Ayn Rand

Guide Note

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was an author and philosopher born in Russia who founded the philosophy of objectivism. Her books Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are two of the biggest selling novels of all time. In the foreword to Atlas Shrugged, Rand described her philosophy in these terms: “My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” Critics of objectivism feel it encourages selfishness and egoism. Rand has a large following in the business community; former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan delivered lectures on objectivism in the early 1970s and was a member of Rand's inner circle.

Fast Facts

1. Born: St. Petersburg, Russia
2. Lived in Russia through the Bolshevik Revolution, 1917.
3. Arrived in United States in 1926
4. Moved to Hollywood to become a screenwriter in 1920s
5. First novel: We the Living (1936)
6. Fountainhead published: 1943
7. No. of copies of Fountainhead sold since publication: 1 million +
8. Philosophical influences: Nietzsche, Kant, Aristotle

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