Jennifer Burns on Ayn Rand and the American Right

Ayn Rand still inspires and infuriate decades after her death. Jennifer Burns digs into the ideas and relationships of Ayn Rand in the new book, Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right. She spoke at the Cato Institute October 28, 2009.

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[TheRealFallenDemon]

Left libertarians make me lol. I've actually heard one defend government action to right wrongs, and then go on to say forced association is bad. They seem to be one big pile of walking paradox

[arielbarbero]

Ayn Rand described what this scholar is doing: definition by non essentials.

Anyone who has read Ayn Rand knows that she rejected anarchism and libertarianism. But Bruns focuses on her influence on them (those who never understood

So only those who want to be misled will miss the relevant points. They will laugh at anecdotes and be pleased to hear that she was just another curious woman with some influence in politics. Problem solved. Really ?

Toohey never solved a problem called Roark

[freezzertime]

now l remember. l saw her a while back here on YouTube. Exactly how did she attain this particular position? She isn't in fact bringing anything new to Rand´s ideas..she´s merely regurgitating them rather poorly and without passion l might add...strange times these are...Rand was correct when she said ´´anyone can take over when there is no real philosophy to speak of´´.

[Sam26100]

@ arielbarbero

You are very right sir :)

[uncleavi2002]

I always thought that the right would never really accept Rand due to her Atheism.

[fadinboy]

do you mean like when robert nozick admitted that today's entitlements are historically illegitimate and was forced to advocate a complete redistribution? or maybe we should talk about his belief that government is only legitimate to protect property rights? is health not important?

[johnisfun]

sorry but i can't listen to her voice! nothing against her or the content of the speech...

[MarmaladeINFP]

Rand's objectivist movement, once split from the liberal libertarian's altruistic ideals of the government's role in public life, spawned the materialistic 80s with it's love of capitalism and self-interest. It's odd that Republicans who embodied this spirit also found support from the religious right. The marriage of Rand's evangelism and Christian evangelism gave birth to one truly ugly child. I wonder why Republicans have ever since been the biggest spenders even while denounding big govt.

[MarmaladeINFP]

@djyankee251

That was an awesome summary. :)

And from the lineage of Reagan's we get the Bush family. Rand would roll in her grave to see the evagnelical neoconservatism that her ideas helped to promote.

[MarmaladeINFP]

@TheRealFallenDemon

It depends on what kind of left. Many libertarians are social liberals, and not all liberals are for big government.

[titosantucci]

Burns is saying that it was Ayn Rand that kept the modern libertarian movement from going collectivist/socialist- WHAT? Rothbard was an Austrian! What about the Austrians? What about the Jeffersonians? I haven't read her book, but from this it seems that Burns is leaving out the libertarians when she speaks about the libertarians.