Ayn Rand

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• Ayn Rands Philosophy Implications for
  Professional Nursing U.S. Healthcare

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Ayn Rands Philosophy

• Objectivism Objectivism is the ultimate
  philosophy of unsullied reason and unadulterated
  individualism.

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Objectivism defined by Rand
Interview with Mike Wallace (1959)
(From Video Ayn Rand a Sense of Life Produced
by Michael Paxton in 1998)
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Historical Context
World War I 1914-1918
Born Feb. 2, 1905 in St. Petersburg Russia
1917-21 Russian Revolution
1918-1924 Lenins Internationalism
Migrated to U.S. in 1926
1921-1939 Russia under Lenin and Stalin
1929 The Great Depression
Met Married OConnor in 1929
1933 Roosevelts New Deal
The Fountainhead 1943
1947 Interrogated by the HUAC
Objectivism launched
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Objectivism The Philosophy of Reason

• My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of
  man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as
  the moral purpose of his life, with productive
  achievements as his noblest activity, and reason
  as his only absolute.''
• - Ayn Rand

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Intellectual Freedom cannot exist without
Political Freedom
Free Market
Free Mind
Intellectual Freedom
Political Freedom
Political Freedom cannot exist without economic
freedom
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Overview of Rands Philosophy

• Metaphysics Objective Reality
• Epistemology Reason
• Ethics Self Interest
• Politics Capitalism

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Examples of Rands Contributions to Literature

• Atlas Shrugged
• The Fountainhead
• We the Living
• Anthem
• Capitalism The Unknown Ideal
• For the New Intellectual
• The Virtue of Selfishness

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Rands Work reveals

• The philosophy of individualism, personal
  responsibility, the power of reason, and the
  importance of morality.

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Reason is mans only means of knowledge
Facts of reality are knowable through objective
reasoning
Sensory perception
Knowledge
Laws of logic
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Non-rational forms of Knowledge
Do not Exist!
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Rational Self Interest is the Ethical Code
Rationality
Pride
Independence
Trade
Ethics of Self Interest
Integrity
Production
Honesty
Justice
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Capitalism demands the best of every man
His rationality

rewards accordingly
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Altruism the highest good is service to others
Rand rejects Altruism
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Connection to Other Philosophic Schools of Thought

• Aristotole
• Platoism
• Kant
• Marxism
• Communism

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Connection to Nursing

• The use of reason to approach lifes challenges
  to examine excel in life.
• Objective approach to scientific exploration
  using reason and logic for research.
• Respect for individuality.
• The spirit of individual commitment to achieve
  success.
• The passion for what is right.

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Healthcares Lesson in Rands Teaching

• Clinton-Bush Debates on Healthcare Reform
• Market driven managed care
• Failure of Market driven managed care
• The alternative

Socialized Healthcare