Episodes

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 Hamas uses its subjects as human shields, hoping to deter Israel from defending itself and turn wid...

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 theoretical physicist who served as scientific director of the Los Alamos Laboratory. Lisi's article w...

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 MacFarquhar's perspective is that she equates morality with altruism. He goes on to argue that this perspec...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo, Onkar Ghate, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, and Tal Tsfany discuss the recent developments in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. They assess the cultural significance of Hamas' aggression and methods, the theocratic nature of the movement, and how Western reactions have been either impotent or, worse, encouraging violence against Israel. Among the topics covered: What makes Hamas' aggression tragically significant; Tsfany's experience of how the...

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo, and Boaz Arad offer the Ayn Rand Institute’s response to the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant group based in the Gaza Strip. Among the topics covered: Facts about the Hamas invasion (timeline, casualties, ongoing threats); Why the invasion was a predictable consequence of moral agnosticism about Hamas; Why U.S. foreign policy is responsible for pressuring Israel to appease Hamas;...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sports celebrities, the recent American diplomatic overtures to Saudi Arabia, and the connection between the two. Among the topics covered: Recent sports and diplomatic deals with Saudi Arabia; Sports celebrities accepting lavish salaries from the Saudi government; An ominous proposal to strengthen U.S.-Saudi relations; The authoritarianism nature of the Saudi regime; The moral sanct...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos review Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi’s new book The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, and argue that the authors’ attempt to define libertarianism demonstrates that it lacks a coherent ideological identity. Among the topics covered: Zwolinski and Tomasi’s book and the liberty vs. libertarianism movements; The connection between libertarianism and the progressive left; Wh...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Aaron Smith discuss the idea that our complex, division of labor society precludes real independence, and they examine what is wrong with thinking of ourselves as “interdependent.” Among the topics covered: Why Ayn Rand unequivocally rejected the idea that we are all interdependent; How globalism makes us interconnected, while only government force can outlaw our ability to function as independent individuals; How the false metaphysics of collec...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Dan Schwartz and Ziemowit Gowin answer reader-submitted questions about Ayn Rand’s Objectivist ethics. Among the topics covered: What are Ayn Rand’s thoughts on ambition in career?How ambition can be moral or immoral depending on the goals pursued;Career ambition versus second-handedly chasing salary increases and promotions; Career ambition in the context of pursuing values generally, including non-career values. How does Rand’s virtue of rationality differ fr...

In this episode of New Ideal, Sam Weaver interviews Harry Binswanger and Shoshana Milgram about the Romantic movement in art and Ayn Rand’s unique account of it. They also discuss an upcoming conference, Resurrecting Romanticism, which will focus on Romanticism in music and the visual arts. Among the topics covered: The value of learning about Rand’s philosophy of art; A brief summary of Rand’s account of why we need art; The unique value of Romantic art’s portrayal of volition and values; Teren...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Ricardo Pinto discuss Ayn Rand’s devastating critique of the idea of original sin. They explore how the notion has been understood historically, the philosophical and political uses to which it has been put, and the arguments Rand gives for regarding it as a destructive affront to morality and self-esteem. Among the topics covered: What original sin is and how it compares to other views; Why Ayn Rand saw the doctrine as an offense to the very conc...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the Biden administration’s recent prisoner swap with the Iranian regime and how it reflects the delusional attitudes and non-objective thinking that lead to America’s continuous foreign policy failures with regard to Islamic totalitarianism. Among the topics covered: The details of the prisoner swap; The often delusional attitude of American policymakers toward Iran; How the media has failed in its responsibility to question ...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos analyze the moral justification and the criticisms of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan in light of the movie Oppenheimer. The episode features audio clips of Ayn Rand discussing the right of military self-defense and the issue of “innocents in war.” Among the topics covered: The claim that Japan would have surrendered before the US dropped the bomb; Why the Japanese military kept fighting despite knowing the war was lost; Wh...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ziemowit Gowin is joined by Scott McDonald to discuss the latest events in the ongoing dispute between China and Taiwan. Among the topics covered: What Secretary of State Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing signals about U.S. policy toward China; Why Taiwan matters to the Chinese Communist Party; How the war in Ukraine is shaping hostilities between China and Taiwan; Why China’s attempt to assimilate Taiwan will probably fail; How classical Chinese philosophy inf...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Harry Binswanger discuss Ayn Rand's little-known analysis of the Watergate scandal, fifty years after the Congressional hearings. They draw attention to how Rand's evaluation differed from the conventional commentary of the day, and her analysis of how pragmatism and the mixed economy function as the deepest causes behind political scandals like Watergate. Among the topics covered: Why Ayn Rand didn’t want to write about the scandal at first and w...

