The issue of moral sanction features prominently in Ayn Rand’s work, especially Atlas Shrugged, and in the Objectivist movement and its history. Dr. Ghate will discuss the issue of moral sanction both from the perspective of Rand’s fiction and nonfiction, considering what is distinctive in Rand’s approach and how what she says is often misunderstood, and from the perspective of application to cases past and present.Recorded live on June 15th in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024Want to join us nex...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Over the course of recent years, the American electorate has become increasingly tribal, unthinking, and easily swayed by demagoguery. How should we think about the state of America’s political culture as we head into this year’s election season?Recorded live on June 14th in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024Want to join us next year?: https://events.aynrand.org/ocon/
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Tal Tsfany, ARI’s president and CEO, will review ARI’s mission to spread Objectivism and the progress made during 2023–24.ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: aynrand.org/donate.
Aug 16, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Recorded live as part of AynRandCon Europe 2024 in Amsterdam.Visit https://events.aynrand.org/ for more information.
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 29 min
Recorded live as part of AynRandCon Europe 2024 in Amsterdam.Visit https://events.aynrand.org/ for more information.
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Jul 26, 2024•47 min
In this special event celebrating Independence Day, Nikos Sotirakopoulos interviews Onkar Ghate about his 2007 talk “Atlas Shrugged: America’s Second Declaration of Independence.” The episode includes a full rebroadcast of the talk.Mentioned in the discussion is Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged (https://aynrand.org/novels/atlas-shrugged/).The podcast premiered on July 2, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Happiness Team is a life-changing workshop and accountability team, aimed to systematize the pursuit of happiness using Ayn Rand’s deep, life-serving discoveries. In this session, you’ll get started on the road to understanding who you are, what you want and how to get it. You’ll come away with a workbook of exercises and actionable practices for leveraging Objectivism toward achieving your own, independent happiness. Every journey begins with a single step. Take yours.Recorded live on July 4 at...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 25 min
The Galileo Affair is widely viewed as the classic example of a scientific genius being persecuted by religious dogmatists. Yet, in recent decades, some philosophers and historians of science have put forward a new interpretation that defends the Church’s position philosophically and puts (at least some of) the blame for the conflict on Galileo. Is there any merit to this view? What actually led to Galileo’s persecution, censorship, trial, and house arrest? To address these questions, this talk ...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr
Ayn Rand admired Mickey Spillane as a writer and a crusader: “a brilliant literary talent” and a “moral absolutist.” Several of his novels, including the two-book series about Morgan the Raider (a pirate with an enigmatic past and mysterious motivations) were set partially or completely in Miami. One character, amazed at his first glimpse of the homes and hotels of the Miami skyline, asks: “How could men with their bare hands build such a place?” This talk, in addition to describing the stories ...
Mar 15, 2024•58 min
This lesson explains Aristotle’s method of scientific investigation, focusing on Aristotle’s logical works—especially the Posterior Analytics. Salmieri discusses Aristotle’s view of the kinds of questions we seek to answer when we investigate; for example, the nature of definitions and their relationship to scientific demonstrations, and the formation of new concepts. This course includes a handout: https://courses.aynrand.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Greg_Salmieri-Aristotles_Theory_of_Knowled...
Jan 26, 2024•1 hr 30 min
In this lesson, Salmieri explains Aristotle’s theory of universals and how that theory makes possible scientific understanding (epistēmē) of this world based on sense-perception. The lesson explains that universal knowledge, for Aristotle, is a power to know particulars as falling under kinds. Salmieri concludes with a discussion of a famous chapter of the Posterior Analytics, in which Aristotle uses a battlefield metaphor to explain how we grasp universals. This course includes a handout: https...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 31 min
In this lesson, Salmieri discusses Aristotle’s view of the types and degrees of knowledge. In particular, he explains what is distinctive about the type of knowledge that Aristotle calls epistēmē (scientific understanding) and relates it to Objectivism’s view of the importance of thinking in principle. He also introduces Aristotle’s concept of technē (art, craft or skill) and explains why Aristotle regards both technē and epistēmē as superior to mere experience. This course includes a handout: h...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 30 min
The ancient Stoics held that we suffer in life because we value the wrong things and/or have the wrong attitude toward our values. If we want to live the good life, they held, we need to radically change the way we value. Given the growing popularity of Stoicism in the culture today, it’s worth examining what this reorientation to values amounts to, and what it would mean to adopt it. This talk will explore both ancient and modern Stoic approaches to values from the perspective of Objectivism’s ...
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 1 min
St. Augustine’s philosophy marked a decisive turning point in the history of the West, the first systematic repudiation of the ancient Greek philosophical outlook in favor of Christian religion. Augustine’s ethics was especially crucial. He fundamentally repudiated the content of pagan views of virtue even as he retained certain trappings of their framework. The most telling example was Augustine’s celebration of the virtue of humility, in defiance of the Greek virtue of pride. This talk will hi...
Dec 29, 2023•1 hr 29 min
After decades of debate, and despite the overwhelming strength of the evidence in favor of phonics, reading education is still a controversial topic in the United States. Many educators continue to resist phonics in favor of anti-conceptual methods that amount to not teaching reading at all. This talk will present the recent history and current state of the reading wars and examine the ideas behind the ongoing opposition to phonics. Discover the crucial link between the right ideas and happiness...
