Tag Archives: Ayn Rand

The Role of Government During a Health Crisis with Onkar Ghate and Greg Salmieri

March 27, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, Ayn Rand Institute, Coronavirus, COVID-19, emergency, government, life, Objectivism, pandemic, Philosophy, rightsAlex Wigger

Governments are taking unprecedented measures to restrict travel and shut down businesses in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Politicians are justifying these measures by invoking emergency, even wartime, powers. What is the proper role of government during a health crisis like this one? What values should guide us in thinking about proper policy in regard to life and death issues, especially in an individualistic society?

Join us for another special episode of Philosophy for Living on Earth to get clarity on these questions. Onkar Ghate and Gregory Salmieri will join us and add their perspective.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:35 — 84.8MB)

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Is There a Rational Morality? by Ben Bayer

March 19, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, choice, ethics, life, morality, Objectivity, Philosophy, reality, reason, thinkingAlex Wigger

Most people think about morality as a set of commandments handed down by a god. Others believe we can get moral guidance by consulting our own feelings of sympathy for the needs and desires of other people.

Are these the only two options? Does morality have to be based on faith in a higher dimension or on feelings for others on Earth?

Those who believe morality is based on either faith or feelings assume there can be no rational basis for morality. Is that true? Are there no observable facts by which we can decide what’s the right and wrong way to live?

Join Ben Bayer and explore the question: Is there a rational morality?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:20 — 56.2MB)

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What Drives History? by Keith Lockitch

March 11, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, culture, history, human behavior, humanity, ideas, influence, Objectivism, Philosophy, societyphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

What explains the major developments and trends that have shaped our world through the ages? Human history is complex and, obviously, there are many factors involved. And some of the questions raised are these: Is there a fundamental cause that explains the big picture? Is there an ultimate cause that directs the overall sweep of history?

Ayn Rand, the iconic American novelist and philosopher, argues that there is. In her view, the primary force that drives history is philosophy—the basic philosophic ideas that shape people’s beliefs and values and, therefore, their choices and actions.

Join Keith Lockitch and explore the question: What drives history?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:33 — 57.3MB)

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Is Abortion Immoral? by Ben Bayer

February 19, 2020Podcastabortion, Ayn Rand, Ben Bayer, biology, birth, decision, ethics, life, rights, roe v wadephilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Abortion is an important issue consistently in the public discourse. What makes it so persistent? Should there be any legal limit on abortion? Much of the discussion about abortion revolves around differing views of when life begins. Is there something significantly different about an entity before and after it’s born?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Ben Bayer on the question: Is abortion immoral?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:28 — 59.0MB)

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Why Should I care About Israel? with Elan Journo

February 12, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, Elan Journo, ethics, foreign policy, Israel, peace, reason, Terrorism, values, warphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Israel 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 should I care about Israel?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:07 — 55.0MB)

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What’s Wrong with “Virtue Signaling”? by Ben Bayer

January 29, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, Ben Bayer, ethics, Justice, Philosophy, public, The Virtue of Selfishness, values, vanity, virtuephilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Think 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 or criticize some figure people love to hate in a way that doesn’t involve much cost, but which draws attention to your own right way of thinking.

What, if anything, is wrong with this kind of behavior? Is there a kind of behavior here at all or do the critics of virtue signalling lump together lots of different things? Is speaking out ineffective only because it’s speaking? Does profiting from the judgment of others make you insincere?

Join Ben Bayer and explore the question: What’s wrong with “virtue signalling”?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:55 — 55.8MB)

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Do I Need a Philosophy? by Aaron Smith

December 4, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, epistemology, ethics, guidance, life, meaning of life, Objectivism, Philosophy, Podcast, principles, thinkingphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Many 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…

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Why Be Honest? by Ben Bayer

November 20, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, Ben Bayer, choice, duty, honesty, lies, morality, Objectivism, Podcast, reality, Truthphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

We 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…

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How Can One Be Fully Independent in Today’s Society? by Harry Binswanger

November 13, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, Harry Binswanger, independence, individualism, Podcast, reason, self-esteem, self-interest, selfishness, society, The Fountainheadphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Independence 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…

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What Makes Ayn Rand’s Philosophy Distinctive? by Onkar Ghate

November 6, 2019PodcastAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, controversy, hero, morality, Objectivism, Onkar Ghate, Philosophy, Podcast, religion, The Fountainheadphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Have 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…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:38 — 57.4MB)

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