History Creator / AYNRAND

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). In fact, she managed to spin it that paradoxically (and conveniently) it is the very people who object to government aid who have the right to have it. [[note]]The argument being that those who oppose welfare are having their money taken from them by force, entitling them to "their money back." Whereas those who support such social programs contribute willingly in the hope of some return, ipso facto rendering them "parasites" and unworthy of help.[[/note]] These aspects of Rand's character have even been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). In fact, she managed to spin it that paradoxically (and conveniently) it is the very people who object to government aid who have a right to have it. [[note]]The argument being that those who oppose welfare are having their money taken from them by force, entitling them to "their money back." Whereas those who support such social programs contribute willingly in hope of some return, ipso facto rendering them "parasites" unworthy of help.[[/note]] These aspects of Rand's character have even been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]], although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals).[[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludwig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right". (Ayn Rand did, however, admire one contemporary, considering William Hickman "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy", a man responsible for "the most horrible crime of the 1920s", the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marion_Parker death of a girl named Marion Parker]] in 1927 and speculates about [[YMMV/Joker2019 the society that turned him into "a purposeless monster."]].)

Regardless, the socio-economic and political implications of her philosophy mean that it has continued to receive heavy funding and promotion. Think-tanks founded by Objectivism's proponents, such as [[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index&cvridirect=true the Ayn Rand Institute]] and [[http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ The Atlas Society]], have promoted Objectivist ideas for many decades, and lobbyists have successfully put her books on the political philosophy courses in several colleges in the USA. That said, Objectivism is not entirely an "{{Astroturf}}" ('fake grassroots') movement. There was a genuine upswing of popular interest in Rand and other Neoliberal and Austrian philosophers such as Hayek, Friedman, and von Mises in the period between the Savings and Loan Bust of 1986-1995 and the Great Recession of 2008, and particularly between 1995 and the popping of the DotCom bubble in 2001.

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). In fact, she managed to spin it that paradoxically (and conveniently) it is the very people who object to government aid who have a right to have it. [[note]]The argument being that those who oppose welfare are having their money taken from them by force, entitling them to "their money back." Whereas those who support such social programs do so willingly in hope of some return, ipso facto rendering them unworthy of it.[[/note]] These aspects of Rand's character have even been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). In fact, she managed to spin it that paradoxically (and conveniently) it is the very people who object to government aid who have a right to have it. These aspects of Rand's character have even been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). These aspects of Rand's character have even been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

** This is also apparent in the way she tends to lump opposed ideologies together whose own adherents see themselves as very different from each other. For example, she rejected both religion and Marxism on the ground that they were irrationally altruistic, and many of the academic faux-intellectuals in [[Literature/AtlasShrugged]] are more post-modern than Marxist (Marxism being a modernist grand narrative about class struggle, and post-modernism being a rejection of modernist grand narratives). Compare Alt-Lite figures such as Jordan Petersen, who similarly broadbrush disparate ideologies they do not share.

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right". (Ayn Rand did, however, admire one contemporary, considering William Hickman "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy", a man responsible for "the most horrible crime of the 1920s", the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marion_Parker death of a girl named Marion Parker]] in 1927 and speculates about [[YMMV/Joker2019 the society that turned him into "a purposeless monster."]].)

Regardless, the socio-economic and political implications of her philosophy mean that it has continued to receive heavy funding and promotion. Think-tanks founded by Objectivism's proponents, such as [[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index&cvridirect=true the Ayn Rand Institute]] and [[http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ The Atlas Society]], have promoted Objectivist ideas for many decades, and Lobbyists have successfully put her books on the political philosophy courses in several colleges in the USA. That said, Objectivism is not entirely an "{{Astroturf}}" ('fake grassroots') movement. There was a genuine upswing of popular interest in Rand and other Neoliberal and Austrian philosophers such as Hayek, Friedman, and von Mises in the period between the Savings and Loan Bust of 1986-1995 and the Great Recession of 2008, and particularly between 1995 and the popping of the DotCom bubble in 2001.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Famously regarded evil as "impotent", only having power that good people ''allow'' it to have. As such--with perhaps the ''sole'' exception of ''The Fountainhead's'' Ellsworth M. Toohey--villains are portrayed in Rand's works as comically pretty inept and clueless.
* ForHappiness[=/=]TheNeedsOfTheMany: Many of the antagonists she writes have a utilitarian point of view, noting that people who try to create a better world or bring happiness to others do so for "selfish" purposes. As mentioned in UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} useful notes, she was critical about this trope when discussing about "altruism" (Auguste Comte's version of altruism).
** For her part, Objectivism holds "man's happiness" as a central tenent, and a motivation for one's existence. However, Rand was sure to emphasize that:

* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: ''We the Living'' was reissued in a version that rewrote some passages to remove aspects that were inconsistent with the philosophy she later developed.

** Ayn Rand's Objectivism is very similar to UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} as both puts a lot of emphasis in metaphysics, values the reason of existence, and free will. The major difference is that while existentialism emphasizes ''subjectivity'' in finding a purpose in life, ''Objectivism'', as the name implies, values objectivity instead. Ayn Rand mentioned that she would have called her philosophical beliefs "existentialism" if the name wasn't taken already.

* This is also apparent in the way she tends to lump opposed ideologies together whose own adherents see themselves as very different from each other. For example, she rejected both religion and Marxism on the ground that they were irrationally altruistic, and many of the academic faux-intellectuals in [[Literature/AtlasShrugged]] are more post-modern than Marxist (Marxism being a modernist grand narrative about class struggle, and post-modernism being a rejection of modernist grand narratives). Compare Alt-Lite figures such as Jordan Petersen, who similarly broadbrush disparate ideologies they do not share.

* {{Ubermensch}}: Most of her protagonists, though Rand herself distanced herself from Creator/{{Nietzsche}}'s ideas later on, calling him a mystic and an irrationalist. Assuredly, Nietzschean inspired writers have said the same things about her, with Rand having no prominent place in any academic school of philosophy.

* At the start and end of ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman: Cacophony]]'', ComicBook/TheJoker is seen reading the Fountainhead, though he gets interrupted both times. At the start he calls it a kneeslapper, [[ComicBook/{{Deadshot}} Deadshot]] tells him not to mock it, since it's one of his personal favorites.

* Creator/BradBird has a famously [[MisaimedFandom complicated relationship]] with Objectivism and other such Randian philosophies. Characters in his films typically deviate from the rest of their societies and societal standards due to their having some noted skill or being something that makes them unique, with either their ill-informed government or social environment trying to either force them into conformity or destroy them. ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' alone has been called a better adaptation of ''Literature/TheFountainhead'' than the actual movie adaptation while libertarians have interpreted ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' as an individualist allegory. Meanwhile, ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' and ''Film/{{Tomorrowland}}'' seem to carry a philosophy that some people are just objectively better than others and should be respected as such. It's worth noting, however, than in all of these cases, the main characters are ''completely altruistic'', using their individual specialness exclusively for the benefit of others rather than personal gain. That said, while Bird insists than any objectivist readings of his work are completely unintentional, he ''is'' a self-proclaimed centrist, so the individualist aspect isn't completely benign (though he'd later change his mind and say he leans more towards liberal).

* The Literature/ChaosTimeline has a rough equivalent with Sophie Stein: Both were born Jewish but later became atheists, had to flee from a leftist dictatorship, changed their name, took radical anti-leftist positions and are very controversial.
* Creator/JayNaylor's works, including ''Webcomic/BetterDays'' and ''Webcomic/OriginalLife'' contain a lot of Objectivist themes; and even a few direct quotes.

** The sequel goes on to skewer collectivism, with Sofia Lamb replacing Andrew Ryan. This supports the idea that [[GoldenMeanFallacy the real evil is any idea taken to extremes.]]