Dec 22, 2023•58 min
Mathematics is the headquarters of Platonism—the reification of abstractions and the primacy of concepts over percepts. Even Euclid defined “line” as “breadthless length,” something not of this world, and the moderns define “one” in terms of nonbeing (the null set). In this lecture, drawing on a few incisive statements by Ayn Rand, Dr. Binswanger gives perceptually based definitions of key mathematical concepts, such as quantity, measurement, one, number, point, line, infinite, and mathematics i...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Freedom of speech used to be an unquestioned value. Even as society endorsed the use of force in other realms, the individual’s right to express ideas freely was widely acknowledged. Today, that right is coming under increasing attack. Why? And what can we do to counter this ominous threat? Mr. Schwartz discusses the fundamental relation between force and the mind—and examines the modern philosophic premise that, by blurring the distinction between thought and action, leads to the suppression of...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 26 min
An important component of happiness is confidence in your future success. How is such confidence possible, especially with ambitious goals that involve significant risks? In this talk, Ms. Moroney will discuss how the Objectivist ethics and epistemology help you establish objective confidence that you will be successful. A companion to her previous talk, Happiness, this will be a self-contained discussion of topics including: How to conceptualize ambitious goals to foster creativity; the need fo...
Nov 17, 2023•59 min
Many are attracted to Objectivism for its idealism. But they often struggle to successfully use Objectivism as a guide for living on earth, and experience its ideals as a source of frustration, confusion, and guilt. In this talk, Don Watkins draws on his experience as Ayn Rand University’s Director of Coaching and Mentoring to discuss what gives rise to this problem—and practical strategies for overcoming it. Recorded at OCON on July 2, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr
Anselm of Canterbury (11th century) was the first to present the ontological argument, purporting to demonstrate God’s existence through a mere analysis of the definition of God. Aquinas rejected the argument, but Descartes revived it. Kant was thought by many to deliver it a death blow, but it continues to be resuscitated. This lecture is an exercise in philosophical detection: Dr. Mayhew will present the argument and then explain Objectivism’s unique reasons for rejecting it as not merely fals...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr
What is the relationship between abstract moral principles (such as those that make up the Objectivist ethics) and the ability of people who do not (yet) grasp these principles to tell right from wrong? To what extent (and in what ways) can someone who doesn’t understand why something is good (or bad) know that it is good (or bad)? In this talk, Dr. Salmieri will address these questions and some of their implications for moral education, intellectual activism, and assessing ideological movements...
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Ayn Rand’s novels and nonfiction essays contain a wealth of material on the psychological dimensions of philosophical ideas and principles. But in one of those essays she also cautions about the danger of “psychologizing.” We’ll explore aspects of how to extract the action-guiding value of the psychological dimensions of philosophical ideas that she highlights while avoiding the pitfall of psychologizing. Recorded at OCON on July 2, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 30 min
When it comes to Israel’s mortal enemies, the usual suspects are Arab authoritarian regimes, Iran, and the antisemitic far right. And yet, some of the most dangerous wannabe-destroyers of Israel have come from the left. Whether it has been communist states, or terrorist groups, or “peaceful” organizations, the left’s war on Israel has been long and determined. Delivered at OCON 2023 in Miami, Florida on July 3, 2023.
Oct 24, 2023•53 min
Objectivity isn’t simply a tool for concept-formation or analyzing arguments. Objectivity affects how you treat your friends, how you do your work, how you set your goals. This lecture probes objectivity’s role in everyday living. It considers ways that objectivity (or its lack) manifests itself in a range of domains and ways in which well-intended people can easily fall into non-objective practices. The stakes? Being objective is vital for fully flourishing. This talk was recorded at OCON 2023 ...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Objectivism is a philosophy for living on earth. Happily. In this talk, ARI CEO Tal Tsfany will share concepts and actionable practices for leveraging Objectivism toward achieving the state of consciousness we call happiness. This interactive session will cover tools and techniques for answering questions such as “Who am I?” “What do I love?” What do I want?” “How do I get it?” and “What’s the point?” Recorded live at Ayn Rand Con Europe 2023
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Ayn Rand University is an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career and life guidance they need to flourish. In this clip, from the ARU course “Philosophy, Work and Business,” instructors Tal Tsfany, Onkar Ghate and Don Watkins talk to entrepreneur and inventor Keith Schacht about how to choose and pursue a fulfilling career. To learn more about ARU, visit university.aynrand.org....
Aug 14, 2023•54 min
Ayn Rand University is an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career and life guidance they need to flourish. In this clip, from the ARU course “Philosophy, Work and Business,” instructors Tal Tsfany, Onkar Ghate and Don Watkins talk to bestselling author, speaker, and public advocate for Objectivism about how to pursue an intellectual career. To learn more about ARU, visit universi...
Aug 11, 2023•55 min
Opponents of immigration often say those who want to come to America should “get in line” and follow the law. But the U.S. immigration system sets legal immigrants up for failure, and penalizes the best people who want to make America their home. The system is profoundly unjust both for immigrants and for Americans as well. Agustina Vergara Cid, an ARI Junior Fellow, will relate a number of immigration stories (including her own) in the context of the legal landscape that generates these injusti...
Aug 04, 2023•42 min
