The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Nikos Sotirakopoulos interviews Don Watkins about his new book Effective Egoism: An Individualist’s Guide to Pride, Purpose, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Nikos and Don discuss the need for moral guidance on how to make the most of your life, why we need principles to guide our actions, and six lessons for living your best life. Among the topics covered: How philosophy can give you a framework for living your best life; Why your life matters; How to take charge of your life; How to pursue your happiness; Why you need reason to pursue happiness; How to create deep and lasting values; Making the case for egoism; Why pleasure is necessary for a meaningful life. The podcast was recorded on December 7, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU_Z7edBO8k Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss recent controversies surrounding immigrants and allegations that they are abusing the welfare state, and they explain what an objective approach to thinking about immigration and welfare involves. Among the topics covered: How to evaluate the purported data about immigrants and use of welfare services; How to avoid falling into pragmatism and collectivism in the debate on immigration and the welfare state; The abundance of misinformation about immigration and where it comes from; The perverse views of both the right and the left on this issue; The migrant crisis in New York City; The importance of distinguishing between asylum seekers and immigrants who come seeking a better life; The welcoming attitude toward immigrants in America that the welfare state threatens; Milton Friedman’s views on immigration and the welfare state; The proposal of preventing immigrants from accessing the welfare state; The importance of making it easier for immigrants to work. The podcast was recorded on December 1, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. Image credit: David Peinado Romero/Shutterstock.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=2vqNr07ibao Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the recent election of Javier Milei as President of Argentina. Among the topics covered: How Peronism turned Argentina from one of the richest countries in the world to one of the poorest; Milei’s academic background and turn towards libertarianism; The extent to which Milei is actually influenced by Ayn Rand; The flaws in Milei’s mongrel libertarian philosophy, including his support for anarchism; Milei’s opposition to abortion; Why the path towards liberty in Argentina is precarious, but there is room for cautious optimism. Mentioned in this episode and relevant to the discussion are “A New Ideal for Latin America” by Agustina Vergara Cid and “Libertarianism: Big Tent or Big Mess?,” a previous episode of the New Ideal podcast. This episode was broadcast live on November 22, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqbDVt8-Bcg Podcast audio: Image credit: picture alliance via Getty Images.

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss the recent rise of antisemitism. They analyze why the conventional view of religious or racial animus is insufficient in explaining the explosion of overt hatred, how Ayn Rand’s identification of “hatred of the good for being the good” exposes the true nature of modern antisemitism, and what is needed to rationally combat it. Among the topics covered: Why today’s antisemitism can’t be understood in religious or racial terms; The anti-effort mentality driving the hatred towards Israel; The antisemitic hostility against Israel’s culture of achievement; How Islamic totalitarianism and tribalism rationalize their hatred of Israel; How DEI's egalitarian philosophy enables antisemitism; The role of religious tribalism in fueling antisemitic prejudice; The long-term educational vision needed to uproot antisemitism. Mentioned in this podcast are Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Journo and Ghate’s op-ed “More University Donors Should ‘Go Galt,’” and Ayn Rand’s essays “Global Balkanization,” “The Age of Envy,” and “An Untitled Letter.” The podcast was recorded on Nov 21, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/wsu70x8Orhc Podcast audio: Image credit: Gari Garailde/Getty Images News via Getty Images.

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer offer the Ayn Rand Institute’s response to Jordan Peterson’s recent attack on Ayn Rand on his podcast of November 16, 2023. Among the topics covered: Peterson’s recent anti-Enlightenment conservative activism; Why Rand’s view of self-interest is not hedonistic but values-based; How Peterson argues for collectivism from the non-existence of an enduring self; How Peterson sells collectivism by packaging sacrifice with individual responsibility; Peterson’s impoverished view of the free market (and of science); His shallow reading of Rand’s characters as shallow. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion was Atlas Shrugged, free copies of which readers can order here. The podcast was recorded on November 17, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/cuBp4i3HB_0

