ideas

For Valentine&#x27;s Day, I send my best wishes to all of you. You may just be small images on my screen, but you bring so much love, information, ideas, and opinions into my life. <a href="/tags/valentinesday/" rel="tag">#ValentinesDay</a> <a href="/tags/love/" rel="tag">#Love</a> <a href="/tags/gratitude/" rel="tag">#Gratitude</a> <a href="/tags/community/" rel="tag">#Community</a> <a href="/tags/ideas/" rel="tag">#Ideas</a> <a href="/tags/connection/" rel="tag">#Connection</a> <a href="/tags/socialmedia/" rel="tag">#SocialMedia</a><br>

<p><a href="/tags/aynrand/" rel="tag">#AynRand</a>’s <a href="https://courses.aynrand.org/works/introduction-to-virtue-of-selfishness/" rel="nofollow">original introduction to The Virtue of Selfishness</a> is now online--and it directly contradicts most of the claims people make about her <a href="/tags/ethics/" rel="tag">#ethics</a>.</p><p>If your picture of Rand comes from social media threads, YouTube rants, or second-hand “hot takes,” <a href="https://courses.aynrand.org/works/introduction-to-virtue-of-selfishness/" rel="nofollow">this is the text that breaks the spell.</a></p> <p>Let’s clear out the biggest straw men right away:</p><p><p>❌ “Rand said selfishness means hurting people.”
</p><p>No. She argues that rational self‑interest forbids coercion, exploitation, and parasitism. Predators aren’t “selfish”—they’re short‑range, self‑destructive, and irrational.</p><br><p>❌ “It’s just an excuse to do whatever you want.”
</p><p>She draws a hard boundary between whim and <a href="/tags/reason/" rel="tag">#reason</a>. Her ethics demands long‑range thinking, integrity, and principled action — the opposite of impulse.</p><br><p>❌ “<a href="/tags/objectivism/" rel="tag">#Objectivism</a> celebrates cruelty.”
</p><p>The introduction explicitly rejects cruelty as irrational. Benevolence is not only compatible with <a href="/tags/egoism/" rel="tag">#egoism</a>—it’s a natural expression of a rational, confident person.</p><br><p>❌ “Rand denies moral principles.”
</p><p>She denies sacrifice as a moral ideal. She does not deny <a href="/tags/morality/" rel="tag">#morality</a>. She argues for a code rooted in reality, reason, and the requirements of human life.</p></p> <p>If you want to understand the argument instead of the mythology, read the primary source--it’s short, sharp, and surprisingly accessible.</p><p><a href="https://aynrand.org/novels/the-virtue-of-selfishness/" rel="nofollow">Read more for context on the full book, editions, and themes.</a></p><p><a href="/tags/philosophy/" rel="tag">#philosophy</a> <a href="/tags/individualism/" rel="tag">#individualism</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/nonfiction/" rel="tag">#nonfiction</a> <a href="/tags/ideas/" rel="tag">#ideas</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a></p>