The Virtue of Selfishness
A New Concept of Egoism

The provocative title of Ayn Rand's The Virtue of Selfishness introduces an equally provocative thesis about ethics. Traditional ethics has always been suspicious of selfinterest, praising acts that are selfless in intent and calling amoral or immoral acts that are motivated by self interest. Ayn Rand's view is exactly the opposite. This collection of nineteen essays is an effective summary of Ayn Rands philosophy, which holds the value of the individual over and above that of the state or any other "collective." The thread running through all of the essays is Rands definition of selfishness as rational selfinterest, with the idea that one has the right to assure ones own survival, to pursue happiness, and to own the fruits of ones labor without having to sacrifice any of these to others against ones will.