Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher who developed the philosophical system of the Objectivism. She is known for the novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
Early Life and Education
Ayn Rand was born as Alisa Rosenbaum in 1905 in Saint Petersburg in Russia. Her father was a pharmacist and the family was prosperous before the revolution.
She witnessed the Russian Revolution as a child and was hostile to the communist regime. She studied at the University of Petrograd and graduated in history in 1924.
She emigrated to the United States in 1926 and took the name Ayn Rand. She worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter and a script reader.
The Novels
Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. The novel is set in the Soviet Union and criticises the collectivism.
She published the novella Anthem in 1938 and the novel The Fountainhead in 1943. The Fountainhead tells the story of the architect Howard Roark.
She published the novel Atlas Shrugged in 1957. The novel is her magnum opus and sets out the philosophy of the Objectivism.
The novels combine the romantic realism with the philosophical themes. The protagonists are the individualists who are in conflict with the society.
The Objectivism
Rand developed the philosophy that she called the Objectivism. The philosophy holds that the reality is objective and the reason is the only means of the knowledge.
The ethics of the Objectivism is based on the rational self-interest. The philosophy rejects the altruism and the collectivism.
The politics of the Objectivism is the laissez-faire capitalism. The philosophy defends the individual rights and the free market.
She set out the philosophy in the non-fiction books. The works include The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.
The Legacy
Rand died in 1982 in New York. The novels continue to be the bestsellers and the subjects of the study.
The philosophy has influenced the libertarian and the conservative movements. The followers established the institutions to promote the ideas.
She was a controversial figure because of the personality and the dogmatism. The critics and the admirers debate the merit of the philosophy.
She is regarded as one of the most influential of the American writers. The novels have shaped the political and the economic debate.
The Novels
Rand published We the Living in 1936. The novel is set in the Soviet Union.
She published The Fountainhead in 1943. The novel tells the story of the architect Howard Roark.
She published Atlas Shrugged in 1957. The novel is her magnum opus.
The Objectivism
Rand developed the philosophy of the Objectivism. The philosophy holds that the reality is objective.
The ethics is based on the rational self-interest. The philosophy rejects the altruism.
The politics is the laissez-faire capitalism.
The Non-Fiction
Rand wrote the book The Virtue of Selfishness in 1964. The book sets out the ethics of the Objectivism.
She wrote Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. The book defends the free market.
She wrote the book Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology.
The Movement
Rand gathered the followers around her in New York. The group studied the philosophy and the politics.
She wrote the newsletter The Objectivist. The publications promoted the ideas.
The movement influenced the libertarian and the conservative thought.
The Criticism
Rand was the subject of the criticism. The critics questioned the philosophy and the personality.
The admirers defended the originality of the system. The debate continues.
She was a controversial figure in the intellectual life.
The Legacy
Rand died in 1982 in New York. The novels continue to be the bestsellers.
The philosophy has influenced the political and the economic debate. The institutions promote the study of the ideas.
She is regarded as one of the most influential of the American writers.
The Personal Life
Rand married Frank O'Connor in 1929. He was an actor and supported her work.
She was known for her strong personality and her dogmatism. The circle of the followers studied her philosophy.
She died in 1982 and was buried in New York. The novels remain the bestsellers. The philosophy of the Objectivism was set out in the many books and the lectures that she gave throughout her career.
The Influence
Rand was one of the most influential of the American writers. The novels have shaped the political and the economic debate.
The philosophy has influenced the libertarian and the conservative movements. The institutions promote the study of the ideas.
The debate over her legacy continues.
See also
- Objectivism
- Individualism
- Laissez-faire
- Novel
References
- ↑ Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1943.
- ↑ Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. New York: Random House, 1957.
- ↑ Rand, Ayn. The Virtue of Selfishness. New York: New American Library, 1964.
- ↑ Burns, Jennifer. Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.