Is Ayn Rand the Secular Saint of Selfishness? (Is the Pope Catholic?)
Frank Cocozzelli printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun May 22, 2011 at 04:54:13 PM EST
Catholic Right activist Deal Hudson features an article on the web site of his new venture  Catholic Advocate -- which presents House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget proposal as a model of Catholic economic thought.

But if Catholicity is the standard, Hudson has a tough sell -- since Ryan is a huge fan of Ayn Rand's philosophy of selfishness as virtue.
In a recent essay for the Roosevelt Institute, I explored Ryan's affinity for Rand's philosophy of "Objectivism."  In it, I cited Ryan's 2009 Facebook posting in which he equates Rand's morality with freedom and individualism, and effusively  praises the secular saint of selfishness.  I wrote:

He boldly declared, "And a lot of people would observe that we are right now living in an Ayn Rand novel -- and metaphorically speaking."  He elaborated, "But more to the point is this: The issue that is under assault