Directions: We will read and explore these three pieces from the Ayn Rand institute together. When we finish you will be asked to use evidence from these texts. Take notes as we read and explore. In this blog space, please post three paragraphs one for each of the following readings. Write about things you find interesting, connections to Anthem, and questions you have for me about Rand's philosophy.
Introduction to Objectivism
https://www.aynrand.org/ideas/overview
The Soul of an Individualist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
https://campus.aynrand.org/works/1943/01/01/the-soul-of-an-individualist/page1
The Soul of the Collectivist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
https://campus.aynrand.org/works/1943/01/01/the-soul-of-a-collectivist/page1
Suhani Karki
ReplyDeleteIn the website Introduction to Objectivism, some things I found interesting were that Ayn Rand thinks that “Your own happiness is above all others.” This sentence made me wonder about Ayn Rands theory to Objectivism because I do not agree with this statement. I think that we should make sure that we are happy from time to time, but the happiness of others is also a key factor in keeping relationships with others. Some connections to Anthem I found were that Equality is a bit of an Objectivist himself. “I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love, but honor is a thing to be earned" (pg. 96). This quote shows that he thinks that his happiness is above all others.
In the website The Soul of an Individualist, some things I found interesting were that “Every time something great happened, everyone hated it but eventually accepted it.” This sentence made me very curious because it is true. Most of the famous entrepreneurs who were creating many things that no one thought about got lots of criticism. Some connections to Anthem that I found were that Equality was gaining Individualism near the end of the book. "I am. I think. I will.” In this quote the main character displays individuality. He recognizes that he is his own being and that he is set apart from everyone else by his identity/individuality.
In the website The Soul of a Collectivist, some things that I found interesting were that a collectivist values the need of a community or group over the individual. This sentence made me very interested because some of my friends I could identify them as a collectivist. Some connections to Anthem that I found were that in the book Equality uses “the first-person plural.” Equality is a collectivist at the beginning of the book, and this is why he uses words such as “we” and “us.”
Yasmiin Ali
ReplyDeleteThe website Introduction to Objectivism, and something that I found interesting that Ayn Ran thinks is that “people are selfish.” I do agree that people nowadays are really selfish. People think for themselves and what's going to help them. When they should think with reason and work hard to achieve a life with purpose and meaning. They should have a good self-esteem, happiness, and treat people as individuals, not groups. “What is my life, is I am but to bow, to agree, and to obey?...”(page 97). This shows how you shouldn't have to feel obligated to do something you don't agree with.
The website The Soul of an Individualist, something I found interesting was that ‘An agreement reached by a group of men is only a compromise or an average drawn upon many individual thoughts.’ The sentence is saying that when you're in a group, the decision you make is only 1 of many thoughts you had before, which is true. When I'm in a group project I usually don't get my ideas on the table, until someone has a good idea that everyone agrees on. Once everyone agrees, my idea leaves my mind.
The website The Soul of the Collectivist, something I found interesting was that a lot of values come from communities/groups and not an individual. Ayn Rand wrote a lot about how its best to be satisfied than happy. She also wrote, “If you learn how to rule one single man’s soul, you can get the rest of mankind.”That I thought was very interesting because she keeps talking about how in the past leaders uses that tactic. “Make him feel small. Make him feel guilty. Kill his aspiration and his integrity.” Equality used to be apart of a collectivist group (WE) and now he is an individual (I).
Dylan Brenner
ReplyDeleteIn introduction to objectivism, one thing I found interesting was how Ayn Rand uses the word selfishness a lot. I think people think of the word selfishness in different ways. Ayn Rand kind of thinks of it as to worry about yourself more, rather than worrying about others, so you can live your life to your fullest expectations. She wants you to put yourself first. I don’t think she wants you to forget about other people she just wants you to put more worth into yourself.
In the soul of an individualist it says how people should create their own ideas and not change them. I think a lot of people are scared of change because they don’t know if it’s gonna be good or bad. People don’t want to be different or stand out. In Anthem, they didn’t except equality’s idea because they didn’t want to deal with different inventions or ideas.
In the soul of a collectivist it talks about how people are in groups. Sometimes in groups you have that one person who takes over the group and doesn’t listen to anyone's ideas except for themselves. Sometimes your voice isn’t heard in groups and you can’t share or express your ideas. I do like working in groups because you can share your ideas and maybe combine ideas to make a great idea.
