To the Editor:
Re “How Many Americans Will Ayn Rand Kill?” (column, Oct. 23):
Paul Krugman criticizes Ayn Rand, in effect blaming her for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans during the pandemic. He caricatures Rand — an uncompromising champion of reason and freedom — as somehow anti-science and heedless of the government’s proper role in the face of threatening infectious diseases.
What would Rand’s philosophy of reason, selfishness and capitalism actually guide us to do in the pandemic? The answer is detailed in an essay from the Ayn Rand Institute: A proper government would scientifically test, track and isolate carriers of Covid-19 and leave non-carriers free to live and adopt the precautions they think necessary.
Like Taiwan, America could have effectively contained the pandemic, long ago. Ayn Rand’s conception of liberty would be saving lives.
Onkar Ghate
Santa Ana, Calif.
The writer is a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute.