New Ideal, from the Ayn Rand Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDj_LhwM0Vw Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss two major recent events: Israel's war against Iran and the political assassinations in Minnesota. Among the topics covered: The Israel-Iran War Why Israel's war against Iran is a positive development; Why a self-interested American foreign policy must break from the legacy of 9/11; The Minnesota assassinations How political violence is becoming a broader cultural trend; How political violence is a tribal phenomenon. The podcast was recorded on June 19, 2025 and posted on June 20, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMepGP0ehPo Podcast Audio In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo interviews ARI intellectuals about their upcoming talks at the Objectivist Summer Conference, taking place July 1-5 in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the topics covered: Audra Hilse's talk, “Revised Blueprints: Early Versions of Part II of The Fountainhead,” which will draw on archival material to offer insights into Rand's creative process; David Bakker's talk, “Newton Versus Descartes on the Exactness of Mathematics,” which will examine how their contrasting views on mathematical precision shaped the development of modern science; Ben Bayer's talk, “America Should Declare Independence from Altruism,” which will argue that America's responses to 9/11 and Covid reflect a deep-rooted evasion of altruism's moral flaws; Don Watkins' talk, “Enlightenment on Trial: The Real Lessons of the American and French Revolutions,” which will challenge conventional narratives about both revolutions to reframe how we understand the Enlightenment's true legacy. Registration is open for both in-person and virtual conference passes. The podcast was recorded on June 9, 2025 and posted on June 11, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YchKm3DnUFo Podcast Audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the ongoing mass protests in Los Angeles and how the Trump administration's response also shows a disregard for the rule of law. Among the topics covered: The scale of the violence; Evidence that the rioters do not care about immigrants' individual rights; Why the right to peaceably assemble does not imply a right to mass protest; The bad jurisprudence that supports the alleged right to mass protest; The lawlessness of Trump's immigration policies; What a proper response to Trump's lawless immigration policy looks like. Recommended in this podcast are The Ayn Rand Lexicon's entry on free speech, Ghate and Bayer's article “Ending Campus Protests Protects Free Speech,” and Bayer's article “The Specter of Lawlessness Is Darker than You Think.” The podcast was recorded on June 9, 2025 and posted on June 11, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A28R9JnfNro Podcast audio: In this episode of The ARI Bookshelf, Elan Journo, Mike Mazza, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Robertas Bakula discuss The Technological Republic, the recent New York Times bestseller by Alexander C. Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, and Nicholas W. Zamiska, the company's head of corporate affairs and legal counsel. Karp and Zamiska argue that America's future greatness hinges on a renewed commitment to national industrial policy. They claim that Silicon Valley is failing the nation by prioritizing personal ambition and consumer gratification over government-directed projects. In response, they claim to offer a new model of partnership between the U.S. government and American business. The discussion covered: The plausibility of the book's arguments; How the book is a Trojan Horse for collectivism; How the book undermines freedom and promotes central planning; How the book rehashes old ideas; Why only a free society is worth defending; The disturbing metaphysical premises behind the book's worldview. The video was recorded on June 2, 2025 and posted on June 5 2025.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY3NY7gFYtw Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège examine Douglas Murray's recent critique of Joe Rogan and other influencers who share their platforms with unreliable pseudo-experts. They explain why Murray fails to clarify the standards for distinguishing expert from non-expert testimony. Among the topics covered: Why Douglas Murray's challenge to Joe Rogan's platforming of non-experts is only partly right; The proper role of expertise; How to properly think about expert consensus as a non-expert; How Murray is unclear about the standards we need for assessing expertise; Why philosophical expertise, not simply on-the-ground experience, is crucial in evaluating the ethics of an ongoing war; Why many people distrust experts. Recommended in this episode are Gregory Salmieri's lecture “How to Be an Objective Consumer of Science,” Ben Bayer's talk “Being Objective About the News.” The podcast was recorded on May 27, 2025 and