Celia Hoffman
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Introduction to Objectivism, was that Rand didn’t seem very open minded to me. To me it came off as, ‘this is how it should be, end of discussion.’ Although I agree with some aspects like facing things head on, I don't agree with most of it. I don’t think we should completely value our happiness over all others. I think it is important for us want want happiness, but I think we should also value others happiness equally. This is where I think it connects to Anthem, when Equality becomes an individual, he really beginning to value his happiness and really believes that he is higher than others. When he refers to himself as a God, I think that's when he puts himself on a pedestal.
While reading the Soul of an Individualist, I found it interesting to think about how all the people who came up with these new innovative ideas were rejected, much like Equality. This really connects to Anthem because when Equality bring electricity to the Council, he was rejected just like Adam and the first man to discover fire. I think people are scared of what's different, and it really comes through in Anthem and the Soul of an Individualist.
In the Soul of a Collectivist, I found it really interesting that it talked about how, you need to rule a man’s soul, and when if you do, the man will give you the whip himself. I think that really connects with Anthem because the Council figured out how to do that, like in the jail, they had old locks and no guards because nobody had ever tried to escape. As collectivism was explained, I started to really see that the government used that method to control the citizens of Equality's society.
Jacob
DeleteI would have to agree with you about how Ayn Rand isn't very open minded and I felt like she is kind of a cold person with no real willingness to get different opinions from other people.
Griffin Littlewood
ReplyDeleteIntroduction to Objectivism
What I found interesting about ''Objectivism'' is how it is based upon succeeding in your one life. What I didn't like about it was Ayn Rand said that who ever had any religious faith was wrong and stupid. I liked that it was about you doing well but it sounds like more of an opinion than a philosophy. I like how it says to prosper as well and treat others with value. Why did Ayn Rand think religion was bad?
The Soul of an Individualist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
What I found interesting was how common of a theme this is. Not everyone is going to like your idea because it is new and unique. This brings us back to the idea of fear people were afraid of individuality like in ''Anthem''. In that book individuality does not exist like this, it is not welcome. Why is Ayn Rand so big on Individuality?
The Soul of the Collectivist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
What I found interesting was how Howard suggested to kill them with joy and laughter. It makes no sense unless he is referencing killing them with kindness that is what I think. I also thought how he said happiness was self made and I thought that wasn't true I believe it is possible to be made happy from someone else from a kind act. What do they mean by ''Killing them with laughter''?
I thought for the objectivism one it was about success but it was also about selfless and how you can gain success from that.
DeleteMichael DiCenzo
DeleteMichael DiCenzo
ReplyDeleteIN THE INTRODUCTION TO OBJECTIVISM, one thing I found interesting was how Ayn Rand uses the word selfishness a lot. I think people think of the word selfishness in different ways. Ayn Rand wants you to put yourself first before others. I don’t think she wants you to forget about other people she just wants you to put more worth into yourself. I think Ayn Rand thinks yourself is more important than others.
I feel that in ADVANCING YOUR POTENTIAL by Ayn Rand is wrong and people are not total jerks and just mean like is the quote “Just do whatever you feel like, be a thoughtless jerk, and exploit people to get ahead”. I think people can be very nice and kind. I think most of my friends are very nice and respectful.
I found interesting that in the second page THE SOUL OF AN INDIVIDUALIST by Ayn Rand when someone creates or does something new or good there are disowned and killed but then everyone accepts the gift that this person has made.
Dowol Lee
DeleteHello Mike, I completely agree with your blogpost about individualism. Good job Mike
Shruthi Saravanan
ReplyDeleteIn the introduction to Objectivism one thing that caught my attention while reading was Ayn Rand’s definition of selfishness. It’s not the definition you would usually see if you search up the word. Instead of foolishness and disgrace you see words such as productiveness and self-esteem. Rand see’s this word differently, she feels like a certain amount of selfishness is okay to have. It’s like having your own individuality, your own self. “Pursue your own happiness as your highest moral aim”. It’s not about thinking that you’re higher than everyone else but that you’re higher in general, not in comparison with another. Though a question I have is does Ayn Rand believe there is an amount of selfishness that is too much?
In The Soul Of An Individualist one thing that I found very interesting was the pattern of events when someone invents something new. The person shows everyone the gift they are willing to give them. The advantaged the have created for others to use. Though they other people reject them, hate on them, tell them they are making things work. “Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced”. Though after the creator passes or dies the people then end up realizing that the invention doesn’t give them any harm but very helpful stuff. I feel somewhat sorry for the creators which this happens to because the majority of the time they would’ve already be dead by the time people use it and enjoy it. So the creators would never really see that, see the use and the purpose of something they made, I personally would feel very proud of myself if that happens to me.
