Rational Egoism in There Will Be Blood

Capitalism is an economic system that boasts equal opportunity and financial freedom for all its proponents. It is the trademark of Western society and it has left its mark on nearly every corner of the globe. The concept itself breeds competition, which in turn breeds resentment and greed among the individuals striving for a larger piece of the pie. This ugly side of the system has spawned a great deal of critics that lean in favor of other more truly equal methods of financial exchange due to the excesses associated with capitalism.  But the true argument that underlies the conflict between economic models is an argument of philosophy. More specifically, it is the battle between the ethical doctrines of egoism and altruism, and it has continually stoked the flame of economic debate since the beginning of civilization.

Rational egoism, as defined by author Ayn Rand, is a philosophy that holds that it is both irrational and immoral to act against one’s self-interest. According to Rand, self-fulfillment and personal gain should be the primary objective of anyone’s life. In her words, a rational man maintains “his own life as his highest value, rationality as his highest virtue, and his happiness as the final purpose of his life” (Smith 92). Rather than being rooted in hedonism alone, Rand’s idea of rational egoism emphasizes logic and reason as the motives for a relentless pursuit of personal pleasure and gain.

Rand offers a scathing criticism of egoism’s counterpart, altruism, stating that altruism is the very nature of morality and relies on self-sacrifice and incriminates the individual, which ultimately deprives the altruist of the self-esteem he or she deserves. She believes it is best to view one’s own self as the standard of good, as opposed to viewing selflessness as the standard of good. Therefore, an economic system that fosters a rational basis for selfishness and competition, like capitalism, is optimal for those who aim to maximize the potential of Rand’s philosophical beliefs.

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood, the main character, Daniel, is an oil tycoon who carries out the idea of rational egoism to an extreme when he is faced with an opportunity to become extremely wealthy. Daniel builds and destroys personal relationships on a whim with the underlying goal of growing his fortune. Almost every interaction he has with other characters is business-oriented, and rarely does he stop to consider the familial or moral implications of his decisions. The self-interest that early American capitalism so easily allows him to develop drives him to develop fractured, half-hearted connections with the people in his life. Even Eli, the pastor that antagonizes Daniel throughout the story, sees his own family fall prey to the tycoon’s predatory economic strategies.

Despite the financial gains that Daniel makes over the course of the story, however, he turns into a miserable alcoholic who lives alone in a mansion with only a servant to give him company. This could be a commentary from the director on the pitfalls of such a brash display of egoism. Daniel acted only in economic self-interest, and did nothing to develop meaningful relationships that would leave him with a sense of fulfillment at the end of his life. Still, the troubled businessman sticks to the ruthless egoism that he held all his life. At the end of the story, he humiliates Eli by forcing him to denounce his religion and tricking him into buying worthless land. He then murders the pastor while he begs for forgiveness.

Works Cited

Smith, Tara. Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2006.

There Will Be Blood. Dir. Paul T. Anderson. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano. Miramax, 2007.