Sadler's Lectures Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness - Ethics of Emergencies - Sadler's Lectures
Dec 1, 2025
Explore Ayn Rand's provocative ideas on emergency ethics and the pitfalls of viewing emergencies as the norm. Discover her definitions of emergencies and how they influence ethical decisions. Learn why altruism often misguides ethical considerations during crises, and the importance of distinguishing between normal and emergency actions. Rand's insights reveal when it's appropriate to risk personal values or even life for others, emphasizing that ethics should not be based solely on exceptional situations.
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What Counts As An Emergency
- Emergencies are unchosen, unexpected, time-limited events that threaten human survival.
- Gregory Sadler explains Ayn Rand treats emergencies as temporary conditions governed by the same ethical principles as normal life.
Emergencies Don’t Create New Moral Laws
- Rand insists we must distinguish emergency rules from normal rules while keeping the same moral principles.
- Emergencies justify special actions to combat disaster and restore normal conditions, but not new permanent duties.
Temporary Nature Of Emergencies
- Emergencies are inherently temporary because prolonged emergency conditions would destroy human life.
- Rand uses this to justify limited, focused interventions rather than permanent obligations.
