Did Atlas Shrug?

“To a gas chamber—go!” This was the ultimate logic of Atlas Shrugged, concluded Whittaker Chambers in his review of Ayn Rand’s novel when it appeared in 1957. Rand was aghast: she believed herself to be the apostle of absolute human liberty—the goddess of the market—how had it come to this? What tendency towards tyranny had Chambers detected in her thinking? Had he found any such tendency, or was his hostility merely another example of the weak resenting the achievements of the strong?

The resurgence of interest in Atlas Shrugged and the recent release of the first part of a film trilogy adapted from the novel provide an occasion to consider her legacy. And a remarkable legacy it is. Not only was Atlas Shrugged a phenomenal commercial success, it also elevated Rand to a singular position in American culture, attracted followers to her philosophy of Objectivism, provided a moral case for unfettered capitalism, offered a withering critique of collectivism, and energised…