Honoring Rand: Ayn Rand and Reason
December 2004 -- Ayn Rand 's ideas inspired many people; one of them was me. When I began reading Atlas Shrugged in the summer of 1964, I had no idea that doing so would change not only my understanding of the world but also my choice of career. Rand's powerful vision of rationality and liberty hit me at an opportune time. Previously inspired by Barry Goldwater's libertarian-oriented The Conscience of a Conservative, I was in the thick of the student "Goldwater for President" movement. And thanks to MIT's required courses in modern Western ideas and values, I'd been introduced to Aristotle, Locke, Hume, Smith, and Mill (along with many others), and on my own had discovered Friedman, Hayek, and Mises. I was ready for an integrated worldview that explained why I'd never been comfortable being labeled a conservative.
Aug 20, 2010
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