Claim: Ayn Rand opposed control of economic policy.

Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand -LRB- 1905 -- 1982 -RRB- . Rand first expressed Objectivism in her fiction , most notably The Fountainhead -LRB- 1943 -RRB- and Atlas Shrugged -LRB- 1957 -RRB- , and later in non-fiction essays and books . Leonard Peikoff , a professional philosopher and Rand 's designated intellectual heir , later gave it a more formal structure . Peikoff characterizes Objectivism as a `` closed system '' that is not subject to change .   Objectivism 's central tenets are that reality exists independently of consciousness , that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception , that one can attain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive logic , that the proper moral purpose of one 's life is the pursuit of one 's own happiness -LRB- rational self-interest -RRB- , that the only social system consistent with this morality is one that displays full respect for individual rights embodied in laissez-faire capitalism , and that the role of art in human life is to transform humans ' metaphysical ideas by selective reproduction of reality into a physical form -- a work of art -- that one can comprehend and to which one can respond emotionally .   Academic philosophers have mostly ignored or rejected Rand 's philosophy . Nonetheless , Objectivism has been a significant influence among libertarians and American conservatives . The Objectivist movement , which Rand founded , attempts to spread her ideas to the public and in academic settings .