Ayn Rand's Ideas Are Priceless
By David Holcberg (National Post, Canada, Dec. 1, 2005)

Re: Aesop For Capitalists, Nov. 29.

Algis Valiunas smears Ayn Rand while pretending to offer an objective account of her life and philosophy.

He derides Ayn Rand's "unlimited faith" in reason, even though her confidence in reason resulted not from faith, but from the observation of countless instances of reason's efficacy. He says Ayn Rand's heroes "sound as tyrants," while knowing full well that he can't produce a single example where they (in contrast to her villains) act as tyrants. He ridicules Rand's belief in the possibility of a human society where men are free to use their minds and pursue their happiness as a "utopian fantasy." He characterizes as "Castro-like mad zealotry" the speech where Rand gives a moral defense of the rights of the individual, and where she denounces all forms of coercion and collectivism. He also falsely accuses her of "writing half-truths" and of "charlatanry"--without, of course, offering a single example of each.

Ayn Rand lived her life as the fictional heroes she created lived theirs: with a full and unyielding commitment to reality, reason and the achievement of personal happiness.

Valiunas's smear of Ayn Rand and her philosophy should not discourage people from reading her books and benefiting from her ideas. For those who value their own lives and seek their own happiness, Ayn Rand's ideas are priceless.