Funny how wrong you are on this. Atlas Shrugged is consistently rated the most influential book, life changing book, people have ever read, second only to the Bible.
Just today I was listening to Glenn Beck while driving around. An unapologetic Christian, he was talking about Atlas Shrugged, telling people to read it, and that it "Will Change your Life!" I alone can name a dozen people who credit Rand with some level of enlightenment.
The depth of Rand's ideas eludes most people, even those who consider themselves "Objectivists."
Rand's influence is much more profound than most people, apparently you as well, have any idea. I can usually tell, simply by the way someone constructs their arguments, whether they have read, and understand, her works or not.
Maybe someday the world will come to understand just how important her ideas are. If you can say what you did, you must have the typical blinders that prevent you from considering her work objectively. It also makes me wonder what you think an "intellectual" is. (I guess that depends what the meaning of "is" is.)
From my experience, the 'intellect' of most 'intellectuals' isn't insufficient to qualify them for the term. Just as most PhDs aren't worth the paper required to Pile Higher and Deeper to qualify them for the title. This is the problem with the world. Most 'experts' aren't really expert in anything, let alone their chosen field. The only thing they are truly expert in is conformity, which is what was required to get the degree in the first place. And this is the polar opposite to Rand's position.
I think I just came full circle.
I think it is sweet revenge that her books have outsold all her contemporaries in the so-called 'intellectual' circles and are regularly brought-up when refering to the subject of contemporary philosophy as opposed to some don at Hahvahd ........or some Freepers.
Please document.
I think you missed the IMHO part of my post. But, again, IMHO, Rand's philosophy is a simplistic compendium of common sense and egocentricity.
BTW, Glen Beck is also pretty far down on my list of heavy duty thinkers.
I'd love to ask you to get back to me in 30-40 years, but nature prohibits. Have a good one. :o)