Abstract

In this article, the political ethics of Ayn Rand and Austrian economist Murray N. Rothbard are compared. Rand and Rothbard championed nearly identical fundamental principles of political ethics — chiefly, the right of every person to control his own life. Both Rand and Rothbard argued that the American system of government was originally intended to be grounded in this individual rights ethic.However, examination of historical and contextual factors demonstrates that the U. S. Constitution fails to embody the political ethics espoused by Rand and Rothbard