'Atlas Shrugged' author saw that growing influence of 'rotten ideas' would create 'rotten outcomes,' social upheaval.Many foundational pillars of society in the United States appear to be crumbling right now before our eyes, weakened by an erosive array of social, economic, and political forces.The deterioration of traditional cultural norms and the social upheaval that’s followed — from the living room to classroom the boardroom — is no surprise to Ayn Rand scholars.