The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Mike Mazza and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss and debunk as baseless three commonly heard myths about Ayn Rand: that she demonized the poor, that she uncritically praised the rich, and that she died penniless and hypocritically accepted Social Security at the end of her life. Among the topics covered: Why the claim that Rand hated the poor has no plausibility; Rand...

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Coleman Hughes on his new book The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America. They discuss Hughes’ case for colorblindness, his critique of the “anti-racist” movement, and his views about why we need to abandon race as a meaningful category. Hughes also comments on Ayn Rand's individualist analysis of racism. Among th...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss international reactions to several recent developments around the world that reveal the power of morality in human affairs. Among the topics covered: How the retreat of the good encourages evil around the world; How the “genocide” hearings against Israel exemplify the UN’s equation of good and evil regimes; Why Israel’s deferen...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Daniel Schwartz discuss the problem of plagiarism in our culture. They argue that although academic institutions assume that cheating is wrong, many academics have no intellectual argument as to why plagiarism is morally wrong or why it is necessary to uphold standards of honesty. Among the topics covered: Background on the universities’ sacrifice o...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Mike Mazza discuss the emergence of the manosphere. They explore issues such as why it appeals to young men seeking guidance, how it reflects the best and worst elements of our intellectual culture, and what a positive philosophical alternative requires. Among the topics covered: Defining the manosphere; Its devolution from a self-help mo...

In this end-of-year episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos celebrate another year of unique cultural analysis and commentary by the intellectuals at the Ayn Rand Institute. Among the topics covered: How our unique perspective on the culture flows from the principled philosophical framework developed by Ayn Rand; Why we do not fight primarily against bad ideas, but for posi...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Sam Weaver discuss the humanities "crisis" in American universities. They explain the most common arguments in defense of the humanities, why they are not compelling, and the vital role that these studies play in an individual's life and the culture. Among the topics covered: How the humanities curricula shape our intellectual culture; Why the mere...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss the recent congressional hearings of the presidents of America’s most prestigious universities about the explosion of campus protests. They question whether the charge of hypocrisy is a proper conceptualization of the problem, and propose that it’s the deeper anti-justice worldview that explains the state of campuses today. Amo...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Nikos Sotirakopoulos interviews Don Watkins about his new book Effective Egoism: An Individualist’s Guide to Pride, Purpose, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Nikos and Don discuss the need for moral guidance on how to make the most of your life, why we need principles to guide our actions, and six lessons for living your best life. Among the topics covered: How phil...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss recent controversies surrounding immigrants and allegations that they are abusing the welfare state, and they explain what an objective approach to thinking about immigration and welfare involves. Among the topics covered: How to evaluate the purported data about immigrants and use of welfare services; How to avoid fal...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the recent election of Javier Milei as President of Argentina. Among the topics covered: How Peronism turned Argentina from one of the richest countries in the world to one of the poorest; Milei’s academic background and turn towards libertarianism; The extent to which Milei is actually influenced b...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss the recent rise of antisemitism. They analyze why the conventional view of religious or racial animus is insufficient in explaining the explosion of overt hatred, how Ayn Rand’s identification of “hatred of the good for being the good” exposes the true nature of modern antisemitism, and what is needed to rationally combat it. A...

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer offer the Ayn Rand Institute’s response to Jordan Peterson’s recent attack on Ayn Rand on his podcast of November 16, 2023. Among the topics covered: Peterson’s recent anti-Enlightenment conservative activism; Why Rand’s view of self-interest is not hedonistic but values-based; How Peterson argues for collectivism from the non-ex...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s recent conversion to Christianity, which they argue is the result of tribalism and fear. They discuss the unconcern for truth of many alleged defenders of the West, their bogus claims about the positive role of Christianity, and the failure of secular atheists to complete the Enlightenment project. Among the top...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ziemowit Gowin discuss international laws of war. Challenging the very legitimacy of such laws, they emphasize how “humanitarian” laws of war hamper a free country's self-defense, make them vulnerable to belligerent regimes, and make war more palatable rather than less. Among the topics covered: How international laws of war undercut a nation's ri...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Mike Mazza discuss the long-standing “reading wars” in American schools. They explore the historical background of the debate, different approaches to teaching reading, and why phonics has consistently proven to be far superior to whole language methods in instilling a love of reading in children. Among the topics covered: What phonics is and why i...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Ziemowit Gowin discuss the right to self-defense, deaths of innocents in war, and just war theory in the context of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. Among the topics covered: Why the responsibility for deaths of innocents in war falls on the aggressor; How the right to self-defense rests on the inalienable right to your own life; How the aggressor c...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Iran’s central role in inspiring, supporting and funding the enemies of Israel and the West. Among the topics covered: Why the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is crucial context for understanding the proliferation and boldness of Islamist groups in the Middle East; Why Iran’s explicitly expansionist goals must...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Don Watkins discuss Marc Andreessen’s recent defense of “techno-optimism“ in his essay “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” and explain why his manifesto lacks the moral foundation required to successfully defend technological progress. Among the topics covered: Andreessen’s commendable advocacy of technological progress; The philosophical foundation of...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo, and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the global protests in support of the Palestinian cause. They look at the philosophical motives of these protests and the nature of their moral bankruptcy, and they explain why the “anti-war” movement actually enables warfare and destruction. Among the topics covered: The protesters’ lack of positive goal...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge the misleading narrative of the shrinking Palestinian lands and the claim that Israel has allegedly stolen them. They explore the history of how the Israeli territories were lawfully acquired, the Palestinians’ repeated failures to form an enduring, peaceful state, and the broader philosophical questions of what mora...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the recent comparisons between America’s border crisis and the threat to Israel from Hamas terrorists. They analyze a range of claims about the alleged threat posed by immigration across the Mexican border and explain how such claims are not only unsupported but result in massive injustice and obscure the actual problems...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, and in the context of ongoing events in Israel and Gaza, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss how to think about civilian casualties in war. Among the topics covered: Why the brutal nature of war should not be sanitized, glamorized, or whitewashed; Why winning requires doing everything necessary to bring an end to the enemy’s military and political leadership; How...

In this episode, Brandon Lisi reads aloud his article, “Rand and Oppenheimer: The Atomic Bomb Movie that Wasn't.” In that essay, he tells the story of Rand's work on "Top Secret," a movie about the invention of atomic bomb. Lisi explains Rand's perspective on the significance of such a movie as well as her intense research on the subject, including two interviews with J. Robert Oppenheimer, the th...

In this episode, Aaron Smith reads aloud his article, “The Suffering of Moral Saints.” In that essay, he analyzes Larissa MacFarquhar's book, Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help. The central question that MacFarquhar asks is “Is it good to live as ethical a life as possible?” As Smith shows, the fundamental problem with MacFarq...