The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

https://youtu.be/YjhHIgZzO3k Podcast audio: In this episode of The ARI Bookshelf, Jason Rheins, Ben Bayer, Don Watkins, and Alex Silverman examine two contrasting perspectives on the influence of Christianity: Tom Holland’s Dominion and Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind and The Reopening of the Western Mind. While Holland’s widely discussed book argues that Christianity is the foundation of science and Western values, Freeman’s books present a contrary view. Our panelists bring their expertise to evaluate the arguments in both books, assessing their historical and philosophical accuracy. The discussion covered: The central arguments of the books; Why the Church feared Aristotelian philosophy; How Freeman’s books provide a more thorough and philosophical analysis than Holland’s; How Holland diminishes Greek influence on modernity; How Holland appropriates secular ideas and thinkers into Christianity; The role of Christianity in the abolition of slavery; The relationship between Christianity and science; Why Holland’s book gained popularity while Freeman’s did not. The video premiered on March 11, 2025.

Discover the fascinating story behind Ayn Rand's groundbreaking lecture at West Point in 1974. Explore the debate surrounding her invitation and the concerns it raised among military instructors. Learn about the philosophical themes she introduced and their profound impact on the cadets. Dive into the imaginative metaphor of a reckless astronaut to challenge conventional beliefs. Unpack her reflections on honor and heroism, and understand how her ideas continue to resonate in today's philosophical discourse.

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

https://youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8 Podcast audio: How does science work, and how does it differ from religion or pseudo-science? According to Karl Popper’s “falsificationism,” science, unlike religion and pseudo-science, doesn’t claim certainty; it aims only to disprove its hypotheses, and this is the source of its rationality. Popper proposed his theory as an alternative to the view that science distinguishes itself by proving its conclusions inductively. In this lecture, Mike Mazza discuss the reasons behind Popper’s anti-inductivism and falsificationism and how they undercut the rationality of science. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/gFXDYaKnCVw Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo examine Jeff Bezos' decision to reorient The Washington Post's opinion section toward issues of personal and economic freedom. Among the topics covered: How Bezos' move reflects a genuine appreciation for the American ideals that enabled his success; How Ayn Rand's critique of discretionary government power should concern Elon Musk; Why the new opinion section must confront the Trump administration's threats to freedom; How the backlash against Bezos overlooks the reality that business leaders are victims of government controls who ought to defend their rights; The role of the mixed economy in corrupting the American system. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s essay “America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business” and the resources at ARI’s new pro-business initiative, The Atlas Circle. The podcast was recorded on February 26, 2025 and posted on February 28, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/1fLxvFQCScA Podcast audio: Philosophy is for living. But how do you get the most value out of your philosophy? This is a question the panelists have been exploring from a variety of perspectives, ranging from psychology to moral philosophy to personal development. Gena Gorlin, Tara Smith, Tal Tsfany, and Don Watkins, shared their thoughts on how to leverage Objectivism for success and happiness, addressing questions such as “What are common struggles people face in trying to live by Objectivism?” and “What are underappreciated aspects of Ayn Rand’s philosophy that can empower people to enjoy life more?” Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/UVujQHg1kZo Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge the exploitation theory of value at the root of many attacks on capitalists by both the political left and right. Among the topics covered: How the exploitation theory is entrenched in mainstream political thought; How the exploitation theory fails to grasp how the capitalist produces value; How mainstream defenses of capitalists fail to grasp how they produce value; How capitalists benefit all of us immensely by increasing our productivity; Rejecting the Marxist “pyramid of exploitation” for Rand’s “pyramid of ability.” Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged. The podcast was recorded on February 21, 2025, and released on February 26, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

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

https://youtu.be/y-WB-fhVJls Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Tristan de Liège discuss why the traditional conception of forgiveness is evil and indicate how to think of it from an Objectivist perspective. Among the topics covered: How forgiveness is conventionally understood; Why the idea of “forgive and forget” enables injustice; Why forgiving a murderous dictator like Putin would be horrific; Why a rational view of forgiveness must be rooted in justice; The story of Mosab Hassan Yousef as an example of earning forgiveness; How healing from injustice comes from maintaining a positive value context, not forgiveness; Whether there is need for a separate concept of forgiveness. Recommended in this podcast are the Ayn Rand Lexicon entries on “Mercy,” “Justice,” and “Moral Judgment.” The podcast was recorded on February 14, 2025 and posted on February 19, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/yOx0pcktQtI Podcast audio: What is at stake in the Russia/Ukraine and the Israel/Hamas conflicts? What are America’s interests in the chaotic Middle East? How do we evaluate China’s global ambitions and its claims on Taiwan? What’s the impact of foreign policy on the 2024 campaign trail? How does Objectivism help us unpack these and related issues? Panel discussion featuring Yaron Brook, Peter Schwartz, and Scott McDonald, moderated by Elan Journo, with extensive audience Q&A. Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.