https://youtu.be/3XFiAQbxtgQ

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid examine the current controversy over USAID and discuss Ayn Rand’s distinctive critique of the morality behind America’s foreign aid.

Among the topics covered:

How recent revelations about USAID expose the agency’s absurd, if not malicious, activities;

Why Rand viewed foreign aid and its justification in the name of “the public interest” as morally corrupt;

The continuing relevance of Rand’s critique of the altruistic premises underlying arguments for foreign aid;

How an unprincipled foreign policy has failed to protect America’s interests abroad and wasted its resources;

The role of foreign aid in a proper, pro-American foreign policy.

Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s essays “The Pull Peddlers” and “Altruism as Appeasement,” available in The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought.

The podcast was recorded on March 10, 2025 and posted on March 19, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/DI1xqqIcj7k

Podcast audio:

How can we live more egoistically? What makes us want to live more egoistically? Not everyone does. In her talk “Egoism Without Permission – It Begins with Desire” at Objectivist Summer Conference 2024 in Anaheim, Tara Smith explored the connection between these questions, drawing material from her new book Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand’s Ethics.

Recorded live on June 17 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/ZhqJzc75qeI

Podcast audio:

A new ARI podcast series, ARI Bookshelf, gives you a window into ARI’s educational programs by showcasing our faculty as they discuss books of recent interest. This episode discusses Kennon M. Sheldon’s book Freely Determined. Panelists include Ben Bayer, Jason Rheins, Greg Salmieri, and Gena Gorlin.

Freely Determined offers a psychologist’s case against popular forms of determinism and argues that mental health depends on a belief in one’s agency.

Our panelists examine Sheldon’s arguments and positions from a wider philosophical perspective and indicate its strengths and weaknesses. They find value in his answers to scientific arguments for determinism but question his account of motivation. They also discuss the value of psychological research and the relationship between philosophy and the sciences.

The discussion covered:

Panelists’ general take on the book;

The history of arguments for and against free will;

How mental health may depend on a belief in one’s agency;

The book’s distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation;

The book’s vague conceptualization of the self;

Why progress in psychology is messy.

The video with the episode was originally released on September 10, 2024.

https://youtu.be/QT4O5p3oSAA

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss why ARI comments on current events and why applying Objectivism to cultural issues is central to its essence as a philosophy for living on earth.

Among the topics covered:

How ARI’s commentary fits its mission;

Why applying Objectivism to current events is essential to understanding the philosophy;

Why persuading minds about Objectivism requires distinguishing it from mainstream ideas;

What is wrong with the objection that no one can speak for Ayn Rand;

What to expect from ARI’s commentary in the future.

Mentioned in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s essay “What Can One Do?” in Philosophy: Who Needs it?, and Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer’s discussion “How Can We Change People's Minds About Ayn Rand's Controversial Ideas?”

The podcast was recorded on March 10, 2025 and released on March 12, 2025. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe where you get your podcasts from. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/YjhHIgZzO3k

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The ARI Bookshelf, Jason Rheins, Ben Bayer, Don Watkins, and Alex Silverman examine two contrasting perspectives on the influence of Christianity: Tom Holland’s Dominion and Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind and The Reopening of the Western Mind.

While Holland’s widely discussed book argues that Christianity is the foundation of science and Western values, Freeman’s books present a contrary view. Our panelists bring their expertise to evaluate the arguments in both books, assessing their historical and philosophical accuracy.

The discussion covered:

The central arguments of the books;

Why the Church feared Aristotelian philosophy;

How Freeman’s books provide a more thorough and philosophical analysis than Holland’s;

How Holland diminishes Greek influence on modernity;

How Holland appropriates secular ideas and thinkers into Christianity;

The role of Christianity in the abolition of slavery;

The relationship between Christianity and science;

Why Holland’s book gained popularity while Freeman’s did not.

The video premiered on March 11, 2025.

https://youtu.be/V8yIcXmoAnQ

Podcast audio:

Fifty years ago, Ayn Rand journeyed to West Point to speak to a new senior-level course offered by the Department of English. She told the cadets — and the world — who needed philosophy, and why. Now, from Shoshana Milgram, you can learn from archival documents and new interviews why and when she was invited, which readings the course contained, how she prepared, and what about her lecture astonished her hosts.

Recorded live on June 14 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/h1tIDRzi9Ho

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast Ziemowit Gowin interviews Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate on Trump’s stance on the Ukraine-Russia war, which led him to call President Zelensky a dictator and publicly berate him in the Oval Office.

Among the topics covered:

What America’s approach to the Ukraine-Russia war should be;

How Trump’s Oval Office blowup at Zelensky reveals his amorality;

The mindset driving Trump’s sympathy for Putin and his approach to negotiation;

When it would be proper to negotiate with an aggressor;

The long-term consequences of America’s pro-Russia shift.

Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand’s essay “The Anatomy of Compromise” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. Recommended for further reading are Elan Journo’s essay “Why John Mearsheimer Gets Ukraine Wrong,” Ziemowit Gowin’s essay “European Appeasement Emboldened Putin’s Aggression,”and Journo’s and Ben Bayer’s essay “Putin’s War Embodies National Conservatism’s Ideology.”

The podcast was recorded on March 5, 2025 and released on March 7, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8

Podcast audio:

How does science work, and how does it differ from religion or pseudo-science? According to Karl Popper’s “falsificationism,” science, unlike religion and pseudo-science, doesn’t claim certainty; it aims only to disprove its hypotheses, and this is the source of its rationality. Popper proposed his theory as an alternative to the view that science distinguishes itself by proving its conclusions inductively.

In this lecture, Mike Mazza discuss the reasons behind Popper’s anti-inductivism and falsificationism and how they undercut the rationality of science.

Recorded live on June 16 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.

https://youtu.be/gFXDYaKnCVw

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo examine Jeff Bezos' decision to reorient The Washington Post's opinion section toward issues of personal and economic freedom.

Among the topics covered:

How Bezos' move reflects a genuine appreciation for the American ideals that enabled his success;

How Ayn Rand's critique of discretionary government power should concern Elon Musk;

Why the new opinion section must confront the Trump administration's threats to freedom;

How the backlash against Bezos overlooks the reality that business leaders are victims of government controls who ought to defend their rights;

The role of the mixed economy in corrupting the American system.

Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s essay “America’s Persecuted Minority: Big Business” and the resources at ARI’s new pro-business initiative, The Atlas Circle.

The podcast was recorded on February 26, 2025 and posted on February 28, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

https://youtu.be/1fLxvFQCScA

Podcast audio:

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

Recorded live on June 15 in Anaheim, CA as part of OCON 2024.