Rational egoism requires not only that we exercise independence in our own thought and action, but also that we respect the needs of others in society for mental and physical independence. If others are also rational beings—that is, beings guided (whether successfully or not) by a faculty of mind—then they, like ourselves, require independence in order to function well. Since the various benefits of society (listed above) can be realized fully only insofar as all are permitted to function successfully as rational, productive agents, respect for the independence of others is a vital requirement of one's own self-interest. Rational egoists recognize that they cannot control the minds of other human beings, and that any attempt to do so will merely tend to impair the proper functioning of those minds, to one's own ultimate detriment. In order to benefit from society, we cannot simply regard society as a machine to be harnessed to our own ends.

Because rational individuals respect the need of other human beings to think and act independently, there is no true conflict of interest among them. Such individuals do not expect others to sacrifice their own interests. If rational people disagree, they may attempt to resolve their disagreement by means of rational persuasion. If this method fails, they go their separate ways. But they do not attempt to deal with each other by force, because mind and force are fundamentally incompatible: the mind, which is the creative source behind the production of values, is independent by its nature and cannot be forced.