BusinessWeek’s “Debate Room” published a for-and-against piece on the topic: “Author Ayn Rand’s philosophy of rational self-interest is more relevant today—amid the flurry of government bailouts—than ever. Pro or con?”

Onkar Ghate takes the affirmative position, which begins:

If Ayn Rand’s philosophy of rational self-interest is irrelevant today, then so is the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration gave sanction to selfishness: to the moral right to live your own life, to exercise your liberty, to pursue your happiness. No more taking orders from king or society. Each was free to live for himself.

Christina Patterson takes the negative position, which begins:

You’d think it was a joke, when the global economy was collapsing because of greed, that anyone might turn seriously to the purple prose of crypto-fascist Ayn Rand and think it was the answer to anything. How could her so-called philosophy of “rational self-interest”—in other words, a crude kind of dog-eat-dog laissez-faire capitalism—seem like the route out of this obstacle-strewn labyrinth into which we’re all now locked?

See the full piece for more.

(Thanks to Top Gun’s Greg Feirman for the tip!)