The Virtue of Selfishness

The Virtue of Selfishness

File:The Virtue of Selfishness (centennial cover).jpg Centennial edition cover
Author	Ayn Rand
Language	English
Subject	Ethics
Publisher	New American Library
Publication date	1964
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
ISBN	0-451-16393-1 (Centennial edition)
OCLC	183461

The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism is a 1964 collection of essays and papers by Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden. Most of the essays originally appeared in The Objectivist Newsletter, except for "The Objectivist Ethics", which was a paper Rand delivered at the University of Wisconsin during a symposium on "Ethics in Our Time". The book covers several issues of the Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand. Some of its themes include the identification and validation of egoism as a rational code of ethics, the destructiveness of altruism, and the nature of a proper government.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

1. The Objectivist Ethics, Ayn Rand (1961)

2. Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice, Nathaniel Branden (1963)

3. The Ethics of Emergencies, Ayn Rand (1963)

4. The “Conflicts” of Men’s Interests, Ayn Rand (1962)

5. Isn’t Everyone Selfish?, Nathaniel Branden (1962)

6. The Psychology of Pleasure, Nathaniel Branden (1964)

7. Doesn’t Life Require Compromise?, Ayn Rand (1962)

8. How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?, Ayn Rand (1962)

9. The Cult of Moral Grayness, Ayn Rand (1964)

10. Collectivized Ethics, Ayn Rand (1963)

11. The Monument Builders, Ayn Rand (1962)

12. Man’s Rights, Ayn Rand (1963)

13. Collectivized “Rights,” Ayn Rand (1963)

14. The Nature of Government,[1] Ayn Rand (1963)

15. Government Financing in a Free Society, Ayn Rand (1964)

16. The Divine Right of Stagnation, Nathaniel Branden (1963)

17. Racism, Ayn Rand (1963)

18. Counterfeit Individualism, Nathaniel Branden (1962)

19. The Argument from Intimidation, Ayn Rand (1964)

Index

Critical reception

In 1999, The Virtue of Selfishness was chosen as the #1 best nonfiction book since 1900 on the Reader's List 100 Best Nonfiction list of the Modern Library.