posted May 30, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/iVJOTxv-tWk Podcast audio: American schools have long performed dismally at providing the education children need to read well. A movement in favor of systematic phonics instruction offers hope for improvement, but while phonics is essential to teaching children to read, they need further education to become highly capable readers. This talk by Sam Weaver defines a properly aspirational goal for reading education, explores the types of knowledge and skills that go into reading, and identifies key areas beyond phonics where American schools must improve if students are to achieve a high level of literacy. Recorded live on June 17 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/o615h8druDE Podcast audio: The creation of the atom bomb during WWII was an extraordinary achievement, dramatized in part in the movie Oppenheimer. What were the three greatest challenges in making the bomb and how does the success in overcoming those very difficult obstacles illustrate the application of objectivity? Which great scientists' work were most essential to the success of the project? As Ayn Rand said of Apollo 11, the Manhattan Project was “an achievement of reason, of logic, of mathematics, of total dedication to the absolutism of reality.” Recorded live on June 18 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/VUYooprteeU Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid analyze how the Trump administration's immigration policy has escalated attacks on due process, legal immigration, and the broader American system of government. (Since the recording of this podcast, Rümeysa Öztürk has been granted bail by a federal judge and released after more than six weeks in detention.) Among the topics covered: How the Trump administration has ramped up mass deportations as a show of power; The chilling, unconstitutional actions targeting legal immigration; How Trump's actions build on a long history of corrupt immigration laws and enforcement; How the attack on due process aims at scaring immigrants into self-deporting; How the unchecked abuse of executive powers threatens the American system of government. Recommended in this podcast is the previous podcast episode on “What Would Mass Deportations Mean for Freedom in America?” The podcast was recorded on May 7, 2025 and posted on May 14, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/RclwB5luKek Podcast audio: Ayn Rand denounced racism as “the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism.” She also rejected as collectivist many of the measures being advocated to combat this evil, including what became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On the sixtieth anniversary of that law, Dr. Greg Salmieri revisited the themes of Rand's classic article “Racism,” relating them to present-day America. Topics include the definitions of “race” and “racism,” how the rejection of free will incline intellectuals toward racism, how superficially opposed racist doctrines on the political left and right embolden one another, in what respects racism can be “institutional” or “systemic,” how statist policies (including provisions of the Civil Rights Act) perpetuate existing racial inequities, and why it is only by embracing capitalism that we can put racism and its legacies behind us. Recorded live on June 18 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/2yQWRvrbVUI Podcast audio: Foreign policy is both a political activity and a field of applied ethics. However, the metaphysical and epistemological premises held by theorists and practitioners shape their view of ethics. The lack of an objective view of the world has led to theories and policies that do not support, and are often harmful to, the role of a proper government. However, as Scott McDonald explains, an objective understanding of the global system can lead to a first-handed foreign policy. Recorded live on June 14 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/LVNSnbdEo0o Podcast audio: In this episode of The ARI Bookshelf, Onkar Ghate, Tristan de Liège, and Robertas Bakula discuss Abundance, the recent best-selling book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson that has gained traction in liberal circles. Klein and Thompson acknowledge the failings of past liberal policies and present what they call the “abundance agenda” as an alternative. The agenda emphasizes streamlined regulations alongside robust government involvement in production — an approach the authors claim will usher in a new political order. The discussion covered: The book's central arguments; How the “abundance agenda” is unphilosophical and collectivistic; How the book's position on environmentalism reveals its deeper philosophical problems; How the book fails to distinguish between coercion and voluntary cooperation; How the authors fail to check their premises about government; Why the book's admiration for China is troubling. The video premiered on May 1, 2025.

