Ayn Rand

After her fiction, Rand turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy, which she called Objectivism. She advocated for reason, rational and ethical egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism, while rejecting faith, religion, altruism, and hedonism. She condemned the initiation of force, supported individual rights including private property, and criticized libertarianism as anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She was sharply critical of most philosophers and philosophical traditions, with a few exceptions.

Her books have sold over 37 million copies. Her fiction received mixed reviews, with later work getting more negative critical reception. Academic interest in her ideas has grown since her death, but academic philosophers generally reject her philosophy, citing a polemical approach and lack of methodological rigor. Her writings have influenced some right-libertarians and conservatives, and the Objectivist movement continues to spread her ideas. She passed away on March 6, 1982, at age 77. She was American and Russian in nationality, had brown hair and brown eyes, and a body type best described as average.