Ayn Rand's philosophy is appealing to people who feel powerless, disenfranchised, especially if they feel they are smarter than others but just can't get ahead because the system keeps taking away their stuff and giving it to those who are less deserving. Pretty much everyone feels this way once in a while.

The system as a whole only makes sense if it were true that those who accomplish the most do it because of some inherent merit. In fact, empirical studies show that opportunity and socio-economic advantages count for more than either intelligence or desire. See Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers for a thorough discussion of this issue.

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