Ayn Rand Institute Live!
265 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 97 ratingsAyn Rand Institute Live features a wide range of fascinating topics recorded at live events—all from the unique perspective of Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. ARI experts and guest speakers bring new insights to complex topical issues, such as freedom of speech and the Middle East, or delve into important subjects in philosophy, ethics, psychology, culture, the arts, and more.
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Episodes
Literature and the Quest for Meaning by Lisa VanDamme
February 26, 2020 16:26 - 1 hour - 81.1 MBOne essential condition of fulfillment and happiness is the philosophic conviction that your life belongs to you. But it is only a condition. A truly fulfilled and happy life requires a sense of meaning. How to achieve that meaning is a question for which we have few tried-and-true, culturally established answers. Thankfully, one resource we do have for answering that question, or even knowing how to go about considering it, is great art. This talk explores how classic literature can contribu...
Principles and Personal Values by Gregory Salmieri
February 19, 2020 23:26 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBMorality is widely seen as a counterweight to self-interest, and it is often thought that adherence to esthetic principles constrains the artist’s ability to express himself and an audience’s ability to respond in a genuinely personal way. On this common view, principles are opposed to personal values. In this talk, Dr. Salmieri explores Rand’s contrary view that principles identify what makes personal values possible and that adhering to them enables an individual to value on a grand scale. ...
Ayn Rand on Art with Yaron Brook, Onkar Ghate and Robert Mayhew
February 12, 2020 21:21 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBYaron Brook, Onkar Ghate and Robert Mayhew have a panel discussion and Q&A on various aspects of Ayn Rand's perspective on art. Recorded live at OCON 2019 in Clevland, OH on June 23, 2019.
Why Should I care About Israel? with Elan Journo
February 05, 2020 16:30 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBIsrael is talked about often in the media, but many Americans don’t understand why we are so preoccupied with this country. Often Israel is spoken of in a negative context: boycotts at universities, condemnations by the United Nations, and so on. What makes Israel worse than other countries? On the flip side, good defenses of Israel are scant. Is Israel important to U.S. foreign policy? If so, why? Join David Birnbaum as he interviews foreign policy expert Elan Journo on the question: Why s...
What’s Wrong with “Virtue Signaling”? by Ben Bayer
January 29, 2020 16:20 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBThink about celebrities who tweet about their politics all the time, or think about companies who want you to buy their products because they’re supposedly eco-friendly. Some say that these are symptoms of an epidemic that’s coursing it’s way through social media and through our political discourse generally, an epidemic they call “virtue signalling”. Ben Bayer, a fellow at The Ayn Rand Institute, has some questions about this. You’re said to be a virtue signaller when you promote some cause...
Who Decides What’s Right or Wrong? by Elan Journo
January 22, 2020 16:30 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBIn ethics, the question “Who ultimately decides what is morally right or wrong?” is commonly asked. Notice that in other areas of life there’s no issue of “who decides” what’s right or wrong. For example, if your car won’t start, you call a mechanic to inspect it. After he replaces the battery, the car works again. We have a clear-cut answer—no one “decides.” So, why do we treat moral issues differently? Why is there an issue of final authority in ethics? And how should we think about this is...
Why Are New Years Resolutions So Hard To Keep? by Keith Lockitch
January 15, 2020 16:30 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBEvery year droves of people make New Year’s resolutions, but polls suggest that four out of five people fail to keep them. One report even found that most resolutions last less than two weeks. So why are New Year’s resolutions so hard to keep? Are they just a joke and a waste of time? Are people just deluding themselves into thinking that real change is possible? Resolving to make changes that will positively impact your life is not a joke nor an exercise in self-delusion. In fact, to be trul...
Do People’s Interests Have to Conflict? by Gregory Salmieri
January 08, 2020 16:30 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBPeople are at odds with one another all the time (we have wars, personal animosities, etc.) and it is generally assumed that people’s interests conflict. We are often told that the only way to have any kind of peace is to compromise—to give up our interests in deference to other people. Ayn Rand rejects this idea. Her view is that the interests of rational people don’t conflict, in fact, they harmonize. But what does it mean to form a rational view of what’s in your own interest? Join Greg ...
