Today is Ayn Rand’s birthday. Although Rand is known for her best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and works of nonfiction like The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, the fact is that her views are still largely unknown (and often misunderstood).
The Iran nuclear deal was the centerpiece of Obama’s multi-year diplomatic campaign to extend a hand of friendship to Tehran. Six months later, where do things stand?
Yaron Brook is frequently traveling the world, giving talks on the virtues of capitalism. Every time Yaron hits the road, he’s grateful that his colleagues at the Ayn Rand Institute have always been delighted to fill in for him as guest hosts. And it’s no wonder, since these guest hosts have produced some truly stellar episodes.
How should courts interpret the law? Strictly according to the text? By lawmakers’ original intent? By the needs of today’s society? Philosophical ideals? In this talk, Tara Smith, professor of philosophy and BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism at the University of Texas at Austin, argues that the best laws in the world are useless if misunderstood.
One year ago, ARI launched The Yaron Brook Show. A lot has happened since then. Today, more than 80 episodes later, we would like to highlight some of our favorite shows of the past year.
The idea of separating religion from state was a major advance in political thought, yet massively undervalued. So much so that many in the West take it for granted. Two recent articles — one about Pakistan, another about France — underscore how that idea deserves greater appreciation and strengthening.
This Saturday, January 23, Alex Epstein, CEO of the Center for Industrial Progress and the author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, will join Don Watkins and together they will explain why Objectivism is a philosophy for success and happiness.
A critical part of ARI’s mission is introducing Ayn Rand’s ideas to the widest possible audience. To this end, the Institute regularly sends its experts to educate new audiences about Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Recently, for example, ARI addressed international fans of Objectivism, including, for the first time, those in Russia and Ukraine.
As the moment of truth approached, John Thorpe, a law school student at Arizona State University, tried to forget about the Atlas Shrugged essay contest he entered in early 2015. John had spent weeks carefully rereading the novel and poring over his essay in the hopes of taking home the coveted first prize. As the announcement deadline approached, however, he couldn’t help but recall the two previous years he went home empty handed.
