Ayn Rand, from Petrograd to Atlas Shrugged.
A reference to the novelist and philosopher: what she wrote and when, who lives in her novels, what Objectivism actually holds, and where her most quoted lines really appear.
The novels
- 1936We the Living
Set in Petrograd after the Russian Revolution, it follows Kira Argounova, a young woman who wants to be an engineer, and the two men she loves, Leo Kovalensky and the Communist Andrei Taganov.
- 1938Anthem
A short dystopia set in a future collectivist society where the word "I" has been lost.
- 1943The Fountainhead
The story of Howard Roark, a modernist architect who refuses to compromise his designs, set against Peter Keating, who builds a career on others' approval.
- 1957Atlas Shrugged
In a United States sliding into collectivism, the country's most productive people begin to disappear.
Where to start
- 1Anthem
Short enough to read in an evening, and introduces the theme of the individual against the collective.
- 2The Fountainhead
Rand's most approachable novel: one man's integrity, in the world of architecture.
- 3We the Living
Her most personal book, drawn from her own life in Soviet Russia.
- 4Atlas Shrugged
The long one. Read it after The Fountainhead, when you know what Rand is building towards.
Objectivism, concept by concept
Each concept in plain words, with the book where Rand sets it out and the most common misreading where there is one.
- ObjectivismRand's name for her philosophy as a whole.
- Primacy of existenceExistence comes first; consciousness perceives it but does not create it.
- ReasonThe faculty that identifies and integrates what the senses provide; for Rand, man's only means of knowledge.
- Rational self-interestEach person's own life is their highest value, pursued by reason and without sacrificing others.
- The trader principleDealing with others by voluntary exchange of value for value.
- ProductivenessCreating the values one's life requires; one of the virtues in Rand's ethics.
- Individual rightsMoral principles that define and protect a person's freedom of action in society.
- Non-initiation of forceNo one may start the use of physical force against others.
- Laissez-faire capitalismA social system based on individual rights, including property rights, with government separated from economics.
- The sanction of the victimThe good enabling evil by accepting its moral judgement of them.
- The second-handerA person who lives through others' opinions rather than their own judgement.
- Romantic realism and sense of lifeRand's view of art as a concretisation of values, and of the emotional sum of a person's view of existence.
- Concept formation (measurement omission)Concepts are formed by retaining what things share and omitting their particular measurements.
- Objectivism in brief: the five branches on one page
Quoted, and where
“That's not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
The Fountainhead, Part One, Chapter 1. The source of the widely shared misquotation "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." Rand did not write that sentence.
Essays
- Introduction to Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Objectivism is a comprehensive philosophical system addressing metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. Here is a clear, accessible introduction to its core principles.
- Atlas Shrugged Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis: Part One
Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus and one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. This analysis breaks down Part One, 'Non-Contradiction', chapter by chapter.
- The Fountainhead: Themes of Individualism and Creative Integrity
The Fountainhead is Ayn Rand's first major novel and a powerful exploration of individualism versus conformity. Its themes of creative integrity and independent thinking remain powerfully relevant.
- Ayn Rand: A Life Devoted to Reason and Freedom
Born in St. Petersburg, shaped by the Russian Revolution, and destined to become one of America's most influential thinkers, Ayn Rand's life story is as dramatic as her novels.
- Rational Self-Interest Explained: Why It Is Not What You Think
Ayn Rand's concept of rational self-interest is widely misunderstood. It does not mean doing whatever feels good; it means living by the guidance of reason for long-term flourishing.
- The Virtue of Selfishness: Reclaiming a Misunderstood Concept
Rand's essay collection 'The Virtue of Selfishness' deliberately provokes with its title. The arguments inside are more nuanced, and more challenging, than most critics acknowledge.