American Objectivist Philosopher
[1905-1982]
Rand is best known as a capitivating writer who was a proponent of self-happiness and a hedonistic lifestyle.
Born in Russia, she moved to the US in 1936 and eventually settled in Hollywood, where she worked on a few unsuccessful plays. Her focus shifted to novels and her first works include We the Living and Anthem, which focus on the perils of totalitarianism.
Later she wrotes work such as The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged . In Atlas Shrugged Rand fully developed the idea of individualism; do whatever you want to make yourself happy.
Her concept of "objectivism" is defined as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason as his only absolute."
Rand's works include:
For the New Intellectual [1961]
The Virtue of Selfishness [1964]
Capitolism, the Unknown Ideal [1966]
The Romantic Manifesto [1969]
The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution [1971]
Intro to Objectivist Epistemology [1979]
Other sources of information
The Window-Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism
All About Ayn Rand
Want to reach me? E-mail me at nickhil@nickhil.com
