https://youtu.be/DI1xqqIcj7kPodcast audio:How can we live more egoistically? What makes us want to live more egoistically? Not everyone does. In her talk “Egoism Without Permission – It Begins with Desire” at Objectivist Summer Conference 2024 in Anaheim, Tara Smith explored the connection between these questions, drawing material from her new book…

https://youtu.be/ZhqJzc75qeIPodcast audio:A new ARI podcast series, ARI Bookshelf, gives you a window into ARI’s educational programs by showcasing our faculty as they discuss books of recent interest. This episode discusses Kennon M. Sheldon’s book Freely Determined. Panelists include Ben Bayer, Jason Rheins, Greg Salmieri, and Gena Gorlin.Freely …

https://youtu.be/QT4O5p3oSAAPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss why ARI comments on current events and why applying Objectivism to cultural issues is central to its essence as a philosophy for living on earth.Among the topics covered:How ARI’s commentary fits its mission;Why applying Ob…

https://youtu.be/YjhHIgZzO3kPodcast audio:In this episode of The ARI Bookshelf, Jason Rheins, Ben Bayer, Don Watkins, and Alex Silverman examine two contrasting perspectives on the influence of Christianity: Tom Holland’s Dominion and Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind and The Reopening of the Western Mind.While Holland’s widely disc…

https://youtu.be/V8yIcXmoAnQPodcast audio:Fifty years ago, Ayn Rand journeyed to West Point to speak to a new senior-level course offered by the Department of English. She told the cadets — and the world — who needed philosophy, and why. Now, from Shoshana Milgram, you can learn from archival documents and new interviews why and when she was invite…

https://youtu.be/h1tIDRzi9HoPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast Ziemowit Gowin interviews Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate on Trump’s stance on the Ukraine-Russia war, which led him to call President Zelensky a dictator and publicly berate him in the Oval Office.Among the topics covered:What America’s approach to the Ukraine-…

https://youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8Podcast audio:How does science work, and how does it differ from religion or pseudo-science? According to Karl Popper’s “falsificationism,” science, unlike religion and pseudo-science, doesn’t claim certainty; it aims only to disprove its hypotheses, and this is the source of its rationality. Popper proposed his theory a…

https://youtu.be/gFXDYaKnCVwPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo examine Jeff Bezos' decision to reorient The Washington Post's opinion section toward issues of personal and economic freedom.Among the topics covered:How Bezos' move reflects a genuine appreciation for the American ideals that e…

https://youtu.be/1fLxvFQCScAPodcast audio:Philosophy is for living. But how do you get the most value out of your philosophy? This is a question the panelists have been exploring from a variety of perspectives, ranging from psychology to moral philosophy to personal development. Gena Gorlin, Tara Smith, Tal Tsfany, and Don Watkins, shared their tho…

https://youtu.be/UVujQHg1kZoPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge the exploitation theory of value at the root of many attacks on capitalists by both the political left and right.Among the topics covered:How the exploitation theory is entrenched in mainstream political thought;…

https://youtu.be/0SSL_XThHdQPodcast audio:A new ARI podcast series gives you a window into ARI’s educational programs by showcasing our faculty as they discuss books of recent interest. The series, the ARI Bookshelf, premiered on August 6 with an episode discussing Wolfram Eilenberger’s book The Visionaries. Panelists included Ben Bayer, Jason Rhei…

https://youtu.be/y-WB-fhVJlsPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Tristan de Liège discuss why the traditional conception of forgiveness is evil and indicate how to think of it from an Objectivist perspective.Among the topics covered:How forgiveness is conventionally understood;Why the idea of “forgive and…

https://youtu.be/yOx0pcktQtIPodcast audio:What is at stake in the Russia/Ukraine and the Israel/Hamas conflicts? What are America’s interests in the chaotic Middle East? How do we evaluate China’s global ambitions and its claims on Taiwan? What’s the impact of foreign policy on the 2024 campaign trail? How does Objectivism help us unpack these and …

https://youtu.be/9GjD66edA0gJoin one of ARI's many online educational courses. Our new "Flex" option allows you to take these courses at your own pace, whenever you have the time, while also still retaining the benefit of having your questions answered and your assignments graded by a real instructor. Browse our catalog now: https://aru.aynrand.org…

https://youtu.be/a-SwX91pj2QPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss the moral travesty of the Gaza deal and the intellectual bankruptcy it reveals in foreign policy thinking.Among the topics covered:Why the Gaza deal will not bring peace but ensure further aggression by Hamas;How the lopsid…

https://youtu.be/Oly3eYzZiTgPodcast audio:Accelerate your understanding of Objectivism today by joining one of our many online educational courses. Our new "Flex" option allows you to take these courses at your own pace, whenever you have the time, while also still retaining the benefit of having your questions answered and your assignments graded …

https://youtu.be/wmo0zqU_dIQPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula discuss the latest developments of the Department of Justice’s vicious antitrust persecution of Google.Among the topics covered:How the antitrust attack on Google is driven by hatred of its productive virtues;How the DOJ's reme…

https://youtu.be/hPO8IQvENTYPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo interviews, Bud Brigham, a lifelong entrepreneur and the founder of multiple successful companies, most notably Atlas Energy Solutions. Mr. Brigham built his career on a vision of innovation and an uncompromising commitment to individualism, val…

https://youtu.be/fEOGBX9R05wPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss Trump’s blanket pardon of all the people involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.Among the topics covered:How Trump’s blanket pardon lets outrageous evil off the hook;How Trump’s claims about the 2020 elections and …

https://youtu.be/87jSEwTQLgkPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer analyze Mark Zuckerberg's recent comments on Facebook’s policy changes and whether they truly represent a victory for free speech.Among the topics covered:How Facebook’s content moderation is not a violation of free speech;How the …

https://youtu.be/HYUiFLJ3_YgPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss David Goggins’ idea that suffering is central to the pursuit of values.Among the topics covered:The popular idea that embracing suffering is essential to a successful life;David Goggins’ incredible life and …

https://youtu.be/duUDf-WuSVkPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss how to make one’s life purposeful, without falling for the sacrificial tropes popular in our culture.Among the topics covered:Why aiming at a challenging, effortful life should not be equated with suffering;How t…

https://youtu.be/0hJO4ofx6VUPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid explore the true meaning of Christmas by examining the history and philosophical significance of our holiday practices.Among the topics covered:The secular meaning of Christmas;A proper view of Christmas’s commercial aspec…

https://youtu.be/2sZU9hJLFWgPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyze the moral significance of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and its replacement by jihadists.Among the topics covered:Why authoritarian regimes, like Assad’s, are fundamentally weak and unstable;How the future of the …

https://youtu.be/jSUq16CPQwcPodcast audio:In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the reaction to the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and the hatred towards businessmen in America.Among the topics covered:Examples of the culture treating businessmen as a persecuted minority;How CEOs …

https://youtu.be/rqSHMPIurKMPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Brandon Lisi and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the backstory of the newly-published “lost” Mike Wallace-Ayn Rand interview from 1960.Among the topics covered:Historical background of the “lost” interview;Rand’s role as a public intellectual during the 1960s;How Rand’s intellectu…

https://youtu.be/UA8uWCfm81kPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss Donald Trump’s promise to enact mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants.Among the topics covered:How Trump’s plan to enact mass deportations would have massive costs;Why the Alien Enemies Act does not justify mass deportati…

https://youtu.be/ZNmERj5xVwwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian war in Western media.Among the topics covered:The corruption of the Western media’s reporting of the conflict;Why reporters can’t escape moral judgment;The anti-Israel bias of the media;How the…

https://youtu.be/vCiKkxLAFJYPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Sam Weaver and Tristan de Liège discuss Atlantic writer Derek Thompson’s idea that Americans are afflicted by a religious obsession with work that he calls “workism” and their view of the role of work in human life.Among the topics covered:Thompson’s view on work and why it's w…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kQrSryOiQPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Elan Journo, Ben Bayer, and Onkar Ghate discuss the 2024 U.S. election results.Among the topics covered:Why the Democrats and Kamala Harris didn’t deserve to win;How Harris should have dealt with the failures of the Biden administration;The American sense of life…

https://youtu.be/rPsgR0WCqxwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss Ayn Rand’s radical view on abortion rights and the debates over abortion as an election issue.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand defended abortion rights as a matter of individual freedom;How to understand abortion as an election issue after…

