The Revolutionary Political Philosophy of Ayn Rand

Keywords: objectivism, libertarianism, philosophy of politics, liberalism, revolutionism

Abstract: Ayn Rand is generally considered a libertarian, although she never claimed to belong to this movement. Undoubtedly, she was best known for promoting liberal and capitalist ideas. The author of this paper argues that Rand’s philosophical and political concepts can be described as revolutionary. The purpose of this text is to prove it by pointing to the manifestations of revolutionism in Rand’s works, ideas and concepts. The author distinguishes five different aspects through which her revolutionism is expressed. These are: (1) the antimystical aspect; (2) the anthropological aspect; (3) the social aspect; (4) the political aspect, and (5) the economic aspect. Such wide-ranging revolutionism makes some researchers and commentators recognize Rand’s thought as a manifestation of utopian thinking.