New Yorker, I did not know that ethics is one of the subsets of philosophy. I have never been good at thinking. I become frustrated too quickly to dwell on any topic for long. However, I did zero in on your mention of Rand. Her definition of morality seems self-serving, which makes sense since that is pretty much what she was all about. I have some familiarity with her, and I'm not surprised to hear she was guilty of hypocrisy. Most people, including famous people, turn out to be big disappointments once you start digging.