* This is also apparent in the way she tends to lump opposed ideologies together whose own adherents see themselves as very different from each other. For example, she rejected both religion and Marxism on the ground that they were irrationally altruistic, and many of the academic faux-intellectuals in ''[[Literature/AtlasShrugged]]'' are more post-modern than Marxist (Marxism being a modernist grand narrative about class struggle, and post-modernism being a rejection of modernist grand narratives). Compare other Alt-Lite figures such as Jordan Petersen, who similarly broadbrush disparate ideologies they do not share.

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right". (Ayn Rand did, however, admire one contemporary, considering William Hickman "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy" , a man responsible for "the most horrible crime of the 1920s", the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marion_Parker death of a girl named Marion Parker]] in 1927.)

Regardless, the socio-economic and political implications of her philosophy mean that it has continued to receive heavy funding and promotion. Think-tanks founded by Objectivism's proponents, such as [[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index&cvridirect=true the Ayn Rand Institute]] and [[http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ The Atlas Society]], have promoted Objectivist ideas for many decades, and Lobbyists have successfully put her books on the political philosophy courses in several colleges in the USA. That said, Objectivism is not entirely an "Astroturf" ('fake grassroots') movement. There was a genuine upswing of popular interest in Rand and other Neoliberal and Austrian philosophers such as Hayek, Friedman, and von Mises in the period between the Savings and Loan Bust of 1986-1995 and the Great Recession of 2008, and particularly between 1995 and the popping of the DotCom bubble in 2001.

*** Ironically, Spock often expressed his belief that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few", which is Utilitarianism. [[note]]As mentioned elsewhere, however, it's doubtful that Rand would have a problem with [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]], however, as her heroes' 'selfish' goal of self-betterment could easily require one of these, as when Dominique Francon is ready to give up her career in order to help keep the newspaper The Banner running and defend her true love in Literature/TheFountainhead.[[/note]]Ultimately, he sacrificed his life to save the entire crew in ''Star Trek II'' (though the term "sacrifice" is a misnomer, since he would have perished anyway along with the rest of the ship and crew, regardless of whether he acted or not). Then again, this was turned around in ''Star Trek III'', in which the crew (after finding out that they can return Spock to life) sacrifice their careers to save him, because as Kirk says, the needs of the one were were more important than the many (and again, "sacrifice" is a strong word because [=McCoy=] is also doomed if they fail to act). Following from this, the revived Spock in ''Star Trek IV'' agrees that they must risk their entire mission to save Chekov, because it is the human thing to do (though once again, the "risk" is questionable). So Spock actually grappled with this question at length: whether the needs of the many outweigh those of the few, and how to reconcile the choice with logic and/or emotion. There's an [[https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/2013/09/spocks-illogic-the-needs-of-the-many-outweigh-the-needs-of-the-few/ interesting Objectivist column]] that debates Spock's actions.

Ayn Rand and Objectivism are both very polarizing subjects on the internet and elsewhere. InternetBackdraft often results from mentions of her work, largely because of her philosophy but also because of [[AuthorFilibuster the poor quality of the prose demonstrated in "Atlas Shrugged" and elsewhere]]. Ironically, among academic philosophers her work is one of the few subjects that ''isn't'' particularly polarizing - nearly everyone hates it. When the first academic book about Rand's philosophy appeared in 1971, its author declared writing about Rand "a treacherous undertaking" that could lead to "guilt by association" merely for taking her seriously. [[RightForTheWrongReasons Even philosophers like Robert Nozick who agree with most of her conclusions think her arguments for them are incoherent]].

* A hologram of her is a major character in Creator/MattRuff's novel ''Literature/SewerGasAndElectric''.

** Not to mention the fact that Ryan is a SpearCounterpart CaptainErsatz for Rand. He's even of Russian origin, just as she was.

Unfortunately, given the polarizing nature of Rand's work, this page can be caught up in an Administrivia/EditWar from time to time. To make it clear, this page is NOT about [[Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike what your evaluation of Rand, her works or her ideas is]]. Any contributions should observe the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement.

