Reddit reviews The Ayn Rand Reader

Actually, if you read the Ayn Rand Reader, like I did in College, it specifically spells out that the entire philosophy is based on the idea that amoebas don't give a fuck about anyone else, and neither should we.

It's "our duty" as organisms to look out for ourselves and only ourselves. "The Virtue of Selfishness" is what their philosophy is based on. It doesn't even "border on" eugenics, it IS eugenics. "Survival of the fittest" etc.

I would recommend this collection, it has a lot of excerpts to give you some flavor.

Also I recommend the novella Anthem, it's a bit more subtle than Atlas Shrugged but a lot shorter and more approachable. I am neither a libertarian nor an objectivist, in fact, I disagree with a lot of Rand's philosophy, but Anthem is a story I can wholeheartedly endorse.

A lot of people like The Fountainhead; I tried reading it once or twice but I couldn't get through it. For me it felt like Atlas Shrugged all over again, not in terms of plot but in terms of the characters, writing style, etc.