we value do not always end to be pursued, nor is it an
object possessing a metaphysical property of intrinsic values. It is
a mistake to assume that the only alternative to metaphysical value is
that human beings create the value of natural phenomena as opposed to
their being valuable. The ordinary expressions of good in itself and
value for its own sake, which are applied to nonhuman natural
phenomena, are placed into metaphysical categories that few would
recognize. Expressions such as good in itself typically make a
contrast with another kind of evaluation that becomes clear in context
(Hill, 2006). When one says that something is valuable, it means to
convey the idea about the reason one has for doing, thinking, or
feeling something, but what is implied varies with the expressions and
context.
Objectivist metaphysics are captured in three axioms:

* Existence exists
* Consciousness exists
* Existence is identity

An axiom is a statement that identifies the base of knowledge and of
any further statement pertaining to that knowledge. The idea if
existence exists on the ground that the only way to deny the claim of
the existential import is to use the existential import of the claim
as a premise. Objectivism maintains that which exists does not exist
because one thinks it exists; it simply exists. The axiom that
consciousness exists lies in the consciousness being the faculty of
perceiving that which exists. Rand believes that an object reality
independent of consciousness has to exist in order for consciousness
to exist. The mind cannot create reality, but rather it means of
discovering reality. Rand's belief for something to exist is for
something to have identity, which means it is an entity made of
specific attributes. This applies to the formulation of "A is A" or a
thing is what it is.

Greed

Greed is a selfish desire to obtain money, wealth, and material
possessions. Greed may entail acquiring material possessions at the
expense of another person's welfare. Objectivists sometimes believe
that greed should not be considered a negative trait, because it can
be the base of the capitalist economic system. Greed did not always
encourage radical social reform. It sometimes encouraged the rich to
help the poor. Rousseau (2001), states that the seeds for a future
justification of wealth were contained already in the early
condemnation of greed. Motive counted for more than possession or a
compromise associated with the distinction between precepts and
counsels.
James Taggart is an example of a character with greed in the
novel Atlas Shrugged. James Taggart is president of Taggart
Transcontinental and also Dagny's brother. James excelled and was
skillful at manipulating the system. He was motivated by personal
wealth, and he was motivated by destructing the productive.
The sign of the dollar represented the things that it is
exchanged for. When one thinks of the dollar sign, and one thinks of
obtaining it by any means is greed. The dollar sign was the symbol
for the strikers. Their symbol which was stamped on cigarettes was
their way of life. Money is meaningful and value because of its
existence.


Aristocracy

Founded on the Greek word, aristos, which mean best, aristocracy
means rule by the best. The theoretical foundation begins with the
political works of Plato and Aristotle who were two central figures in
Greek and European philosophy. Both felt that the Greek democracy has
been a disaster. Their problem with democracy was that it put
government in the hands of people who were not efficient in making
wise decisions.
Plato believed that the rule of humanity was driven by selfish
desires. This was a weak foundation for deliberate and selfless
decision-making. Both Plato and Aristotle believed that government
should be in the hand of the most capable members of society. This
meant that people in government should be moral, selfless,
intelligent, educated, brave, and temperate. This was rule by the
best. In modern Europe, the aristocracy consisted of the ruling
classes of society. Membership was not based on achievement,
intelligence, or moral growth, but solely hereditary.
In the novel Atlas Shrugged, Dagny believe that a destroyer is at
work removing the industrialists who are smart and talented. Dagny
feels that she must fight the force. At a wedding party Rearden
demands that his wife Lillian apologize to Dagny. Francisco d'Anconia
is at the party also. He hears a remark that money is the root of all
evil, and he is a typical product. He reply by saying that money is
the direct opposite of evil, and it represents the greatest good.
Francisco tells Rearden that the only evil is the refusal to think and
that is the mistake that Rearden is making.

