ABSTRACT
Twentieth-century philosopher Ayn Rand made her mark in the world of literature with several bestselling novels. Rand adamantly proclaimed that selfishness is a virtue. People can and should be selfish. In fact, human beings are unlikely to achieve maximum success in life if they primarily prioritize the needs of others over themselves. Selfishness is not wrong. On the contrary, it is vir tuous, because when individuals realize their highest potential, society as a whole does, too. Being selfish does not imply deliberate harm to anyone. Furthermore, selfish people may still help others, provided it is in their own best interest as well. Full-blown, unrestrained selfishness can be irrational. Rand would not consider it a virtue. Her contention was that rational selfishness is a virtue.