Is Artistic Preference Subjective? by Harry Binswanger
December 18, 2019 16:10 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBAt the turn of the millennium, two different polls were held. The question was: What’s the best English-language novel of the twentieth century? One poll questioned literary experts—they picked Ulysses by James Joyce. The second poll questioned internet users—their choice was Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Is there any objective way to settle who is right? And is art (painting, sculpture, music, architecture) objective or subjective? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Join Harry Binswanger ...
Should You Judge Other People? by Elan Journo
December 11, 2019 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBIf you want to be considered a caring person, you are expected to offer a “no-judgement-zone.” And you are supposed to believe that it’s an insult to be called “judgmental.” It’s recommended that you live by the biblical advice “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” but can this actually guide us in our daily life and thinking? There are people who lie, cheat, steal, rape, murder and worse—and, clearly, they deserve to be morally condemned. On the other hand, there are honest, thoughtful, producti...
Calls to “Abolish Billionaires” Are a Moral Travesty by Keith Lockitch
December 04, 2019 17:30 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBThere’s a new campaign slogan among Democratic politicians: “Abolish Billionaires.” Nobody can honestly deserve a billion dollars, they claim, so they want to impose radical new taxes on the super-wealthy. Indeed, people are arguing that the very existence of billionaires is some kind of moral outrage. Wealthy people are being blamed today for all the world’s problems. Yet all of those problems are actually the result of the very ideas being preached by the same leaders and intellectuals who...
Do I Need a Philosophy? by Aaron Smith
December 04, 2019 17:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBMany people have at least heard of a few of history’s great philosophers. Names like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—they ring a bell and maybe some of us have even taken a philosophy course in college or perhaps encountered books or podcasts that are espousing or offering some kind of philosophy of life—a philosophy for living. But what exactly is a philosophy? What does it mean to have a philosophy and, more importantly, do you need a philosophy? Join Aaron Smith to explore one of life’s big ...
Why Be Honest? by Ben Bayer
November 20, 2019 17:00 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBWe live in an age in which fabricated stories pulse through social media, fashionable startup companies are founded on swindles and, of course, politicians of all stripes routinely lie. Whatever happened to the idea that honesty is the best policy? Most people would recognize honesty as an obvious example of a moral virtue, but the idea of being honest on principle strikes many people as a burdensome duty they owe to other people, which is sometimes too impractical to stick to consistently. ...
How Can One Be Fully Independent in Today’s Society? by Harry Binswanger
November 13, 2019 20:36 - 1 hour - 83.3 MBIndependence is the theme of Ayn Rand’s great novel The Fountainhead. Howard Roark, the novel’s hero, is the epitome of independence. He speaks of the need to have a self-sufficient ego and says nothing else is as important. What is a “self-sufficient ego”? What is independence and how does one preserve one’s independence in a society like ours when much of the weight of the media and the intellectual establishment is on the side of dependence and is pushing collectivism: the opposite of inde...
What Makes Ayn Rand’s Philosophy Distinctive? by Onkar Ghate
November 06, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBHave you ever wondered what Ayn Rand’s philosophy—which she called Objectivism—is all about? Why is she such a controversial figure with millions of fans who love The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but also with many, many critics who call her books and ideas evil? Onkar Ghate, a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute, discusses Objectivism exploring especially Rand's moral and religious views, which are at the heart of her radicalness. Ghate also considers why she championed self-interest...
Fighting Socialism in Latin America with Gloria Alvarez, Yaron Brook and Agustina Vergara Cid
October 30, 2019 18:02 - 1 hour - 59 MBRecorded Live, Monday June 24th, 2019
Is There a God? by Aaron Smith
October 23, 2019 15:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBThe question of whether there is or is not a God is certainly one of life’s big questions, and it’s one that almost all of us have had to grapple with at some point in our lives. Many of us were raised in a religious environment but have come to have doubts or questions about whether God exists. For those of us who were raised in a nonreligious atmosphere, sometimes we come to wonder whether the religious have it right about God’s existence. But how do you answer the question? How do you appr...
Why Are Principles Important in Life? by Keith Lockitch
October 17, 2019 18:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBWhen we describe someone as a person of principle, it’s often meant as a compliment. We mean that the person has a solid moral compass and that his actions are grounded in time-honored rules of conduct. On the other hand, though, we sometimes view principles as being rigid and constraining, a bunch of rules that stifle spontaneity. From that point of view we sometimes view the man of principles as being somewhat dogmatic, maybe even a bit of a zealot. So is it good to be a principled person ...
Is Altruism Good? by Ben Bayer
October 09, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBMaybe you’ve heard of something called “effective altruism”? It’s a recent movement that encourages people to do research to figure out the best way to give away as much of their own money as possible, allegedly in order to help out as many people as possible. Now one wonders if calling it “effective altruism” implies that altruism up until very recently hasn’t been effective. In any case, what is altruism really, what’s it all about, and what motivates it? Is it simply an expression of gen...
Does Success in Life Require Compromise? by Elan Journo
October 02, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBCompromise is widely seen as essential to success in life. To have healthy, meaningful relationships, we’re advised to find a middle-ground. In the workplace, we hear, it’s vital that we compromise. And in the words of one long-time politician, in Washington “if you want to get along, you have to go along.” At the same time, however, it’s clear that not every compromise leads to a win-win outcomes. Sometimes, a compromise is toxic to a relationship. Or, it can sink your business. And, in poli...
Is Free Will an Illusion? by Onkar Ghate
September 25, 2019 22:49 - 1 hour - 56 MBRegister for the next live webinar: http://courses.aynrand.org/webinars/register Is free will an illusion? Today, most people would answer yes. It might seem like you make choices and face genuine alternatives in life, it might seem like you have the power to decide what road you will travel, but this is all an illusion, it’s claimed. Your course in life is determined by antecedent factors. Some combination of nature or nurture, it’s usually said, determines who you are and what you do in l...
Isn’t Everybody Selfish? by Gregory Salmieri
September 18, 2019 17:17 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBThe question “Isn’t Everybody Selfish?” is often asked cynically by people who think selfishness is a bad thing and that it’s impossible to avoid. Sometimes it is said by economists who think that selfishness helps to explain human action, and sometimes the question is posed skeptically to people, e.g., Ayn Rand, who say that everyone ought to be selfish. If everyone is selfish all the time, what point is there in saying that people ought to be? In this talk, Salmieri discusses what selfishne...
What Are Rights and Where Do They Come from? by Harry Binswanger
September 11, 2019 16:00 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBJoin special guest Harry Binswanger for this entry in the series of Ayn Rand Institute webinars on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and its application to current issues. His topic is the one principle on which our very lives depend: the principle of Individual Rights. This concept—which the United States of America was based upon—has now vanished from the public understanding with tragic results. In his discussion, Binswanger will present the Objectivist theory of what rights are (their ...
Should I Go by Reason or by Faith? by Ben Bayer
September 04, 2019 16:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBHuman beings desperately need guidance in life, but where should we seek this guidance? Should we seek it in what we can observe with our own five senses and what we can logically infer from that data? Or should we seek it from some higher authority, just because we feel what it tells us is true? This week on Philosophy for Living on Earth, ARI’s Ben Bayer explores another one of life’s big questions: Should I go by reason or by faith?
Is Selfishness the Root of All Evil? by Keith Lockitch
August 28, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBIf there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on today, it’s that selfishness is bad. From day one, we’ve been told, “don’t be selfish” or “selfishness is the root of all evil.” But what if the way we think about selfishness is completely wrong? What if our conventional understanding of what it means to be selfish is totally confused—and it’s not just that we’re mistaken, but we’re mistaken in a way that actually makes it harder for us to achieve a happy, fulfilling life and a better worl...
Should I Follow My Head or My Heart? by Aaron Smith
August 21, 2019 17:31 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBAll of us have experienced clashes between our thinking and our feelings—between our “head” and our “heart.” The question we seem to face, in any given clash, is: Which one to follow—“head” or “heart”? On this Philosophy for Living on Earth webinar, ARI’s Aaron Smith discusses Ayn Rand’s perspective on this issue. Recorded live as part of ARI's Philosophy of Living on Earth webinar series on August 17, 2019Sign up up to attend the next webinar live at http://courses.aynrand.org/webinars/regi...