In the The Soul Of A Collectivist they talk about how being in groups isn’t alway the best option in certain circumstances. The reason behind this was because there were so many different people that could end up being with you. One of the types of people they talked about was the one because takes over and called themself the leader of the group when there weren’t really any roles assigned in the first place. Though the leader now takes over and sometimes acts like they should be the only one speaking and is makes other people end not having a voice in the group which isn’t the best. The main reason to be in a group is to be able to contribute to the issue or main idea all together with all of the member’s ideas and beliefs. Though if issues like this happen it never really works out correctly.
Yasmiin Ali
DeleteI was also surprised to see Ayn Rand's version of selfishness. To answer your question,she probably thinks that not caring about what other people think is too selfish.
Sean Curtis-
ReplyDeleteIn introduction to objectivism, one thing I found interesting was how Ayn Rand uses the word selfishness a lot. She thinks it's worrying about yourself more than worrying about others. She wants you to put yourself first.
In the soul of an individualist it says people should create their own ideas and not change them. I think a lot of people are scared of change. People don’t want to be different instead of following the crowd. In Anthem, they didn’t except equality’s idea because the council didn’t want to deal with different ideas.
In the Soul of the Collectivist by Ayn Rand, I found it interesting was how Howard suggested to kill them with joy and laughter. It makes no sense. I also thought how he said happiness was self made.
Dowol Lee
ReplyDeleteWe will read and explore these three pieces from the Ayn Rand institute together. When we finish you will be asked to use evidence from these texts. Take notes as we read and explore. In this blog space, please post three paragraphs one for each of the following readings. Write about things you find interesting, connections to Anthem, and questions you have for me about Rand's philosophy.
One thing I found interesting was that Ayn Rand encouraged people to be selfish but, not in the way you think. She says being a “thoughtless jerk” is not in our self interest. She means you should be selfish in another and better way. She says to seek your own happiness not anyone else's. I found that interesting because it does count as being selfish since you are not looking for others people happiness but your own. Another thing Ayn Rand said was that you should follow reason not whims or faith. This connects to Anthem because Equality wanted to find the problem in the world. He had more knowledge and had good reasons to try and figure it out.
One thing I found interesting was the fact that every new creation or idea had first started out as ridiculous and seemed way too soon, but later became a daily used item. An example from Anthem, is electricity. The Council of Scholars thought Equality was evil and wrong for finding it, but it is actually a great thing that can advance people’s living. Also, that a creator needs to be its own individual to succeed. There can’t be any other spectator to curve your thinking. You have to be an individual. That relates to Anthem greatly because at the end of the novel, he finally recognizes that he is an “I” and not a “we”. He also feels that he does not need his brothers anymore and could now be on his own.
One thing I found interesting about “The Soul of a Collectivist was that it said that laughter is dangerous and could be used as a weapon. She said if you want to make laughter a weapon you tell them everything is funny and make it an unlimited virtue. Then nothing becomes special in their soul, since everything is funny and joyful to them, not specific things. I found that truly interesting.
Robbie Mahlebjian
ReplyDeleteOne of the philosophies is that you must look at reality not fantasy. You can not just look at the facts and say that is not real. Like global warming some people are saying it's not real even with evidence they would say it's not real. Ayn Rands looks at those people as kinda stupid and in a fantasy where everything is fine.
Another philosophy is that people who are objectivists don't hope for things. They believe that if you want something to change you need to do it yourself. That is why they don't believe in god, they wont pray for a higher prayer to fix their lives.
The final philosophy is that man should not give up thinking about them self for someone else. Also for man to not make fun of or fringe on anyone's beliefs
Hanna Saad
ReplyDeleteObjectivism
Believing the fact that existence exist. And make your cake but not being able to eat it. Also this goes for everything. only working for yourself.
Individualist
They don't want to listen to everybody and do things that nobody likes but after they punish that person they take his thing he created and uses it for everybody.
Collectivists.
they are people who follow a common law on how to live their life and how to treat others. and their is an evil in the group.
Evan Lin
ReplyDeleteIn "Introduction to Objectivism", I was interested by how they define "selfishness". They describe selfishness not as getting things at the cost of others, but as following your interests and finding happiness.
