"America's abundance was not created by public sacrifices to "the common good", but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes"
Ayn Rand
Update:i have to write a paper pertain the common good in America. i want to use this quote but i do not understand what she is trying to say
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Abundance was a by-product of people's desires to make their own fortunes. They didn't pursue their own interests in order to create abundance for the masses.
It may mean that much of America's wealth was made by hardworking industrialists who were appropriately competitive (didn't cheat their way to riches), and not by altruistic people who created a system to benefit the masses, many of which may not be hardworking. (she may mean a kind of socialism or communism)...
But I don't agree with her at all. America's wealth was not made by hardworking industrialists, but by people who exploited others (the poor), stole their lands, kept them in debt, gave them miserable salaries, and controlled the government to continue to do so.
Ayn Rand started from the premise that the government is for the people, by the people, and she was wrong. The government has been mostly ruled by the rich industrialists (this includes the Mafia). Whenever it has not been ruled by the latter, it is because there have been social upheavals, in which the people demand changes in government, and so the ruling class has had to back off. But still, the rich industrialist class controls government, not the people, unless --once again-- the people demand changes.
It basically means that people will be exploited and then it concludes that abundance happens as the result and not in spite of exploitation.
However if we look at the societies as a whole and not simply individuals, we find that people were eventually forced to stand together for their interest and demand that their common good was met.
Rand is an extreme individualist that believes people should make and protect their own rights as the highest priority.
She is saying that capitalism built America's widespread fortune--that people looking to make money for themselves in entrepreneurship in a "free market" (very key phrase) actually helps the common good, and not liberal or socialistic policies or means. Ayn Raynd is pretty much the mother of libertarianism--government allowing people to do what they want and how they want.
America's abundance is created by Capitalists, according to Adam Smith's principles, with tolerance of God.
James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the laborers, which have reaped your fields (which is of you kept back by fraud) crieth, and the cries of them which have reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
If it was too noisy, God would stop it; but America is great and thus God accepted its exploitation.
Ayn Rand advocating capitalism and laissez-faire economy.
An industrialist perceives an unmet need in the world and provides it. In doing so, he creates wealth for himself and the world around him. His customers and employees will benefit from his labors and ingenuity, but his motivation is enrichment of himself.
good sacrifice is very rare - but it is very good to be sacrifice minded .