Equality and the City he was living in have extremely different views of morality. As Equality learns more about the world, he realizes how incorrect it is that the City has convinced everyone selfishness is not a positive trait to possess. After recreating electricity and finding a girl of whom he admired, Equality understands that selfishness is not necessarily a negative trait to have. However, the City believes and convinces their citizens to value that individuality is the root of evil. They also teach that thinking for oneself is wrong and that it will be the downfall of society, yet Equality finds out that this is not true. After experiencing individuality, Equality finds out that exploring one’s own interests is how one truly has a
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Anyone with a sense of self pride is condemned to death, and everyone has to be equal so that nobody feels poorly about themselves. However, this is not how it has to be. There can be a healthy balance of selfishness and selflessness. This is also explained in The Virtue of Selfishness when it explains, “But it does mean that he does not subordinate his life to the welfare of others, that he does not sacrifice himself to their needs, that the relief of their suffering is not his primary concern, that any help he gives is an exception, not a rule, an act of generosity, not of moral duty, that it is marginal and incidental — as disasters are marginal and incidental in the course of human existence — and that values, not disasters, are the goal, the first concern and the motive power of his life.” One should have the freedom to choose to be selfish or selfless and find a balance because if one has to pick one or the other, it creates an imbalance in society. One does not have to be completely selfish or completely selfless. One can be concerned about his brothers without throwing his own desires away. Equality begins to understand this in the end of the novel, but the City does not.
In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the City and Equality have extremely different ideas of what society should look like. The City thinks everyone should be equal and do things for the benefit of each other, while Equality believes that everyone should have the freedom to be selfish and have pride in one’s self. These are two different policies to live by, but one could live the best life by finding the middle between these
Anyone with a sense of self pride is condemned to death, and everyone has to be equal so that nobody feels poorly about themselves. However, this is not how it has to be. There can be a healthy balance of selfishness and selflessness. This is also explained in The Virtue of Selfishness when it explains, “But it does mean that he does not subordinate his life to the welfare of others, that he does not sacrifice himself to their needs, that the relief of their suffering is not his primary concern, that any help he gives is an exception, not a rule, an act of generosity, not of moral duty, that it is marginal and incidental — as disasters are marginal and incidental in the course of human existence — and that values, not disasters, are the goal, the first concern and the motive power of his life.” One should have the freedom to choose to be selfish or selfless and find a balance because if one has to pick one or the other, it creates an imbalance in society. One does not have to be completely selfish or completely selfless. One can be concerned about his brothers without throwing his own desires away. Equality begins to understand this in the end of the novel, but the City does not.
In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the City and Equality have extremely different ideas of what society should look like. The City thinks everyone should be equal and do things for the benefit of each other, while Equality believes that everyone should have the freedom to be selfish and have pride in one’s self. These are two different policies to live by, but one could live the best life by finding the middle between these