The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast
The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism. Each episode delves into topics such as politics, art, and ethics, applying Objectivist principles to contemporary debates. The podcast features interviews with scholars and commentators who discuss the relevance of Rand's ideas in today's world.
Episodes
Interview with Don Watkins on Texas Talks Podcast
Recently, author and ARI’s VP of Fundraising and Marketing Don Watkins was interviewed on the Texas Talks podcast, where he discussed Ayn Rand’s unique moral admiration for productive work, her new conception of self-interest, and ARI’s work to preserve and spread her philosophy today.Topics include:Why Ayn Rand has an enduring appealThe morality and spirituality of wealth creationWorking, marketi
Interview with Ben Bayer on Texas Talks Podcast
Recently, ARI Senior Fellow Ben Bayer was interviewed on the Texas Talks podcast, where he discussed Ayn Rand’s unique approach to philosophy as a practical means for living, the life-promoting philosophy she developed as a result, and how her idealist-realist heroes dramatize it. Bayer contrasted Rand’s approach and views with the dominant ones in today’s culture, focusing specifically on Stoicis
Human Values and the Desire to Matter: Discussing “The Mattering Instinct”
In her recent book The Mattering Instinct, philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein argues that much of what human beings do is driven by a universal need to matter — to prove to ourselves that we are worthy of consideration. She argues that efforts to fulfill this need are responsible for a wide range of human projects, from the greatest achievements of scientific discovery and artistic creation,
Interview with Greg Salmieri on Texas Talks Podcast
Recently, Professor Greg Salmieri, an Objectivist philosopher, was interviewed on the Texas Talks podcast, where he discussed Ayn Rand’s ideas and their relation to the ideas of other thinkers, including Aristotle, Marx, and “libertarians.” He also discussed Rand’s influence on his own work and interest in philosophy. Salmieri is a senior fellow at the Civitas Institute and teaches in the philosop
The Ayn Rand Center Groundbreaking
For over 40 years, ARI has preserved Rand’s legacy through archival and educational activities. Two years ago, ARI announced it would cement that legacy in actual concrete by building the Ayn Rand Center in Austin, Texas. Earlier this month, the Institute broke ground on the building. The Center will house the Ayn Rand Archives, classrooms, event spaces, studios, public gathering areas, a state-of
Disney vs. FCC: Licensing as a Tool of Censorship
In this episode, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate commend Disney for making their case on fundamental constitutional grounds rather than settling behind closed doors. Too few of Disney’s defenders ever dare to challenge the FCC's underlying licensing authority or the employment mandates that also violate freedom of association. They warn that Carr is trying to reinvigorate and expand the FCC’s powe
Ayn Rand’s Fight Against Communist Influence in Hollywood
In this video, Elan Journo interviews Brandon Lisi about Ayn Rand's 1947 essay Screen Guide for Americans. The interview explores the historical circumstances that led Rand to write the essay, the deeper philosophical ideas behind her analysis, and the significance of ARI Press’s new authoritative edition. They also discuss Michael Berliner’s new afterword and the archival materials that illuminat
9/11 Livestream: The Attack, the Response, and the Radicalness of Objectivism
9/11 was one of the most consequential events of the 21st century. Yet twenty-five years later, the attacks and their aftermath are still widely misunderstood. In two consecutive talks at our student conference in Austin, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyzed America’s failures before and after 9/11, drawing on more than two decades of work on the subject. They show how the self-abasing morality of
Why Academic Philosophy Fails to Understand Capitalism
After the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy released its entry on capitalism, critics online slammed it for apparent Marxist bias. However, if there is a scandal here, it is not merely that one entry is lopsided; it is that contemporary academic philosophers are willfully blind to the real-world phenomenon of capitalism, seeing it only through the unquestioned lens of the altruistic morality.In
9/11 — 25 Years Later: Objectivism, Islamic Totalitarianism, and America’s Crisis of Ideas
September 11, 2001 — and America’s response to it — shaped the 21st century. Confidence in America’s ability to win wars cracked, trust in leadership and experts went down, and, in response, populism, nihilism, and conspiracism raised their ugly heads. From day one, the Ayn Rand Institute’s experts grasped the meaning of the attacks and the significance of a proper response. They called for war wi
What Democratic Socialists Truly Want
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss the political platform, moral goals, and philosophical motivations driving the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).Topics include:Radical goals of the DSADSA versus past communismLack of intellectual argumentMiseducation versus willful ignoranceFantasy world of socialismAyn Rand on producer hatredHypocris
Art Subsidies Are Unjust and a Violation of Free Speech
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Tristan de Liège discuss Zohran Mamdani’s record $323 million culture budget for NYC aimed at supporting the arts, and why government attempts to fund artistic endeavors are unjust and ineffective in creating thriving conditions for artists. Topics include:The Culture Budget’s PurposeThe “Affordability Crisis”The Disdain for the Ma
Does America Still Have Checks and Balances on Political Power?
