Humanity In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged describes in length various philosophical attitudes of humanity. Attitudes such as: what defines an ideal man? What is the moral code that defines a man’s existence? The character, Hank Rearden at his trial and in the events of the story, fights the moral codes: “Nothing is absolute” (265), "Reality is only an illusion” (498) proposed by the great intellect, Dr. Simon Pritchett. “Nothing exists but contradictions" (341) the affirmative stance of a scientist, Dr. Robert Stadler. “Pleasure is not an essential of existence” (498) by Bertram Scudder, a man that totally disagrees with Hank Rearden life’s goal of happiness and pleasure as his reward for productivity.
Those codes are the philosophical contradictions to Rearden’s moral premise he battles at his trial, and the events of the story. Though Rearden fakes reality to be inexistent, yet he later realizes truth as the wholeness of reality. “I am happy that I have seen the

Damns the strength-drainers of a man’s mind to a non-absolute emptiness! Damns the public that takes all and leaves none! He also damns the people that do not believe in the essence of reality that a man has to be his own absolute! He damns the rich and poor that agree to the superiority of liberalism! “I will have no part of it” Rearden said, declares his stance to stand by his moral code; to make his earned profit for the pleasure of his own life. A code that Francisco d’Anconia, a productive genius who shares Rearden ‘inner mind transparency of control,’ reminds him that “man's motive power is his moral code” (455). Rearden affirms his stance not to be categorized as one of the take all, leave none nor regarded in the self-destructive premise camouflaged as justice soliciting for the public’s wellbeing. He refuses to submit his mind to the command of the looters. He stands by his moral code “to be a man who pays his own way”