Politics: Capitalism and Individual Rights

Capitalism is a social system based on the principle of
individual rights. The term capitalism can be used in the broader
philosophical political sense, and not in the narrower economic
sense. A term associated with capitalism is laissez-faire. The term
laissez-faire is often used interchangeably with the term free
market. An advocate of laissez-faire is known as a capitalist; Ayn
Rand is a capitalist.
Man can gain immeasurable values from living with other men in
society. A human society is one in which individuals hold as an
absolute; that every man is an end in himself. In Atlas Shrugged
(Rand, 1957), John Galt states, "I swear by my life and by my love of
it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask
another man to live for mine." Man's life is the standard of value.
That which supports man's life is the good, and that which destroys
his life is the evil.
It is the government's job to protect rights. Man's state in
nature is nothing more than a state of anarchy. In placing the
retaliatory use of force under objective legal control allows a
society of men the right to retaliate against those who initiate
force. The rule of law has the ultimate purpose to protect the rights
of the smallest minority that has ever existed which is the
individual.



The following are important aspects of capitalism:

* Reality is absolute.
* Reason is man's means of survival.
* Individuals are sovereign.
* Man is an end in himself and not a slave to the ends of society.
* Man needs rights to live in society.
* It is the government's job to protect rights.

Capitalism is the progressive ideal, because it allows men the freedom
to pursue and achieve his own happiness. Man requires rights to those
actions necessary to support his own life, the most fundamental right
being the right to life, from which all other rights, including the
right to liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness, derive.
Capitalism is an ethical ideal, because it allows men the freedom to
be moral and live by the use of his own mind. Capitalism is an
objective ideal, because it is the only true system both in
philosophical theory and economic practice.
In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand suggests that capitalism is the only
moral economic system. Her argument in favor of capitalism is shown
through her illustration of the failure of its alternatives. She
demonstrates how the self-sacrificing code of socialism eventually
creates a system where need matters more than production. She
displays the government's intrusion in the economy and that every
action taken by the government has unanticipated effect that
eventually leads to more interventions. There were rules place on
Rearden that required him to limit his output of Rearden Metal. By
seizing the resources to serve the needy, it resulted in making those
whose resources that were seized becoming needy. With the Twentieth
Century Motor Company, the strong were imprisoned by the weak. By
demonstrating how socialism destroys productivity and dominate
individual, Ayn Rand helps to endorse capitalism. Capitalism offered
freedom from interventions and gave people the opportunity to do
business based on their values. Capitalism was the only moral
economic system for the strikers.
Based on Objectivism, a right is a moral principle that defines
and authorizes a human being's freedom of action in a social contest.
Objectivism believes that only individuals have rights. Due to the
fact that human beings making choices in order to survive as human
beings, the fulfillment in the lives' of humans is the ability to make
and act on freedom. This is one's own independent rational judgment
according to one's self-interest. The fundamental right of
individuals is the right of life. Objectivism means the right to act
in the progression of one's life. This does not mean to have one's
life protected or to have one's survival assured.
Ayn Rand was a student of America capitalism. She believed that
economic freedom was the reason for the major achievements of American
inventors and businessmen during the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. The novel Atlas Shrugged, demonstrate what might happen to
the world if economic freedom is lost and if emerging collectivist
trends were to continue. The novel displays the resulting collapse of
efficient production and the rise of corruption. The system falls
apart, causing the remaining producers to withdraw. The strike is the
withdrawal. The thinkers withdraw their mind in this strike. Ayn
Rand believes the mind is the most important toll for humanity and
reason is its greatest virtue.
In Part One Chapter Seven of Atlas Shrugged, the title depicts
the people who are exploited against those who exploit. The stock of
Taggart Transcontinental falls because of the attack of the Science
Institute on Rearden Metal. Due to the fact that the State Science
institute cannot match Rearden's achievement, they keep Rearden's
metal off the market so it doesn't' lose credibility with the public.
The Institute denounces his metal after he refused to give in to
please, bribes, and threats. Capitalism is represented by Dagny and
Rearden in this chapter. Rearden's invention of a new metal along
with Dagny's acknowledgment of its merit displays the independent
thinking that is widespread with the American Industrialists. In
this chapter Rand also show that in a socialist or communist system,
the government oppresses the productive.

