Objectively Speaking: Ayn Rand Interviewed
Freelance writer Podritske and author Schwartz (The Foreign Policy of Self-Interest) have selected 32 lectures and interviews from the 60-year career of writer and conservative philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982), founder of objectivism, beginning with her first interview in 1923, on the Depression ("Americans... don't even know what a depression is"), when the Russian émigré had just sold her first story to Universal Studios. Rand's 1943 novel Fountainhead catapulted her to success (amplified by the release of a film version) that was solidified in 1957 by her 1100-page magnum opus Atlas Shrugged. Both novels and later non-fiction were conceived as vehicles for "objectivism," a laissez-faire world-view based around the ethics of "rational self-interest" (a more familiar iteration might be "Greed is Good"); among her followers were Leonard Peikoff and a young Alan Greenspan. Though she knew hers was "an extreme and unpopular viewpoint," she was a tireless advocate for "full, unregulated, uncontrolled capitalism," and a harsh opponent of conservatives who "tie their political views to religion." With transcripts from speeches, television appearances, radio shows and more, this will no doubt please Rand's fans and provide a great resource for students.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.