Anthem

Objectivism is a philosophical concept proposed by Ayn Rand. Objectivism holds that the human mind is capable of perceiving and interacting with external reality and that the relationship between the mind and external reality depends on rationality. The primary value in Objectivism is for ethical long-term survival, and it is driven by three pairs of values and virtues—reason and rationality, purpose and productivity, and self-esteem and pride. Objectivism also highlights the importance of integrity, honesty, justice, and independence. Altruism is believed to be morally inappropriate, and actions that benefit strangers are viewed as moral only if they pose little to no risk to the individual’s well-being. Instead, Objectivism argues for ethical egoism, supporting the concept of charity for those who are deserving of it, as long as it does not inconvenience the charitable individual. People following ethical egoism are prevented from harming others because, in doing so, they will harm themselves. Political values of Objectivism include laissez-faire capitalism and individual rights as opposed to collective rights. Rand emphasizes the rights of personal property, life, and liberty. She envisions the ideal society as one comprised of sovereign individuals who engage in mutually beneficial trade, whether of physical goods and services or of spiritual and emotional goods, as in personal relationships. Whoever lives according to these values and virtues, the philosophy holds, will be rewarded with happiness (Badhwar, Neera K., and Roderick T. Long. “Ayn Rand.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010).

Objectivism’s core contention—that external reality can be perceived without the influence of intrinsic, subjective phenomena—has been widely rejected by modern philosophers. Many disagree with Objectivism’s dismissal of altruism and prioritization of free-market capitalism and property rights. Property rights in the United States and other colonized nations are particularly controversial given the widespread use of forced land-seizures by colonists. Further, critics argue that although Rand’s Objectivist principles apply equally to males and females, the philosophy is inherently sexist because it idealizes mindsets and behaviors traditionally associated with masculinity while demeaning traditionally feminine qualities (Badhwar).

Rand was born in Russia in 1905, and her bourgeois family background made her a target of political persecution in the early days of the Russian Revolution. She emigrated to the United States in 1926, eventually becoming a screenwriter in Hollywood. The totalitarian, collectivist state depicted in Anthem can be read as an allegory for the Bolshevik regime, and her championing of absolute individualism can be seen as a reaction to what she perceived as the collectivist tyranny of the Soviet state under Lenin.

The principles of Objectivism are depicted allegorically throughout Anthem. Equality 7-2521 exhibits many of the values and virtues ascribed to Rand’s philosophy. He has a strong survival instinct, demonstrated through his awareness that his safety depends on maintaining the secrecy of the tunnel, through his unwitting escape into the Uncharted Forest, and through his ability to fend for himself in the wilderness. He demonstrates his reason and rationality through his logic-driven writing and his scientific pursuits, which subsequently show his purpose and productivity. Although he has low self-esteem as a child, Equality 7-2521 develops his self-worth, and by the end of the story he is an arrogant egoist, convinced that he is superior and that his purpose is to deliver enlightenment to the world. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 stake a claim to the house in the mountains, asserting private property rights in a world where no such concept exists.

Criticism of the novella closely aligns with criticism of the philosophy it represents. Like Objectivism itself, Anthem presents a stark binary in which collectivism is an absolute evil and individualism (or egoism, to use Rand’s term) is an absolute good. Some critics have argued that this worldview ignores the complexity and ambiguity of the real world, in which altruism and egoism frequently coexist and in which all successful democracies incorporate both collectivist and individualist values.