https://youtu.be/rPsgR0WCqxwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss Ayn Rand’s radical view on abortion rights and the debates over abortion as an election issue.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand defended abortion rights as a matter of individual freedom;How to understand abortion as an election issue after…

https://youtu.be/MLF5deQWbrcPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Aaron Smith interviews Elan Journo to discuss his critical evaluation of two popular but deeply flawed biographies of Ayn Rand: Jennifer Burns’ Goddess of the Market and Anne C. Heller’s Ayn Rand and the World She Made.Among the topics covered:The standards of objectivity that …

https://youtu.be/wgKovwvgEs0Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Mike Mazza and Sam Weaver discuss the enduring value of The Virtue of Selfishness, a collection of Ayn Rand’s essays on ethics, on its sixtieth anniversary.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand wrote and collected the essays in The Virtue of Selfishness;How Ayn Rand’s essays ad…

https://youtu.be/Lsm2sRbywwgPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss Western misconceptions around October 7 and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Among the topics covered:Why the war is really between Israel and Iran;How pragmatism effects the West’s inability to understand Iran;How Palestinian grievances help…

https://youtu.be/IBopAUk3s4APodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Mike Mazza and Tristan de Liège discuss the private space industry and Ayn Rand's philosophical thoughts on the subject.Among the topics covered:How state monopolization forestalled the development of the private space industry;Why Rand saw the Apollo 11 mission as a philosophi…

https://youtu.be/5Bpu-bAQXMsPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula discuss the recent antitrust case against Google and what it reveals about the nature of antitrust law.Among the topics covered:Why Ayn Rand regarded antitrust law as immoral and un-American;What evidence the DOJ’s antitrust case against Googl…

https://youtu.be/pKCfFCED9XAPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Agustina Vergara Cid and Ben Bayer analyze the anti-American immigration platforms of both the Trump and Harris campaigns.Among the topics covered:The tribal and arbitrary nature of Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric;Why Republicans rely on fear-mongering to push their anti…

https://youtu.be/emKgc2aO7x8Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Agustina Vergara Cid interviews Gregory Salmieri about his essay “Free Speech as a Right and a Way of Life.”Among the topics covered:What free speech is and why a defense of it is needed;How to respond to acts of de-platforming and cancellation;Why the right to free speech is a…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-eEwx1jv0Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the question of whether Kamala Harris is a communist, and if not, what the real problem with her views is.Among the topics covered:The essence of the Marxist ideology;Why Harris is not a communist;How the “communist” l…

https://youtu.be/FpjW9B8aE8QPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss how the failure of American post-9/11 policy led to the October 7 attacks.Among the topics covered:How the failed American response to 9/11 paved the way for October 7;How religion and altruism undermined the response to Islamic totalitariani…

The new Right’s absurd positions cannot be explained by their adherence to any coherent ideology, but only by their tribal view of the world.بقلم Ayn Rand Institute

We must understand the philosophical foundations of the right to free speech to apply it to contemporary controversies.بقلم Ayn Rand Institute

https://youtu.be/sdNoDhkU_eAPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Harry Binswanger analyze Alexandra Popoff’s new biography, Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success, particularly its portrayal of Rand as a “Jewish thinker.” They address the false attempt to link Rand’s “ethnicity” to her philosophy.Among the topics covered:…

The West is free today because it didn’t allow even the death of innocents to impede its right to self-defense.بقلم Ayn Rand Institute

Cartels thrive on the criminalization of immigration that allows them to prey on migrants at the border.بقلم Ayn Rand Institute

The U.S. the US withdrew from Afghanistan 3 years ago on August 26, 2021. Blame our political and intellectual leaders, across two decades, for evading the ideological nature of the enemy and, consequently, miring U.S. forces in a “no-win” war.بقلم Ayn Rand Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBhhQHNCAFIPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 Platform.Among the topics covered:The ambiguity of “freedom” in the Democrats’ rhetoric;How the platform packages legitimate freedom with the “freedom” to take from others;Ho…

