Cult

====Ayn Rand Institute====
{{Main|Ayn Rand Institute}}
Followers of [[Ayn Rand]] have been characterized as a cult by economist [[Murray N. Rothbard]], and later by [[Michael Shermer]].<ref name="rothbard">[[Murray Rothbard|Rothbard, Murray]]. 1972. "[https://www.lewrockwell.com/1970/01/murray-n-rothbard/understanding-ayn-randianism/ The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult]." Retrieved 6 June 2020. Revised editions: ''[[Liberty (1987)|Liberty]]'' magazine (1987), and [[Center for Libertarian Studies]] (1990).</ref><ref>[[Michael Shermer|Shermer, Michael]]. 1993. "The Unlikeliest Cult in History." ''[[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]'' 2(2):74–81.</ref><ref>[[Michael Shermer|Shermer, Michael]]. [1993] 1997. "The Unlikeliest Cult." In ''[[Why People Believe Weird Things]]''. New York: [[W.H. Freeman and Company|W. H. Freeman and Company]]. {{ISBN|0716730901}}.</ref> The core group around Rand was called the "Collective", which are now defunct; the chief group which is disseminating Rand's ideas today is the [[Ayn Rand Institute]]. Although the Collective advocated an [[Individualism|individualist philosophy]], Rothbard claimed that it was organized in the manner of a "[[Leninism|Leninist]]" organization.<ref name="rothbard" />