https://youtu.be/0R_RjyOJeI4 Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer, Robertas Bakula, and Tristan de Liège explore how the mixed economy enables the unjust exploitation of society's most productive individuals. Among the topics covered: Why, contrary to Marxist claims, businesspeople are the most exploited group in a mixed economy; How antitrust laws enable the government and less successful companies to exploit successful companies; How tariffs drive the material and spiritual exploitation of producers; How farm subsidies reward stagnation at the taxpayers' expense; How Atlas Shrugged dramatizes the exploitation of producers. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's books Atlas Shrugged and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, and the recent podcast episode on “The Marxists' Exploitation Myth.” The podcast was recorded on May 5, 2025 and posted on May 7, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/7Wjrmh8CjAk Podcast audio: As a historian and philosopher of biology, much of Dr. James Lennox's research has focused on the philosophical foundations of history's two greatest biologists: Aristotle and Charles Darwin. Historians and philosophers often portray these two giants as diametrically opposed in their approach to the study of life. But were they? In this talk, he provides a novel answer to that question — and guidance on how to engage with such questions objectively. Recorded live on June 18 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/sNtIs4UmXns Podcast audio: The most pernicious ideas are often injected into the culture by the method of “package-dealing” — the attempt to integrate the unintegratable. Expanding on previous material he has presented on this subject, Mr. Peter Schwartz offers a more advanced analysis of the mechanics of the package-deal. He addresses such questions as: Can the same word stand for both a valid concept and a package-deal? What is the role of a definition in the formation of package-deals? What is the difference between anti-concepts and package-deals? This talk focuses particularly on the telltale signs one should look for in trying to identify a package-deal. Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/S53avG169mw Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss the Trump administration's move to restart nuclear talks with Iran by rehashing Obama's failed deal. Among the topics covered: How the Trump administration's new Iran deal essentially recycles Obama's failed policy; Why hopes for diplomacy with Iran evade the regime's totalitarian nature; Why treating a death-worshipping regime as legitimate empowers its cause; The role of tribalism in stripping moral principles from America's foreign policy; How Trump's amoralism blinds him to the threat of foreign dictatorships. Mentioned in this podcast are “ARI's Resources on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East,” Journo's book What Justice Demands, and his co-authored book with Onkar Ghate Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism. This podcast was recorded on April 28, 2025 and posted on April 30, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/Ff78OyGNA40 Podcast audio: This sample class by Gena Gorlin is based on the full-length ARU course of the same name. The full course explores the major schools of thought, methods of inquiry, and empirical findings taught in a typical introduction to psychology course. But it explores how to understand and evaluate these theories, methods, and findings from an Objectivist perspective. Students learn how Objectivism can help us consume and get personal value from existing work in psychology, even when it is deeply flawed philosophically. The sample class will feature a selection of topics drawn from the full ARU course. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/oMFbMFvDJ50 Podcast audio: In this talk, Dr. Amesh Adalja details innovative new developments in science that will enhance the lives of individuals. Topics include transplantation of pig hearts and kidneys into humans, cell-based therapies for cancer, genetically modified mosquitoes, new vaccines and vaccine technologies, AI-discovered antibiotics, CRISPR therapeutics, and more. Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/pWpAiAioZTE Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza explore the themes from Mazza's upcoming essay, which argues that freedom, not government control, is the true engine of progress in the space industry. Among the topics covered: How NASA's monopoly led to decades of stagnation in space innovation; How economic freedom has fueled the recent progress in the space industry; Why NASA's role as a scientific research agency lies outside the proper scope of government; How to answer critics who claim that private space ventures are just billionaire “playgrounds”; The importance of entrepreneurial thinking in driving progress in the space industry. Mentioned and recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essay “Apollo 11” from her The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought, Mazza's and Tristan de Liège's podcast episode “Space: The New Commercial Frontier,” and Mazza's forthcoming essay, which will appear in New Ideal. This podcast was recorded on April 21, 2025 and posted on April 23, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/79fT9VIDkVs Podcast audio: As Ayn Rand wrote, “The concept of individual rights is so prodigious a feat of political thinking that few men grasp it fully—and two hundred years have not been enough for other countries to understand it.” We can see this failure of understanding in the view, advanced by many conservatives and libertarians today, that the concept of individual rights ultimately derives from or is at least consistent with the Judeo-Christian morality. In this talk, Ben Bayer explores some highlights of the history of the concept to understand why it is essentially a secular innovation, even when thinkers who helped advance it held Christian views. He especially focuses on how Enlightenment views of human nature and knowledge helped untether “rights” discourse from its antecedents in religious thought. Recorded live on June 17 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/UaRhK2N8m6Y Podcast audio: A continuation of Dr. Harry Binswanger's Saving Math from Plato (OCON 2023): how the Aristotelian, perception-based approach to mathematics refutes or re-interprets wrong ideas advanced by figures such as Russell and Cantor. Topics include number, infinity, limits, and the axiomatic concepts of mathematics. (The lecture assumes no knowledge of mathematics beyond beginning algebra.) Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/qctS25KQzrs Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver and Ben Bayer discuss the Trump administration's decision to cut federal funding to Columbia University in response to its handling of pro-Hamas protests. They argue that government involvement in universities makes such coercion possible and threatens intellectual freedom. Among the topics covered: How to think about the pro-Hamas protests at Columbia; The nature of Trump's actions against Columbia; How federal funding threatens intellectual freedom; How Trump's actions violate intellectual freedom; Why Trump's measures are uniquely destructive; How the concept of  “academic freedom” confuses the issue; How to remove force from educational institutions. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essays “The Establishing of an Establishment” and “Fairness Doctrine for Education,” the article “More University Donors Should Go Galt,” and the podcast episode “DeSantis's Push to Ideologically Transform Florida Colleges.” This podcast was recorded on April 8, 2025 and posted on April 16, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/VaNHaT-xlOU Podcast audio: The new ARI Bookshelf podcast series gives you a window into ARI's educational programs by showcasing our faculty as they discuss books of recent interest. This episode discusses Ta-Nehisi Coates's book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, The Message. Panelists included Elan Journo, Greg Salmieri, Ibis Slade, and Mohamed Ali.

