While we should always be clear on the meaning of the concepts we're using, this commitment to clarity is especially important with respect to concepts that the culture seeks to muddy. Today, argues Peter Schwartz, the primary muddiers are the advocates of altruism, and their targets are concepts of morality. This talk examines the obfuscations, including the “package-dealing,” generated by altruists, and analyzes the valid and invalid definitions of crucial moral concepts.
On The Yaron Brook Show this past weekend, Don Watkins and I discussed freedom of speech and the many campus protests and controversies that have broken out over the past few weeks. It’s a really good discussion (if I do say so myself) of a lot of issues that bear on the campus protests, including racism, inequality and even helicopter parenting. During the show, Don and I mentioned a number of essays by Ayn Rand that bear on the campus protests that are worth elaborating on a bit more.
In this interview, Peter Schwartz discusses his new book In Defense of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice Is Unjust and Destructive and talks about the actual meaning of selfishness, the difference between altruism and benevolence, the appeal of altruism and why you should be selfish.
The Debt Dialogues is a weekly podcast that aims to educate young people about the welfare state and how it will affect their future. In this episode, I interview ARI distinguished fellow Peter Schwartz on paternalism, altruism, and the welfare state. Topics include: The key flaw in paternalist arguments for the welfare state; the relationship between paternalism and altruism; what’s wrong with studies that allegedly prove that human beings are inherently irrational.
In this video, ARI Distinguished Fellow Peter Schwartz explains what readers will learn from his new book In Defense of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice Is Unjust and Destructive. Topics include: the real meaning of selfishness and altruism, why selfishness requires moral principles and why “the public interest” is a myth.
On June 10, 2015, ARI’s Distinguished Fellow Peter Schwartz gave a talk in New York City at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. In his talk, Peter discussed the ideas in his new book, In Defense of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice Is Unjust and Destructive. Peter’s talk, which was delivered as a part of ARI’s Road to a Free Society tour, was recorded by C-SPAN and is now available online.
On this Monday’s episode of The Yaron Brook Show, Yaron will give his take on the growing “social justice” movement. Don’t miss this controversial conversation.
