Episodes

  • Egoism Without Permission: An Interview with Tara Smith

    Egoism Without Permission: An Interview with Tara Smith
    Jun 13 2024
    https://youtu.be/LaS-oLBiRbI Podcast 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 a good life, even though emotionalism is bad; Why the independent person does not seek permission for pursuing his happiness; Why self-esteem must be earned and sustained; Why self-interest means being interested in one’s values; How egoists can still fall prey to accidental sacrifices; The importance of introspection for egoism and flourishing; Smith’s message in Egoism Without Permission. Mentioned in the discussion are Tara Smith’s books Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand’s Ethics and Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist and Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The podcast premiered on June 12, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    53 mins
  • OCON 2024: The Pre-Game Show

    OCON 2024: The Pre-Game Show
    Jun 11 2024
    https://youtu.be/z5ptDg7iHlA Podcast 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 your own ignorance; Tristan de Liège’s talk “How to Value Friendship,” which will explore how the principles of Objectivism can help us deepen our friendships; Mike Mazza’s talk “Karl Popper’s Rejection of Induction,” which will address how Popper’s widely embraced philosophy of science actually undercuts the rationality of science. Virtual passes to the conference remain open for purchase through June 18. The podcast premiered on June 7, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Understanding the Trump Phenomenon

    Understanding the Trump Phenomenon
    Jun 10 2024
    https://youtu.be/N3B8VRLXjeg Podcast 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 election Trump’s anti-intellectual character; Understanding Trump’s persistent support; Analyzing Trump’s presidency; The current state of political violence in America; How Democrats and tribalism enable Trump; Bernie Sanders, Trump, and the resurgence of populism. Mentioned in this podcast are Onkar Ghate’s articles "One Small Step for Dictatorship” and “The Anti-Intellectuality of Donald Trump: Why Ayn Rand Would Have Despised a President Trump,” and two podcast episodes: “The Storming of the Capitol” and “The 2024 Elections.” The podcast was recorded on June 5, 2024 . Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. ARI has a philosophical mission, and as such its function is to analyze current events from that framework. Given our 501c3 status, our function is not to advocate for or against particular candidates.
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • The Chaotic Trump-RFK Libertarian Convention

    The Chaotic Trump-RFK Libertarian Convention
    Jun 3 2024
    https://youtu.be/LJ20jmhEE7s Podcast 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 Party is a result of disunity about what liberty even is; Why the one point of unity in the LP is their stance against Israel’s war in Gaza; How the libertarian movement’s lack of a coherent positive ideology led to the LP’s decision to invite Trump and Kennedy; How the LP’s acceptance of Kennedy despite his advocacy of statist policies reveals the libertarian movement’s lack of a coherent set of pro-freedom policies; How Trump’s convention speech reveals a willingness to support anarchistic authoritarianism within the LP; How Americans who believe in liberty are betrayed by the LP. Recommended in this podcast are the New Ideal Live episodes “Libertarian Apologists for Putin” and “Libertarianism: Big Tent or Big Mess?” ARI has a philosophical mission, and as such its function is to analyze current events from that framework. Given our 501c3 status, our function is not to advocate for or against particular candidates. The podcast was recorded on May 30, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    52 mins
  • DEI’s Secret Appeal

    DEI’s Secret Appeal
    May 27 2024
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_yz-9X11ck Podcast 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 historically marginalized groups; How “diversity” relies on a package deal; How “inclusion” results in moral relativism; How “equity” means equality of results irrespective of merit; Why business leaders are unable to resist DEI despite its impracticality. This episode was broadcast live on May 22, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Harry Binswanger Comments on the Columbia Protests – 1968 and Today

    Harry Binswanger Comments on the Columbia Protests – 1968 and Today
    May 20 2024
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXGhis0_6Jw Podcast 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. Among the topics covered: How the 1968 protesters hoped to bring about a communist revolution; Why the university tolerated the protesters and ceded to their demands; Binswanger’s role in opposing the activists; Ayn Rand’s analysis of the student protest phenomenon; The long-term legacy of the student protests; Why today’s protests are worse than the 1968 protests. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s 1968 radio commentary “The Student Rebellion at Columbia” and Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate’s article “Ending Campus Protests Protects Free Speech.” The podcast premiered on May 15, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    47 mins
  • Why Today’s Universities Don’t Care About Plagiarism: An Interview with Ben Bayer

    Why Today’s Universities Don’t Care About Plagiarism: An Interview with Ben Bayer
    May 20 2024
    https://youtu.be/8NdmIOYTB4s Podcast 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 academic dishonesty is consistent with their deeper view of morality. Among the topics covered: Bayer's personal experience combating student plagiarism as a former professor; How the morality of altruism creates an indifference to academic dishonesty; How plagiarists cheat themselves of the value of knowing and living in reality; How altruism prevents us from seeing how plagiarists harm those they deceive; Why we need moral virtues, like honesty, for achieving personal values in life; How academic plagiarism relates to the deeper topic of individual value creation. Recommended in this podcast are Bayer’s “The Real Problem with Plagiarism,” “Why Scientific Progress in Ethics Is Frozen,” and “The Old Morality of the New Religions,” and the Ayn Rand Lexicon’s entry on “Honesty.” The podcast was recorded on May 16, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    49 mins
  • The Divestment Crusade Against Israel

    The Divestment Crusade Against Israel
    May 13 2024
    https://youtu.be/RGhQLpYXo6Y Podcast 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 that Israel practices apartheid; How the protesters whitewash Hamas' vicious treatment of homosexuals; Why Christianity is the root of the celebration of Palestinian weakness and the hatred of Israeli prosperity; The US government's outrageous financial support for corrupt organizations; Why the violation of Palestinians’ rights by some fanatical Jews doesn’t amount to apartheid. Recommended in this podcast are Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and her essays “For the New Intellectual” and “The Age of Envy,” Peter Schwartz’s “Hamas and the Tyranny of Need,” and Journo’s book What Justice Demands: America and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The podcast was recorded on May 8, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. Image credit: KelseyJ/Shutterstock.com.
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    51 mins