https://youtu.be/RKtLU6ntECU Podcast audio: “Socratic Wisdom” — knowing our own ignorance — is the ability to differentiate what we do not know from what we do. This is a key component of objectivity, vital for properly weighing and implementing the knowledge we possess and directing ongoing investigation and inquiry. In this talk, Jason Rheins discusses the nature and importance of this introspective clarity and how it is achieved. He covers practical methods and specific tips for identifying our ignorance and differentiating it from our knowledge. Recorded live on June 18 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/vFaDm6eo-mk Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer examine the Trump administration's recent tariff policy and the legal, economic, and political disruptions they create. Among the topics covered: Why tariffs are not a proper foreign policy instrument to deter the threat from China; Why all justifications for tariffs are arbitrary and collectivistic in nature; How the obsession with trade deficits reveals outright ignorance of economic principles; How legal ambiguity has enabled the executive to wield authoritarian power; How Trump's whim-driven rule is pushing the country toward authoritarianism; The economic chaos caused by the tariffs; What hopes exist for reversing the policy. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's articles “America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business” and “The Moratorium on Brains.” The podcast was recorded on April 9, 2025 and posted on April 10, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/-c6W8JuZsVo Podcast audio: Oppression and authoritarianism have been constant themes in regimes that ruled in the name of Marxism. From the Soviet Union to Cuba and from Yugoslavia to China, individual rights were ignored and violently suppressed. Is such anti-individualism a feature or a bug in Marxism? What about Marx himself? How did he view the individual? Was he the one who planted the seed for the future orgy of anti-individualist violence that has been perpetrated in his name? Nikos Sotirakopoulos tackles these questions in this talk from OCON 2024. Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/093vQKWPwvs Podcast audio: Objectivity is the key to avoiding misunderstandings and making one-to-one conversations productive. There are two contexts of knowledge, two value hierarchies, and two “crows” to consider to communicate effectively. In this talk from OCON 2024, Jean Moroney covers the topics: what constitutes subjective vs. objective goals for a conversation, the need to manage emotions as they arise rather than shut them down, and how doing this effectively by “holding all of the values with care” can get a conversation back on track and help you deal objectively with another person's real or apparent irrationality. Recorded live on June 14 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/a3bgumyKdAA Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos dismantle the claim that “real socialism” has never been attempted. Among the topics covered: Why many young Americans support socialism; How Soviet leaders were driven by Marxist ideology; Why Joseph Stalin epitomized Marxist principles; Why dictatorship is the logical outcome of socialist central planning; How the definition of socialism has been watered down to evade its historical crimes; The persistent rationalizations used to defend socialism. Recommended in this podcast are The Ayn Rand Lexicon's entry on socialism, Bayer's essay “The Dishonesty of ‘Real Socialism Has Never Been Tried,'” and Sotirakopoulos' upcoming ARU course “Marx and Communism.” The podcast was recorded on April 1, 2025 and posted on April 2, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/8wKAKmydUlg Podcast audio: Johann Wolfgang Goethe's dramatic poem Faust is a monumental work of Romantic literature that presents one man's ceaseless striving to transcend the limitations of human knowledge and experience. By exploring some of the most profound and moving passages from the poem, this talk by Nicolas Krusek provides a glimpse of Goethe's grand-scale themes and characterizations, and demonstrate the rich rewards to be gained by joining his hero—the “good man” with the “darkling aspiration”—on his quest to discover the “highest wisdom” of life. Recorded live on June 18 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/HtOmp-fh-Pk Podcast audio: This episode of ARI Bookshelf features Naomi Oreskes's bookWhy Trust Science? Panelists include Ben Bayer, Jason Rheins, Mike Mazza, and Daniel Schwartz. Why Trust Science? asks when and why non-experts can trust science. It argues that it is the social character of science that makes it trustworthy. Our panelists judge whether the arguments Oreskes gives are convincing and examine her views about the value of consensus and diversity in scientists' beliefs and values. They also discuss the philosophy of science more generally and consider how laypeople should evaluate climate science and anti-vaccine claims.

