Values

[yessir]

Quick question:

Are values only shown in the action of a person, or can one assume underlying “internal” value rankings.

For example I have heard Ayn Rand say:

To sacrifice for another is altruism and is wrong (I know i’m butchering her thoughts but just as a summary)

Sacrifice however is OK if you value the other person’s well being over what ever else you could have done with the money/time.

So then my question is, if one does sacrefice something would that action show automatically that one values the other person more (since value rankings can only be seen in course of action)? Meaning that altruism in that sense is not possible? or does that mean that altruism is only possible if the goverment(or some other instituion) FORCES the sacrifice of your property to help another.

Or is it possible for an outsider to say that some person is not acting according to their values (which doesn’t seem to make sense)

[fuman]

I think that you are using the term sacrifice wrong. It is charity when you willingly give something to someone because you want them to benefit from it more than you want whatever it is you give. Did you unwillingly (sacrifice) give the thing or did you willingly (charitably) give it? For me a sacrifice can only be something that is taken whether through physical force or some use of emotional force, and I willingly did not give. Ayn Rand generally looks at sacrifice the same way.