” An interesting conversation and critique of Rand’s metaethics and ethics. I extremely suggest this book for anybody thinking about Rand.” -Jason Brennan (When All Else Stops Working, Against Democracy) Ayn Rand bases her morality of self-centered egoism on a problematic conception of value, argues Ari Armstrong in What’s Incorrect with Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Ethics. Values are not, as Rand has it, naturally oriented to an organism’s survival, either for people or for living things broadly. Rather, people experience certain things as ends in themselves and value some things (such as having and raising kids) for factors aside from to advance their survival. Although Rand and her supporters look for to make sense of the biology of values, the nature of human life, ends in themselves, happiness, and moral virtues, eventually their efforts do not rescue Rand’s theory. Further, Rand’s theory can not properly describe why a person needs to consistently respect others’ rights, avoid totally free riding, and engage civically. Armstrong, long an Objectivist before concluding that Rand’s moral theory has intractable issues, proposes an alternate way to envisage a person’s ultimate value, one that recognizes much of Rand’s insights while making more space for the interests of others. The book uses insights and obstacles for those who are new to Rand’s ideas along with to those who have actually long studied Rand’s approach. The work dives deeply into the literature on Rand’s ethical theory, for those interested, with in-depth notes and a comprehensive appendix checking out significant works on the topic. The book consists of the following chapters: 1. Ayn Rand’s Selfishness 2. Examining the Objectivist Ethics 3. The Essential Fallacies of Rand’s Ethics 4. The Mistake in Rand’s Biology 5. Worths, Life, and Death 6. Robotics, Male Qua Guy, and the Option to Live 7. Egoism and Rights 8. Egoists, Free Riders, and Charity 9. Reassessing the Ultimate Value Appendix: The Literature on Rand’s Moral Theory Ari Armstrong is the author of Recovering Liberalism and Worths of Harry Potter, and he publishes the Colorado Freedom Report. He has written for such publications as the Colorado Sun and the Objective Requirement and appeared on television and radio programs including CNN, Denver’s 9News, and Devil’s Supporter. Ari was the recipient of the Contemporary Sam Adams award and the Independence Institute’s Vern Bickel Award for Grassroots Management, and he was a finalist for the Hoiles Prize for local journalism. Please follow Ari’s work by joining his email list and social media feeds by means of AriArmstrong.com.
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