Study Questions for "What is Capitalism?"
- In this essay, the cultural conditions Ayn Rand writes of are those of the 1960s. How well does her analysis of a sick culture in a technological boom apply today?
- What is the source of technology, industry, and material wealth, according to Ayn Rand?
- Is business basically good in character or basically evil, according to Rand?
- The Encyclopedia Britannica article that Ayn Rand analyzes has a theory as to why capitalism was successful at raising the standard of living. What is that theory, and what is wrong with it?
- If you have studied economics or social science, have you ever heard theories like those Rand discusses (you might have come across them in different words).
- Ayn Rand argues that it is a mistake to view the economy as a pie to be redistributed. Why?
- What is the correct relation between society and the individual according to Rand?
- What is the "common good" according to Rand? How is this idea regularly misused? How can it be dangerous to common people?
- What kind of political system does capitalism require?
- How must people deal with each other under capitalism?
- Why is physical force inimical to capitalism and to trade?
- What is the relation between capitalism and freedom, and between capitalism and individual rights?
- Why does Ayn Rand say that objective values are impossible without freedom to trade?
- Is a stick of lipstick better or worse than a rocket ship, according to Ayn Rand? Who decides, and on what basis?
- What kind of economic and political system did Russia have when it was the Soviet Union?
- What were the effects of that system on the wealth and health of the population of Soviet Russia?
- Today capitalism is still widely attacked in books and government and even in street protests. What is the reason for these attacks, according to Rand?
- Is capitalism compatible with a morality based on altruism?
- What kinds of moral ideas that you are familiar with are based on altruism?
- What are common reasons you hear today for restricting business or attacking capitalism? How do they relate to Rand's arguments in this essay?
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