On Ayn Rand and the 2012 presidential election

Stanford Professor Jennifer Burns recently spoke with the 92nd Street Y about her new book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right. Pointing out the correlation between Rand and Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, Burns explains how Rand’s philosophy of the “virtue of selfishness” and “favor of the individual” has become a tenant of American politics today. Interestingly, Burns says Rand might not have been a Romney/Ryan supporter, saying that “if these two religious believers are elected they will ultimately grow the state and endanger freedom because they don’t fully understand capitalism.”

A version of this article originally appeared on 92nd Street Y Campaign for the American Conversation.