i have to confess that i read ayn rand voraciously when i was in college. it fit in so well with my american textbooks on business and economics. greed, capitalism and milton friedman were god. rand made sense. i see the world quite differently now. here’s an excellent review of ayn rand’s work: “We’re left with a puzzle about Rand: how could such a mediocrity, not just a second-hander but a second-rater, exert such a continuing influence on the culture at large?”
the answer: “Far from needing explanation, Rand’s success explains itself. Rand worked in that quintessential American proving ground—alongside the likes of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Glenn Beck—where garbage achieves gravitas and bullshit gets blessed.” Full article.