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver interviews Onkar Ghate about the American system of checks and balances and the rise of a religious mentality in America, topics discussed in his OCON 2026 talk “America at 250: Politics, Religion, Morality.”Topics Include:What checks and balances areErosion since the foundingRise of religious mentalityResources:“America at 250: Politic
Fueling a Space Renaissance with Capitalism
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Itamar Feldman interviews Mike Mazza about his new book of essays, Freedom to Launch, which explains how deregulation in the space industry enabled today’s space renaissance and what the government's role in space exploration should be going forward. Among the topics covered are:Why Freedom to Launch was written The space industry’s current state
I’ve Read Ayn Rand. Now What?
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Don Watkins, Onkar Ghate, and Keith Lockitch discuss the Institute's recently announced educational program on Objectivism: ARU Core.Topics include:Making Objectivism your own personal perspective Personal vs professional value of philosophyExpertise and gaining mastery ARU program and benefits Resources:Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"Ayn Rand, "The Vi
Socialism Everywhere — and No One Wants to Know Why
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège recent socialist electoral victories, and analyze critical reactions that fail to identify the philosophical essence of the movement. Allegations of “extremism”What the “extremism” charge hidesAre socialists “democratic”?Socialism and communismSocialist and MAGA populismReligious communism, godless capitalism Resourc
Heritage vs. Creed: What Actually Makes You an American?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e5PLKhXvF0
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate discuss whether heritage or creed is what defines American national identity.
The American way and sense of life
Un-American “Heritage Americanism”
Irrelevant Anglo-Protestant “ethnicity”
Superior “Creedal Americanism”
History of “Creeda
America at 250: Politics, Religion, Morality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6XQv6S2iK0
Podcast audio:
The founding of America was the greatest political achievement of the Enlightenment. Knowing that their experiment would be difficult to preserve, the Founding Fathers designed a unique system of checks and balances to prevent the United States from collapsing into tyranny. An essential element of that design, however, has been
America: The Nation of the Producer
https://www.youtube.com/live/b91AlTBDODs
Podcast audio:
The 2026 Objectivist Summer Conference was a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. To conclude the conference, Yaron Brook, ARI board chairman, spoke about what makes America uniquely worth celebrating — the fact that it is “the Nation of the Producer.”
Brook begins by surveying the state of the world prior to the American
From Sanders to the Trump White House: The Crusade to Control AI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8MPZSbLXA
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza discuss two major developments in the AI industry: Bernie Sanders’ proposal for an AI wealth fund and the White House’s order to block access to Anthropic’s newest models.
Topics include:
The Anthropic Ban
Fear-Mongering About Security
The Pope’s Screed Against Human Intelligence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXTCE3rXfH4
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Connor O’Leary discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical about AI.
Topics include:
Valid questions, backwards approach
Concerning near-universal acclaim
Dependence on religious morality
Faith-based moral concepts
Appealing to fear and resentment
Hosti
OCON 2026: A Preview of 6 Talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGcfnm1gELw
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo talks with Ben Bayer, Robertas Bakula, Alex Silverman, Audra Hilse, Sam Weaver, and Keith Lockitch about their upcoming talks at OCON 2026 in New Orleans.
Speakers include:
Bayer: Ayn Rand on progress
Bakula: antitrust is anti-production
Silverma
Jeff Bezos Admirably Defends Wealth Creation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRK4oqOHr4s
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss Jeff Bezos' recent high-profile CNBC interview with Andrew Sorkin on wealth, attacks on billionaires, and government waste.
