Quote:
Originally Posted by Plato  I notice you include some books by Ayn Rand in your reading list. As you know, her objectivism states selfishness to be the foundational virtue from which all values stem. The only philosopher who has taken any interest in Rand's philosophy is Robert Nozick and he dismisses her whole argument as begging the question, because to justify it you would have to explain why one would rather not be dead (and thus have no values).
This hit me like the proverbial slap to the face with a wet fish...
Why I'm so perplexed by this
1) It seems so easy to dismiss her whole ethical philosophy and the fact that only one credible philosopher has taken any interest suggests something is wrong with it.
2) At the same time I agree with Rand- I can't see how any ethical philosophy could stem from anything but selfishness.
How would you respond to this criticism by Nozick? To all logicians out there: Is it possible to rationally justify why one would rather live selfishly than be dead? |
Have you actually read her books?