Can You Take Credit for Who You Are? by Ben Bayer
August 14, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBWhat makes you who you are? Is it nature or nurture—or a bit of both? Or does that very way of framing the question leave out something very important, namely—you? Can you take credit for who you are? If so, how? We can’t and we don’t create ourselves out of nothing. Some people are born with advantages that other people don’t have. So, how can we take credit for our achievements? How can we be blamed for our crimes? Join Ben Bayer to explore one of life’s big questions: Can you take credi...
What Is Self-Esteem? How Do I Get It? by Elan Journo
August 07, 2019 18:04 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBIs having self-esteem a good thing? Most people will say it’s part of living a good life. And we all know someone who lives with gnawing self-doubt, someone with little or no self-esteem at all. It really holds them back. But is self-esteem something anyone can attain, or is it just for the lucky few? And who can give it to you? Elan Journo explores these questions. Recorded live as part of ARI's Philosophy of Living on Earth webinar series on August 03, 2019 Sign up up to attend the next...
Can There Be Good Without God? by Onkar Ghate
August 01, 2019 22:50 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBWhether it’s the legality of abortion, the desirability of free speech, the power of social media companies, or the appropriateness of a president’s tweets, we seem to be increasingly divided by issues of value, by what we consider right and wrong,good and evil. But whichever side we take on these and other controversies, if we’re asked to...
Love Does Not Require Sacrifice by Keith Lockitch
July 24, 2019 21:37 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBConflicts among priorities and values, big or small, come up in relationships all the time. Figuring out how to navigate them is critical to making the relationship work. If you look to any self-help or psychology website for advice on this topic, you’ll see articles with titles like: “7 things you should sacrifice for a...
What Tribalism Looks Like Around the World by Elan Journo
July 17, 2019 16:00 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBTribalism is rampant in other countries. We’ll explore some of its forms and its role in the subjugation of individuals, the opposition to human progress, and the fueling of violent conflicts.
Tribalism vs. Free Will by Harry Binswanger
July 10, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBOne key pillar of individualism is free will—the idea that you are not the deterministic product of your race or genes or tribal collective but have a basic form of control over your thoughts and actions. What is Ayn Rand’s theory of free will and how does it support her individualist philosophy? This video was...
Tribalism and Family Relationships with Onkar Ghate, Yaron Brook, and Tara Smith
July 03, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBOne area of life where it can be hard to think about what it means to be an individual is in relation to your family. Growing up and gaining your independence is a natural process, but it can sometimes be a struggle—and is harder if one holds a mistaken view about family relationships. How would...
Individualism in an Age of Tribalism by Onkar Ghate
June 19, 2019 15:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBPerhaps the two areas of life which generate the most conflict and in which it is most important to think for oneself—and most rare are religion and morality. We’ll discuss why it’s so easy to follow the crowd here and why it’s vital to not do so. This video was recorded at AynRandCon in Atlanta,...
Tribalism in Economics by Yaron Brook
June 12, 2019 15:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBPopular discussions of economics—with their focus on macroeconomic factors such as GDP, total unemployment, total jobs numbers, etc.—often reflect a collectivist mindset. This contributes to the America-versus-the-world tribalism inherent in today’s calls for tariffs and immigration restrictions. By contrast, the individualist approach embraces economic freedom and global trade. This video was recorded at AynRandCon in...
Tribalism in Law by Tara Smith
June 05, 2019 14:00 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBUnfortunately, all three branches of our government are contributing to the tribalization of our legal system. As a result, the substance of our laws along with the laws’ administration authority are increasingly determined by power shifts among rival groups rather than by the sovereignty of individual rights. This audio was recorded at AynRandCon in Atlanta,...
Thinking for Yourself by Gregory Salmieri
May 29, 2019 15:30 - 42 minutes - 39 MBWhat does it mean to do one’s own thinking, especially about controversial issues, and why is this important? What are some of the obstacles to intellectual independence, and how can they be overcome? This audio was recorded at AynRandCon in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 3, 2018.