Topics include:
Bezos’ Admirable Mind
Trend of Villainizing Businessmen
The Zero-Sum Fallacy
The In
Marc Andreessen Fails to Recognize the Importance of Introspection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKYKHBdO6-I
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Tristan de Liège analyze Marc Andreesen’s recent controversial comments rejecting introspection.
Topics include:
What introspection really is
Introspection and success
Introspection and moral responsibility
Earned and unearned guilt
Resources:
Projecting Weakness: The Iran War Stalemate and Trump’s China Visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSyqrwXEtBQ
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the war and subsequent negotiations with Iran, and Trump’s visit to China.
Topics include:
The war’s shifting purpose
The Hormuz evasion
Whim over strategy
Evading Iran’s nature
Stalemate as defeat
Projecting weakness wo
Trump’s Monument-Building vs. American Founding Ideas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YKNDXS3NOY
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver and Ben Bayer discuss the significance of President Trump’s efforts to construct new government monuments and put his name and face on federal buildings and documents.
Topics Include:
Trump’s initiatives
Why symbols matter
Historical monument-building
How Effective Is Ken Griffin’s Response to Zohran Mamdani?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JW_xItSGlM
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss Ken Griffin’s reaction to Zohran Mamdami's attack on his wealth and life, and the appropriate stance that individuals in Griffin's position should take against such attacks.
Topics include:
Mamdani’s Attack on Ken Griffin
Real T
Bart Ehrman on the Christian Origins of Altruistic Morality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62w3EFQML58
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Professor Bart Ehrman about his new book on the Christian roots of altruist ethics.
Christian vs. pagan ethics
The true meaning of Christian “love”
Apocalyptic roots of Christian ethics
Are Christian ethics rational?
Ehrman’s work
Resourc
Why the Red/Blue Button Moral Dilemma is a Trap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzfiohcZhGo
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Ben Bayer discuss the viral Red vs. Blue Button dilemma.
Topics include:
The Viral Dilemma
The Case for Red
The Case for Blue
The False Choice
Comparison to the Trolley Problem
Ayn Rand’s Alternative Approach to Morality
Resources:
The Unconstitutional, Immoral Military Draft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZD3IdL4PY
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège discuss the military draft in light of recent changes to the Selective Service System.
Debating Selective Service System changes
Unconstitutionality of the draft
The immorality of the draft
The impracticality of the draft
Palantir’s
Why the New York Times Justifies Theft and Tolerates Murder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK2AwyUtJtI
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula discuss the recent New York Times podcast justifying the “microlooting” of big corporations.
“Microlooting” and Macrolooting
Marxist rationalizations
Signs of nihilism
Anti-intellectual tribal signaling
Hypocrisy and altruism
Just
Marketing AI Without Empowering Resentment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRML1GMxiUg
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza, and Tristan de Liège discuss major publicity campaigns launched by AI companies to combat uncertainty and fear about the disruptive power of AI.
The AI PR problem
Valid marketing problems
Valid marketing solutions
Special problems re: misuse
What It Takes to Learn a Philosophy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdy_8p75jzM
Podcast audio:
This talk by Mike Mazza was recorded live on July 3rd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream.
Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
What People Get Wrong About Evil and the Iran War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjHQq-bGX5w
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss Ayn Rand’s view of evil as fundamentally impotent, and what it reveals about Soviet Russia, Iran, and the failures of American foreign policy.
The standard view of evil
Evil as impotent
Paradox of Soviet danger
Illusion of Soviet
Why Is Israel Blamed for the Iran War?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU5EJxVtork
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss recent conspiracism about Israel’s role in the Iran war.Topics include:
Facts conspiracists distort
Facts conspiracists evade
The conspiracist mentality
An anti-conceptual culture
Decades of unprincipled foreign policy
Tr
The Humiliating Iran Ceasefire Deal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opUGimR5nr0
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss recent conspiracism about Israel’s role in the Iran war.
Facts conspiracists distort
Facts conspiracists evade
The conspiracist mentality
An anti-conceptual culture
Decades of unprincipled foreign policy
Tribalism and con
Artemis II Is Inspiring – but NASA Is Holding Back Space Exploration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8snaqpmo24
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Agustina Vergara Cid and Mike Mazza discuss the launch of Artemis II and the future of space exploration.
