The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

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.

https://youtu.be/fEOGBX9R05w Podcast 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 the January 6 attack are arbitrary; How Trump and many Republicans are attempting to rewrite reality; How the pardons normalize political violence and reflect the tribalism of our culture; Why the blanket pardoning is an attack on the Constitution and the rule of law. Recommended in this podcast are the podcast episodes “The Storming of the Capitol” and “The January 6 Hearings.” The podcast was recorded and posted on January 22, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/87jSEwTQLgk Podcast 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 government’s intimidation of Facebook is a violation of free speech; How both the Biden and Trump administrations intimidate Facebook; How CEOs, like Zuckerberg, morally sanction the attacks against them; Why CEOs, like Zuckerberg, need a principled defense from intellectuals. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s article “’Have Gun, Will Nudge’” in The Objectivist Newsletter and Ben Bayer’s article “Facebook: Censor or Victim?” The podcast was recorded on January 15, 2025 and released on January 16, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/HYUiFLJ3_Yg Podcast 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 character; Why life is not fundamentally about overcoming suffering; What makes Goggins’ message inspiring, despite its misconceptions; Why Objectivism views happiness, not suffering, as the ultimate purpose of life. Recommended in this podcast are Ben Bayer’s “Don’t Resign Yourself to Suffering, Combat It” and the podcast episode on “Should We Accept Suffering as Part of Life?” The podcast was recorded on January 6, 2025 and released on January 9, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/duUDf-WuSVk Podcast 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 to evaluate Jordan Peterson’s notion that meaning is found outside of one’s life; What is wrong with pursuing purpose by bearing others' burdens; Why achievement, not suffering, is the essence of human life and morality. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. The podcast was recorded on December 17, 2024 and released on January 1, 2025. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/0hJO4ofx6VU Podcast 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 aspects; Why some people are antagonistic towards the Christmas spirit; How the doctrine of original sin undermines Christmas joy. Mentioned in this podcast are Ben Bayer’s articles “Give the Gift of a Guilt-Free Christmas” and “The Meaningful Delights of a Worldly Christmas,” and Onkar Ghate’s essay “An Atheist’s Tribute to Christmas.” This podcast was recorded on December 18, 2024 and released on December 23, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/2sZU9hJLFWg Podcast 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 Middle East is constrained by anti-freedom ideologies; How the media coverage of Assad’s fall is blind to the crucial role of ideas; How altruism prevents us from seeing others regimes, like Hamas, as evil; Why America’s security depends on deterring bad actors, not nation-building. Mentioned in this podcast are Onkar Ghate’s and Elan Journo’s co-authored book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism, Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , and Journo’s and Yaron Brook’s coauthored essay "The Banality of Putin and Xi." This podcast was recorded on December 17, 2024 and posted on December 20, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/jSUq16CPQwc Podcast 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 provide value in health care despite government controls; Why saying that denying medical claims is violence perpetuates real violence; How seeing health care as a “right” distorts people’s view of insurance companies; How socialized medicine turns health care providers into serfs, not traders. Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand’s lecture “America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business,” also available in her book Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal. The podcast was recorded on December 13, 2024 and posted on December 18, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/rqSHMPIurKM Podcast 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 intellectual confidence shines through in the interview; How the Ayn Rand Archives recovered the recording; Upcoming projects of the Ayn Rand Archives. Mentioned in this podcast are Rand’s first and fourth interviews with Wallace, Letters of Ayn Rand and the online archive exhibit, and Rand’s letter “To Senator Barry Goldwater” The podcast was recorded on December 10, 2024 and posted on December 12, 2024. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/UA8uWCfm81k Podcast 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 deportations; How the Alien Enemies Act would grant Trump immense new powers; Why mass deportations would fail to secure our borders or enhance national security; Why mass deportations would threaten the rights of American citizens; The importance of respecting the rule of law while also treating peaceful illegal immigrants justly. Mentioned in this podcast is the New Ideal podcast episode with Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid “The Absurdity of Calling the U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis an 'Invasion'.” The podcast was recorded on December 5, 2024, and posted on December 6, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/ZNmERj5xVww Podcast 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 conflict could be reported objectively; How altruism drives the non-objective anti-Israel reporting. The podcast was recorded on November 18, 2024 and released on November 27, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/vCiKkxLAFJY Podcast 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 worth talking about; Why making work central to one’s life doesn’t entail adopting a religious perspective; Understanding what causes burnout and lack of fulfillment in work; The Objectivist perspective on work. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, her essay “Causality Versus Duty”, Gregory Salmieri’s essay “The Act of Valuing (and the Objectivity of Values)” in A Companion to Ayn Rand edited by Allan Gotthelf and Salmieri, and de Liège’s Ayn Rand University course Philosophical Perspectives on Work. This podcast was recorded on November 7, 2024, and released on November 20, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4kQrSryOiQ Podcast 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 vs. the view of the elites; Why Trump didn’t deserve to win; The Republican Party’s capitulation to Trumpism; How policy will change under the new administration; The Trump campaign’s appeal to the worst in Americans. The podcast was recorded on November 13, 2024 and posted on November 15, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/rPsgR0WCqxw Podcast 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 the Dobbs decision; How to evaluate recent Democratic arguments for abortion rights; How state ballot initiatives on abortion fail to uphold women’s right to life; What the future holds for abortion rights as an election and moral issue. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s entry in the Objectivist Lexicon on “Abortion,” Ayn Rand’s essay “On Living Death,” and Ben Bayer’s essay “Ayn Rand’s Radical Case for Abortion Rights” and book of essays, Why the Right to Abortion is Sacrosanct. The podcast was recorded on October 21, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/MLF5deQWbrc Podcast 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 the biographies fail to meet; The authors’ disregard for how Rand thought of herself and her work; Examples of the books’ lack of objectivity; How the authors mishandled the biographies' sources; Why ignoring Rand’s philosophy makes the books less interesting and intelligible. Recommended in this podcast are Journo’s articles “‘Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right’ Is Worse than Incompetent” and “Postscript: ‘Ayn Rand and the World She Made’ Is an Exploitative, Tabloid Biography,” and Allan Gotthelf and Gregory Salmieri’s book A Companion to Ayn Rand. The podcast was posted on October 23, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/wgKovwvgEs0 Podcast 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 address questions central to living a good life; How Ayn Rand presented a radical new way to think about morality; How Ayn Rand challenges conventional ways of thinking about morality; How Ayn Rand provided novel ways of evaluating many moral issues. Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand’s essay collection The Virtue of Selfishness. The podcast was recorded on October 8 and released on October 18, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/Lsm2sRbywwg Podcast 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 pragmatists evade Iran’s ideology; Why most Palestinian grievances are deliberately made up; How October 7 demonstrates the power of philosophy. Mentioned in this podcast are Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism and Elan Journo’s book What Justice Demands. The podcast was recorded on October 4, 2024 and posted on October 7, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/IBopAUk3s4A Podcast 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 philosophical, not a political achievement; How pull peddling threatens space entrepreneurship; How the goal of making a profit enables progress in the private space industry; What's wrong with the objection that private business will corrupt science; How space exploration benefits us. Recommended in this podcast are Rand’s piece “Apollo 11,” the essay “Common Fallacies About Capitalism” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, and Keith Lockitch’s “Ayn Rand on Apollo 11.” The podcast was released on October 2, 2024. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/5Bpu-bAQXMs Podcast 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 Google is based on; How antitrust law is non-objective in theory and in practice; Why the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google is non-objective and unjust; How antitrust law criminalizes businesses for being successful as such; How the DOJ’s antitrust case equivocates political and economic power; Why we need to fight for the moral right of businesses to be successful. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s articles “The Age of Envy,” “America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business,” and “Antitrust: The Rule of Unreason,” as well as our previous New Ideal podcast episode “Recent Antitrust Attacks on ‘Big Tech’.” The podcast premiered on September 25, 2024. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/pKCfFCED9XA Podcast 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-immigration agenda; Harris’s shameful evasion of the immigration topic and the racism of her opponents; How both Democrats and Republicans share a collectivistic view of immigrants; The role of altruism in shaping the anti-American approach to immigration. Mentioned in this podcast are Vergara Cid’s essay “Rethink the Term ‘Illegal Immigrant,’” Ayn Rand’s essay “‘Extremism,’ or the Art of Smearing” and her answer to “Should There Be Open Immigration?” Also referenced are the New Ideal Live episodes “The Problem With Pro-Immigration Arguments,” “A Legal Crisis in Immigration,” and “Who Is a Communist?” The podcast was recorded on September 20, 2024. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/emKgc2aO7x8 Podcast 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 absolute; How public education violates free speech; Non-governmental violations of free speech; The difference between thought and action; When protests and civil disobedience are justified; How to promote a culture of free speech. Mentioned in this podcast are Gregory Salmieri’s essay “Free Speech as a Right and a Way of Life” and Tara Smith’s book The First Amendment: Essays on the Imperative of Intellectual Freedom. The episode was released on September 18, 2024. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-eEwx1jv0 Podcast 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” label helps New Right tribalists hide their own anti-Americanism; The importance of using concepts precisely; How mislabeling someone as “communist” whitewashes real communism. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s article “The Left: Old and New” and Sotirakopoulos ’s lecture at AynRandCon Europe 2024 “Lessons From the Intellectual Success of Marxism.” The podcast was recorded on September 9, 2024 and released on September 14. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/FpjW9B8aE8Q Podcast 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 totalitarianism; How the West lies to itself about the nature of Hamas; Why there are no voices articulating a positive strategy for the Middle East; The need to rethink the philosophic principles guiding American foreign policy. Recommended in this podcast are Ghate and Journo’s book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11 and Journo’s Winning the Unwinnable War: America's Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism. The podcast premiered on September 11, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music. Watch archived podcasts here.

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.

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

https://youtu.be/sdNoDhkU_eA Podcast 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 determinism of labeling Rand as “influenced” by her ancestry vs. the central role of choice in her thought and life; The irrelevant evidence offered for Rand’s “ethnic” identity; Spurious evidence of Rand’s reaction to Soviet injustices in her political thinking; Why Rand’s novels put plot first and were not merely a vehicle for ideas; How The Fountainhead is Rand’s rejection of Nietzsche’s ideas; How Popoff’s book fails to engage with Rand’s rejection of the tribalism central to the concept “ethnicity”; Why Ayn Rand called herself a Jew in response to Antisemitism; How Popoff’s book rehashes the same errors of older flawed biographies. Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s essay “What Is Capitalism?” and her lecture “Global Balkanization.” The podcast was broadcast on September 6, 2024. Watch archived podcasts here.

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

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