Epistemology

Objectivist epistemology differentiates the manner in which one
can individually translate perceptions which are acquired through the
senses and into concept that one can store in one's mind. Properly
formed concepts must be the product of reason. Objectivism states
that by the method of reason, knowledge can be gained and
philosophical skepticism rejected. Faith or feeling as a means of
attaining knowledge is also rejected. Rand believe that the existence
of emotions was part of reality, not a separate means of achieving
awareness of reality.
Rand held that objective identification of the values of
attributes of existents is obtained by measurement. Knowledge
obtained by measurement is contextually certain. Rand's most
distinguishing attribute in epistemology is her theory that concepts
are properly formed by measurement omission. A concept is formed by
omitting the variable measurement of the values of corresponding
attributes.
In viewing epistemology, man's reason is fully competent to know
the facts of reality. The conceptual faculty is reason. It is the
faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's
senses. Reason is man's only means of acquiring knowledge.
Objectivism rejects any acceptance of faith or feeling as a means of
knowledge. It rejects the claim that certainty or knowledge is
impossible.

Ethics

Ayn Rand (1957) summed up the essence of the Objectivist position
on ethics in the following sentence: "To live, man must hold three
things as the supreme and ruling values of his life: Reason, Purpose,
and Self-Esteem." The ethics of Objectivism is based on the theory
that each person is responsible for achieving his or her own rational
self interest. Man has been called a rational being, but rationality
is a matter of choice-and the alternative that nature offers him is:
rational being or suicidal animal. Man has to be man-by choice; he
has to hold his life as a value-by choice; he has to learn to sustain
it-by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice
his virtues-by choice (Rand, 1957). The difference between rational
self-interest and selfishness without a self is a state of selfishness
to promote a self that has no esteem.
The central focus of objectivist ethics is the concept of value.
Value is that which one acts to gain or keep. The pursuits of values
arise out of need. The main need is the need to determine what an
individual should pursue in order to maintain his life if he so
chooses to live. Rand believes that values are objective. This means
that there are values that an individual must pursue by command or
imperative. Morality is a code of values accepted by choice. Man
needs morality for one reason only. It is needed in order to
survive. Moral laws are principles that define how to nourish and
sustain human life. Morality rests on a fundamental, pre-moral
choice. Objectivism embraces the idea that human beings have the
right to manipulate nature in any way they see fit, as long as it does
not infringe on the rights of others.
One's respect for the rights of others is based on the value to
oneself. Creative achievement is valued with Objectivist, and
capitalism is regarded as the only kind of society in which it can
flourish. According to their standards, individuals are free to
pursue their goals. People are allowed to produce and exchange as
they see fit. According to Rand (1957), reason is man's only proper
judge of values and his only proper is a Romantic in the sense that
"I" present men as they ought to be. "I" am Realistic in the sense
that "I" place them here and now and on this earth. Atlas Shrugged
projection was of an ideal man.
Kritsonsis (2007) believes that the realm of ethics is right
action. The central concept in this domain is obligation. Obligation
is what ought to be done. Ought is referred to the universal principle
of right and not individual. Ethical meaning is not associated with
habitual, accidental, unconscious, or compulsive action. It is
related to conduct that is deliberately executed and expression of
what is committed personally. Personal knowledge is essential to
ethical meanings.
All voluntary actions are subject to moral judgment. It is
difficult to identify a moral expert. There is not a particular class
of people who are specialist in good conduct. Kritsonis (2007)
records the following insight for moral knowledge:

* The essence of ethical meaning is right deliberate action.
* In ethics, acts are done for participation purposes.
* Moral acts are thought to exemplify principles of obligation.
* Everyone is obliged to do right, and if there is failure, guilt will
incur.
* Moral conduct is a universal responsibility.
* Works of art may be judged by moral principle.
* Moral choice has personal and impersonal elements.
* Ethics differ from personal understanding in respect to obligation.
* The ethical domain is defined by it being deliberate and subject to
the judgment of right and wrong.
* Ethics is everybody's business.
* Ethical consideration is a part of all aspects of ordinary life.
* Beliefs about right and wrong are the foundation of culture and
civilization.
* The appropriate organization of society is the one which is just.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics also spelled esthetics is closely associated with
the philosophy of art. Objectivism regards art as a way of presenting
abstractions concretely. The Objectivist believes that a
comprehensive conceptual framework is needed in order to provide
guidance in life. Art offers a way by providing a perceptual means of
communicating and thinking about a wide aspect of abstractions. Art
is regarded as the only effective way to communicate a moral or
ethical ideal. Objectivism favors an esthetic of Romantic Realism.
This is the school of art that takes values seriously, regards human
reason as effective, and projects human ideals as attainable.
According to Kritsonis (2007), in the esthetic realm, the object
of knowledge is the singular particular form. The main concern is not
with the types of things or classes of things, but with unique
individual objects. To classify is to engage in an activity which is
empirical. Esthetic meanings are achieved by acquaintance and not by
description. Individual works of art contains its own meaning and
speaks for itself. Referring directly to the objects perceived, the
esthetic understanding is immediate. Knowledge is mediated by general
principles, and understanding is attained in direct perception.
The term visual arts describe the field of painting, drawing,
graphic arts, sculpture, and architecture. From the esthetics stand
there are no even artists, but only particular works of art. One of
the most mystifying problems of esthetics is distinguishing
associations that are appropriate to a work of art. The significance
of what is perceived refers to the unique object and not to any
relationships.
While Dagny was sitting on the train, she was listening to
music. The sounds were a symphony of triumph. The sounds were the
essence and the form of upward motion. She listened to symphony
trying to recognize the familiar sounds. She had never heard it
before, but she knew that Richard Halley was the writer. She wasn't
sure if it was a full orchestra or just a theme. She thought of
Richard Halley and the years of his long struggle. At the end of the
car she heard a brakeman whistling the theme of the symphony. She
asked him to tell her what he was whistling. He replied that it was
Halley's Fifth Concerto. She thought for a moment and replied that
Richard Halley had only written four concertos.
The inner lives of persons which are objectified through dynamic
forms using the human body as the instruments are the source of
esthetic meaning. These meanings can be expressed in the form of
dance and physical education. The goal of physical education is
personal wholeness or organic well-being of mind and body. According
to Kritsonis (2007), the arts of movement, physical education, and
health and recreational activities are all closely interrelated
resources for the enrichment of esthetic meaning, both in individual
persons and in the life of society.


