Atlas Shrugged & Ethics

[This essay formed the basis of a talk at the Atlas Society celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, in Washington, DC, on October 6, 2007] When Ayn Rand titled her collection of writings on ethics The Virtue of Selfishness, she also provided a clear clue to what kind of selfishness she had in mind. With the subtitle, “A New Concept of Egoism.” she put prospective readers on notice that by using the term … Read on…

Ayn Rand and I – Part 3 (of Three)

This essay is a slightly revised version of a chapter from Tibor Machan’s memoir, The Man Without a Hobby (Hamilton Books, 2006). It had an earlier life as an essay in Liberty Magazine, although in a much-shortened version. IN RETROSPECT, despite my strong desire to connect with Rand and her clique, I am glad I was blackballed. I might have become a dependent as so many others did. I am glad, too, that being cut off was not so devastating … Read on…

Ayn Rand and I – Part 2 (of Three)

This essay is a slightly revised version of a chapter from Tibor Machan’s memoir, The Man Without a Hobby (Hamilton Books, 2006). It had an earlier life as an essay in Liberty Magazine, although in a much-shortened version. When I had been at Claremont McKenna College for a while and had begun writing for the student newspaper to promulgate as best I could the ideas that I picked up from Rand and found sensible, a few of us on campus … Read on…

Ayn Rand and I – Part 1 (of Three)

This essay is a slightly revised version of a chapter from Tibor Machan’s memoir, The Man Without a Hobby (Hamilton Books, 2006). It had an earlier life as an essay in Liberty Magazine, although in a much-shortened version. BECOMING AN atheist was not an easy decision to live with, at least not at first. I struggled with it for months. I had a hard time ridding myself of the habit of crossing myself when passing a church. I also felt … Read on…

Elements of Atheism

So what is this atheism that upsets so many people, East and West? It is really just the refusal to believe in God because of the absence of sufficient reasons. It is a non-belief, not something believed to be the case. Thus there can be atheists with a great variety of different outlooks on innumerable topics. They are all united on just one pretty minimalist proposition—”I do not believe in God.”    Very little follows from this as far as … Read on…