The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

Jan 27 2025 300 ep. 56 mins 174

The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast artwork

The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism.

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The Dramatic Injustice of the January 6 Pardons

Jan 27 2025 55 mins

https://youtu.be/fEOGBX9R05w Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss Trump’s blanket pardon of all the people involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Among the topics covered: * How Trump’s blanket pardon lets outrageous evil off the hook; * How Trump’s claims about the 2020 elections

Facebook’s Reversal on Content-Moderation and ‘Free Speech’

https://youtu.be/87jSEwTQLgk Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer analyze Mark Zuckerberg's recent comments on Facebook’s policy changes and whether they truly represent a victory for free speech. Among the topics covered: * How Facebook’s content moderation is not a violation of free speech; * How th

David Goggins, Suffering, and the Pursuit of Values

Jan 13 2025 42 mins

https://youtu.be/HYUiFLJ3_Yg Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss David Goggins’ idea that suffering is central to the pursuit of values. Among the topics covered: * The popular idea that embracing suffering is essential to a successful life; * David Goggins’ incredible life a

Jordan Peterson vs Ayn Rand on Finding Purpose in Life

https://youtu.be/duUDf-WuSVk Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss how to make one’s life purposeful, without falling for the sacrificial tropes popular in our culture. Among the topics covered: * Why aiming at a challenging, effortful life should not be equated with suffering; * How t

Christmas Is About Joy, Not Guilt

https://youtu.be/0hJO4ofx6VU Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, 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 view of Christmas’s commercial aspec

Syria’s Collapse: Jihadists Replace Assad

Dec 30 2024 43 mins

https://youtu.be/2sZU9hJLFWg Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyze the moral significance of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and its replacement by jihadists. Among the topics covered: * Why authoritarian regimes, like Assad’s, are fundamentally weak and unstable; * How the future of the

The UnitedHealthCare CEO Shooting: America’s Persecuted Minority, Targeted Again

Dec 23 2024 35 mins

https://youtu.be/jSUq16CPQwc Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the reaction to the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO and the hatred towards businessmen in America. Among the topics covered: * Examples of the culture treating businessmen as a persecuted minority; * How CEOs pr

Behind-the-Scenes of Ayn Rand’s Second Interview with Mike Wallace

Dec 16 2024 35 mins

https://youtu.be/rqSHMPIurKM Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal, Brandon Lisi and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the backstory of the newly-published “lost” Mike Wallace-Ayn Rand interview from 1960. Among the topics covered: * Historical background of the “lost” interview; * Rand’s role as a public intellectual during the 1960s; * How Ran

What Would Mass Deportations Mean for Freedom in America?

https://youtu.be/UA8uWCfm81k Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss Donald Trump’s promise to enact mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants. Among the topics covered: * How Trump’s plan to enact mass deportations would have massive costs; * Why the Alien Enemies Act does not justify mass deporta

The Shameless Reporting on Israel’s Wars

Dec 02 2024 27 mins

https://youtu.be/ZNmERj5xVww Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian war in Western media. Among the topics covered: * The corruption of the Western media’s reporting of the conflict; * Why reporters can’t escape moral judgment; * The anti-Israel bias of the media