Whether you love her or hate her, it usually begins with Ayn Rand (book title by that name here). While reading the intro to Burns's Goddess of the Market, I learned that one of the great libertarian thinkers from an earlier generation, Roy Childs, was disgusted by Rand's atheism. Here's what Heller says:
Sometimes Rand provoked an adverse reaction. The libertarian theorist Roy Childs was so disturbed by The Fountainhead's atheism that he burned the book after finishing it. Childs soon reconsidered and became a serious student and vigorous critic of Rand. Her works launched him, as they did so many others, on an intellectual journey that lasted a lifetime.
If that doesn't pull you into this excellent book, turn to page 105 and see what she says about Hayek. (Spoiler below the fold).
