From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man – the function of his reasoning mind.

~Ayn Rand 

 

Read Atlas Shrugged if you are having trouble understanding what is happening in the economy today.

The election of the first radical socialist as the President of the United States and the prospect of a severe recession in the economy should lead to a resurgence of interest in Ayn Rand’s ideas.

View the videos below to get a brief introduction to her ideas in her own words and those who followed her.

 

The Fountainhead

 

The Fountainhead – Howard Roark Speech (Ayn Rand)

 

Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 1

 

Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 2

 

Ayn Rand Mike Wallace Interview 1959 part 3

 

Ayn Rand Phil Donahue Interview Part 1 of 5

 

Ayn Rand Phil Donahue Interview Part 2 of 5

 

Ayn Rand Phil Donahue Interview Part 3 of 5

 

Ayn Rand Phil Donahue Interview Part 4 of 5

 

Ayn Rand Phil Donahue Interview Part 5 of 5

 

Ayn Rand Interview with Tom Snyder, (1 of 3)

 

Ayn Rand Interview with Tom Snyder, (2 of 3)

 

Ayn Rand Interview with Tom Snyder, (3 of 3)

 

 

Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).

~Ayn Rand

 

Background Articles and Videos

 

Ayn Rand

“Ayn Rand (IPA: /ˈaɪn ˈrænd/, February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum (Russian: Алиса Зиновьевна Розенбаум), was a Russian-born American novelist, philosopher,^[1] playwright and screenwriter. She is widely known for her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and for developing a philosophical system called Objectivism.

Rand advocated rational individualism and laissez-faire capitalism, categorically rejecting socialism, altruism, and religion. Her ideas remain both influential and controversial. …”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand

 

Ayn Rand® Institute (ARI).

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index

 

Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

“Ayn Rand is a major intellectual of the twentieth century. Born in Russia in 1905 and educated there, she immigrated to the United States after graduating from university. Upon becoming proficient in English and establishing herself as a writer in the U.S., she became well-known as a passionate advocate of her philosophy, Objectivism. Rand’s philosophy is in the Aristotelian tradition, with that tradition’s emphasis upon metaphysical naturalism, empirical reason in epistemology, and self-realization in ethics. Her political philosophy is in the classical liberal tradition, with that tradition’s emphasis upon individualism, the constitutional protection of individual rights to life, liberty, and property, and limited government. She wrote both technical and popular works of philosophy, and she presented her philosophy in both fictional and non-fictional forms. Her philosophy has influenced several generations of academics and public intellectuals, as well as having had widespread popular appeal.  …”

http://www.iep.utm.edu/r/rand.htm

 

Ayn Rand

 

The Resurgence of Big Government – Ayn Rand Center – 1 of 2

 

The Resurgence of Big Government – Ayn Rand Center – 2 of 2

 

The Great Depression – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Internet Regulation – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Capitalism in China: Should We Trade With Them? – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

 

Why Yaron Brook Is Optimistic about Ayn Rand’s Influence

 

Liberate, Don’t Stimulate, the Economy – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 1 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 2 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 3 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 4 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 5 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 6 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 7 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 8 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 9 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Capitalism, Question 10 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Which Government is the Most Laissez-Faire? Past & Future- Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Adam Smith vs. Ayn Rand – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Ayn Rand’s Ideas: An Introduction – Ayn Rand Institute

 

 

Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, Ed Snider Speech

 

Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, Ed Snider Speech 2

 

The Perfect Crime, Morality, and Honesty – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Kids and Sharing Toys – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Should we Prosecute Nazis? – Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

 

Too Big To Bail – Ayn Rand Institute Op-Ed by Alex Epstein

 

The Morality of Capitalism 1 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 2 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 3 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 4 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 5 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 6 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

The Morality of Capitalism 7 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Your Child Is Not State Property – Ayn Rand Institute Op-Ed

 

Yaron Brook on Immigration Policy 1 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Yaron Brook on Immigration Policy 2 – Ayn Rand Institute

 

Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

 

Ron Paul discusses Ayn Rand

 

AYN RAND’s message to the GOP CANDIDATES