The Sacred and the Profane: Objectivism and Religion by Aaron Smith
May 22, 2019 20:48 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBWhy was Ayn Rand opposed to religion? What does Rand make of the notions of the sacred, of reverence, of worship, of the exalted? What is the difference between the ideals common to religions and the ideals projected in Rand’s fiction? Why does she think that man is a proper object of reverence? In this...
The “Virtue of Selfishness”? Ayn Rand’s Ethics of Egoism in Your Own Life by Elan Journo
May 15, 2019 22:56 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBAyn Rand held that an individual’s pursuit of “his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.” Fifty years ago, Rand published The Virtue of Selfishness, a groundbreaking book laying out her ethics of rational egoism. What does it look like to be selfish in your own...
Free Speech Panel at the University of Southern California with Dave Rubin, Colin Moriarty and Steve Simpson
May 08, 2019 15:08 - 2 hours - 113 MBCollege used to be grounded in the inviolate principle that each of us should confront new ideas, speak our minds, and learn. Has that time passed? This year (2017) alone we have seen a riot at U.C. Berkeley and violence at Middlebury College over controversial speakers. Instead of “express yourself,” a new view seems to...
Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Living on Earth (Part 2) by Ben Bayer
May 01, 2019 15:05 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBDiscussing Objectivism: Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Living on Earth (Part 2). Recorded at Objectivist Summer Conference 2018. This session explores the basic contours of Ayn Rand’s overall philosophy by discussing highlights from Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged. (We try to avoid Atlas plot spoilers.)
Making Sense of Today’s Political Culture with Greg Salmieri and Dave Rubin
April 24, 2019 14:33 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBThis is the twelfth and final episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosopher Gregory Salmieri joins Dave Rubin to discuss the state of today’s political culture.
A Philosophy of Success with John Allison and Dave Rubin
April 17, 2019 16:59 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBThis is the eleventh episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. John Allison joins Dave Rubin to discuss how the Objectivist ethics enabled his business success.
The Psychology of Happiness with Gregory Salmieri, Gena Gorlin and Dave Rubin
April 10, 2019 15:36 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBThis is the tenth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosopher Gregory Salmieri and psychologist Gena Gorlin join Dave Rubin to discuss the psychological requirements of happiness.
Why Ayn Rand Matters with Yaron Brook and Dave Rubin
April 03, 2019 15:35 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBThis is the ninth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Yaron Brook joins Dave Rubin to discuss why Ayn Rand matters.
Truth, Objectivity and Self-Interest with Harry Binswanger and Dave Rubin
March 27, 2019 16:12 - 30 minutes - 28 MBThis is the eighth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosopher Harry Binswanger joins Dave Rubin to discuss truth, objectivity and self-interest.
How to Fill Your Life with Meaning with Yaron Brook, Gena Gorlin and Dave Rubin
March 20, 2019 17:34 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBThis is the seventh episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Yaron Brook and psychologist Gena Gorlin join Dave Rubin to discuss what it takes to have a meaningful life.
Taking Your Happiness Seriously with Tara Smith and Dave Rubin
March 13, 2019 14:28 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBThis is the sixth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosopher Tara Smith joins Dave Rubin to discuss what it means to take one’s happiness seriously.
Grounding Morality in Facts with Harry Binswanger, Gregory Salmieri and Dave Rubin
March 09, 2019 00:12 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBThis is the fifth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosophers Gregory Salmieri and Harry Binswanger join Dave Rubin to discuss Objectivism’s view on the relationship between facts and values, why Ayn Rand’s ideas generate the strong reactions they do, and Harry’s experience knowing Ayn Rand personally.
Creating a Life Worth Living with Onkar Ghate, Gregory Salmieri and Dave Rubin
March 07, 2019 01:03 - 1 hour - 81.9 MBThis is the fourth episode in a series looking at Objectivism’s approach to Happiness. Philosophers Gregory Salmieri and Onkar Ghate join Dave Rubin to discuss how to create a life worth living.