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right". (Ayn Rand did, however, consider William Hickman "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy" , a man responsible for "the most horrible crime of the 1920s", the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Marion_Parker death of a girl named Marion Parker]] in 1927.

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right".

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause. but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right".

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]] [[/note]] Although this only applied to America; Rand considered the film "A Song to Remember" collectivist propaganda because it has Frederick Chopin sacrifice himself for a patriotic cause) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right".

Objectivism is distinguished not just by its rejection of collective identity including family, gender, race, community, socialism, and communism (but not nationalism, [[ImmigrantPatriotism as she came to love the USA as "the only moral country in the history of the world"]]) but by its rejection of Auguste Comte's definition of 'altruism' (sacrifice of an individual to benefit other individuals). [[note]]It is worth noting that [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifices]] are by no means discouraged in this system; only in Objectivist terminology they would not be called sacrifices, since they involve giving one's life or comfort for something one values more, which is selfish by Ayn Rand's definition.[[/note]] She rejected virtually all historical philosophers save Aristotle and virtually all her contemporaries except Ludvig von Mises, and expressed disdain even for the political movements which embraced her ideas - such as the USA's Libertarian Party, or as she called them, "hippies of the right".

** Rand herself was on record as [[OneOfUs having liked]] ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Not surprisingly, her favorite character was Spock.

Ayn Rand and Objectivism are both very polarizing subjects on the internet and elsewhere. InternetBackdraft often results from mentions of her work, largely because of her philosophy but also because of [[AuthorFilibuster the poor quality of the prose demonstrated in "Atlas Shrugged" and elsewhere]]. Ironically, among academic philosophers her work is one of the few subjects that ''isn't'' particularly polarizing - nearly everyone hates it. When the first academic book about Rand's philosophy appeared in 1971, its author declared writing about Rand "a treacherous undertaking" that could lead to "guilt by association" merely for taking her seriously. Even philosophers like Robert Nozick who agree with most of her conclusions think her arguments for them are incoherent.

Regardless, the socio-economic and political implications of her philosophy mean that it has continued to receive heavy funding and promotion. Think-tanks founded by Objectivism's proponents, such as [[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index&cvridirect=true the Ayn Rand Institute]] and [[http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ The Atlas Society]], have promoted Objectivist ideas for many decades, and Lobbyists have successfully put her books on the political philosophy courses in several colleges in the USA. That said, Objectivism is not entirely an "Astroturf" ('fake grassroots') movement. There was a genuine upswing in popular interest in Neoliberal and Austrian philosophers including Rand, Friedman, and von Mises in the period between the Savings and Loan Bust of 1986-1995 and the Great Recession of 2008-, and particularly between 1995 and the popping of the DotCom bubble in 2001.

Unfortunately, Rand as a figure generates intense feelings of either seething hatred or ([[http://www.amazon.com/Ayn-Rand-Cult-Jeff-Walker/dp/0812693906 some]] [[http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml say]]) cultish adoration and as such debates over the content of her ideas have a general tendency to spill over into debates about her as a person. For instance, several Rand critics question [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/ her ability to stay true to her own principles]]. She may have also received [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ford/ayn-rand-and-the-vip-dipe_b_792184.html government aid]] after getting lung cancer, but Rand herself argued that if someone had paid taxes to fund these systems then they "have a clear right to any refund of their own money" (see [[http://www.reason.com/blog/2011/01/30/rand-on-the-dole here]]). These aspects of Rand's character have been criticized by several Objectivists. While Rand's personal eccentricities do not necessarily prove anything about the validity or invalidity of her philosophy, Rand did [[http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/60120/index2.html once]] point to herself as proof that her philosophy could work in the real world.

** Ayn Rand's Objectivism is very similar to Useful/{{Existentialism}} as both puts a lot of emphasis in metaphysics, values the reason of existence, and free will. The major difference is that while existentialism emphasizes ''subjectivity'' in finding a purpose in life, ''Objectivism'', as the name implies, values objectivity instead. Ayn Rand mentioned that she would have called her philosophical beliefs "existentialism" if the name wasn't taken already.