Ayn Rand Institute Other Tara A. Smith (born 1961) is an American philosopher.

She is a professor of philosophy, the BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism,[1] and the Anthem Foundation Fellow for the Study of Objectivism[2] at the University of Texas at Austin.

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's novels.

[13] Smith is a member of the Ayn Rand Society,[14] which exists within the American Philosophical Association.