1. A Glossary of Definitions
By Ayn Rand

2. Collectivism
Collectivism means the subjugation of the individual to a group— whether to a race, class or state does not matter. Collectivism holds that man must be chained to a collective action and collective thought for the sake of what is called “the common good.”

3. Collectivism Continued
In such a society, the individual is owned by the group.
The individual has no right to private existence which means no right to lead his own life, pursue his own happiness, or use his own property.
The individual exists only as a part of the group, and his worth is determined by his service to the group.

4. Individualism
Individualism regards man—every man— as an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life, a right derived from his nature as a rational being. Individualism holds that a civilized society can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights.

5. Individualism Continued
Individualism does not mean that one can do whatever he feels like doing; it means that every man is an individual and has the same rights.
An individualist is a man who says: “I will not run anyone’s life—not let anyone run mine. I will not rule or be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave.”

6. Altruism
The basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty; virtue and value which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a standard of the good.

7. Egoism
Egoism states that each man’s primary moral obligation is to achieve his own welfare, well-being, or self-interest. He should be ‘selfish’ in the sense of being the beneficiary of his own actions.

8. Leveling
Leveling is a social process where uniqueness of an individual is rendered non-existent by assigning equal value to all aspects of human endeavors, thus missing all the intricacies and subtle complexities of human identity.

9. Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality for all people. Egalitarian doctrines maintain that all humans are equal in fundamental worth or social status.
Egalitarianism has, in years past, been used to mean, not political, but metaphysical equality—the equality of personal attributes and virtues, regardless of natural endowment or individual choice, performance and character. It is not man-made institutions, but nature that is fought.
Since nature does not endow all men with equal beauty or equal intelligence, and the faculty of volition leads men to make different choices, the egalitarians proposed to abolish the “unfairness” of nature and of volition, and to establish universal equality in fact—in defiance of facts.

10. Free Will vs. Determinism
Free will contends that people can make choices, can make up their own minds, can make decisions, can direct their own lives by the ideas and values they adopt.
Determinism contends that people are by nature in the grip of forces beyond their control, that their beliefs and values are the result of some force such as God, other people, the stars, economic conditions, instincts, or one’s racial heritage.