https://youtu.be/MLF5deQWbrcPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Aaron Smith interviews Elan Journo to discuss his critical evaluation of two popular but deeply flawed biographies of Ayn Rand: Jennifer Burns’ Goddess of the Market and Anne C. Heller’s Ayn Rand and the World She Made.Among the topics covered:The standards of objectivity that …

https://youtu.be/wgKovwvgEs0Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Mike Mazza and Sam Weaver discuss the enduring value of The Virtue of Selfishness, a collection of Ayn Rand’s essays on ethics, on its sixtieth anniversary.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand wrote and collected the essays in The Virtue of Selfishness;How Ayn Rand’s essays ad…

https://youtu.be/Lsm2sRbywwgPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss Western misconceptions around October 7 and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Among the topics covered:Why the war is really between Israel and Iran;How pragmatism effects the West’s inability to understand Iran;How Palestinian grievances help…

https://youtu.be/IBopAUk3s4APodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Mike Mazza and Tristan de Liège discuss the private space industry and Ayn Rand's philosophical thoughts on the subject.Among the topics covered:How state monopolization forestalled the development of the private space industry;Why Rand saw the Apollo 11 mission as a philosophi…

https://youtu.be/5Bpu-bAQXMsPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula discuss the recent antitrust case against Google and what it reveals about the nature of antitrust law.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand regarded antitrust law as immoral and un-American;What evidence the DOJ’s antitrust case against Googl…

https://youtu.be/pKCfFCED9XAPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Agustina Vergara Cid and Ben Bayer analyze the anti-American immigration platforms of both the Trump and Harris campaigns.Among the topics covered:The tribal and arbitrary nature of Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric;Why Republicans rely on fear-mongering to push their anti…

https://youtu.be/emKgc2aO7x8Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Agustina Vergara Cid interviews Gregory Salmieri about his essay “Free Speech as a Right and a Way of Life.”Among the topics covered:What free speech is and why a defense of it is needed;How to respond to acts of de-platforming and cancellation;Why the right to free speech is a…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-eEwx1jv0Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the question of whether Kamala Harris is a communist, and if not, what the real problem with her views is.Among the topics covered:The essence of the Marxist ideology;Why Harris is not a communist;How the “communist” l…

https://youtu.be/FpjW9B8aE8QPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss how the failure of American post-9/11 policy led to the October 7 attacks.Among the topics covered:How the failed American response to 9/11 paved the way for October 7;How religion and altruism undermined the response to Islamic totalitariani…

The new Right’s absurd positions cannot be explained by their adherence to any coherent ideology, but only by their tribal view of the world.Von Ayn Rand Institute

We must understand the philosophical foundations of the right to free speech to apply it to contemporary controversies.Von Ayn Rand Institute

https://youtu.be/sdNoDhkU_eAPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Harry Binswanger analyze Alexandra Popoff’s new biography, Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success, particularly its portrayal of Rand as a “Jewish thinker.” They address the false attempt to link Rand’s “ethnicity” to her philosophy.Among the topics covered:…

The West is free today because it didn’t allow even the death of innocents to impede its right to self-defense.Von Ayn Rand Institute

Cartels thrive on the criminalization of immigration that allows them to prey on migrants at the border.Von Ayn Rand Institute

The U.S. the US withdrew from Afghanistan 3 years ago on August 26, 2021. Blame our political and intellectual leaders, across two decades, for evading the ideological nature of the enemy and, consequently, miring U.S. forces in a “no-win” war.Von Ayn Rand Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBhhQHNCAFIPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 Platform.Among the topics covered:The ambiguity of “freedom” in the Democrats’ rhetoric;How the platform packages legitimate freedom with the “freedom” to take from others;Ho…

In this episode, Ben Bayer reads aloud his article, “Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics.” In that essay, he examines secular thinkers' approach towards ethics. As he argues, scientists like Richard Dawkins accept ethical claims that are fundamentally based on religious thinking. To combat this approach to ethics, we need a nat…

ARI’s new educational products help you learn Objectivism from experts at your own pace.Von Ayn Rand Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjAt5kXxxBsPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid criticize various pro-immigration arguments and discuss how they undermine a proper moral defense of immigration.Among the topics covered:How conventional pro-immigration arguments are based on altruism and collectivism;H…