https://youtu.be/S1DL9777gfk Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate challenge the myth that America is ruled by plutocrats, exposing how fear of governmental threats drives business decisions. Among the topics covered: How CEOs' silence in the face of Trump's destructive tariff policies debunks the myth of plutocracy; How threats from the Trump administration instill fear in America's top producers; How attacks on Zuckerberg and other CEOs reveal that business has no allies; Why businessmen are not the rulers of the system but the pawns; The urgent need for business leaders to stand up for themselves. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essays “The National Interest, c'est moi” in The Objectivist Newsletter,  “America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, Onkar Ghate's lecture “Freedom and the Need for Business to Stand Up for Itself,” and The Atlas Circle. The podcast was recorded on March 25, 2025 and posted on March 27, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/qBTy_9VVhuE Podcast audio: Often, people make the mistake of being too passive about friendship, treating it as something that just happens automatically in life—for instance, maintaining friendships with people one just happened to know growing up, or using shortcuts, such as a shared philosophy, in choosing friends. In this talk, Tristan de Liège explores in detail what it means to pursue friendship in a philosophically minded way—integrating the value of friendship with one's other values, pursuing them with purpose, and honoring the trade that is the spiritual foundation of friendship. Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/9lMQ3idE9bw Podcast audio: Immigration is one of the most contentious topics on today's political landscape. But that has always been true throughout America history. Why have immigration restrictions taken hold in America since the nineteenth century? What ideas animate immigration restrictionists, and what explains their success in restricting immigration in the U.S.? In this talk, Agustina Vergara Cid takes you through the history of the immigration debate in the U.S., uncovers the philosophy behind restrictionists, and points to a solution to bring about more freedom in the U.S. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/3XFiAQbxtgQ Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid examine the current controversy over USAID and discuss Ayn Rand's distinctive critique of the morality behind America's foreign aid. Among the topics covered: How recent revelations about USAID expose the agency's absurd, if not malicious, activities; Why Rand viewed foreign aid and its justification in the name of “the public interest” as morally corrupt; The continuing relevance of Rand's critique of the altruistic premises underlying arguments for foreign aid; How an unprincipled foreign policy has failed to protect America's interests abroad and wasted its resources; The role of foreign aid in a proper, pro-American foreign policy. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essays “The Pull Peddlers” and “Altruism as Appeasement,” available in The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought. The podcast was recorded on March 10, 2025 and posted on March 19, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/DI1xqqIcj7k Podcast 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 Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand's Ethics. Recorded live on June 17 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/ZhqJzc75qeI Podcast 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 Determined offers a psychologist's case against popular forms of determinism and argues that mental health depends on a belief in one's agency. Our panelists examine Sheldon's arguments and positions from a wider philosophical perspective and indicate its strengths and weaknesses. They find value in his answers to scientific arguments for determinism but question his account of motivation. They also discuss the value of psychological research and the relationship between philosophy and the sciences. The discussion covered: Panelists' general take on the book; The history of arguments for and against free will; How mental health may depend on a belief in one's agency; The book's distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; The book's vague conceptualization of the self; Why progress in psychology is messy. The video with the episode was originally released on September 10, 2024.

