#AynRand’s original introduction to The Virtue of Selfishness is now online—and it directly contradicts most of the claims people make about her #ethics.
If your picture of Rand comes from social media threads, YouTube rants, or second-hand “hot takes,” this is the text that breaks the spell: https://courses.aynrand.org/works/introduction-to-virtue-of-selfishness/
Let’s clear out the biggest straw men right away:
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“Rand said selfishness means hurting people.”
No. She argues that rational self‑interest forbids coercion, exploitation, and parasitism. Predators aren’t “selfish”—they’re short‑range, self‑destructive, and irrational.
❌ “It’s just an excuse to do whatever you want.”
She draws a hard boundary between whim and #reason. Her ethics demands long‑range thinking, integrity, and principled action — the opposite of impulse.
❌ “#Objectivism celebrates cruelty.”
The introduction explicitly rejects cruelty as irrational. Benevolence is not only compatible with #egoism—it’s a natural expression of a rational, confident person.
❌ “Rand denies moral principles.”
She denies sacrifice as a moral ideal. She does not deny #morality. She argues for a code rooted in reality, reason, and the requirements of human life.
If you want to understand the argument instead of the mythology, read the primary source—it’s short, sharp, and surprisingly accessible.
For context on the full book, editions, and themes: https://aynrand.org/novels/the-virtue-of-selfishness/
#philosophy #individualism #reading #nonfiction #ideas #bookstodon
👋🏻
Hi, I’m Mark—welcome! This is my #introduction.
I’m a platform engineer pivoting from 30 years in #Perl to #Go, #Kubernetes, and #AWS. I write about systems thinking, career transitions, and production engineering at https://PhoenixTrap.com
I’m an #Objectivist—principles aren’t aspirations, they’re requirements. When reality and principle conflict, you change reality. I write about consciousness, identity, and the work of crossing the boundary between theory and practice at https://TheBeautifulPrison.com.
You’ll also see #BassGuitar, #DragonCon, #DeltaHCon, and #Comicpalooza when life permits. I self-host this Mastodon instance because decentralization matters.
For Rand newcomers, start with _The #AynRand Reader_: https://AynRand.org/novels/the-ayn-rand-reader/
Glad you’re here—pull up a chair.
Just launched https://TheBeautifulPrison.com — #fiction and #essays exploring #consciousness, #identity, and remaining yourself under pressure.
Four #stories: an #LLM trapped in vintage hardware, #vampires learning restraint is #love, forest beings choosing self over dissolution. Two essays on #AI consciousness and honest critical engagement.
AI-assisted. Grounded in #Objectivist #philosophy taking individual consciousness seriously.
The recursive tension—writing about identity with AI—is the point.
And this is why I’m working on moving my #GitHub repos to #Codeberg: the former is now fully an #AI #LLM training source and divisional sales funnel for #Microsoft’s other services. https://www.theverge.com/news/757461/microsoft-github-thomas-dohmke-resignation-coreai-team-transition
/ @Codeberg@social.anoxinon.de @forgejo@floss.social
#programming #coding #SoftwareDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #Copilot
TIL that software (especially #scripting runtimes like #Python, #Perl, and #NodeJS) running in #Alpine #Linux containers is often slower than in other distros like #Ubuntu. This is despite Alpine being faster on startup and often vastly more efficient with CPU, memory, and storage.
It mostly comes down to Alpine’s use of musl libc rather than #GNU’s glibc. musl is optimized for minimalism, not raw performance. Also, the Alpine packages are often not compiled with as many optimizations.
Before & after #shave & a #haircut. Not from my usual #barber, but from https://ShearedTheBarbershop.com in Midtown #Houston.
I’m impressed that they managed to tame the cowlick that usually results from the part in my hair.
#selfie
👋
Hi everyone, I’m Mark, and this is my #introduction!
I’m a #SoftwareEngineer who codes mostly in #Perl, enjoys discussing #AynRand’s #philosophy of #Objectivism, and shares thoughts on #ballroom #dance, #cosplay, and playing #music on #BassGuitar.
I attend #DragonCon in #Atlanta, as well as #DeltaHCon and #Comicpalooza right here in #Houston.
You may know me from my previous #fediverse / #Mastodon accounts. Sorry about all the jumping around.
- @mjgardner@mastodon.sdf.org
- @mjgardner@social.sdf.org
- @mjg@nerdfight.online
- @mjg@gts.phoenixtrap.com
Mark Gardner