Topics covered:
The cultural reaction the launch of Artemis II
Why it took 50 years to go back to lunar space
The reactions to the achievements of private space
Why Billionaires Don’t Owe California Anything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T3Zekd7xfE
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss California’s Billionaire Wealth Tax proposal.
California’s budget and welfare crisis
Challenging the "fair share" narrative
Injustice of retroactive taxation
Productive ability vs. the welfare state
The role of business vis
Trump Is Fighting for American Freedom Overseas While Killing It at Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKAe7rMPwjE
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss recent developments in the Iran war.
Topics covered:
Intro
Moral vs. stated reasons for the war
The Trump administration’s arbitrariness
The government’s attacks on freedom at home
The risks in leaving the war early
The re
Rubio’s Mystical and Racist View of the West is Anti-Civilization
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUha6pLRumY
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Don Watkins and Sam Weaver discuss Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent speech at the Munich Security Conference and the tribal conception of Western civilization that he advocates.
Civilization as a project
Rubio’s superficial view
Christianity vs. civilization
Anthropic vs. Trump: The Moral Responsibility of Tech Companies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh7hO-q_gb4
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Mike Mazza discuss the recent standoff between Anthropic and the Defense Department over military use of AI technology, and the moral questions faced by those creating weapons of war.
Anthropic’s reasoning
Authoritarian threats
Ayn Rand’s “To Young Scie
America Responds to Decades of Iranian Aggression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZV5I8YRYvI
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Elan Journo about the American and Israeli attack on Iran.
Topics include:
The Institute’s Position on Iran;
Answering critics;
Congressional approval;
Evaluating Trump;
Prospects for Success or Failure.
Resources:
ARI Resources
Choosing Life: An Interview with ‘The Green Prince’ Mosab Hassan Yousef
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mzUUDz14Ac
Podcast audio:
In this special podcast episode, Yaron Brook and Elan Journo interview Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founding leader who became one of Israel’s most valuable intelligence assets. Raised within the movement, Yousef recounts how his experiences led him to break decisively with Hamas and oppose it at great personal risk.
How the SCOTUS Tariff Decision Helps Slow the Advance of Authoritarianism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnux6MriXE
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the recent decision in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, striking down the President’s expansive “Liberation Day” tariffs.
The majority’s reasoning
The major questions doctrine
Statutory interpretation and legislative intent
The d
Ayn Rand, Immigrant: The Story of Her Journey to America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKszEjACFA
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Agustina Vergara Cid and Brandon Lisi about their new article: “’I Chose to Be an American:’ Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story.”
Topics include:
Motivation for the article;
Why Rand chose America;
Obstacles Rand faced;
How Rand pushed America to l
Is Trump Distinctively Responsible for the Rise of Political Violence?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gUQLWQGG0
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the role of Trump in today’s rise in political violence.
Topics include:
How Trump’s campaign demonized fellow Americans
Connection between tribalism and violence
Trump’s whitewashing of violence
Trump’s targeted political atta
Fear of Progress: The Quest To End Autonomous Driving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49b6O7nOtZI
Podcast Audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza discuss the opposition to autonomous vehicles.
Topics include:
Why some people oppose autonomous vehicles;
The safety of autonomous vehicles;
Economic costs of automobile Accidents;
Fear of displacing jobs;
The “common man” argum
Values Are Made, Not Found: Watch Gregory Salmieri’s Talk on “Conceiving Values”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOtmQv3O7T8
Podcast audio:
It is common to think of values as things we “discover” about ourselves — pre-packaged preferences waiting somewhere deep inside. We speak, for example, of “discovering our passion” or of finally realizing “what we were meant to do,” as if these priorities had been there all along. On this view, valuing is automatic: we simply re
Texas A&M’s Ban on Plato: Anti-”Woke” Censorship?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g8n9_LOSwc
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver and Ben Bayer discuss a new policy in Texas A&M University that restricts professors’ ability to teach topics related to gender and sexual orientation, which resulted in one professor being prevented from teaching Plato’s Symposium.
Topics include:
Texas A&
Does Success Require Sacrifice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twCDUSXZMWw
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège discuss the confusions involved in the conventional conception of sacrifice.
