UNTIL RECENTLY, IT was quite common to hear the claim that human nature was fundamentally selfish and disconnected from the common good. The genesis of this idea—at least in modern American times—can be traced back to the publication of Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand, a 1,200 page novel that advocated the unfettered pursuit of self-interest as the organizing principle for society. Despite the fact that the book became a best-seller, not many critics and intellectuals took it or its thesis seriously. Who could possibly believe that a society based strictly on selfishness could work?
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