Definition
Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum, 1905–1982) was a Russian-American novelist and philosopher who developed the philosophical system she called Objectivism. After emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1926, Rand wrote two enormously influential novels — The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) — which promoted her philosophy of rational self-interest, laissez-faire capitalism, and the moral supremacy of individual achievement over collective welfare. Objectivism holds that reality exists independently of consciousness, that reason is the only means of perceiving reality, and that the pursuit of one’s own happiness is the highest moral purpose. Rand’s work gained a cult following among libertarians, conservatives, and disaffected young people, while being equally despised by liberals, academics, and religious thinkers. Her novels have sold over 37 million copies, and her ideas have influenced figures from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (who was part of her inner circle) to tech entrepreneurs, politicians, and internet subcultures.
Why It Matters
Ayn Rand is the internet’s favorite philosopher to have a parasocial relationship with. Her online presence is massive and polarized: on one side, r/Objectivism, Ayn Rand Institute devotees, and libertarian Twitter treat her as a prophet; on the other, leftist Twitter, philosophy YouTube, and meme accounts relentlessly mock her prose, her philosophy, and her personal life (including her affair with a younger follower, Nathaniel Branden, which tore apart her inner circle). The internet’s relationship with Rand is defined by her utility as a shorthand: “Ayn Rand fan” is internet code for “selfish tech bro,” “adolescent libertarian,” or “person who read one book and built a personality around it.” This caricature is unfair to the complexity of her work, but it is also self-inflicted: Rand’s prose is didactic, her characters are superhumanly competent, and her villains are cartoonishly incompetent collectivists. The internet also loves Rand because she is quotable: “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me” appears on millions of Instagram posts, usually without attribution and usually by people who have not read the context. Rand is not just a philosopher. She is a brand. And the internet treats brands the way it treats everything: with irony, with devotion, with memes, and with the absolute certainty that everyone who disagrees is wrong.
Example
“He read Atlas Shrugged at 19. He was impressed. The heroes were strong. The villains were weak. The philosophy was clear. He became an Objectivist. He told everyone. He posted quotes. ‘The question isn’t who is going to let me.’ He got 12 likes. At 25, he reread it. The prose was clunky. The characters were unrealistic. The philosophy was incomplete. He was embarrassed. He hid the book. He did not tell anyone he had been an Objectivist. At 30, he made a meme. ‘Ayn Rand fans when they find out trains require collective infrastructure.’ It got 4,000 likes. He was not an Objectivist anymore. He was a critic. The critic was the new identity. And the identity was as absolute as the old one. That was Ayn Rand. Not a philosopher. A phase. And the internet was full of phases. Objectivist to critic. Critic to irony. Irony to sincerity. And back again.”
Related Terms
- Objectivism — The philosophical system Rand developed, centered on rational self-interest and individualism
- Atlas Shrugged — Rand’s 1957 novel that became the bible of libertarian and conservative thought
- Libertarianism — The political ideology most closely associated with Rand’s philosophy
- Rational Self-Interest — The core Objectivist principle that individual happiness is the highest moral good
- Ayn Rand Institute — The organization that promotes Rand’s ideas and manages her literary estate