Ayn Rand here sets forth the moral principles of Objectivism, the philosophy that holds man's life--the life proper to a rational being--as the standard of moral values and regards altruism as incompatible with man's nature, with the creative requirements of his survival, and with a free society.

Who needs philosophy? Ayn Rand's answer: Everyone. This collection of essays was the last work planned by Ayn Rand before her death in 1982. In it, she summarizes her view of philosophy and deals with a broad spectrum of topics. According to Ayn Rand, the choice we make is not whether to have a philosophy but which one to have: rational, conscious, and therefore practical; or contradictory, unidentified, and ultimately lethal. Written with all the clarity and eloquence that have placed Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy in the mainstream of American thought, these essays range over such basic issues as education, morality, censorship, and inflation to prove that philosophy is the fundamental force in all our lives.

SUMMARY: The year 2005 marks Ayn Rand's Centennial Year. Ayn Rand's classic tale of a future dark age of the great ?We??a world that deprives individuals of name, independence, and values?anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. (下面內容來自豆瓣) 　　安·兰德是美国当代最有影响的作家、思想家和公共知识分子之一。 　　安·兰德宣扬极端个人主义精神，是理性利已主义的倡导者，与利他主义和自我牺牲的伦理学形成最为尖锐的对抗。 　　在美国，她的作品的销量仅次于《圣经》。 　　有人说不了解安·兰德就无法理解美国精神。许多大名鼎鼎的人物，包括美联储主席格林斯潘、甲骨文CEO埃里森都是安·兰德哲学的拥趸。