Abstract

It is well known that Nathaniel Branden was instrumental in launching the Objectivist movement. But less well known is how unlikely that achievement was. This article throws a spotlight on what this one man—almost single-handedly—accomplished. The author argues that an Objectivist movement was hardly inevitable. Ayn Rand's lifelong focus had always been fiction and she had little interest in creating, or even allowing, a movement built around her ideas. Branden overcame her objections, proved that a movement based on her philosophy would succeed, and laid the groundwork for the efforts that continue today.