In this episode, Ben Bayer reads aloud his article, “Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics.” In that essay, he examines secular thinkers' approach towards ethics. As he argues, scientists like Richard Dawkins accept ethical claims that are fundamentally based on religious thinking. To combat this approach to ethics, we need a nat…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjAt5kXxxBsPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid criticize various pro-immigration arguments and discuss how they undermine a proper moral defense of immigration.Among the topics covered:How conventional pro-immigration arguments are based on altruism and collectivism;H…

https://youtu.be/fC2PeuDuR5EPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer interviews Paul Taske, associate director of litigation at NetChoice, to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent NetChoice decision and what it means for the future of free speech in America.Among the topics covered:The Supreme Court’s decision to send the question ab…

https://youtu.be/lOPRUlOyTMUPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Mike Mazza discuss why the trans movement is essentially religious and unscientific.Among the topics covered:The religious character of the trans movement;Why many of its scientific claims are dishonest;How religious conservatives reinforce the movement’s i…

https://youtu.be/WSCTJ5fxqq8Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Sam Weaver discuss how the introduction of both the Ten Commandments and DEI into the public school system represents an assault on intellectual freedom.Among the topics covered:How recent public-school mandates in Louisiana and Oklahoma use force to promote …

https://youtu.be/1UvPyAQ6s5EPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer examines a discussion between Richard Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, explaining why so-called secular humanists have been unable to offer a rational moral alternative to religion.Among the topics covered:Ali's rationalizations for her religious conversion;Why Weste…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHXGamIEZ6gPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss how the Republican National Convention’s platform has turned away from its traditional appeal to small government and turned instead towards adopting many of the big government policies that socialists envy.Among th…

https://youtu.be/4ivJl__LyWwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss the Trump assassination attempt and the violent climate of tribalism in our culture.Among the topics covered:The evil of using physical force to settle political disagreements;Why it’s important to comment on this event;The in…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPEzaQP0SyU&t=1sPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss historian Niall Ferguson’s “We’re All Soviets Now,” a viral essay about American economic and cultural decline.Among the topics covered:Ferguson’s argument that America is following the path of the late USSR;…

https://youtu.be/GdlePIECjGcPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Adi Dynar discuss the Supreme Court's overturning of its 1984 Chevron doctrine, which held that courts should sometimes defer to a federal agency’s interpretation of a vague law.Among the topics covered:How Chevron gave the executive branch the power to mak…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEKVbWwlqhMPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal, Mike Mazza responds to an episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk, in which neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky argues against the existence of free will.Among the topics covered:The meaning and stakes of the free will debate;Why determinists are wrong to focus on a…

https://youtu.be/hGoQ52C0PAgPodcast audio:In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Robert Mayhew, Tara Smith, and Greg Salmieri at the Objectivist summer conference in Anaheim, California. They celebrate the release of Smith's new book on the First Amendment and the republication of the essays in Mayhew's series on Ayn Rand…

https://youtu.be/LaS-oLBiRbIPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Tara Smith about her new book Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand’s Ethics.Among the topics covered:What Rand means (and doesn't mean) by egoism and the virtues;Why having desires and owning your emotions are crucial to having…

https://youtu.be/z5ptDg7iHlAPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Robertas Bakula interviews three of ARI's fellows to discuss their upcoming talks at Objectivist Summer Conference in Anaheim, California, which is being held from June 13 to 18.Among the topics covered:Jason Rheins’ talk “Socratic Wisdom,” concerning the value of knowing …

https://youtu.be/N3B8VRLXjegPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Onkar Ghate discuss the nature and significance of the Trump phenomenon.Among the topics covered:Why Trump’s base of support is significant;Why it’s important to study the Trump phenomenon;The meaning and consequences of Trump’s 2016 electionTrump’s anti-int…

https://youtu.be/LJ20jmhEE7sPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the Libertarian Party’s (LP) convention, especially the speeches by Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and what it reveals about the nature of the libertarian movement.Among the topics covered:Why chaos in the Libertarian Par…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_yz-9X11ckPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss why and how DEI has become so dominant in American institutions, from universities to corporate businesses, despite its questionable nature.Among the topics covered:How DEI is sold as a form of justice for histori…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXGhis0_6JwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer interviews Harry Binswanger, a philosopher and longtime friend of Ayn Rand’s, about his observations as a graduate student at Columbia during the 1968 protests and how those protests compare to those taking place now at Columbia and other campuses.…

