On selfishness

From: Gene

Subject: On selfishness 

Date: April 16, 2014 8:28:46 AM EDT

To: "Letters (National Post)"

Cc: Allen Small

Patrick MacKinnon states in Letters today under  Moving Thoughts that "Capitalism with its varying degrees of success exists because evolution has enabled the selfish to survive with prosperity for some but not for all." 

Ayn Rand wrote "The Virtue of Selfishness" in 1964 to explain that selfishness is an indispensable human trait that guides everyone quest for survival. Unfortunately, 'selfish' is all too often used in a pejorative way as Mr. MacKinnon has done here. There are many reasons for capitalism's success, and if the positive terms 'personal initiative', 'industriousness' and 'creativity' were associated with the term 'selfish',  then 'capitalism' would be seen in the positive context that it deserves.  

In Mr. MacKinnon's statement, however, the term 'selfish' could legitimately be used disparagingly to the human actions that are associated with many political organizations, such as public service labour unions, who truly act to bully the public at large so as to favour only those who are members of their union.

Gene Balfour 

Thornhill