Rationality

The virtue of Rationality means the recognition and acceptance of
reason as one's only source of knowledge, one's only judge of values
and one's guide to action. It means a commitment to the principle
that all of one's convictions, values, goal, desires and actions must
be based on, derived from, chosen and validate by a process of thought
(Rand, 1957). Rationality is the habit of acting by reason within the
facts of reality. Rationality is in one's self interest, because the
only way to achieve desired outcomes is to act according to reality.
In understanding reality, one must use reason consistently.
Rationality does not mean being a perfectionist in one's thought and
ideas. It means acting according to reason and accepting only that
which one has reason to believe. Rationality is a method of survival
and a virtue that encourages one's survival. According to Kritsonis
(2007), the life of feeling, conscience, imagination, and other
processes that are not rational in the strict sense are excluded by
the processes of logical thinking. The idea of man as a rational
animal in the traditional sense is accordingly rejected for being too
one-sided.
The central them of Atlas Shrugged was the mind on strike. The
mind provides the motive power of the world. Man's happiness and
success is made possible by the ability to think rationally and to
apply rational thought in creative production. Every idea and
invention that has moved civilization forward is attributed to the
rational mind. The strike of the mind led to serious consequences.
The withdrawal of the strikers' minds accelerated the destruction of
society. The looters were brought close to their unconsciousness.
John Galt's strike confirms that the thinkers are responsible for
success. The strikers believe that the looters are unable to change
and must be allowed to face destruction. Dagny feels that the looters
are capable of rational thought. Galt is certain that the looters
will never be able to face reality and will avoid the truth until the
end.
Rational people will hold back on their sanction when they are
not willing to accept the conditions under which they are victimized.
The producers are made to feel obligated to provide for those who do
not produce, but live on other's products. The system presets a
morality of selflessness. Rand feels that this system is wrong. When
a rational being withdraws sanction and refuse to partake in one's own
oppression, the government can either resort to force or back down.
John Galt was the first person among the group of great minds to
comprehend that the only way a rational man can live freely is to
withdraw the support of the looter's corrupt code and allow the
economic system to collapse. The strikers are the egoist. They
believe a person should pursue their own happiness. Galt's strike
showed that the mind is the fundamental source of wealth.
To judge is a task that requires the most precise objective and
rational process of thought. Moral values are the motives of
actions. When moral judgment is pronounced, the clarity of one's
perception is protected and the rationality of the course that is
being pursued. Rand (1964) states, "An irrational society is a
society of moral cowards--of men paralyzed by the loss of moral
standards, principles, and goals. But since men have to act, so long
as they live, such a society is ready to be taken over by anyone
willing to set its direction." There are two types of men portrayed
here: the man who assumes the responsibility of asserting rational
values, and the thug who has not been bothered with responsibility.
In Atlas Shrugged, the character of Hank Rearden has similar
traits to the great inventors, industrialists, writers, and artists of
history. Rearden was driven by love for his work. Rearden was self-
driven, self-motivated, and self- actualized. Rearden was regarded as
selfish, because he was motivated by his own values and happiness.
When Francisco goes to see Rearden at his mill, he asks Rearden
why is he willing to accept condemnation for his virtues and endorse
the actions of his enemies. Rearden should have received benefits
from his invention, but he is punished for it. Atlas was the hero of
Greek mythology who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Atlas symbolized the industrialists that were exploited. Hank Rearden
was the main one being exploited. Others lived off his hard work.
Francisco asked Rearden what would he do if he saw Atlas holding the
weight of the world on his shoulders, but losing strength. Rearden
replied by saying that he would tell him to let go of his burdens and
shrug. He is implying that Rearden should lay down his burdens and
stop bearing so much weight.
One must never pass moral judgment on others. Rand (1964)
believes that an irrational society is a society of moral cowards - of
men paralyzed by the loss of moral standards, principles, and goals.
Since men have to act, so long as they live, such a society is ready
to be taken over by anyone willing to set its direction. The
initiative can come from only two types of men: either from the man
who is willing to assume the responsibility of asserting rational
values, or from the thug who is not troubled by questions of
responsibility.
A quote from John Galt's speech (Rand, 1957) states, "Happiness
is a state of noncontradictory joy - a joy without penalty or guilt, a
joy that does not clash with any other values and does not work for
one's own destruction. Happiness is possible only to a rational man,
the man who desires nothing but rational goals, seeks nothing but
rational values, and finds his joy in nothing but rational actions."


Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, this article discussed the ten most penetrating ideas
presented in Atlas Shrugged that impact people's lives. The ideas
that were included in the essay were Objectivism, Selfishness,
Metaphysics, Greed, Aristocracy, Politics (Capitalism and Individual
Rights), Epistemology, Ethics, Aesthetics, and Rationality. Key ideas
from Virtues of Selfishness were also discussed in the essay.
Objectivism is an integrated system of thought that defines the
abstract principle by which a man must think and act if he is to live
the life proper to man. Ayn Rand portrayed her philosophy of
Objectivism in her novels. The values, ethics, and virtues of
Objectivism are key elements that impact humankind. Incorporating the
ten ideas that were presented in this essay will have a profound
impact on society.

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