Topics include:
Examples of Sacrifice;
Investment vs. Sacrifice;
Value Hierarchy;
How to Rank Values Objectively;
‘Sacrifice’ as a package deal;
The
Renee Good Killing and Tribalism in America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyYlYiLE7Y
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the implications of the killing of Renee Good for the rule of law. Among the topics covered:
Topics include:
ICE operations resembling military operations;
The immediate aftermath of the shooting;
The administration’s con
Iranian Theocracy on the Brink? Why Protesters Deserve Our Moral Support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDnD9GWdLaI
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate examine why Iran’s ongoing uprising may be the regime’s most serious challenge yet — and why it deserves far more moral support from the free world.
Topics include:
The nature of the protests;
Moral versus military support;
Trump versus O
Enlightenment on Trial: The Real Lessons of the American and French Revolutions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTl2m5StrvQ
Podcast audio:
The crimes of the French Revolution have long been regarded as indicting Enlightenment ideals. Its Reign of Terror has been seen as the product of an overconfident belief in reason, liberty, and human perfectibility. The American Revolution, by contrast, is said to have succeeded only because it was more moderate and traditional
The Constitution Ignored: Trump’s War on Venezuela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28TpOvna_78
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss the recent American attack on Venezuela to capture Nicolas Maduro.
Topics include:
Invalid “international law” objections;
An act of war;
Drug, “narcoterrorism” and oil excuses;
Nationalistic “spheres of influence”;
Newton Versus Descartes on the Exactness of Mathematics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shwbIXkaZPs
Podcast audio:
This talk comparing Newton and Descartes approach to mathematics by David Bakker was recorded live on July 2nd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
Image Cr
Steven Pinker’s Weak Defense of Enlightenment Values vs. Religion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClmXn3-j2t4
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss a recent essay by Steven Pinker and Marian Tupy (“The Golden Age of Humanity? We’re Living In It”) that aims to offer a secular alternative to the recent resurgence in religious culture.
Topics include:
The Anti-Enlightenment Phenomenon;
Re-release: Christmas Is About Joy, Not Guilt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hJO4ofx6VU
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, originally released on December 23, 2024, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid explore the true meaning of Christmas by examining the history and philosophical significance of our holiday practices.
Among the topics covered:
The secular meaning of Christmas;
A proper vie
RFK Jr.’s Irrational Anti-Vaccine Policies: Interview with Dr. Amesh Adalja
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI3qhwVi1Eg
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Samantha Watkins interviews Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and a senior scholar at the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University, about the alarming trend of anti-vaccine irrationality coming from government leaders.
Topics include:
The sta
How Drug Boats Could Be Used to Rationalize an Unjust War with Venezuela
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBSu1A2_BSg
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss the recent American attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and scrutinize pretexts for war with Venezuela.
Topics include:
“War crimes” and international law;
The fake “terrorist” threat;
The “war on drugs”;
The Venezue
Spinoza: A Hero of the Enlightenment
Podcast audio:
This talk by Alex Silverman was recorded live on July 2nd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
ICE Raids vs. Rule of Law: Interviewing Institute for Justice’s Josh Windham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KEOmlA-YRo
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Agustina Vergara Cid interviews Josh Windham, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, about the Trump administration’s immigration policy and its violations of constitutional rights.
Topics include:
The Garcia Venegas case;
Arbitrary “mass deportations”;
Ka
Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, Heritage, and Conservatism’s Moral Decay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgur8cEOpnk
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and ARI’s senior intellectuals make a deep dive into the moral crisis of the conservative movement.
Topics include:
Moral sanction;
“Cancel culture” and free speech;
Conservative tribalism;
How ARI is different.
Resources:
Onkar Ghate
Mamdani’s Victory: How Bad is it For America?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uCwg6ADk4s
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Onkar Ghate discuss the implications of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York. As the country takes another step towards authoritarianism and tribalism, is there any hope to put a stop to the downward cultural and political spiral?
Topics include:
Trump’s Un-American, Unconstitutional Tariff Scheme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgeCG_fGFrk
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula examine the key arguments supporting the President’s tariffs before the Supreme Court and expose their un-American hostility to the rule of law.
