QUORA: ‘Did Ayn Rand support the idea of giving to charity or donating your own money to help other people?’

QUORA *: ‘Did Ayn Rand support the idea of giving to charity or donating your own money to help other people?’

I posted this answer:

Yes. You can take her own word for it: See Charity in the Ayn Rand Lexicon.

Specific issues like charity are not directly addressed in Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism. It is up to each individual to apply the principles of Objectivism (or any philosophy) to his own life as he understands them. In ethics, Objectivism holds that a person should act in his own rational self-interest in all choices.

As an Objectivist, my own view is this. To be rationally selfish is to think carefully, within the full context of your whole life, about the values likely to contribute to your long-term happiness and flourishing. To be rationally selfish likewise impells you to consciously place your values in a hierarchy of importance to your life, and to act accordingly. Certainly, there can be room for charitable causes in your hierarchy of values. To donate money (or time or effort) to such people and/or causes would therefore be a rationally selfish thing to do. The only “rule” would be that you should never, as a rationally selfish person, sacrifice a higher value for something you value less. You should always respect your hierarchy of values. Charitable giving should not be done as a duty or a sacrifice but as a reflection of your values. So your donations should be made as and when you can afford it, to causes you value, but not at the expense of giving up something you value more highly, such as the welfare of your children or your next mortgage or rent payment.

Related Reading:

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Understanding Ayn Rand’s Original Ethics Requires Original Thinking

Books to Aid in Understanding Rational Selfishness

Is Science Catching Up to the Objectivist Ethics?

QUORA: What does Ayn Rand think about vitrues [sic] such as charity, selflessness, and friendship?

QUORA *: ‘Is Ayn Rand wrong about altruism?’

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