Senator Bernie Sanders loves to cite Scandinavian countries like Sweden as some sort of ideal. Sweden allegedly proves that his “social democratic” vision for America is both possible and desirable. Truth is that Sweden’s economic history proves the complete opposite.
In Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged businesspeople are portrayed as moral heroes by virtue of their enterprising vision and productivity. To help students identify their own purpose and pursue it with joyful conviction, ARI and STRIVE are co-hosting the Leven Foundation student conference on “The Morality of Value Creation and Trade.” Here, students will connect with professionals around the philosophy and business principles behind their success, informed by the ideas of Ayn Rand.
In Defense of Selfishness, a new book authored by Peter Schwartz, boldly challenges the idea that self-sacrifice is a virtue. Since its June 2 release, the book is, unsurprisingly, often discussed in relation to Ayn Rand’s The Virtue of Selfishness since the dominant theme is reminiscent of Rand’s earlier work. In light of this commentary, Schwartz addresses this comparison.
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.
When you hear the word selfishness what comes to mind? Typically, selfishness is associated with amoral, predatory behavior. It’s a word used to describe people like Bernard Madoff or Attila the Hun. On the other hand, selflessness is generally celebrated and aligned with friendship and love. In this talk, Peter Schwartz challenges these misconceptions.
If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of In Defense of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice Is Unjust and Destructive, by Peter Schwartz, to be published on June 2, 2015, please do so today. As a special inducement to those who pre-order the book on or before May 8, ARI is arranging an exclusive Q&A webinar, to be held in August. You’ll have the opportunity to ask Mr. Schwartz questions about the material in his book.
Ayn Rand is known as a champion of the virtue of selfishness. Most believe, however, that selfishness is incompatible with benevolence, kindness and goodwill towards others. What is the relationship between benevolence and the selfishness that Ayn Rand advocates? That is the question ARI instructor Aaron Smith will explore in a series of talks he will be giving across the country.
Here’s the mystery: although most Americans say they support cutting government spending in general, they nevertheless oppose cutting any specific program — least of all the so-called entitlement programs that are driving today’s torrent of spending: Social Security and Medicare.
On today’s episode of The Yaron Brook Show, topics included: whether Obama loves America; whether ISIS is Islamic; Scott Walker; the virtues necessary for a selfish life; and the Oscars.