In this episode, Sam Weaver reads aloud his article, “The Knowledge Gap Highlights a Failing of America’s Schools.” In that essay, he examines The Knowledge Gap, a 2019 book by education writer Natalie Wexler. Although Wexler's book sheds light on the shocking degree to which American elementary schools have abandoned teaching knowledge of the world, Weaver argues that her assessment is charitable, and that the anti-knowledge trend should be regarded as a moral crime against generations of stude...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss Europe’s immigration policies, its failure to assimilate immigrants and adopt rational policies toward them, and what America needs to learn from Europe’s failures to avoid these problems. Among the topics covered: The need to distinguish normal immigration from a refugee crisis; What statistical data show is happening in Europe; The rise in violence against women and Jews in Europe; Europe’s e...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Dan Schwartz and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the significance of Dr. Peter Attia’s new book Outlive and challenge some common arguments against life extension. Among the topics covered: Why we should care about extending our lives and our health; How Peter Attia’s book fits into and changes the debate on life extension; Why the egalitarian argument against life extension is wrong; Why the “limited natural resources” argument against life extension is wrong; Wh...

In this episode, Ben Bayer reads aloud his article, “Religious Skeptics Should Question Their Moral Theology.” In that essay, he argues that even though more secular people have rejected God and religion as such, they should take one more step and reject the conventional morality that comes from traditional religious beliefs. "Many secular people who have thrown off the religion of their parents have scrutinized at least some of their most provincial beliefs about ethics," says Bayer. His articl...

In this special episode, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo preview the release of scores of in-depth historical, literary, and philosophical essays on Ayn Rand’s novels. Originally included in a series of books edited by Robert Mayhew, these articles are a tremendous educational resource that can greatly add to the public understanding of Rand as a novelist and seminal philosopher. Until now, the Mayhew books were expensively priced for academic markets, but ARI is making this valuable content accessibl...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza and Aaron Smith discuss What's the Use of Philosophy?, a recent book by leading philosopher Philip Kitcher, in which Kitcher calls out academic philosophy for its useless work and corrupt methods. Among the topics covered: Why it is significant that an established professor of philosophy has written a damning critique of his own profession; Kitcher’s radical claim that philosophy has become disconnected from life, practical guidance, and u...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss Matt Walsh’s film What Is a Woman? and how it reflects a deeper tribalism about sex and gender roles within the so-called culture wars and our current political climate. Among the topics covered: How Walsh’s film is much more propaganda than a sincere documentary; Why appeals to common sense can’t settle questions of sex and gender; Walsh’s appeal to the Maasai tribe reveals a mentality that wants to return to a more...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ziemowit Gowin and Tristan de Liège defend self-esteem against attacks and misrepresentations by presenting Ayn Rand’s distinctive view of self-esteem as a psychological and moral necessity for successful living. Among the topics covered: Why we should care about how to think about self-esteem as a value; Rand’s view of self-esteem as portrayed in her fictional characters; Why self-esteem is not the result of the opinions of others or an automatic recognition o...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Agustina Vergara Cid and Onkar Ghate analyze the impact of immigrants on national security and evaluate the argument that America’s national security requires strict limits on immigration. Among the topics covered: How the argument that immigration is a threat to national security is biased against immigrants; Why limiting immigration to prevent terrorism is dishonest; How immigrants make us safer by serving in the military; How restrictions on immigration have...