Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Essay: On Leading the Cheers for No.1
The first right on earth is the right of the ego.
— Ayn Rand
With her usual authoritarian sweep, Author Ayn Rand strikes a basic blow for her consistent dogma of individualism. Though she is more a cult figure than a popular philosopher, her words mirror an attitude that is becoming more and more common in the U.S., particularly among public figures. Indeed, an increasing number of Americans seem to have concluded that the right to ego implies the duty to exercise it publicly. The result is something of a rout for the time-honored...
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