Columns

Critics claim Ayn Rand’s characters are too godlike, with few human characteristics and no inner conflicts. But the subtleties of Rand’s characters reveal they're actually quite human — even tender. Take a closer look. Maybe it wasn’t her characters that she turned into gods.

Readers of Ayn Rand’s novels are no strangers to the inspirational power of fictional heroes. But new research suggests the power of these heroes may be more than merely inspirational. They can lead to real-world changes in one’s life.

Human beings are the most fascinating things in the known universe. Nowhere is their beauty more evident than in the characters portrayed in great novels, movies, paintings, and sculptures. What makes these characters so meaningful? What do they reveal about life — and about ourselves?

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the first public exhibition of the great Italian film version of Ayn Rand’s first novel, We the Living. The story of how the movie was originally made, and of the events that followed, are as dramatic and compelling as fiction. Here’s an insider’s account.

The story of how the scientist-philosopher Thales came to predict a solar eclipse in 585 B.C. is an inspiring lesson in the triumph of rational, independent thinking. Lovers of reason should celebrate accordingly!

Award-winning producer Duncan Scott worked with Ayn Rand to restore the Italian screen adaptation of We The Living. Today he intends to capitalize on the wave of interest in her ideas -- by creating a new film where those ideas take center stage.

Is the the new Atlas Shrugged movie coming to your area? It's not just a chance to see Rand's novel on the big screen; it's also a rare opportunity to connect with people who share your love for Ayn Rand's ideas.

America's skyrocketing national debt forces us to make hard choices. Do we go bankrupt? Raise taxes? Make (politically impossible) entitlement cuts? Perhaps, instead, we should simply cut wasteful and costly government regulations.

The self-made Atlases of the world keep the wheels of civilization turning, with many of our Founding Fathers among them. As a self-made rapper might say, "It's all about the Benjamins."

A recent article in Forbes magazine tells us Ayn Rand "believed in UFOs." Did Miss Rand have a hobby none of us knew about? Don your tinfoil hat, grab your binoculars, and let's take a look.