Which in turn uses Ayn Rand's philosophy (Objectivism) as the basis of the fictional (failed) society in Bioshock.
(Compare with this quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/207108-at-first-man-was-ens... )
Ayn Rand and her philosophy are quite popular in right-wing circles (and incidentally, largely denounced in academic circles).
Not surprising. A tenured professor getting government grants for research is a villain by Randian standards.
I remember thinking at the time that the hero was being really reckless and that advanced composites often fail in new and unexpected ways and that building an entire rail line out of the stuff before you understand how it fails is beyond risky. Of course because it was a book the metal is perfect in every way and never has a problem, but the real world is rarely so forgiving.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/10/16/new-paper-det...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9010409...