"Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism is back" - Forbes

America's number one business magazine is excited about what the New York Times recently called "one of the most influential business books ever written," and about its author, Ayn Rand. "Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism ... is back," says Forbes magazine.

Even leading Objectivists don't know the whole answer, but one thing is sure: A quarter century after her death, and half a century after the publication of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand is back.

The autobiography of former Rand acolyte Alan Greenspan, in which he credits her for his development, just got published with big fanfare. In recent weeks, both The New York Times and The L.A. Times have run articles about her work. Atlas Shrugged has been featured prominently in a recent episode of AMC's hit series Mad Men. A movie version of the book, starring Angelina Jolie in the main role, is slated for release next year.

Meanwhile, sales of Ayn Rand titles have tripled since the early 1990s--in fact, more are being sold now than at any time in history.

This great news comes with a fair summary of the contemporary Objectivist landscape, including a summary of what marketers Marc E. Babej and Tim Pollak suggest as the chief ways by which to grow the market for Objectivism, and this assessment by ARI's Yaron Brook of the reasons for the "recent surge in interest" in Rand and in Objectivism:

"Today's left doesn't have anything positive to offer to young people. When they were socialists, there was at least something they were fighting for, and they believed in a right and a wrong. Today's leftist agenda is negative and nihilistic--focused on stopping industrialization, capitalism and even Western civilization. But young people want positive values. That's why religion is so strong today, because many view it as the only thing that promises a brighter future."

According to Brook, this gap between liberalism and religious conservatism goes far to explain the surge in interest. "Ayn Rand is the only voice that offers a secular absolutist morality with a positive vision and agenda, for individuals and for society as a whole," he says.

See the whole article here: Atlas Shrugs Again - Forbes.

Just to put all this in perspective, Atlas Shrugged now celebrates its fiftieth year since publication -- that's nearly fifty years in the best-seller lists! Lindsay Perigo offers this tribute.