O2O E02 - The Non-Aggression Principle

Published in 1957, 'Atlas Shrugged' is Ayn Rand's magnum opus and her longest novel. The story is set in a dystopian United States where increasingly burdensome laws and regulations strangle innovation and productivity. The plot follows Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, and Hank Rearden, a steel magnate, as they struggle against 'looters' who exploit their work. A mysterious figure named John Galt leads a strike of productive individuals, persuading them to abandon their companies and disappear. The novel culminates with Galt's three-hour radio speech explaining his philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasizes rational self-interest, individual rights, and the importance of the human mind. The book explores themes of capitalism, property rights, and the failures of governmental coercion, presenting a provocative vision of a society in collapse and the potential for a new capitalist society based on Galt's principles.

In this collection of essays, Ayn Rand challenges the conventional moral assumption that selflessness is virtuous and argues for a new concept of egoism based on rational self-interest. The book rejects the morality of sacrifice and altruism, instead advocating for an ethics of rational selfishness that prioritizes individual happiness and life. Rand and co-author Nathaniel Branden address various ethical issues, including the nature of government, individual rights, and the destructiveness of altruism. The essays emphasize the importance of moral principles based on reason and reality rather than divine revelation or social conventions.