Ayn Rand’s “Sanction of the Victim”

“Sanction of the Victim” by Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged Explanation of the Philosophy ImageThe image provided is that of Atlas holding the world in Greek mythology. From themanner in which Atlas is bending, it is clear that the globe constitutes a major burden forhim. Under the image is the famous maxim from Atlas Shrugged […]

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“Sanction of the Victim” by Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged

Explanation of the Philosophy Image
The image provided is that of Atlas holding the world in Greek mythology. From the
manner in which Atlas is bending, it is clear that the globe constitutes a major burden for
him. Under the image is the famous maxim from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The maxim
reads “Sanction of the Victim” (Rand, 491). The maxim means that victims choose to be
victims. It is within their choice to end their victimhood. The image of Atlas being burdened
by the globe is appropriate for the maxim because Atlas represents the victim who can end
his victimhood by simply choosing not to carry the globe.
Why I Chose Ayn Rand
I chose Ayn Rand because I consider her a very bold philosopher and an original
thinker. She actively challenged the prevailing dogma of her time and even though some her
ideas were derided when they emerged, they have since gone on to become very influential in
setting the economic and social policies of the US.

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Ayn Rand’s Biography
Rand’s biography helps to better understand her works. She born in St. Petersburg,
Russia in 1905. Thanks to the economic success of her family, she had a relatively
comfortable childhood. However, the turbulence that was to rock Russia in the following
years was to have a major impact on her life. Before she reached 20, Russia had participated
in a bloody world war, changed from an empire to a republic and then to a communist state,
and undergone a terrible civil war (Duggan 15). The capture of power by the Communists
had mixed effects on Rand’s life. On the one hand, the communists seized her family’s
property leaving her and her family poor (Duggan 15). On the other hand, the communists
allowed women to attend university thus allowing her to be among the first women in Russia
to receive a university education. Her history studies at the university and the sudden change
of her family’s fortunes had a major influence on her works, particularly her magnus opus,
Atlas Shrugged.
I found her work, Atlas Shrugged interesting because it makes one to rethink what
they have long believed to be the correct moral values of a fair society. At the heart of the
book is that everyone should follow their self-interest. No one should be burdened by looking
after the affairs of other people, particularly the less fortunate. Like Atlas who suffers the
burden of carrying the whole world, smart, ambitious, creative, productive, and hardworking
people slow down their progress when they are forced to take on the burdens of others. I
found this work interesting because of how it managed to strongly argue against all the
prevailing ideas of economic fairness and compassion but still remain mainstream and
acceptable to a large number of the country’s economic and political elite through force of
her arguments.
Importance of the Image and Quote
I found the maxim “Sanction of the Victim” and the accompanying image of Atlas
carrying a heavy globe as a summary of Ayn Rand’s most famous work, Atlas Shrugged. Her
work calls for the most talented, the wealthiest, and the most productive members of the
society not to feel guilty when they oppose policies that help the poor and other
disadvantaged groups because not opposing such policies is akin to sanctioning of their
victimhood. Surprisingly, her views may find favor with Aristotle who, in Nicomachean
Ethics, argues that justice involves everyone getting what they are merited for (Ross
(translater) 2). Based on this view, it may be argued that Rand, in Atlas Shrugged, believes
that an injustice against the wealthy happens when the poorest members of the society live a
lifestyle they do not merit thanks to the wealth of the wealthiest members of the society in the
form of higher taxes on the wealthy to fund welfare programs for the poor.

Surname 3

Works Cited

Duggan, Lisa. Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed. Vol. 8. Univ of California
Press, 2019.
Rand, Ayn. Atlas shrugged. Penguin, 2005.
Ross, W.D. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.

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