Ethics in Emergencies

Ethics in Emergencies

Much has changed in society over the last fifty years since the publication of Ayn Rand’s book, The Virtue of Selfishness. In the last ten years, numerous significant technological advancements have occurred. If Rand’s objectivist ideas suggest that an individual’s chief moral purpose is to achieve one’s own happiness, then a person’s hierarchy of values will determine each decision made in life. The changes in technology affect each situation a person encounters. The growth of communication has brought society closer to one another, and allows individuals to maintain personal bonds with others. The idea of more interpersonal relationships among humans today contrasts Rand supporters who may have completely lost contact with, or forgotten about, forming intimate relationships with others. The change in social convenience alters the hierarchy between individual self-worth, and the value one person assigns to another’s self-worth. Likewise, media places emphasis on the social value of being the hero or heroine in the event of a potential disaster. This ideology has also changed the hierarchy of value when a person is contemplating whether or not to make a sacrifice in service of another. Social validity has become so important that factors in the decision-making process have distorted the value of self and emphasized the value of heroism.

Recent advancements in the medical field have saved the lives of many who, in Rand’s time would have otherwise succumbed to illness or injury. The increased value and reverence placed on human life through the forming of interpersonal relationship creates a substantial burden when human life cease to exists, or when a person passes away. The negative stigma associated with death is less accepted due to lifesaving capabilities of today; therefore, there is no doubt this too would alter the decision-making process.

Over the past few years, an individual’s social standing is no longer...