Money is the Product of Virtue: Tensions in Rand’s Invocation of Market Success

Casual acquaintance with Ayn Rand’s ideas often involves the assumption that Rand would approve of Oliver Stone’s character Gordon Gekko (of “greed is good” fame) and of popular rich guys such as Donald Trump. It is easy to correct the misapprehension concerning Gordon Gekko. He spouts a philosophy at odds with Rand’s, insisting that morality must be abandoned for wealth while she suggests the opposite. But explaining why Rand would not approve of Donald Trump is a trickier matter—if it does not seem so, start to give it a try.

Volume 21, Number 4 (2007)