https://youtu.be/8NdmIOYTB4sPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer is interviewed by Ziemowit Gowin about his article on the phenomenon of academic plagiarism following the resignation of Harvard University president, Claudine Gay. They discuss why academia’s greater interest in combating issues such as sexism and racism over ac…

https://youtu.be/RGhQLpYXo6YPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the ongoing anti-Israel campus protests and analyze the demand that universities divest from Israel.Among the topics covered:How the divestment crusade is animated by hatred of Israel, not concern for the Palestinians;The dishonest claim…

https://youtu.be/Bg9BFE1-49YPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Milton Friedman’s impact as a public intellectual and how his advocacy of the free market differed from Ayn Rand’s radical philosophical case for capitalism.Among the topics covered:Why Milton Friedman is an essentially positive…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O0HkJbbj4EPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the protests on university campuses against Israel’s war of self-defense and what they say about the state of our culture.Among the topics covered:Why the anti-Israeli campus protests are rightly labelled as being pro-Hamas;…

https://youtu.be/FjsC7I-Qa4APodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Mike Mazza and Aaron Smith discuss Mazza’s recently published article about why academic philosophers tend to get Rand’s ideas wrong so frequently and the parochialism involved in many of their critiques.Among the topics covered:What Mazza aimed to explain in this article;…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Lm2YpZvyIPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo offers initial commentary on Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel.Among the topics covered:How Iran’s attack on Israel is a consequence of its Islamic and imperial nature;How America’s failure to recognise and confront Iran’s nature emboldens it;Why …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeuU6AbIDOoPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo give a preview of ARI’s 2024 presidential election coverage and comment on some of the major political issues at stake in the election.Among the topics covered:How ARI uses Objectivism to analyze elections and the wider political …

https://youtu.be/UmxjJI50gssPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyze Argentinian President Javier Milei’s interview at AynRandCon in Buenos Aires.Among the topics covered:How the event fell short of ARI’s goal of illuminating points of agreement and disagreement with Milei;How to evaluate Milei as a Presi…

https://youtu.be/Xh0xF5hACkwPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the recent California ethnic studies mandate. They evaluate the ideological nature of the curriculum and its assault on knowledge, the philosophical ideas that made it possible, and why it must be opposed intellectually.Among the…

https://youtu.be/L3RBJNhglekPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss the recent United Nations “ceasefire” resolution. They argue it is yet another example of the West’s moral reluctance to condemn evil regimes and to provide a principled defense of Israel’s right to self-defense.Among the topics covered:Th…

https://youtu.be/UPHqvTkKFcAPodcast audio:In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the recent announcement of the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Apple and analyze the injustice of criminalizing a company for giving customers an experience they want.Among the topics covered:Why the DOJ’s ant…

https://youtu.be/07j7MQNdJhQPodcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the state of the immigration debate between Democrats and Republicans. They show how both parties appeal to fear and collectivism in their opposition to immigration, and explain why a proper solution to the border crisis require…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTvoxqlq9x4Podcast audio:In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos examine President Biden’s State of the Union address and what it reveals about the goals of today’s political leadership. They discuss the anti-mind premise driving both political tribes and how it leads to statist policies…

https://youtu.be/oV-deDzZNH8?si=MbfQzzp1Qa6D4tLCPodcast audio:In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer responds to a PragerU video which argues that moral wisdom requires a “fear of God.” Bayer argues that a fear of God undercuts moral wisdom and is driven by a fear of the intellectual independence that moral wisdom requires.Among the t…

https://youtu.be/s4xpmys7ejoPodcast audio:In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo comments on Zack Snyder’s recent conversation with Joe Rogan about his admiration for Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and why his film adaptation was rejected by Netflix. Journo discusses why so many creators like Snyder find Rand’s novels so compelling yet…