Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Love in the key of Objectivist Humanism?

I've cracked the code, uncovered the last seal in the Objectivism saga. Ayn Rand wrote that there are two major distractions, hedonism, where one is motivated by base, short-term stimulus, and a perverse version of altruism, being motivated to appease and sacrifice. The middle road, lauded Rand, is Objectivism, where one values initiative and derives self-value from accomplishments. While this describes a world of givers and takers in a self loathing spiral, the alternative she offers is lacking. What if we try but fail? What if we want to do, but are crippled by poor self image? What about those who conditions is such that almost all their energies are spent on maintaining health?

Humanism and Buddhism tell us that we are valuable because we are. This precious moment is a miracle and we need to appreciate how it manifests, no matter what the details are. It seems that Objectivism would be much better off if it was addended with a little love from the likes of Rogers. What if we took Rand's original statement, as paraphrased above, and on the healthy middle path we said, "when you take initiative toward your personal goals and dreams, believing in and valuing your self, then the behavior that pours forth, whether fruitful in bringing about a change or addition, is good. You were successful in being you, the most important act."

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