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“Ayn Rand and Objectivism: Why the Bad Rap?”
Presented by Catherine Francis

Ayn Rand, who was born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum in 1905 in Russia, was a devout atheist. Having lived through the Bolshevik Revolution, the nationalization of her father’s pharmacy business and many privations, she came to the United States in 1926 and eventually became a best-selling author and founder of an almost cult-like movement known as Objectivism. Ayn Rand’s philosophy was based on rational and scientific thought. She abhorred mysticism. In this respect her philosophy aligns with some of the basic tenets of secular humanism. Yet she is almost universally disliked other than, ironically, by right wing religious zealots whom she would have despised. Why?

Ayn Rand’s most famous novels were The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, both of which embody her philosophy. Her heroes are rugged individualists. Atlas Shrugged, which is well over 1,000 pages long and includes long passages describing Ayn Rand’s philosophy, depicts a dystopian United States where the prime movers are oppressed by government regulation and go on strike, leading to the collapse of the economy. Hence the title. Her novels have been described by many as boring, but that’s the least of the criticism. To capture the essence of Objectivism, I asked Chat GPT for a brief description of her philosophy. The result was surprisingly neutral and non-judgmental.

“Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Ayn Rand. It emphasizes:
1. **Reality:** Objective reality exists independently of consciousness or beliefs. Facts are facts, regardless of anyone's wishes or feelings.
2. **Reason:** Reason is the only means of acquiring knowledge. It advocates for rational thinking and rejects faith or mysticism.
3. **Self-interest:** The pursuit of one's own happiness and self-interest is the highest moral purpose. Altruism is seen as incompatible with individual rights.
4. **Capitalism:** The ideal social system is laissez-faire capitalism, where individuals trade value for value in a free market without government interference.
In essence, Objectivism promotes rational self-interest and individual rights as the foundation of a moral and prosperous society.”

Here is a two minute video explaining these concepts.

Ayn Rand - Her Philosophy in Two Minutes

There are countless articles denouncing Ayn Rand.    But many of the articles denounce her based on her followers, not necessarily on an in-depth examination of her underlying beliefs and ideals.  Here is an example from The Guardian, dating back to 2017, the beginning of the Trump era.

The new age of Ayn Rand: how she won over Trump and Silicon Valley

My own view is that Ayn Rand would have been appalled by Donald Trump and his ilk.  She would also have been appalled by the radical left wing, and events currently playing out on University campuses.  She would certainly have hated the fact that her followers have cherry-picked her writings, leaving out the most important part of her philosophy - a rejection of religion.

Ayn Rand was a feminist in her own way, believing that men and women equally enjoyed the right to self-determination, while rejecting much of the collectivist feminist movement. She believed in a woman’s right to abortion, which Trump and his religious right wing followers worked hard at destroying in the United States and ultimately succeeded.  

Her atheism, promotion of individualism and capitalism and denial of the virtue of altruism reject many of the ideals of both religion, particularly Christian ideals, and the liberal left. But at its core, was her philosophy wrong? She foreshadowed the collapse of the Soviet Union and most communist regimes around the world. The prosperity we currently enjoy is due in large measure to the capitalist system that Ayn Rand revered. Would any of us really want to live 200 years ago, even 100 years ago, let alone thousands of years ago?  

Many of the world’s problems lie at the feet of religious zealotry, irrational thought and denial of individual rights.

Is rational self-interest really evil? Think of Richard Dawkins’ seminal work The Selfish Gene, where “selfish” is descriptive, not a moral judgment.

Ultimately, is Humanism compatible with Objectivism?

Join us for a no doubt lively discussion.