Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand with David Kee

Mar 26, 2026

David Key, a business professor and former entrepreneur, discusses Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. He traces Rand's life and objectivist aims. He talks about teaching the novel to business students. He explores individualism versus collectivism and the novel's portrait of entrepreneurs. He considers the book's relevance for American Christians and its warnings about political and economic trends.

59:15

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ANECDOTE

From Swiss Mission Kid To Chocolate Entrepreneur Turned Professor

David Key grew up in Geneva as a missionary kid, ran a chocolate-import business called Classic Gourmet for ~20 years, then sold it and transitioned into academia at Harding University.
He taught entrepreneurship drawing on his sales and founder experience, finished a doctorate in France, and now teaches economics and entrepreneurship to ~150 students per semester.

insights

INSIGHT

How David Defines A Classic Book

A classic is a popular and influential work that enters cultural conversation, is translated, quoted, and changes lives.
David emphasizes cross-cultural reach and lasting quality in writing as markers of a classic, citing Atlas Shrugged as an example.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

How A Stranger On A Plane Introduced Atlas Shrugged

David first read Atlas Shrugged in 1989 after a fellow passenger on a flight recommended it as one of 'the two books' he read besides the Bible.
He bought a copy in an English bookstore in Paris and read it through an 11-hour flight, finding it immediately influential for his entrepreneurship.

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David Key's background and path to academia

01:55 • 6min

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What makes a book a classic

08:24 • 3min

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First encounter with Atlas Shrugged

11:13 • 2min

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Ayn Rand: life and literary goals

13:21 • 6min

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Rand's beliefs and Christian differences

19:22 • 6min

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Teaching Atlas Shrugged to business students

Individualism, Christianity, and altruism

33:17 • 7min

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Who is John Galt? meaning and answer

40:40 • 5min

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Why entrepreneurs 'shrug' in Rand's dystopia

45:40 • 6min

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Entrepreneurship, service, and Christian ministry

52:04 • 2min

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Ayn Rand's patriotism and contemporary relevance

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Nadya Williams and David Kee discuss Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged — its origins, philosophy, and enduring relevance for American Christians. Kee, a business professor at Harding University who teaches the novel, traces Rand's objectivism, the tension between individualism and collectivism, and what a Christian engagement with her work requires.

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Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Reading from Atlas Shrugged
01:10 - Guest Introduction: David Key
02:00 - David's Background: From Geneva to Entrepreneurship to Academia
08:10 - Defining a Classic
10:56 - How David First Encountered Atlas Shrugged
13:04 - Who Was Ayn Rand?
25:03 - Teaching Atlas Shrugged to Business Students
32:27 - Individualism, Collectivism, and the Christian Worldview
39:11 - The Mystery of John Galt
44:10 - Elevating the Entrepreneur
52:35 - Why Christians in America Should Read This Book
53:25 - What Classic David Wishes He Had Written

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