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recent conversion to Christianity, which they argue is the result of tribalism and fear. They discuss the unconcern for truth of many alleged defenders of the West, their bogus claims about the positive role of Christianity, and the failure of secular atheists to complete the Enlightenment project. Among the topics covered: Hirsi Ali's admirable story of emancipation from Islam; The tribalism and fear behind her conversion to Christianity; Her tribal disregard for the question of whether Christianity is true; Christianity as the very source of the Western weakness that Hirsi Ali denounces; The tribal emphasis on defeating one’s enemy regardless of the truth or falsehood of the ideas one accepts; How most of her secular critics pragmatically embrace secularized versions of Christian ethics; The failure of secular atheists to fulfill the Enlightenment promise of a rational ethics; The secularists’ appeasement of Kant's anti-Enlightenment philosophy; Why a proper defense of Western values requires looking to and expanding on the Enlightenment, not Christianity. Recommended in this podcast are Ghate’s article “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God” and Bayer’s “Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics.” The podcast was recorded on November 15, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/2IksjnPvOCw Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ziemowit Gowin discuss international laws of war. Challenging the very legitimacy of such laws, they emphasize how “humanitarian” laws of war hamper a free country's self-defense, make them vulnerable to belligerent regimes, and make war more palatable rather than less. Among the topics covered: How international laws of war undercut a nation's right to self-defense and whitewash dictatorships; Why war is legitimate both in response to an attack and to preempt an attack; Why “humanitarian” laws of war sanitize war, making it more palatable, not less; How the principle of proportionality cripples a nation’s self-defense; Why civilians are implicated in war and not to be isolated; Why a nation should follow principles that serve their legitimate military objectives; The crucial importance of civilian control over a free nation’s army; Why international laws as such are unenforceable. The podcast was recorded on November 14, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/N-oNOjWOkDs Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Mike Mazza discuss the long-standing “reading wars” in American schools. They explore the historical background of the debate, different approaches to teaching reading, and why phonics has consistently proven to be far superior to whole language methods in instilling a love of reading in children. Among the topics covered: What phonics is and why it matters; Whole language and other alternative approaches to phonics; The “balanced literacy” approach that mixes phonics with whole language; How the debate over teaching reading unfolded over the decades; Competing underlying theories about how reading works; The evidence for the validity of phonics; The unsound arguments against phonics; Why the need for phonics derives from its use of a conceptual method; Why teachers don’t use phonics in spite of its well-established validity; The irrational philosophical premises that explain the rejection of phonics; Encouraging signs of the resurgence of phonics. The podcast was recorded on November 9, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/nt0128NFpMc Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Ziemowit Gowin discuss the right to self-defense, deaths of innocents in war, and just war theory in the context of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. Among the topics covered: Why the responsibility for deaths of innocents in war falls on the aggressor; How the right to self-defense rests on the inalienable right to your own life; How the aggressor can be morally responsible for deaths the defender caused; How the principle of “double effect” undermines the right to self-defense. Mentioned in this podcast is Onkar Ghate’s article “Innocents in War?” The podcast was recorded on November 3, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=S51PUGuNiHc Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Iran’s central role in inspiring, supporting and funding the enemies of Israel and the West. Among the topics covered: Why the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is crucial context for understanding the proliferation and boldness of Islamist groups in the Middle East; Why Iran’s explicitly expansionist goals must not be ignored or downplayed; How Iran’s imperialism is driven by its Islamist ideology; The failure of “realists” to account for the true goals of Islamist ideology; Why it is absurd to view Iran’s actions as a just response to Western interference in the region; The chaos of American foreign policy in the Middle East and how it betrays those in the region who support freedom; Why Iran and Islamism explicitly stand for a morality of death-worship. This episode was broadcast live on November 1, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_iBHp4og8 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Don Watkins discuss Marc Andreessen’s recent defense of “techno-optimism“ in his essay “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” and explain why his manifesto lacks the moral foundation required to successfully defend technological progress. Among the topics covered: Andreessen’s commendable advocacy of technological progress; The philosophical foundation of technological progress; How Andreessen’s defense of technological progress rests upon altruism; Why successfully advocating for technological progress requires defending self-interest; How Andreessen’s view of competition undercuts his defense of capitalism. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Ayn Rand’s “America’s Persecuted Minority,” Yaron Brook and Don Watkin’s book, "Free Market Revolution," the New Ideal Live episode with Tal Tsfany, Elan Journo, and Jason Crawford, “What Marc Andreessen Gets Right and What He Misses in His Article “It’s Time to Build,” and the New Ideal Live episode with Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza, and Chad Mills, “Threats to Regulate Artificial Intelligence”. This podcast was recorded on November 2, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj005O1djv4 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo, and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the global protests in support of the Palestinian cause. They look at the philosophical motives of these protests and the nature of their moral bankruptcy, and they explain why the “anti-war” movement actually enables warfare and destruction. Among the topics covered: The protesters’ lack of positive goals; Nihilism as the driving motive behind the protests; How “anti-war” movements have historically dismissed the fundamental moral questions about war; Why any “anti-war” movement that does not oppose dictatorship is necessarily pro-war; How collectivism causes the callousness of the pro-Hamas activists; The nihilistic nature of the ideology of egalitarianism; Why outlawing support of Hamas would require moral clarity on a policy level; The right to refuse to deal with or support Hamas apologists. The podcast was recorded on October 25, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/8PMg6y9ZqHE Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge the misleading narrative of the shrinking Palestinian lands and the claim that Israel has allegedly stolen them. They explore the history of how the Israeli territories were lawfully acquired, the Palestinians’ repeated failures to form an enduring, peaceful state, and the broader philosophical questions of what moral premises are necessary to validate any claim to statehood. Among the topics covered: The dishonest narrative of the “shrinking Palestine” maps; The documented history of how individuals acquired the land through trade; The Arab rejection of the two-state UN partition plan; How the very idea of a partition plan ignored the moral dimension of the Palestinian claim for statehood; Why the issue is not fundamentally about land but the type of society being established; How Israel ended up occupying the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights; How the flawed “land for peace” policy exposed the impossibility of a peaceful Palestinian state; The fact that the Palestinians' goal has never been to build a free, prosperous society. Mentioned in this podcast are Journo’s What Justice Demands and ARI’s resources on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East. The podcast was recorded on October 26, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/btVFgqkgkzw Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the recent comparisons between America’s border crisis and the threat to Israel from Hamas terrorists. They analyze a range of claims about the alleged threat posed by immigration across the Mexican border and explain how such claims are not only unsupported but result in massive injustice and obscure the actual problems with the immigration system. Among the topics covered: The existing border crisis in America; The unsupported claims of an “open border” and comparisons to Israel; How fearmongering undercuts our ability to address actual threats; Why terrorism from illegal immigrants is not a serious threat; How to think about the threat of terrorism objectively; The threat from drug cartels; Why migrants are not a threat to national sovereignty; The hypocrisy of anti-immigration politicians; How preventing economic migration fuels illegal immigration; What is the solution to the border crisis? Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Alex Nowrasteh’s testimony to Congress about the alleged threat of terrorism from the Southern border, the book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism by Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo, and a previous New Ideal Live podcast entitled “Dishonest Debate on Immigration and National Security” featuring Onkar Ghate and Vergara Cid. The podcast was recorded on October 25, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/SfFaLt7BFUI Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, and in the context of ongoing events in Israel and Gaza, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss how to think about civilian casualties in war. Among the topics covered: Why the brutal nature of war should not be sanitized, glamorized, or whitewashed; Why winning requires doing everything necessary to bring an end to the enemy’s military and political leadership; How Hamas uses its subjects as human shields, hoping to deter Israel from defending itself and turn wider opinion against Israel; How to think about the moral and causal responsibility of civilians for the aggression of their government; Why a proper concern for innocent people and allies in enemy territory cannot jeopardize overall war aims; Why it’s important not to think of war as a kind of legal punishment for criminal behavior; That Hamas’s goal is not freedom for Palestinians but the annihilation of Israel and the establishment of a religious dictatorship; Why it’s wrong to apply a standard of “proportionality” to military actions taken in self-defense; How altruism causes observers to put emotional reactions to images of suffering above concerns with justice and self-defense; Why Israel and the West’s appeasement of evil makes them partly culpable for the attacks they now face. Relevant to the discussion is “Ayn Rand on the Death of Innocents in War,” a recently released video on the ARI YouTube page, which documents Rand’s extemporaneous comments on the issue of civilian casualties in war. This episode was broadcast live on October 18, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ocPaE3qIc Podcast audio:

In this episode, Brandon Lisi reads aloud his article, “Rand and Oppenheimer: The Atomic Bomb Movie that Wasn't.” In that essay, he tells the story of Rand's work on "Top Secret," a movie about the invention of atomic bomb. Lisi explains Rand's perspective on the significance of such a movie as well as her intense research on the subject, including two interviews with J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who served as scientific director of the Los Alamos Laboratory. Lisi's article was originally was originally published in New Ideal, the Ayn Rand Institute’s journal, on August 2, 2023. Image: ullstein bild Dtl. via Getty Images

In this episode, Aaron Smith reads aloud his article, “The Suffering of Moral Saints.” In that essay, he analyzes Larissa MacFarquhar's book, Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help. The central question that MacFarquhar asks is “Is it good to live as ethical a life as possible?” As Smith shows, the fundamental problem with MacFarquhar's perspective is that she equates morality with altruism. He goes on to argue that this perspective is false — and dangerous. Smith’s article was originally published in New Ideal, the Ayn Rand Institute’s journal, on November 14, 2018.

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo, Onkar Ghate, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, and Tal Tsfany discuss the recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. They assess the cultural significance of Hamas' aggression and methods, the theocratic nature of the movement, and how Western reactions have been either impotent or, worse, encouraging violence against Israel. Among the topics covered: What makes Hamas' aggression tragically significant; Tsfany's experience of how the conflict has drastically escalated over the last decades; How terrorism became a deliberate strategy of the Palestinian movement; How U.S. leaders evaded the religious nature of Hamas; The Biden Administration’s lack of moral clarity; The fact that Hamas and its Western apologists share the same irrational ideas; The academic rejection of capitalism as proof of their destructive motives; What a Hamas government would look like if it wiped out Israel; The Iranian protesters as the only real hope for positive change in the Middle East; Whether Hamas can be completely separated from the Palestinian people. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Elan Journo’s What Justice Demands and ARI’s resources on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The podcast was recorded on October 11, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/trV6Q3fp7cE Podcast audio:

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo, and Boaz Arad offer the Ayn Rand Institute’s response to the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant group based in the Gaza Strip. Among the topics covered: Facts about the Hamas invasion (timeline, casualties, ongoing threats); Why the invasion was a predictable consequence of moral agnosticism about Hamas; Why U.S. foreign policy is responsible for pressuring Israel to appease Hamas; How Israel’s appeasement constitutes “the sanction of the victim”; Why the moral corruption of our foreign policy is an application of the evil of altruism; The evasion of the difference between the ideas that animate both sides of this conflict; The insincerity of calls for Israel’s restraint in the name of peace. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion was Elan Journo’s book, What Justice Demands, and other ARI resources on the Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East. The podcast was recorded on October 7, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPg_PesVHt4 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sports celebrities, the recent American diplomatic overtures to Saudi Arabia, and the connection between the two. Among the topics covered: Recent sports and diplomatic deals with Saudi Arabia; Sports celebrities accepting lavish salaries from the Saudi government; An ominous proposal to strengthen U.S.-Saudi relations; The authoritarianism nature of the Saudi regime; The moral sanction Saudi Arabia seeks by investing in sports; The lack of a coherent U.S. foreign policy toward Saudi Arabia; What the Saudis want through these sports and diplomatic deals; Whether accepting lucrative salaries from the Saudi regime is self-interested; The “realist” foreign policy case for closer ties with Saudi Arabia; Whether bringing in sports celebrities supports positive social change for Saudi Arabia; Judging the moral status and direction of a country or a leader objectively. Mentioned in this podcast are Elan’s Journo’s articles “Whitewashing a ‘Pariah’ State: Biden’s Visit to Saudi Arabia,” "Biden’s Visit to Saudi Arabia Is an Affront to American Values,” “Why Trump Should Disrupt the Scandalous US-Saudi Relationship," Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the New Ideal Live podcast “How the Qatar World Cup Abets Authoritarian ‘Sportswashing’' with Agustina Vergara-Cid and Nikos Sotirakopoulos. Also suggested is the entry on self-interest in the Ayn Rand Lexicon. The podcast was recorded on October 4, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJS2kulBcK8 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos review Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi’s new book The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, and argue that the authors’ attempt to define libertarianism demonstrates that it lacks a coherent ideological identity. Among the topics covered: Zwolinski and Tomasi’s book and the liberty vs. libertarianism movements; The connection between libertarianism and the progressive left; Why libertarians share an intellectual alliance with the reactionary right; How the connections between libertarian factions are sociological rather than ideological; Why defending liberty is meaningless without a philosophical foundation; Criticizing libertarianism is not infighting but a fight over what liberty is. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is Peter Schwartz’s 1985 article “Libertarianism: The pervasion of Liberty” in The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought, Foundations of a Free Society: Reflections on Ayn Rand’s Political Philosophy edited by Gregory Salmieri and Robert Mayhew, and a two part lecture series by Gregory Salmieri and Onkar Ghate on "Politics, Liberty, and Objectivism." The podcast was recorded on September 27, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVnVcjW6-xQ Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Aaron Smith discuss the idea that our complex, division of labor society precludes real independence, and they examine what is wrong with thinking of ourselves as “interdependent.” Among the topics covered: Why Ayn Rand unequivocally rejected the idea that we are all interdependent; How globalism makes us interconnected, while only government force can outlaw our ability to function as independent individuals; How the false metaphysics of collectivism is used to push the idea that we are all interdependent; How religion and mysticism undermine our independence; The senses in which man is and is not a social animal; The meaning of the idea that man is an end in himself; The difference between accepting help and being dependent; How attacks on independence tear down individual achievements and excuse failures. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Ayn Rand’s novels Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Anthem, her letter to DeWitt Emory, and Harry Binswanger’s webinar “How Can One Be Fully Independent in Today’s Society?” The podcast was recorded on September 20, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No7LsvS2I08 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Dan Schwartz and Ziemowit Gowin answer reader-submitted questions about Ayn Rand’s Objectivist ethics. Among the topics covered: What are Ayn Rand’s thoughts on ambition in career?How ambition can be moral or immoral depending on the goals pursued;Career ambition versus second-handedly chasing salary increases and promotions; Career ambition in the context of pursuing values generally, including non-career values. How does Rand’s virtue of rationality differ from Aristotle’s virtue of practical wisdom?Practical wisdom as the ability to deliberate well about how to act rightly in a given situation; Why Rand does not divide virtues into intellectual and ethical virtues. Why did Rand name seven virtues, and could there be more?Why some purported virtues are not virtues at all, and others, such as courage, are aspects of virtues Rand identified; Why any additional virtues, even if valid, would not be part of Objectivism — i.e., Rand’s own philosophy. Why choose to live, and is this a moral choice?How morality provides guidance for living and is only useful for someone who chooses to live;Why the choice to live is an ongoing series of choices embodied in the act of pursuing values;How we experience life as an end-in-itself, and why the choice to live is not groundless; The sense in which morality applies to everyone, even though some do not choose to live. Should I risk my dream job to save a life?Why ethics is not primarily about resolving emergency scenarios; When, and why, you can properly offer non-sacrificial help to others. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are “The Objectivist Ethics,” “Tax Credits for Education,” “The Ethics of Emergencies,” and “Causality Versus Duty” by Ayn Rand; Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith; Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff; and “Q&A on the Best Objections to Objectivism,” a previous episode of New Ideal Live. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWR-nUuT_7c Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal, Sam Weaver interviews Harry Binswanger and Shoshana Milgram about the Romantic movement in art and Ayn Rand’s unique account of it. They also discuss an upcoming conference, Resurrecting Romanticism, which will focus on Romanticism in music and the visual arts. Among the topics covered: The value of learning about Rand’s philosophy of art; A brief summary of Rand’s account of why we need art; The unique value of Romantic art’s portrayal of volition and values; Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version and the stories of O. Henry as examples of Romantic literature; Why the Romantic movement started around the beginning of the nineteenth century; Why it’s invalid to criticize Romantic art as unrealistic and “escapist”; Why there is little to no new Romantic art, and what it would take to bring it back; How Rand’s definition of Romanticism relates to the visual arts and music; Topics in music and the visual arts that will be covered at the Resurrecting Romanticism conference. Mentioned in the podcast and relevant to the discussion are the upcoming Resurrecting Romanticism conference (October 7-9 in Spartanburg, South Carolina), Ayn Rand’s book The Romantic Manifesto, and two chapters in A Companion to Ayn Rand, edited by Allan Gotthelf and Gregory Salmieri: Binswanger’s “The Objectivist Esthetics” and Tore Boeckmann’s “Rand’s Literary Romanticism.” The podcast was recorded on August 8, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/7DJZ28_tzJA?si=UQUAJh5uxIpmcF9B Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Ricardo Pinto discuss Ayn Rand’s devastating critique of the idea of original sin. They explore how the notion has been understood historically, the philosophical and political uses to which it has been put, and the arguments Rand gives for regarding it as a destructive affront to morality and self-esteem. Among the topics covered: What original sin is and how it compares to other views; Why Ayn Rand saw the doctrine as an offense to the very concept of morality; Original sin’s “explanation” of why the individual is guilty of another’s actions; Original sin as incompatible with free will; The conservative justification of capitalism on original sin; Original sin as a premise of the “secular” left; How original sin rests on an antipathy to the body; The assault on intellectual pride; The mutual reinforcement between altruism and original sin; The deepest psychological motives behind original sin. Recommended in this podcast are the Ayn Rand Lexicon’s entry on original sin, Rand’s “Conservatism: An Obituary” and “Moral Inflation,” and Ben Bayer’s “The Old Morality of the New Religions.” The podcast was recorded on September 5. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/-k4Nly6o8sw Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the Biden administration’s recent prisoner swap with the Iranian regime and how it reflects the delusional attitudes and non-objective thinking that lead to America’s continuous foreign policy failures with regard to Islamic totalitarianism. Among the topics covered: The details of the prisoner swap; The often delusional attitude of American policymakers toward Iran; How the media has failed in its responsibility to question the Biden administration’s policies on Iran; How the nature and history of the Iranian regime pertain to the current situation; The importance of understanding the Iranian regime’s role in the broader Islamist movement; How a refusal to think in principles and consider the wider context has caused repeated foreign policy failures; Why the return of this pre-9/11 mentality bodes poorly for America’s future foreign policy; The threat Iran poses today. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is the book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11, edited by Ghate and Journo, and Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The podcast was recorded on August 31, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H7B-KMn_OVc&pp=ygUYSXJhbiBheW4gUmFuZCBJbnN0aXR1dGUg Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos analyze the moral justification and the criticisms of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan in light of the movie Oppenheimer. The episode features audio clips of Ayn Rand discussing the right of military self-defense and the issue of “innocents in war.” Among the topics covered: The claim that Japan would have surrendered before the US dropped the bomb; Why the Japanese military kept fighting despite knowing the war was lost; Why the bomb was dropped when Japan was already defeated militarily; The crucial distinction between military defeat and unconditional surrender; The bogus claim that the bomb was dropped to deter the Soviet Union; The defense of your own citizens’ lives and rights as the moral purpose of war; How Rand thought about “innocents in war” and their moral responsibilities; A previously-unreleased clip of Rand speaking about the controversial issue of targeting civilians in war; Lessons to draw from this podcast. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Rand’s 1966 article “The Roots of War,” Rand’s 1972 and 1976 Ford Hall Forum lectures “A Nation’s Unity,” and “The Moral Factor,” Onkar Ghate’s article “Innocents in War?,” John David Lewis’ book Nothing Less than Victory, and Brandon Lisi’s New Ideal article “Rand and Oppenheimer: The Atomic Bomb Movie that Wasn’t.” The podcast was recorded on August 24, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/Nkyr79Uv1jk Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ziemowit Gowin is joined by Scott McDonald to discuss the latest events in the ongoing dispute between China and Taiwan. Among the topics covered: What Secretary of State Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing signals about U.S. policy toward China; Why Taiwan matters to the Chinese Communist Party; How the war in Ukraine is shaping hostilities between China and Taiwan; Why China’s attempt to assimilate Taiwan will probably fail; How classical Chinese philosophy informs Chinese foreign policy; Whether China is an enemy of the U.S.; How America’s interests in Taiwan can be served by taking action to prevent a Chinese invasion; How U.S. policy on China has been reactive and unprincipled. Relevant to the discussion is our previous New Ideal Live episode with Mr. McDonald,“What Does Xi Jinping's China Want?” This episode was recorded on August 11, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_xskLlY6-E Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Harry Binswanger discuss Ayn Rand's little-known analysis of the Watergate scandal, fifty years after the Congressional hearings. They draw attention to how Rand's evaluation differed from the conventional commentary of the day, and her analysis of how pragmatism and the mixed economy function as the deepest causes behind political scandals like Watergate. Among the topics covered: Why Ayn Rand didn’t want to write about the scandal at first and why she later decided to do so; Rand’s evaluation of Nixon in the decades before the scandal; Rand's evaluation of the crude pragmatism of Nixon and his aides; Pragmatism as an anti-conceptual philosophy that still pervades our culture; Why the conservatives' obsession with scandals leads them to passively accept the moral premises of the left; How bad ideas, not money, corrupt politicians; Why Watergate-like chaos takes hold in a mixed economy; The fact that no real issues are discussed in America anymore; Parallels between Nixon and Donald Trump. Recommended in this podcast are Rand’s five articles covering Watergate compiled in The Ayn Rand Letter. The podcast was recorded on August 10, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/nESV0t5QEZk Podcast audio:

In this episode, Sam Weaver reads aloud his article, “The Knowledge Gap Highlights a Failing of America’s Schools.” In that essay, he examines The Knowledge Gap, a 2019 book by education writer Natalie Wexler. Although Wexler's book sheds light on the shocking degree to which American elementary schools have abandoned teaching knowledge of the world, Weaver argues that her assessment is charitable, and that the anti-knowledge trend should be regarded as a moral crime against generations of students. Weaver’s article was originally published in New Ideal, the Ayn Rand Institute’s journal, on June 14, 2023. Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss Europe’s immigration policies, its failure to assimilate immigrants and adopt rational policies toward them, and what America needs to learn from Europe’s failures to avoid these problems. Among the topics covered: The need to distinguish normal immigration from a refugee crisis; What statistical data show is happening in Europe; The rise in violence against women and Jews in Europe; Europe’s evasion and denial of the dangers of militant Islam; Immigrant crime and welfare benefits in Europe versus in the U.S.; Muslim assimilation in the U.S. versus in Europe; Multiculturalism’s role in the non-assimilation of immigrants in Europe; The meaning of multiculturalism, and the factors that drive or prevent assimilation; The nature of the “American Experiment,” and its implications for immigration; Europe’s approach to policing foreigners and its self-destructive results; How Muslim assimilation in America is hindered by giving Islam a protected status. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is Ayn Rand’s talk “Global Balkanization” (which can be found in essay form in The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought), and the New Ideal Live podcast episode "The Debate over the Right to Immigrate" with Ghate and Vergara Cid, where they discuss the immigration debate in America from a philosophical perspective. The podcast was recorded on August 2, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk93Q3T-os8 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Dan Schwartz and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the significance of Dr. Peter Attia’s new book Outlive and challenge some common arguments against life extension. Among the topics covered: Why we should care about extending our lives and our health; How Peter Attia’s book fits into and changes the debate on life extension; Why the egalitarian argument against life extension is wrong; Why the “limited natural resources” argument against life extension is wrong; Why the “boredom,” “urgency” and “quality of life” arguments against life extension are wrong; Why the “glut of the able” argument against life extension is wrong; Why the “case against perfection” argument against life extension is wrong; How arguments against life extension are motivated by fear and not valuing life; What would James Taggart’s response be to life extension? Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is Peter Attia’s book Outlive and the 2003 report of the President’s Council on Bioethics. The podcast was recorded on July 27, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcKtVvb4moI Podcast audio:

In this episode, Ben Bayer reads aloud his article, “Religious Skeptics Should Question Their Moral Theology.” In that essay, he argues that even though more secular people have rejected God and religion as such, they should take one more step and reject the conventional morality that comes from traditional religious beliefs. "Many secular people who have thrown off the religion of their parents have scrutinized at least some of their most provincial beliefs about ethics," says Bayer. His article was originally published in New Ideal, the Ayn Rand Institute’s journal, on June 17, 2023.

In this special episode, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo preview the release of scores of in-depth historical, literary, and philosophical essays on Ayn Rand’s novels. Originally included in a series of books edited by Robert Mayhew, these articles are a tremendous educational resource that can greatly add to the public understanding of Rand as a novelist and seminal philosopher. Until now, the Mayhew books were expensively priced for academic markets, but ARI is making this valuable content accessible to anyone, anywhere on the globe for free.

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza and Aaron Smith discuss What's the Use of Philosophy?, a recent book by leading philosopher Philip Kitcher, in which Kitcher calls out academic philosophy for its useless work and corrupt methods. Among the topics covered: Why it is significant that an established professor of philosophy has written a damning critique of his own profession; Kitcher’s radical claim that philosophy has become disconnected from life, practical guidance, and useful methods, and his willingness to question whether the profession has any legitimate value; How Kitcher goes wrong by recommending a methodological turn towards pragmatism; Why the philosophy of science is noticeably working from better premises than other areas of academic philosophy; Why fundamental philosophic questions are crucially practical and must not be thrown out in favor of less ambitious, piecemeal investigation; Why, contrary to Kitcher’s pragmatist view, Objectivism says that the most abstract philosophic questions have the widest practical consequences. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Ayn Rand’s “The Chickens’ Homecoming,” “Philosophy: Who Needs It,” “For the New Intellectual,” the entry on Linguistic Analysis in the Ayn Rand Lexicon, and Onkar Ghate’s “Let’s Revive Philosophy”. This episode was recorded on July 19, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHLl-uYr7w Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Matt Walsh’s film What Is a Woman? and how it reflects a deeper tribalism about sex and gender roles within the so-called culture wars and our current political climate. Among the topics covered: How Walsh’s film is much more propaganda than a sincere documentary; Why appeals to common sense can’t settle questions of sex and gender; Walsh’s appeal to the Maasai tribe reveals a mentality that wants to return to a more primitive view of gender roles; How Walsh’s “documentary” lacks any genuine concern for truth; Walsh’s appeal to tribal views of gender roles as rooted in religiosity; How Walsh’s appeal to traditional gender roles is an attack on an individual’s pursuit of happiness; Walsh’s disingenuous response to legitimate issues regarding sex and gender; How both sides in this debate are wrong in their approach human sexuality and gender identity; “Essentialism,” determinism, and the mind-body dichotomy in relation to gender roles; Individualism as the antidote to tribalistic, dogmatic thinking about sex and gender. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is the New Ideal Live podcast episode “Kathleen Stock's Reasoned Critique of Gender Ideology” with Onkar Ghate, Ben Bayer, and Daniel Schwartz, where they discuss and assess Kathleen Stock’s arguments about what is wrong with contemporary gender ideology. The podcast was recorded on July 13, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szTWy48PgiU Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ziemowit Gowin and Tristan de Liège defend self-esteem against attacks and misrepresentations by presenting Ayn Rand’s distinctive view of self-esteem as a psychological and moral necessity for successful living. Among the topics covered: Why we should care about how to think about self-esteem as a value; Rand’s view of self-esteem as portrayed in her fictional characters; Why self-esteem is not the result of the opinions of others or an automatic recognition of one’s inherent value; Why self-esteem is a necessary condition for happiness and success; Why self-esteem is necessary for success in work and creativity; Why self-esteem is necessary for success in one’s relationships; Rand’s view of the moral nature and necessity of self-esteem. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (request a free copy of Atlas Shrugged here), and an article by Elan Journo on “Why So Many People Struggle to Gain Self-Esteem.” The podcast was recorded on July 5, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuxZuhxbHDQ Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Agustina Vergara Cid and Onkar Ghate analyze the impact of immigrants on national security and evaluate the argument that America’s national security requires strict limits on immigration. Among the topics covered: How the argument that immigration is a threat to national security is biased against immigrants; Why limiting immigration to prevent terrorism is dishonest; How immigrants make us safer by serving in the military; How restrictions on immigration have contributed to a shortage of skilled workers in areas of the economy the military depends on; Why we need a targeted response to actual national security threats, not blanket prohibitions on immigration; How those who oppose immigration, like environmentalists arguing against fossil fuels, selectively look for evidence to support their ideology; Why mainstream thinkers fail to consider the benefits of immigration to national security. Mentioned in the discussion is the New Ideal Live episode “The Debate Over the Right to Immigrate.” The podcast was recorded on June 27, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0F2QooSNhk Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo is joined by four of the Ayn Rand Institute’s fellows to preview talks they will be giving at our upcoming Objectivist Summer Conference 2023. Among the topics covered: Sam Weaver previews his talk, “The Reading Wars Today,” which addresses the destructive opposition to teaching children to read using phonics, and explains why Ayn Rand described phonics as the ‘conceptual’ method of learning to read; Dan Schwartz previews his talk, “The Galileo Affair,” which will fight back against a recent trend in academia that blames Galileo for his famous clash with the Church; Nikos Sotirakopoulos previews his talk, “The Left’s Long War on Israel,” which will explain the Left’s longstanding opposition to Israel, and why this opposition follows from their collectivistic, anti-achievement ideology; Agustina Vergara Cid previews her talk, “The Immorality of the U.S. Immigration System.” Agustina will share real-life stories of hardworking immigrants trying to work in the US, revealing that the US immigration system is much more unjust than most of us think; Question period. Virtual passes to OCON 2023 can be purchased here until July 1. This episode was recorded on June 21, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMy274gjH1k Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Mike Mazza discuss a recent paper, "In Defense of Science," which examines the increasing intrusion of "Critical Social Justice Epistemology" on scientific institutions. They explore issues such as this movement’s assault on objectivity and knowledge, how scientists are pressured into conformity, and why most defenders of science fail to articulate a well-founded understanding of the scientific method. Among the topics covered: The recent controversy over the influence of "Critical Social Justice" in science; The claims of the "Critical Social Justice" advocates; How the controversy is muddled by the failure to distinguish the scientific method from the scientific institutions which aim to practice it; Why so-called Diversity Statements vitiate the quality of scientific research; Why scientists' failure to understand their own method makes them vulnerable to bad ideas; How a vague view of merit hinders a proper defense of science; The need for a philosophical foundation for science. The podcast was recorded on June 13, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/hdVpP429qK4 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the movements and regimes which have sought to destroy Israel since its founding seventy-five years ago. Among the topics covered: How to study history objectively; How the conflict started, and the motives of the Arab countries that invaded Israel in 1948; The rise of Pan-Arabism and the Six-Day War; The rise of the Palestinian movement, including its debt to communist ideology and its terroristic tactics; Why the Palestinian movement gained international sympathy; The rise of the Islamist movement; How a hostility to human life and freedom animated all these movements; Why we should support Israel. Mentioned in the discussion is the book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch previous episodes here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYt20K39JJ8&t Podcast audio:

In this episode, we read aloud Elan Journo's article, “Ayn Rand's Devastating Critique of 'Liberals'.” In that essay, he presents Rand's analysis of liberals' most fundamental moral-political goals, and their consequences. Journo shows that part of the strength of Rand's analysis is that she engaged with liberals' ideas seriously and, above all, objectively. His article was originally published in New Ideal on April 12, 2019.

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer is joined by professor and clinical psychologist Gena Gorlin to discuss the widespread notion that “intellectual humility” is the rational antidote to dogmatism. Among the topics covered: How academic and popular defenders of reason have mixed up a legitimate concern for careful thinking methods with the illegitimate idea that nothing is certain; Why humility entails servility, despite failed attempts to reconcile it with the love of truth; Why intellectual ambitiousness demands working hard to attain knowledge; The difference between earned certainty, probability, and the false certainty claimed by religious mystics; How intellectual humility discourages people from being intellectually and professionally ambitious in their own lives; Why it is important to know when you are not certain, and how to deal with real uncertainty. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are “‘Intellectual Humility’ Is a Cop-out” by Gena Gorlin, “The Old Morality of the New Religions” by Ben Bayer, and entries in the Ayn Rand Lexicon on humility and pride. This episode was recorded on May 24, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g5bHpMuu-s Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Elan Journo discuss recent calls by Tucker Carlson and other conservative voices to resist technological and economic progress in the name of preserving traditional values and lifestyles. Among the topics covered: Conservative policy proposals that oppose economic and cultural progress; How conservatives are torn between the contradictory goals of promoting individual freedom and preserving traditional ways of life; Why traditionalism is a philosophy of stagnation, and the dynamism inherent to capitalism is the exact opposite of traditionalism; Why the constant, ambitious pursuit of new knowledge and technological advancement is a fundamental human need; Why the “right to stagnate” mentality leads to hatred of production and innovation and sets people against one another; Why a fear of progress and a desire to stagnate reveal a profound lack of self-esteem. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are Ayn Rand’s essay “The Age of Envy” published in Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution and “The Missing Link” published in Philosophy: Who Needs It as well as “The Divine Right of Stagnation” by Nathaniel Branden. This episode was recorded on May 18, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=299nLFmdrkA Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Mike Mazza are joined by software engineer Chad Mills to discuss recent developments in AI and the ethics of AI development. Among the topics covered: What artificial intelligence is, vs. the way AI is perceived by the public; The most impressive uses of AI technology that bring value to human life; How AI is rapidly heading towards greater user accessibility; How “artificial intelligence” differs from human intelligence; The real problems facing AI development today, vs. the doomsday scenarios; The ways we can protect ourselves against malicious people and states aiming to use AI for destructive purposes; Why the difference in kind between AI and human conceptual understanding makes an artificial intelligence “singularity” unlikely; The irrationality of the recent push to pause AI development and how it will hold back human progress; Why arbitrary fears about AI doomsday scenarios belong to science-fiction and are philosophically invalid. This episode was recorded on May 8, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qeF1zdYo0 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo explore the moral and political lessons of the Iraq War. Among the topics covered: Why Americans need to examine the lessons of the Iraq War; The 9/11 terrorist attacks and the context leading up to the war; The focus on weapons of mass destruction and intelligence weaknesses while evading the threat of Islamic totalitarianism; Why Russia’s attack on Ukraine is not analogous to America’s war in Iraq; David Frum’s analysis of the Iraq War in The Atlantic; John Bolton’s and Bret Stephens’ analysis of the war and the failure to question whether Iraq was the right target; The disastrous results of the war, including increased reluctance to defend American interests militarily; How America’s response to 9/11 set the stage for the rise of populism and widespread distrust of institutions; The erosion of American exceptionalism in the wake of the Iraq War. Mentioned in the discussion are the book Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11 and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, which is free to students. This episode was recorded on May 5, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch previous episodes here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlOaqmnrpRk Podcast audio:

