Tara A. Smith (born 1961) is an American

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. She is a professor of philosophy, the

BB&T BB&T Corporation (previously known as the Branch Banking and Trust Company) was one of the largest banking and financial services firms in the United States, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2019, BB&T announced its intentions to merge ...

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

for the Study of

Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system named and developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive a ...

, and the Anthem Foundation Fellow for the Study of Objectivism at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

Career

Smith specializes in moral and political theory. She did her undergraduate work at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and received her doctorate from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. Her published works include the books ''Viable Values: A Study of Life as the Root and Reward of Morality'' (2000), ''Moral Rights and Political Freedom'' (1995), and ''Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist'' (2006). She is also a contributing author to several essay collections about

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

's novels. Smith has written in journals such as ''

The Journal of Philosophy ''The Journal of Philosophy'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal on philosophy, founded in 1904 at Columbia University. Its stated purpose is "To publish philosophical articles of current interest and encourage the interchange of ideas, es ...

'', '' American Philosophical Quarterly'', ''Social Philosophy and Policy'', and ''Law and Philosophy''. Smith has lectured all across the United States including

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Wheeling Jesuit University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was founded as "Wheeling College" in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a ...

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and to groups of businessmen. She has also organized conferences, often ones emphasizing objective law. She is on the board of ''

The Philosopher's Index The Philosopher's Information Center is a nonprofit, educational organization. It was founded in 1967 by Richard H. Lineback, who continues to serve as president. The center is publisher of ''The Philosopher's Index'', a comprehensive bibliograp ...

'' and is on the Academic Advisory Council of The Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

. Smith is a member of the Ayn Rand Society, which exists within the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

. She is also on the board of directors of the

Ayn Rand Institute The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, commonly known as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Santa Ana, California, that promotes Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Ran ...

Selected publications

Books

* * * * * *

Articles

* * * * * * * * * * "'Social' Objectivity and the Objectivity of Value" in * * "Forbidding Life to Those Still Living" in * "Independence in ''The Fountainhead''" in * * * "'Humanity's Darkest Evil': The Lethal Destructiveness of Non-Objective Law" in

References

External links

Faculty page
at University of Texas at Austin Department of Philosophy
Academic review of ''Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist''

The Objective Standard's review of ''Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist''

Carrie-Ann Biondi, Review of "Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist" Reason Papers 30 (2008)

Page
at the

which lists her books and some articles
Archive
of Tara Smith's articles at the Capitalism Magazine website {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Tara 1961 births Living people 20th-century American philosophers 21st-century American philosophers American political philosophers Objectivism scholars Objectivists University of Virginia alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni University of Texas at Austin faculty American atheists Atheist philosophers American women philosophers Ayn Rand Institute 21st-century American women