TOS’s Craig Biddle Take On Ben Shapiro on Rational Self-Interest

In Contra Ben Shapiro, Rational Self-Interest Is Not Hedonism, Craig Biddle takes on Ben Shapiro’s contention that Ayn Rand’s concept of rational self-interest equates to hedonism. Among the statements Biddle cites are Shapiro’s opinion that “there are ‘very few expositors of capitalism who I think are better than Ayn Rand’” but that “‘I don’t think Objectivism applies in personal relationships’” because “it’s in your self-interest to ‘abandon your wife and your children because there’s a hot chick at the bar’.” I highly recommend Contra Ben Shapiro, Rational Self-Interest Is Not Hedonism.

Shapiro is twisting himself into a mental pretzel trying to get around acknowledging the logic and value of rational self-interest. Can he really not see the difference between instant gratification at any cost and soberly considering the consequences before acting? Can he really believe that striving for a more flourishing and happier life over time is a product of self-sacrifice—i.e., making one’s life worse? Does he really believe that it’s rational to “abandon your wife and your children because there’s a hot chick at the bar”? If so, then logic says that honoring your parental and spousal responsibilities, not to mention respecting them, is a matter of whim. Does he really believe that?  

Or is he just being honest. Maybe he does really value womanizing over family, in which case for him it would be selfish to go after the hot chick at the bar. But then, he shouldn’t have gotten married and had children to begin with.

But the most glaring contradiction is his statement that there are “very few expositors of capitalism who I think are better than Ayn Rand.” Does he really not understand that the driving force of capitalism’s economic success is individual self-interest, with the best results achieved by the rational rather than the hedonistic—and that Ayn Rand’s great contribution is precisely that she identifies that fact about capitalism and thus provides the moral justification and foundation for capitalism? The Objectivist ethics at the level of personal relationships is integral to her ethics as applied to economics, given that economics is all about individual human relationships (trade). Take away Rand’s rational self-interest, and you no longer have the great expositor: You’re better off turning to the great classical economists who have been making the practical case while losing the moral battle. If Shapiro doesn’t know that the ethics he condemns is precisely the reason she’s one of the very best expositors of capitalism, then he’s talking through his hat.

Related Reading:

Does Evil Come From ‘Threatened Egotism’?

The Fight For Freedom is Far from Over by Garland S. Tucker III and Jon L. Pritchett for FEE:

The 20th century is littered with the failures of socialism.

Somehow, the next generation has to grasp the wisdom of Churchill’s warning: “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”

All true. But we’ve always known that. And still we’re losing. And why not, if the hallmark of capitalism, rational self-interest, is held to be immoral?

Atlas Shrugged—Ayn Rand

National Review’s MO Regarding Ayn Rand—Craig Biddle for The Objective Standard

How Conservatives Begat Trump, and What to Do About It by Craig Biddle for TOS

In the pages of her revolutionary novel [Atlas Shrugged], [Ayn] Rand had handed conservatives, and the world in general, an observation-based, demonstrably true philosophy that, in addition to providing principled guidance for choosing and pursuing life-serving values at the personal level, also provides a rock-solid foundation for supporting and defending freedom and capitalism at the political level. This book was a godsend to everyone who loves life, loves America, and wants to advance the ideal of a government dedicated to protecting individuals’ rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.

What did conservatives do with this gift? They shat on it.