[Pittsburg Phil]

Ayn Rand, the militant atheist, taught that selfishness was a virture. Her sophomoric philosophy - objectivism - does not ring true with human nature, and no society could even be built upon it.

[Mr. Blonde]

But the opposite of her philosophy doesn't work either. Check Atlas Shrugged. As with anything moderation is the key.

[BipolarBob]

I found her philosophy without soul or joy. A life lived for itself alone is wasted. I am surprised she did not end her life like Hemingway.

[VOX9]

>>Ayn Rand, ... taught that selfishness was a virture.>>

Well, not exactly. My opinion of her view of "selfishness" was to concentrate on yourself in order to be the best you can be and thereby be of benefit to others and society. I think she saw the waste in making sacrifices of self, which diminish self, and makes one less than their potential and less capable of contributing. From the article: "...Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Rand's philosophy—her rejection of altruism and her embrace of ethical egoism—is also one of the most misunderstood. Despite her sometimes misleading rhetoric about "the virtue of selfishness," the point of her egoism was not to advocate the pursuit of one's own interests at the expense of others', but rather to reject the entire conflictual model of interests according to which "the happiness of one man necessitates the injury of another," in favor of an older, more Aristotelean conception of self-interest as excellent human functioning...."

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

Ever read Mark Twain's 'Essays on Man'? It's a hilarious panning of Rand's Virtue of Selfishness before she was even born.