Heroism and Self Interest (MP3)
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Heroism and Self Interest (MP3)
[Total Program Length: 1:17.09]
A number of ethical systems besides Objectivism are egoistic. What is unique in the Objectivist ethics is its vision of what an egoistic life consists of. Confusion about this issue is manifest in the following questions from professed Objectivists:
“Weren’t the firemen who lost their lives at the WTC disaster acting self-sacrificially and therefore wrong to do what they did by the standards of the Objectivist ethics?”
“Aren’t almost all acts of charitable giving altruistic and therefore incompatible with Objectivism?”
“Why should I respect the rights of others when doing so would conflict with my self-interest?”
Nathaniel Branden responds to these questions, at TOC’s 2002 Summer Seminar, in order to clarify what self-interest and heroism mean in an Objectivist context.
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