Ayn Rand and Anthem

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Ayn Rand and Anthem
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• Ayn Rand 1905-1982
• Born in Russia, educated under communists
• Escaped 1926 to America b/c it represented her
  individualist philosophy

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Anthem (1938)

• This novelette depicts a world of the future, a
  society so collectivized that even the word "I"
  has vanished from the language. Anthem's theme
  is the meaning and glory of man's ego.

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Anthem

• Written in 1937 as a novelette about the essence
  of collectivism
• Published in England in 1938, America in 1946

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Theme

• It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think
  words no others think and put them down upon
  paper no others are to see there is no
  transgression blacker than to do or think alone.

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Theme

• This quote begins Anthem which according to Rand
  expresses the meaning of mans ego.
• The story is about an individual imprisoned in
  the collective how it can happen what ideas
  must one accept for it to be possible.

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Theme

• It is both depressing as it represents people in
  such a society and it is hopeful in the triumph
  of the human spirit for those who are brave
  enough to reject the ethics of collectivism, no
  matter the cost.

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Philosophical Concepts
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Collectivism vs. Individualism
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Collectivism

• The subjugation of the individual to a group
  whether to a race, class, or state does not
  matter
• All thought and action must be for the common
  good
• The individual has no right to lead his own life
• The individual has no right to pursue his own
  happiness, or use his own property
• An individuals worth is determined by his
  service to the group

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Individualism

• Every man is an independent, sovereign entity who
  possesses an inalienable right to his own life.
• A civilized society can only be achieved on the
  basis of the recognition of individual rights.
• Groups possess no right separate from the
  individual members.
• Individualism does not mean one can do whatever
  he feels like doing it means every man is an
  individual and has the same rights.

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Altruism

• Man has no right to exist for his own sake.
• Service to others is the only justification of
  his existence.
• Self-sacrifice is the highest moral duty, virtue,
  and valuewhich means the self as a standard of
  evil, the selfless as a standard of good.

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Selflessness

• Defined as Lack of Self
• No one has a name
• No one should prefer one person over another
• It is wrong to disagree, to question, to have
  independent thought
• Individual has no rights

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Selflessness

• Without self one must abstain from thinking and
  simply obey the leaders
• When individual identity and thought are
  obliterated, a society of mindless robots with no
  motivation, no ambition, no hope emerges.
• Nothing is created because there is no room for
  creativity.

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Egoism

• Defined as being concerned with ones own
  interests
• Each mans primary moral obligation is to achieve
  his own welfare, well-being, or self-interest.
• Man should be selfish in the sense of being the
  beneficiary of his own moral actions.

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Egoism

• For example
• Having Ambition
• Wanting things for ones self
• Wanting to learn
• Wanting a career that makes you happy
• Thinking for ones self
• Loving another person of choice

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Conformity

• The act or habit of bringing oneself into harmony
  or agreement with others adhering to
  conventional behavior.

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Obedience

• Complying with a command yielding to those in
  authority.

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Independence

• Acceptance of the responsibility of forming ones
  own judgments and living by the work of ones own
  mind.

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Free Will vs. Determinism
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Free Will

• Advocates that people
• can make choices,
• can make up their own minds,
• can direct their own lives by the ideas and
  values they adopt

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Determinism

• Advocates that people are by nature in the grip
  of forces beyond their control
• For example Race, the Stars, Instincts

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ANTHEM Free Will

• The story shows what it means to have Free Will
• They are Robots by CHOICE
• The Protagonist will exercise his free will by
  making a different choice

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Other Terms to Know

• Totalitarianism
• Romanticism
• Realism
• Naturalism
• Abdicate
• Objectivism

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Setting/Point of View

• Romantic Realism
• The story is REALIST because these are REAL
  PROBLEMS of normal people (Not monsters,
  superheroes, or robots)
• The story is Romantic b/c it is not about every
  day trivia or the boy next door
• It is instead about the fundamental universal
  problems and values of human existence.
• Romanticism contrasts with Naturalism which holds
  that people are crushed by forces over which they
  have NO CONTROL (FATE)

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Setting/Point of View

• Point of View First Person Plural (Diary Entries)
• Story begins in the distant future
• Protagonist is in the late teens or early
  twenties
• Totalitarian Society Government controls every
  aspect of every individuals life from cradle to
  grave.

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• Expectation is to expend ones life for the needs
  of the society, never a moment for ones self.
• If ones usefulness is gone, he is a burden and
  should not live.
• Because no one has personal desires, the
  authorities need no threats or force to rule.

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• Anyone who doubts his society feels guilty about
  doubting.
• The society has no industry or technology.
• The protagonist struggles to understand (man vs.
  society).

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Sequence of the Life in Anthem Society

• Each is conceived in the Palace of Mating
• Young years are spent in the Home of Infants
• Formative years are lived in the Home of Students
• After being assigned a vocation, individuals are
  placed in special homes according to vocation
• Old Age is spent in the Home of the Useless

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Why are we reading this?

• Anthem explores ethical and political questions
  which concern YOU!
• Who are you?
• It is possible to stand on your own?

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Why are we reading this?

• It asks questions about society such as
• If you could choose the best society to have,
  what would it be?
• How would you describe a moral and just society?

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Why are we reading this?

• Does your life now belong to a group?
• Do you have the right to pursue your own
  happiness? And to what degree?
• Can a society without freedom be productive?

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Next Step

• As YOU read, notice how these concepts are
  illustrated through plot development in Anthem.
• Consider how the real world connects with the
  philosophical issues presented in the novel.
• Read Critically, agree with what is acceptable to
  you.
• Disagree with what offends your values or
  beliefs.

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Next Step

• Because you read a book does not mean you are to
  accept the authors ideas if they are offensive
  to you.
• Learn to cull out the wheat for the chaff!
• Do not accept blindly!
• Learn to justify and argue a good case for that
  which you truly believe.