Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.

Powerful Life Lessons from Ayn Rand

Onkar Ghate, Aaron Smith

Presented at: New Ideal Live

Date: Feb 02, 2022

What major life lessons can we learn from philosopher Ayn Rand?

Among the topics covered:

  • Rand’s conviction that business is a moral activity
  • Why not all businessmen live up to the essence of their profession
  • The moral radicalism of Rand’s view of business
  • Rand’s portrayal of career as a source of joy
  • Rand’s unique view of the role of the material world in a spiritual life
  • The effort and thought needed to find joy in a career
  • The distinctive inspirational value of The Fountainhead’s portrayal of career
  • Rand’s rejection of unearned guilt
  • Her condemnation of the idea of original sin
  • The connection between unearned guilt and altruism
  • Rand’s view that the pursuit of happiness is a moral endeavor
  • The dedication required to truly pursue happiness
  • Rand’s view of what we owe each other
  • How to overcome unearned guilt induced by conventional morality

00:00 Introduction
03:20 Rand: business is moral
09:44 Some businessmen's failures
14:11 Rand's moral radicalism
15:49 Business as a source of joy
22:09 Material world, spiritual life
24:47 The effort needed to find career joy
28:05 Inspiration from The Fountainhead
30:56 Rejecting unearned guilt
33:49 Condemning original sin
40:31 Unearned guilt and altruism
44:23 Pursuing happiness is moral
48:26 The effort needed to find happiness
53:31 What we owe each other
57:15 Overcoming unearned guilt

objectivismhappinessaltruismethics

Parts: 1

Handout: none

Publications: