The Virtue of Selfishness

In this collection of essays, Ayn Rand challenges the conventional moral assumption that selflessness is virtuous and argues for a new concept of egoism based on rational self-interest.

The book rejects the morality of sacrifice and altruism, instead advocating for an ethics of rational selfishness that prioritizes individual happiness and life.

Rand and co-author Nathaniel Branden address various ethical issues, including the nature of government, individual rights, and the destructiveness of altruism.

The essays emphasize the importance of moral principles based on reason and reality rather than divine revelation or social conventions.