In "The Soul of an Individualist", they say that being independent instead of working in a group causes ideas to be created and other things. They compare group work to parasites feeding off of a single persons thoughts.
In "The Soul of a Collectivist", one thing I find interesting is how they say "you don't need a whip-he'll bring it to you and ask to be whipped." It explains why no one has escaped prison in Anthem, because in a group, one person controls everybody else.
Jacob Moore
ReplyDeleteIntroduction to Objectivism
In the introduction to objectivism website Ayn rand talks about selfishness a lot and how alot of people are selfish. I don't think that Ayn Rand is wrong about a lot of people being selfish and Personally I think that being selfish sometimes is definitely a good thing. And I feel like her message was right to try to put yourself before others because if you constantly put others first you could end up with nothing. Ayn Rand Also said to not forget about people when you put yourself forward and to make sure that your not affecting anyone else in a bad way. This can relate to the book anthem when Equality gets kicked out because he didn't really care because he knew he could survive on his own it wasn't really selfish of him but it kinda was.
The Soul of an Individualist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
The biggest thing that I found interesting in The Soul of an Individualist was how Ayn Rand talked about how now most of the time in group one person gives an idea and everyone agrees that that is what they will be doing and no other ideas are added to the table. I just found this interesting because I find it to be very true because most of the time when I am in a group once the task is created it never really changes. This can relate to Anthem because when Prometheus is in the city they are all grouped up and don't question anything.
The Soul of the Collectivist (From For the New Individualist) by Ayn Rand
The most interesting thing I found in The Soul of the Collectivist was when Ayn Rand talked about how a collectivist values the need of a community or a group over the individual. This statement made me wonder who might be a collectivist in my friend group and I also kinda figured out who some collectivists were that I knew. The people that I think are collectivists have never had a one on one conversation with me but when they are with a group they are very comfortable and talkative. This can relate to anthem because everyone depends on each other because they are put together in a group and they have been like that since day 1. Also the only people who aren't collectivists in the story are The Golden One and Prometheus.
Nick Entner
ReplyDeleteObjectivism
I think that objectivism is a good thing because they have many things that I agree with. I like the fact that you follow reasoning not what other people say. I think that you make almost all decisions on facts and what you think is the best solution to the problem. I think that you should be able to make a good decision using reasoning and facts.
Collectivist
I think that the collective thought is a different way to look at things. You use what others say to make a good decision using facts. I don't like to get facts from other and then make a decision off of what other people think. I think you are your own person and you can make your own decisions.
Individualist
I agree that one person made something great and would be killed for what they did because it was out of the ordinary. I think that it is great that the good things that are made become great after a long time of discovering new things. There are many great things that have been created over time.
Xingyun Pan
ReplyDeleteIntroduction to Objectivism
I found that the sentence “the typical answer is that we must learn to deny our own interests and happiness in order to serve God or other people — and morality will teach us to do this” is interesting because it is very true and I never thought about it. We were born as a pure white paper, and society that we live in is the ink which gives us our way of life, our religion, our philosophy and our morality. People judge each other with their morality, they separate things into right and wrong, and separate people into good and bad. We sometimes help people when we don’t want to because we felt that we need to do that. We praise the spirit of candle in China because it burns itself to light up others. This is a morality, we praise it.
The Soul of an Individualist
I came from a communist country, we work same and together. We don’t need to think much, we always follow the society’s direction. Suddenly I come to a capitalist country, I have more freedom and no one is telling me what to do next. I am very confused, and I realize that I have lost my ability to plan for myself. I think the sentence, “In all proper relationships there is no sacrifice anyone to anyone.” is very true. Everyone needs to survive, no one will work for you without pay back or reward.. Your reward depends on what you do, that is the rule. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
The Soul of the Collectivist
Work as a group is not always a good choice, this is reflected in Anthem. There’s an old saying which satirizes Chinese people disunity：one Chinese, one dragon; three Chinese, one worm. Sometimes people just don’t do well in groups. Even though that there’s a lot of benefits by being in a group but an individual earns time to be alone. I think I am more a person who likes to work alone. First of all, I am not good at having a conversation with people. I usually won’t get the job I like or what I am good at in group work, but I always just accept it. Nothing is harder than arguing with people for me. I also feel more free when I’m working alone. I can express myself and often do a better job. It’s doesn’t means that group work is not important as work alone, everyone needs to work in a group sometimes. Humans are social animals, everyone needs to communicate with others. Again, working in group is important but an individual earns time to be alone.