Adam Smith Institute’s Eamonn Butler Extols Ayn Rand – The Objective Standard

Portrait of Ayn Rand Courtesy of Ayn Rand Archives

Though she died in 1982, huge numbers of people still come to Ayn Rand through her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shruggedand their lives are changed as a result. No wonder. These novels assert the nobility of using your mind to reach your full potential.

So begins a brief but remarkable article by Dr. Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute.He continues: Rands heroes are individualists who live by their own creative talentsexisting for no one else, nor asking others to exist for them. They stand by their own vision and truth: a vision built on their own values and a truth built on fact and reason, not on the false authority of others.

Butler not only observes that Rands heroes are fundamentally rational, independent thinkers, he also highlights her principle that minds cannot be forced to thinkand notes the power of this immense idea:

Creativity, and therefore human progress, depends on people being free to think and act in pursuit of their own values. That is a powerful case for liberty, values, mind, reason, creativity, entrepreneurship, capitalism, achievement, heroism, happiness, self-esteem and pride. And against the life-destroying consequences of coercion, extortion, regulation, self-sacrifice, altruism, wishful thinking and refusing to use ones mind.

That is an eloquent portrayal of Rands ideas regarding mans need of freedom and the consequent evil of coercion. Note on which side of this equation Butler places self-sacrifice, altruism, and the refusal to think. Spot on.

Butler also notes the increasing global popularity of Rands works, citing statistics about her book sales in various countries; Google searches for Ayn Rand (Sweden leads the world on this count); and various political figures from the United States, Sweden, Estonia, and Australia, who have been influenced by her ideas.

Read Butlers full article here.

Its great to see such a prominent thinker at such a renowned think tank recognizing the nature and importance of Rands ideas. I suspect that if Adam Smith and Ayn Rand were alive to see it, they would greatly appreciate this development.

Three cheers to Dr. Butler and the Adam Smith Institute for writing and publishing this importantarticle.

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Adam Smith Institute's Eamonn Butler Extols Ayn Rand - The Objective Standard