Ayn Rand

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ayn-rand

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ayn Rand born?February 2, 1905
2. Where was Ayn Rand born?Saint Petersburg, Russia
3. What is Ayn Rand known for?Developing the philosophy of Objectivism and authoring 'The Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged'
4. What is the philosophy?Objectivism, advocating reason, rational egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism
5. What is the career?Novelist, playwright, and philosopher
6. What was Ayn Rand's main idea about people and their own lives?She believed that each person's own life and happiness are the most important, and that people should follow their own values through work and trade.

Objectivism: A philosophical system that posits reason as man's only guide to knowledge, individualism as man's highest moral purpose, and laissez-faire capitalism as the only moral social system.
Rational Egoism: The ethical theory that the pursuit of one's own rational self-interest is the highest moral purpose.
Altruism: The principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others, which Rand viewed as a destructive moral doctrine.
Laissez-faire Capitalism: An economic system characterized by private ownership and minimal government intervention, based on the recognition of individual rights.