Was Ayn Rand right: Is self interest always rational? →

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Recently, in a casual conversation, the person I was talking with mentioned liking the books written by Ayn Rand and quoted the following statement from this author:

“The rational pursuit of selfish gain on the part of each individual must give rise to the ideal form of society.”.

This comment appeals to many people and attracts some severe readers to her books. The problem with the statement is the lack of clarity on what “ rational “ means. 

Ayn Rand loved the idea of pursuing selfish gain in a free market, and since the marketplace was free, if some didn’t succeed, then that was too bad. She even added that they might have deserved success, perhaps making some judgment as to the efforts.

Does this open a question as to whether the judgment of others is rational? Is it reasonable to assume that those who have the most will be the most successful in the marketplace and that the only thing required is for those well-healed hedonists to casually acknowledge that those who weren’t might have deserved success?

With her Russian background, she ought to have understood that marketplaces are never free—successful people block the path for others. 

"The moral purpose of a man’s life is the achievement of his happiness."—Ayn Rand.

The flaw in this logic is letting self-interest be pronounced ok and taking the idea of selfishness along with it. When a person, action, or motive lacks consideration for others and is only concerned chiefly with one's profit or pleasure, it is at odds with genuine self-interest and is a poor philosophy.