In Erich Fromm's book Escape from Freedom the author sums up Martin Luther's acknowledgement of man's selfishness: "Luther assumed the existence of an innate evilness in man's nature, which directs his will for evil and makes it impossible for man to perform any good deed on the basis of his nature."" Man is limited to preserving and pleasing his individual, selfish actions are the result of this deficiency. .
Man is constantly striving for superiority. Through competition man gains validity and a false sense of honor. The most significant periods of history are marked by battles, plagues, expeditions, and discoveries - all of which clearly mark the superiority of an individual and the inferiority of the rest. This need for superiority can be applied Darwin's theory of evolution; that only the best will survive and mate with other superiors. Unfortunately man's quest for superiority goes beyond merely surviving and mating, as demonstrated by capitalism, fascism, totalitarianism, and more commonly, racism. Racism is exhibited by ignorant, sad little people who are unable to find virtues within themselves that make them superior in some sense. A racist has nothing within himself that is superior to others, and therefore he proclaims his skin color (a color he did not choose) to be superior to all others. Though an intelligent person could declare this as unreasonable, men who proclaim racial superiority are generally without reason. .
Unrealized potential is the most common deficiency displayed by man. Acceptance of the status quo leads to an abandonment of belief in the fantastic abilities each individual can possess. In the science fiction novel Anthem by Ayn Rand readers are introduced to a dystopian society where man's place in society is chosen for him:.
"'Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you.