58 Chapter 3
Similarly,left-winggovernistsof Dawkins’s mindrelishtheirabilities(1) to link social
Darwinismwithfree-marketerslikeAynRand,and(2) to linksocialDarwinismwith
governmentaleugenics.Thisabilityhas providedgoverniststhe opportunityto smear
suchfree-marketersas Randas eugenicists.Pursuantto denouncingSumnerand Herbert
Spenceras socialDarwinists,^37 SusanJacobyassociatesthemwithstate-runeugenicsand
thentriesto associateeveryone of themcollectivelywithtwentieth-centuryfree-market
advocates.SusanJacobysaysthat in the late 1800s,Darwin’s discovery
wastwistedby Sumnerandhis followersintoa socialphilosophy... thatenshrined
competitionand validatedthe worthinessof whoeverand whatevercameout on top....
Sumnerdeclaredemphaticallythat the businesstitansof the GildedAgewere“a product
of naturalselection... justlikethe greatstatesman,or scientificmen,or military
men.”... SocialDarwinismhas neverdied:it manifesteditselfas a bulwarkof eugenics
untilthe SecondWorldWar;in the tediousmidcentury[sic; it shouldbe “mid-century”
witha hyphen]“objectivist” [sic; “Objectivist” is capitalized]philosophyof AynRand....
All of the theoriesincludedin the generalcategoryof socialDarwinismmaybe summed
up in the immortalline utteredby the heroof Rand’sThe Fountainhead(1943):“The only
goodwhichmencan do to one anotherandthe onlystatementof theirproperrelation-
shipis ‘Handsoff!’”^38Jacobyresortsto a specificfatuousinsinuation.It is thatSumnerattributeda business-
man’s successto his genesratherthanto the businessmanhavingexercisedconscious
reasonto adaptto his marketthroughsatisfyingconsumerdemand.We havequashed
thatuntruthalready.Predictably,JacobyquotesRandout of contextin orderto besmirch
her. Followingthe sameplaybookas her right-wingopponentArthurBrooks,Jacobytries
to prejudicethe readerintoinferringthata RandquotationindicatesthatRandthought
thateveryindividualshouldconsciouslyrefrainfromperformingany actionthatmight
benefitsomeoneelse.ThatRandquotationcomesfroma speechgivenby her character
HowardRoark.Roarkedifiesin thatspeechthat,ratherthanhavethe Statebehaveas a
dictatorcontrollingeveryone,it wouldbe betterfor the governmentto havea more
laissez-faire,hands-offapproach.Hereis a fullerquotationof thatsamespeechthatis in
context.The line that Jacobyquotedis in boldface.
Menhavebeentaughtthattheirfirstconcernis to relievethe sufferingof others.But
sufferingis a disease.Shouldone comeuponit, one triesto givereliefand assistance.To
makethat the highesttest of virtueis to makesufferingthe mostimportantpartof life....
In all properrelationshipsthereis no sacrificeof anyoneto anyone.An architectneeds
clients,but he doesnot subordinatehis workto theirwishes.Theyneedhim,but theydo
not ordera housejustto givehima commission.Menexchangetheirworkby free,
mutualconsentto mutualadvantagewhentheirpersonalinterestsagreeandtheyboth
desirethe exchange.If theydo not desireit, theyare not forcedto dealwitheachoth-
er.... Thisis the onlypossibleformof relationshipbetweenequals....
The “commongood” of a collective—a race,a class,a state—wasthe claimand justifica-
tionof everytyrannyeverestablishedovermen.Everymajorhorrorof historywas
committedin the nameof an altruisticmotive.... The mostdreadfulbutcherswerethe
mostsincere.Theybelievedin the perfectsocietyreachedthroughthe guillotineand the
firingsquad.Nobodyquestionedtheirrightto murdersincetheyweremurderingfor an
altruisticpurpose....
Theonlygoodwhichmencan do to one anotherand the onlystatementof theirproper
relationshipis—Handsoff!^39The firstparagraphclarifiesthatRandbelievedin aidingdeservingindividualsin need;
the paragraphsbeforeher “handsoff” statementestablishthatshe wantsgovernistsof
Jacoby’s ilk to ceasetheirmanhandlingof private,peacefulindividuals.Thatmatterslittle
in Jacoby’s writings,whichexhibitfar greaterconcernfor demonizingfree-marketorgan-