Objectivism, Humanitarianism and Environmentalism: Each 1/3 right

Ayn Rand's central claim is that the human being exists, rationally, as himself, and that the only rational interest is self-interest. She was exactly one-third right. A human being, rationally, exists as himself, as part of humanity, and as part of all of life. Which means that people, rationally, will have orientation toward all of the above, with different people having a different mix and at different times in their lives.

It has certainly been the case with me. I was a yuppie in 1990s; but more recently I have paid a lot more attention to environmental and social issues. The reason is that these have vast significance to the world in which we live. This is, in every respect, a rational concern; and anyone who claims it not to be a rational concern has a false definition of what is rational. Self-interest is part of rational interest; but also rational are humanity-interest and life-interest. The first is addressed by humanitarian ideologies; the second, by environmentalist ideologies.

Both of these are exactly as much right as is objectivism, as each of the preceding describes, rationally, a third of what a human being is: Oneself, part of humanity, and part of life.