Ayn Rand and Objectivism: The Antithesis of Barrack Obama and Collectivism

In keeping with our goal… to enlighten, inspire, educate—and even entertain—our fellow Franklinites to become more active and engaged in Franklin government, today we bring you a 1959 interview with Ayn Rand conducted by Mike Wallace in 1959 (30:00), two years after the publication of Rand’s novel  “Atlas Shrugged.”

Before we get to that interview, here is “Rand-O-Rama: The Long Shelf Life of Ayn Rand's Legacy” (4:00) a video by Reason TV.

Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged

In 1957, a 1,168 page book by Ayn Rand, titled “Atlas Shrugged,” was published. According to one source, Rand was alleged to be a mistress to Philippe Rothschild, who instructed her to write the book in order to show that through the raising of oil prices, then destroying the oil fields and shutting down the coal mines, the Illuminati (New World Order) would take over the world. It also related how they would blow up grain mills, derail trains, bankrupt and destroy their own companies, till they had destroyed the economy of the entire world; and yet, they would be so wealthy, that it would not substantially affect their vast holdings. The novel is about a man who stops the motor of the world, of what happens when "the men of the mind, the intellectuals of the world, the originators and innovators in every line of industry go on strike; when the men of creative ability in every profession, in protest against regulation, quit and disappear."

As you watch this interview keep in mind that is was recorded in 1959.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AYN RAND’S PHILOSOPHY

• The Ayn Rand Institute
• The Atlas Society