Topics include:
Background on the case;
Defying the rule of law;
Hostility to objective le
Saving the Enlightenment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4zPY_XnfS8
Podcast audio:
The Enlightenment’s commitment to reason, individualism, and the power of knowledge sparked unprecedented progress in human life. Yet, despite this achievement, contemporary Western societies face deepening crises — mounting political violence, the collapse of alliances of free nations, and a growing support for authoritarian mo
Mamdani’s Socialist War on Gifted Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1sggf9exTQ
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Samantha Watkins challenge Zohran Mamdani’s plan to phase out NYC’s Gifted & Talented program — a move that would hold back advanced students from the education they need to thrive — and replace it with universal free childcare.
Topics include:
NYC’s Gif
The Origin of Life, Agency & Purpose: Terrence Deacon’s Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnyS0vpTh_k
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer, Tristan de Liege, and Mike Mazza discuss Jeremy Sherman’s book, Neither Ghost Nor Machine: The Emergence and Nature of Selves.
Topics include:
Science and Philosophy;
Deacon’s Autogen Theory;
Other Theories of the Origin and Nature of Life;
Impli
When It’s Rational to Blame “Both Sides”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id3kFduLXVg
Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate discuss both invalid and valid attempts to blame “both sides” of American politics for various outrages.Topics include:
Introduction
False moral equivalence
“Two sides to every issue”
Political violence on both sides
Free speech hostilit
Do Nobel Prize-Winning Economists Get Why Nations Fail?
Podcast audio:
This talk by Robertas Bakula was recorded live on July 2nd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream.
Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
How Friendship Can Be Selfish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMJR3ja3s5s
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège and Gregory Salmieri discuss friendship as a moral and philosophical value and explore the relationship between friendship, egoism, and altruism.
Topics include:
Friendship in Rand’s fiction;
Visibility in friendship;
Egoism and Friendship;
Va
Integrating Science and Free Will
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuyhO8xssYY
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège, Mike Mazza, Gregory Salmieri and Ben Bayer discuss Kevin Mitchell’s book, Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will.
Topics include:
The locus of free will;
Moral responsibility;
The relevance of quantum mechanics;
Determinism;
Aristotle;
Defending Embryo Screening from Irrational Opposition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-L271Y9HPA
Podcast audio:
In this Ayn Rand Institute Podcast episode, Mike Mazza and Samantha Watkins analyze objections to new embryo screening technology.
Orchid’s new technology
Moral status of embryos
Genetic tradeoffs
The “Eugenics” smear
Views toward the disabled
Losing our humanity
Resources:
Ayn Rand’s essay, “The Anti-
Principles of a Proper Foreign Policy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zg_ANzngT0
Podcast audio:
The American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities was met with intense public debate about the proper course of U.S. foreign policy. The Objectivist philosophy offers a distinctive framework for thinking about such issues.
In his 2025 OCON talk, “Principles of a Proper Foreign Policy,” Peter Schwartz, an Objectivist intellectu
The Injustice of the New Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi8sRxe21qo
Podcast audio:
In this Ayn Rand Institute Podcast episode, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss the recent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Overall evaluation of the deal;
Evading Hamas’s evil goals;
The injustice of the deal;
Altruism enables the injustice;
Enemies of freedom must be defeated.
This podcast w
Understanding “Woke” Ideology: Books by Yascha Mounk and Chris Rufo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZCJXTdch2E
Podcast audio:
In this episode of ARI Bookshelf, Sam Weaver, Ben Bayer, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Ibis Slade critically examine America’s Cultural Revolution by Christopher Rufo and The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk.
Among the topics covered:
Nature of “woke” ideology;
“Domino” view of ideological influence;
Influence of right-wing
It’s Up to You: Making Choices
This talk by Steven Warden was recorded live on July 3rd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream.
Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V6c-9O3UHk
Podcast audio:
In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège and Ben Bayer discuss the widespread claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Among the topics covered:
Decoupling from the confusion of “international law”
Validating the concept of “genocide”;
The invalid collectivist elements of the conc
Patrick Deneen and the Right’s War on Freedom
The Post-Liberal Right threatens to roll back American liberty.
What Is Western Civilization?
The Enlightenment, not Christianity, is the key to the West.
The Injustice of Recognizing a Palestinian State
The recognition of a Palestinian state betrays good and rewards evil.
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