Modernized by Scottish economist Adam Smith in 1776 with his Magnus Opus, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, the idea of Capitalism built Europe, America, and the world up to levels of prosperity and abundance never before seen in human history. Ayn Rand knew this and by looking through her work Atlas Shrugged, her essay What is Capitalism, and her speech America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business, it can be seen that Ayn Rand wanted Capitalism to be defended as it gave the tools necessary for the few exceptional individuals to reach their potential. Capitalism allows these remarkable individuals to use their talents to improve their own lives, and as a result, the lives of everyone else. According to Rand, the best…show more content… If a man or woman is truly free, then they are free to reach their potential without being forced down by an arbitrary common good dictated by a government. Rand asked the audience in her speech entitled What is Capitalism, ‘are men free’. She then answered her own question by saying “Capitalism is the only system where the answer is ‘yes’.” Capitalism to Rand is the only economic system where one’s own reason and ability are the only thing they are subject to. In all other economic systems, gifted men and women are expected to give some, if not all, the fruit of their own labor to those who are determined by the state to need it more. If an individual desires to give away some of what he has created to others, then that is his own choice. Capitalism gives an individual that choice, while all other systems in one way or another steal and then give away. The use of any force is unacceptable and is never justified unless used as retaliation against force, as Rand said, “a gun is not an argument.” . This is done because, according to Rand, people live off the goods of others, and if someone is not there to produce it, then no one
