The Lifeboat Dilemma: Rand on Morality in Crisis
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Join our discussion group as we dissect Ayn Rand's challenging essay, "The Ethics of Emergencies," found in her work, The Virtue of Selfishness.
This essay is critical for understanding the Objectivist view of morality, as Rand tackles a fundamental question: What are the limits of moral duty? She argues that morality is applicable only to the normal conditions of human life, not to catastrophic, "lifeboat" scenarios.
We will explore Rand's distinction between the morality of normal life and the zero-sum nature of extreme crises, and debate whether her principles truly hold up when survival is at stake.
Bring your thoughts, your critiques, and your best arguments as we delve into this essential, and often controversial, piece of Objectivist ethics!
Required Reading: Ayn Rand's essay, "The Ethics of Emergencies" (from The Virtue of Selfishness), the full text of which is available at the below link:
https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-ethics-of-emergencies/