In this episode, Ben Bayer reads aloud his article, “Effective Altruism's Faith-Based Sacrifice for the Future.” In that essay, he examines "longtermist" philosophy and its relation to "effective altruism." Bayer notices that "the more we learn about the causes the effective altruist leadership has embraced, the more we should question the moral foundation of the movement." The moral foundation of the movement, and the real source of its absurdities, is altruism. Bayer's article was originally published in New Ideal, the Ayn Rand Institute’s journal, on March 22, 2023.

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the libertarian support for Putin and other authoritarian regimes. They explore the libertarian movement's decades-long sympathy for evil regimes, its anti-state, anti-American foreign policy, and how the movement's rejection of morality has led to sanctioning tyrants. Among the topics covered: Recent libertarian defenses of authoritarian regimes; How these libertarians are primarily anti-state, not pro-liberty; Murray Rothbard as the spokesman of the libertarian movement's anti-state, anti-American foreign policy; Rothbard's positive view of dictatorships as flowing from his rejection of morality; Altruism — not imperialism — as the cause of the US engaging in self-sacrificial wars; How the "big tent" approach to liberty explains the prevalence of the worst ideas within libertarianism; How Objectivism can appeal to the best people within libertarianism. Recommended in this podcast is Peter Schwartz’s essay “Libertarianism: The Perversion of Liberty” in Ayn Rand’s The Voice of Reason. The podcast was recorded on April 28, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/vAp-aQCxg1E Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss Ayn Rand’s philosophic analysis and critique of “liberals.” They explain what makes Rand’s evaluation of “liberalism” different from that of “conservatives,” why she thought “liberals” began concealing their collectivist goals, and how today’s “liberals” are different from (and worse than) those of Rand’s time. Among the topics covered: Ayn Rand’s analysis of “liberalism” as distinctive; Problems with the term “liberal” and how “liberalism” changed in the twentieth century; Rand’s critique as stemming from individualism, not anti-communism; Why Rand saw active-minded “liberals” as an audience worth reaching; How Rand saw the contrast between Objectivism, "liberalism," and "conservatism"; Why Rand viewed President Kennedy as steering the country toward fascism; Ways Kennedy's policies fostered government control and the erosion of freedom; Why Rand thought “liberals” kept their ideological motives hidden; How the New Left openly embraced the collectivism the Old Left whitewashed; Whether “liberals” today are different from those of Rand’s time; Why concern for truth should be what motivates political thought and action. Recommended in this podcast are Journo’s “Ayn Rand’s Devastating Critique of ‘Liberals’” and Rand’s “The Intellectual Bankruptcy of Our Age,” “The New Fascism: Rule by Consensus,” “The Wreckage of Consensus,” “Conservatism: An Obituary,” and “The Left: Old and New.” The podcast was recorded on April 19, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/uQuprxoqZ64 Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Agustina Vergara Cid and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge Robert Reich’s unjust crusade against billionaires. Agustina and Nikos unpack the pernicious motivations behind the attacks against successful billionaire producers and give an impassioned moral defense of their right to the wealth they have created. Among the topics covered: How widespread the attacks on the rich are in Western society; How the ‘wage-theft’ argument is based on a false, Marxist view of wealth; How attacks on billionaires conflate economic with political power; How wealth is a creation of the individual, not of exploitation or ‘society’; The anti-profit mentality is driven by hatred of successful producers; Why morally defending billionaires and their wealth is an act of justice. Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion is Ayn Rand’s lecture “America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business,” available on ARI Campus and as an essay in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, and Agustina Vergara Cid’s op-ed in the Orange Country Register “Why I admire the GOATs of the business world.” The podcast was recorded on April 14, 2023. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ_WIeM8NZs Podcast audio: