Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead"
Just completed reading "The Fountainhead" for the first time and was intrigued by the following quote which appears atop of page 683 of Signet's Centenial addition ...
"... Every major horror of history was committed in the name of an altruistic motive. ..."
My question to fellow Gulchers is can you name one that didn't have 'altruism' as its basis? I can't, and that is why I am asking ... Its an excellent point to ponder.
"... Every major horror of history was committed in the name of an altruistic motive. ..."
My question to fellow Gulchers is can you name one that didn't have 'altruism' as its basis? I can't, and that is why I am asking ... Its an excellent point to ponder.
Even though, I cannot disagree with you. The "Greater Good" has had quite a broad spectrum of manifestation.
I believe it was Kublai Khan that said a virgin princess with a treasure can be placed on an ass and walk unmolested from one end of the empire to the other, because death was the only punishment for such molestation. Internally the empire was supposed to be at peace. Obey the Emperor and live in peace or be at peace in the graveyard. The same rules are still with us from those whose desires are a socialist utopia with themselves at the lead. The 20th century up til today has seen millions placed prematurely at peace. All for the greater good, of course.
Same thing with the Mafia. As long as you pay the protection money you will be protected from their behavior, unless it becomes beneficial to destroy you then maybe not!
Do you know that he had 2,000 people murdered and buried AT his funeral so that no one would know where he was buried? Then the army that murdered the 2,000 was killed by his escort, who also killed anyone who they came across on the way back. And then there was even more after that, and as a result no one knows exactly where he is buried.
Not exactly the kindest guy in the world ......which is WAY different than current Mongols are. I am just starting to delve a bit into their history and current lives, too....which brings me quite a bit off topic, so I'll apologize and back out nicely. I've completely enjoyed the fun diversion, anyway :-) And if you ever are interested in some Mongol culture, check out The HU.
Altruism, to Rand and Objectivists, requires sacrifice which means going against one's self-interest. That is the essence of both altruism, (putting the good of others against the interests of the self) and collectivist philosophy of utilitarianism, which is putting the 'greater good of all', (however the 'leaders' choose to define it), above the rights of an individual or small number of individuals.
Wars, including wars of oppression against the citizenry by government, are always justified by altruistic motives.
That reminds me. "Take your damn vaccine" as Julie Gerberding famously said...
If it is done a maternalistic/paternalistic government looter, then self-interest at the expense of others can be done under the premise of "I know what is best for you". Sometimes, however, self-interest at the expense of others self-interest is done without any illusion of good intentions. Do you think that Maduro cares at all for good intentions? Even if his government is officially communist, he and other dictators couldn't care less about altruism, unless it helps them get to a convenient end.
Albert Camus
The Politicians in the USA lie about everything and cover their immorality and power grabbing with words of altruism and American Pie.
But with Hitler (just as an example) he had to convince others that tattling on your Jewish neighbors was a GOOD thing to do. THAT is how "altruism" happens. "Everybody - including you - will be better off if you let us know what those lousy Jews are up to."
With regard to Hitler, while one can argue that Hitler was "elected" by the German people according to his soaring rhetoric, history actually shows that he gained power because he controlled the ballot boxes - literally. His brown shirts falsified ballots and intimidated voters on a grand scale. (The Dominion voting machines are similar, they just trade intimidation for outright manipulation.)
Stalin was never elected. He took over when Lenin keeled over dead AFTER the Bolsheviks instituted a coup by taking over key military institutions. Then they started shipping dissenters off to the Gulags. While he made patronizing speeches during WW II, there were no elections from 1918 onward.
Mao Zedong was on the victorious side of a bloody civil war in post-WW II China. And following the war in which the US failed to support Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists, Mao then instituted a political purge that even conservative estimates place at at least 50 million of his own people. And they had no elective choice either then or now.
I guess I differentiate because you first have to persuade people to act against their own interest BEFORE you take over the government by force and then use that tyranny. It's always easy to "persuade" others after you already have control.