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FROM NOVELIST TO PHILOSOPHER, 1944–1957
of reason she linked with Aristotle. When she arrived in California she
was working on her fi rst nonfi ction book, a project she eventually abandoned
in favor of her third novel. Much as The Fountainhead had showcased
her ideas about individualism, this next book would refl ect Rand’s
growing fealty to reason and rationality. After three years in California
Rand had redefi ned the goal of her writing. Once individualism had
been the motive power of her work; now she explained to a correspondent,
“Do you know that my personal crusade in life (in the philosophical
sense) is not merely to fi ght collectivism, nor to fi ght altruism? These
are only consequences, effects, not causes. I am out after the real cause,
the real root of evil on earth—the irrational.” 2
Soon after this development came Rand’s dawning awareness of the
differences that separated her from the libertarians or “reactionaries”
she now considered her set. At issue was her opposition to altruism and,
more signifi cantly, her unwillingness to compromise with those who
defended traditional values. In 1943 Rand had been one of the few voices
to make a compelling case for capitalism and limited government. In the
years that followed she would become part of a chorus, a role that did
not suit her well.
Rand’s move back to Hollywood immersed her in a cauldron of political
activity that was dividing the fi lm industry. The fi rst stages of the Red
Scare that would sweep the nation were already unfolding in California.
Labor troubles paved the way. In 1945, shortly after her return, the
Conference of Studio Unions launched an industry-wide strike, touching
off a heated confl ict that would last for nearly two years. At the gates
of Warner Brothers rival unions engaged in a full scale riot that garnered
national headlines and aroused the concern of Congress. Ensconced in
far-away Chatsworth, Rand missed the excitement. She quickly signed
on, however, with a group formed to oppose Communist infi ltration of
the entertainment unions and the industry more broadly, the Motion
Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. The group was
founded by powerful Hollywood fi gures, including Walt Disney, John
Wayne, and King Vidor, director of The Fountainhead. At the fi rst meeting
she attended Rand was surprised to be unanimously voted onto the
Executive Committee.
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