“Neoclassical Liberalism,” Property Rights, and Capitalism

Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi have a thought-provoking piece entitled, "A Bleeding Heart History of Libertarianism," in the latest Cato Unbound. They criticize postwar libertarians (specifically mentioning Mises, Rand, and Rothbard) for seeing property rights as absolute and, in their view, regarding the welfare of the working poor as irrelevant to moral justifications for capitalism: …

Atlas Shrugged Thoughts

So I finally read Atlas Shrugged (I haven't seen the movie yet). I'd heard about the novel in libertarian circles for a long time, of course, but I'd never read it. I had read some of Rand's nonfiction, and I knew going into Atlas that I disagreed with Rand's philosophy on several fundamental points. Indeed, …

Interview with Atlas Shrugged Movie Producer Harmon Kaslow

We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to interview Atlas Shrugged movie producer Harmon Kaslow during the opening weekend of the film.  Here are his responses to some of our questions:   1.         Who is your favorite Rand character? Henry Rearden. He's the focused, hard-working, innovator, visionary entrepreneur ... and even though he has an …

Is Atlas Shrugged Coming to a Theatre Near You?

If the answer is no, here's a link where you can help create an incentive for a local cinema to show the film.  In true Randian (and Smithian) fashion, it is not out of altruism that the typical theatre is going to show Atlas Shrugged but out of the self-interested desire to earn a profit (of course, in doing …

Sunday Morning Quotation (Valentine’s Day Season Edition) – Ayn Rand on Love

Given that the movie version of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is coming out soon and that it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, I thought it appropriate to post Rand's observation on love from her famous - and wonderful -interview with Playboy magazine (Caveat: link may contain advertising on the edges of the screen inappropriate for the workplace …

Atlas Shrugged – Movie Update

Back in July, I blogged about the coming film adaptation of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  So, where does the project now stand? The plan is to release the film on April 15, 2011 - a great date given the themes of the book.  There isn't yet a trailer available as far as I know.  However, a preview …

Who Is John . . . ?

A row has broken out in higher education regarding grants that the BB&T Foundation has made to some institutions, grants that typically require, as a condition of receiving the money, that Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged be assigned in its entirety. The grants apparently do not stipulate what else may or might be taught, nor do …

Charles Murray on Rand

A late, but well-aimed, review by Charles Murray on two recent Ayn Rand biographies.  Here is the final paragraph: Ayn Rand never dwelt on her Russian childhood, preferring to think of herself as wholly American. Rightly so. The huge truths she apprehended and expressed were as American as apple pie. I suppose hardcore Objectivists will consider …

Rand and Marx

Early in my days as a graduate student, a professor for whom I was a teaching assistant and I were discussing the week's assigned reading, which was an excerpt from Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia.Libertarianism was, my professor explained, merely  "a young man's philosophy." When our conversation suggested to him that I apparently thought there …