https://youtu.be/QT4O5p3oSAA Podcast 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 Objectivism to current events is essential to understanding the philosophy; Why persuading minds about Objectivism requires distinguishing it from mainstream ideas; What is wrong with the objection that no one can speak for Ayn Rand; What to expect from ARI's commentary in the future. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essay “What Can One Do?” in Philosophy: Who Needs it?, and Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer's discussion “How Can We Change People's Minds About Ayn Rand's Controversial Ideas?” The podcast was recorded on March 10, 2025 and released on March 12, 2025. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe where you get your podcasts from. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/YjhHIgZzO3k Podcast 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 discussed book argues that Christianity is the foundation of science and Western values, Freeman's books present a contrary view. Our panelists bring their expertise to evaluate the arguments in both books, assessing their historical and philosophical accuracy. The discussion covered: The central arguments of the books; Why the Church feared Aristotelian philosophy; How Freeman's books provide a more thorough and philosophical analysis than Holland's; How Holland diminishes Greek influence on modernity; How Holland appropriates secular ideas and thinkers into Christianity; The role of Christianity in the abolition of slavery; The relationship between Christianity and science; Why Holland's book gained popularity while Freeman's did not. The video premiered on March 11, 2025.

https://youtu.be/V8yIcXmoAnQ Podcast 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 invited, which readings the course contained, how she prepared, and what about her lecture astonished her hosts. Recorded live on June 14 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/h1tIDRzi9Ho Podcast 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-Russia war should be; How Trump's Oval Office blowup at Zelensky reveals his amorality; The mindset driving Trump's sympathy for Putin and his approach to negotiation; When it would be proper to negotiate with an aggressor; The long-term consequences of America's pro-Russia shift. Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand's essay “The Anatomy of Compromise” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. Recommended for further reading are Elan Journo's essay “Why John Mearsheimer Gets Ukraine Wrong,” Ziemowit Gowin's essay “European Appeasement Emboldened Putin's Aggression,”and Journo's and Ben Bayer's essay “Putin's War Embodies National Conservatism's Ideology.” The podcast was recorded on March 5, 2025 and released on March 7, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8 Podcast 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 as an alternative to the view that science distinguishes itself by proving its conclusions inductively. In this lecture, Mike Mazza discuss the reasons behind Popper's anti-inductivism and falsificationism and how they undercut the rationality of science. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/gFXDYaKnCVw Podcast 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 enabled his success; How Ayn Rand's critique of discretionary government power should concern Elon Musk; Why the new opinion section must confront the Trump administration's threats to freedom; How the backlash against Bezos overlooks the reality that business leaders are victims of government controls who ought to defend their rights; The role of the mixed economy in corrupting the American system. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand's essay “America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business” and the resources at ARI's new pro-business initiative, The Atlas Circle. The podcast was recorded on February 26, 2025 and posted on February 28, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/1fLxvFQCScA Podcast 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 thoughts on how to leverage Objectivism for success and happiness, addressing questions such as “What are common struggles people face in trying to live by Objectivism?” and “What are underappreciated aspects of Ayn Rand's philosophy that can empower people to enjoy life more?” Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/UVujQHg1kZo Podcast 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; How the exploitation theory fails to grasp how the capitalist produces value; How mainstream defenses of capitalists fail to grasp how they produce value; How capitalists benefit all of us immensely by increasing our productivity; Rejecting the Marxist “pyramid of exploitation” for Rand's “pyramid of ability.” Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. The podcast was recorded on February 21, 2025, and released on February 26, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/0SSL_XThHdQ Podcast 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 Rheins, Greg Salmieri, and Shoshana Milgram. The visionaries of the book's title are four mid-twentieth century female philosophers: Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Simone Weil, and Ayn Rand. Through interweaving biographies of these four figures, the book aims to show, as its subtitle puts it, “the power of philosophy in dark times.” According to Ben Bayer, “this was a very interesting book to read, especially because of the kind of novelistic quality of it, where you're not just reading about their ideas, but you're seeing what's happening in their lives […] against the backdrop of some pretty dramatic geopolitical events of the period.” Among the topics covered: Panelists' general takes on the book; How Simone Weil's philosophy causes her to martyr herself; The thematic unity of the four figures; The significance of the four figures being women; The book's sloppy treatment and misrepresentation of Rand; How the book whitewashes evil; Why the book may be worth reading. The video premiered on August 6, 2024.

