So much has been written about Ayn Rand’s magnum opus Atlas Shrugged that we have decided to focus on the three most original insights contained in this monumental novel. (Of course, just because an idea is novel or new does not make it true, but when evaluating a work of art, one can value originality for its own sake.) In our previous post, for example, we revisited Ayn Rand’s original, revisionist critique of Robin Hood. Today, we will explore another original idea in Atlas Shrugged, the idea expressed by one of the main characters in the novel (the Argentinian aristocrat and copper heir Francisco d’Anconia) that brands, corporate logos, and trademarks are the modern equivalent of the such bygone heraldic symbols as family crests and coats of arms. The passage in which Francisco d’Anconia makes this novel comparison appears on page 94 of the 35th anniversary edition of Atlas