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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: Lane3 who wrote (60417)1/2/2003 6:27:53 PM
From: one_less  Read Replies (1) of 82486
 
"For her, the truly selfish person is a self-respecting, self-supporting human being who neither sacrifices others to himself nor sacrifices himself to others.

Rand chooses the term "selfish" knowing it will provoke controversy and an examination of virtue. She seems to have avoided essential perspectives on self-sacrifice.

I understand and agree with the notion that a self-respecting, self-supporting human being should see no need to sacrifice himself to others nor to sacrifice others to himself. Sacrificing others in order to satisfy some voracious need is abusive, even canabalistic. To sacrifice yourself for the voracious desires of others is likewise depraved.

However, she does not consider self-sacrifice from the more traditional perspective. Self sacrifice is usually viewed as a giving up of something worldly in lieu of the higher good. A noble human is willing to sacrifice the comfort of the hearth to toil for the benefit of one's dependants. An honorable human is willing to risk life and limb to defend others against barbaric slaughter at the hands of despotism. These are sacrafices of the self for the good of others as well as for the good of one's soul. Clearly one may also enter such activity knowing it to be detrimental to one's health. Rand seems to have avoided this aspect of the discussion.
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