https://youtu.be/y-WB-fhVJls Podcast 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 forget” enables injustice; Why forgiving a murderous dictator like Putin would be horrific; Why a rational view of forgiveness must be rooted in justice; The story of Mosab Hassan Yousef as an example of earning forgiveness; How healing from injustice comes from maintaining a positive value context, not forgiveness; Whether there is need for a separate concept of forgiveness. Recommended in this podcast are the Ayn Rand Lexicon entries on “Mercy,” “Justice,” and “Moral Judgment.” The podcast was recorded on February 14, 2025 and posted on February 19, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/yOx0pcktQtI Podcast 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 related issues? Panel discussion featuring Yaron Brook, Peter Schwartz, and Scott McDonald, moderated by Elan Journo, with extensive audience Q&A. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/9GjD66edA0g Join 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/ In the age of social media everyone's a self-proclaimed pundit, tweeting or posting on current events whether or not they possess any relevant knowledge or expertise. Meanwhile, our culture is saturated with stale, conventional thinking. People are taken in far too easily by false alternatives, tribalism, and superficial perspectives utterly lacking in nuance or principle. In this sample class—based on the full-length ARU course of the same name—Yaron Brook and Onkar Ghate will share their insights into how they approach thinking about current events, how they acquire sufficient knowledge to comment meaningfully on any given topic, and how they use Objectivism as a lens to clarify even the thorniest of issues. Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/a-SwX91pj2Q Podcast 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 lopsided hostage release deal is a win for Hamas; How the Gaza deal is short-sighted and self-sacrificial; How Trump's “real estate” deal would reward Gazans for their aggression; How the Gaza deal reveals a blindness to the role of ideas in motivating aggression. Recommended in this podcast are ARI's “Resources on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East," Elan Journo's book What Justice Demands, and Ben Bayer's article “We Ignore the Unconditional Right to Self-Defense at Our Peril." The podcast was recorded on February 12, 2025, and released on February 14, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get you podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/Oly3eYzZiTg Podcast 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 by a real instructor. Sign up now: https://aru.aynrand.org/ This sample class is based on the full-length ARU course of the same name by Don Watkins and Tal Tsfany. The full course explores the principles and attitudes that will help guide students in their work, career, and the world of business more generally. A major focus is on what the application of these ideas looks like, explored in part through a series of interviews and discussions with Objectivist businessmen, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and professionals in various fields. The session focuses on the nature of a fulfilling career, how to select a career, and key tips for building a fulfilling career. Recorded live on June 17 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/wmo0zqU_dIQ Podcast 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 remedies for Google's alleged crime punish their success; Google's failure to challenge the government's right to persecute them; Why calling out the evil of antitrust would give Google the moral high ground; How the Trump administration is just as bad as Biden's on antitrust prosecution; What Google and other persecuted businesses can do to defend themselves. Recommended in this podcast are “Open Letter to Google's Sundar Pichai and Team,” which is the first project of ARI's Atlas Circle initiative, the previous podcast episode on “The Vicious Antitrust Case Against Google,” and Ayn Rand's essay, “America's Persecuted Minority: Big Business.” The podcast was recorded on February 5, 2025 and released on February 7, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/hPO8IQvENTY Podcast 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, values deeply informed by Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. In this interview, Mr. Brigham shares how The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged inspired him to take bold risks and create lasting value in the energy sector. Among the topics covered: Introduction to the Roundtable and to Bud Brigham; What motivates Brigham's continuing entrepreneurship; How Brigham's companies innovated to overcome economic and technological challenges; Brigham's battle to build the innovative Dune Express, the world's second-longest conveyor belt transporting fracking sand;   How Objectivist ideas have inspired and empowered Brigham's career; How Brigham works to encourage industry peers to stand up on principle against demands for regulation;   Brigham's advice for young entrepreneurs; Brigham's favorite passage from Ayn Rand. The interview with Mr. Brigham occurred at a recent ARI Donor Roundtable on January 25, an event usually available exclusively for donors. If you'd like to participate in the next Roundtable event, consider joining ARI as a supporter.