Topic > The idea that individualism should be promoted in “Anthem” by Ayn Rand

In the novel “Anthem” Ayn Rand tries to represent the idea that everyone in the world should have the opportunity to pursue their own happiness. He criticizes the philosophies of collectivism and socialism, which limit people's individuality, and also encourages people to join Equality 7-2521 to escape the restrictions. The philosophy that Rand promotes in her novel is objectivism, which is fully illustrated in her later work by four principles: reality, reason, self-interest, and capitalism. This philosophy is widely used in the contemporary world and there are many examples throughout history that can prove the correctness and develop the capacity of objectivism, such as the fact that the English would prefer to escape from England to a wild and unknown land instead to remain in "advanced" British land. and the rise of America and Japan advocating self-interest and high technology can all demonstrate the correctness of objectivism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A good society is freedom and has few laws. In the book “Hymn”, the government completely controls people's lives. Everyone is identified by codes rather than names, jobs are assigned by career council, and people in “Anthem” don't even get to choose their own wives. “Since the Council is not aware of this hole, there can be no law allowing entry into it. And everything that is not permitted by law is prohibited”, in this dystopian city there is never free space, it does not matter that the individual decides his own fairs and everything that is not permitted is prohibited. However, the Founders believe that a good society should have few laws, which are clear to the public and respected by them. The immigration of the English, who left Europe to live in these new and wild lands, contributed greatly to the first American population. Some settlers come here for religious freedom or seeking wealth. In this “New World,” people can enjoy a greater degree of freedom than in England. Significantly, the 17th century is a century of revolution. During this century, the English launched the English Revolution, the Civil War and the Glorious Revolution, in this turbulent era, the English government also transformed from a monarchy into a republican form and established the English constitutional system, which greatly limited the powers of the monarch . Through the history of England, we learn that residents do not prefer many restrictions, they enjoy freedom of life, so they can choose freely and do what they want. Laws should be a positive way to maintain peace in society, rather than an obstacle to people's lives and happiness. Personal interest is as important as public interest. In the world of the novel “Hymn”, individualism is always behind the collective will. “We are all one in all and all in one. There are no men except the great WE, One, indivisible and forever." They have no identities of their own, instead of group identities. Acting as an individual, thinking that your life is unique and taking care of yourself can be considered guilty. Although the old moral philosophy announced: to be moral one must sacrifice one's personal interest to the needs of others. However, this old view has been challenged by the rise of American capitalism. Tocqueville described American democracy: the free and robust society of energetic and enterprising individuals, profiting from each other's pursuit of their own self-interest. This kind of world was called, 19901999.