Objectivist Round-up, August 2026

1. The Ayn Rand Institute Press just published a new booklet, I Chose to be An American: Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story. A few points:

a. The book references Barbara Branden’s interviews with Rand in 1960 and 1961 and makes the curious statement, “Factual details drawn from these interviews depend upon the accuracy of Rand’s later recollection. While many such details are likely reliable (especially basic family and biographical facts), memory is fallible.” Rand was 55 to 56 years old when she gave these interviews and in good health. I wonder why the authors think her recollections on the facts of her life are only “likely reliable”? And are Rand’s recollections on things other than “basic family and biographical facts” (whatever those are) unreliable? Shoshana Milgram Knapp (Rand’s future biographer) once wrote that Rand might have been wrong in saying that one of her philosophy professors was Nicholas Lossky, so this is likely what the authors are referencing. Chris Sciabarra has a response to Knapp in the second edition of Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical.

b. The authors report that Rand adopted her name “Ayn Rand” in America after she arrived in 1925. “Rand’s sister Natasha refers to her as ‘Lil Rand’ in a letter dated February 26, 1926. Over a month later, Rand’s sister Nora addresses her as ‘Ayn Rand’ in a letter dated April 11, 1926. This is the first time the name appears in their documented correspondence.” Unfortunately, no information is provided as to why she adopted this name. Rand once said that her name was a shortened version of her Russian name (Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum), but during the PARC Wars, a couple native speakers said that’s not possible.

c. Our authors report that before Rand became an American citizen there were few requirements on immigrants such as Rand informing the government where they worked:

Employers now are expected to ask about an individual’s employment eligibility and to document it (e.g.: millions are required to use E-Verify), with financial and other penalties for hiring ineligible individuals . . . Moreover, given her moral and political ideals, she would have repudiated such a government prohibition on engaging in voluntary, productive work — and the requirement to disclose employment in a visa renewal.

The authors write that for Rand’s views on immigration, readers should consult an answer to a question about immigration Rand gave in 1973. Rand doesn’t comment on work restrictions and notifications in her answer. Unfortunately, the ARI continues to tell people what Rand would have thought about things she never commented on.

2. The ARI press also published another Rand booklet, Screen Guide for Americans. This includes Rand’s original pamphlet, which was published by the Motion Picture Alliance for Preserving American Ideals, as well as related archival material.

3. Yaron Brook recently responded to a question asking if Vice President J.D. Vance was “disgusting and immoral.” Brook responded, “I agree.” As Brook and the ARI must know, there are a fair number of Objectivists who lean to the right culturally. I guess they have written them off for good.