Welcome to the Winter 2024 issue of The Objective Standard. This issue features articles on the architecture of John C. Portman, the vital importance of Ayn Rand's ideas for advocating freedom, the art of Hiroshi Nagai, and more.

John Portman designed buildings that amazed visitors and provided businesses with flexible, practical, and impactful spaces. As one memorial put it, his designs took “people away from the congestion of urban life to . . . spaces that are open and uplifting to the human spirit.”

Mark Knopfler says of his craft, “if you’ve energized somebody . . . or you’ve sensitized somebody, you’ve made a difference.” In a body of work spanning nearly five decades, the Sultan of Song has continued to do just that: sensitize listeners to the drama of the oft overlooked.

Please join us for LevelUp Europe 2025 in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 11–13! LevelUp is a conference for people who want to thrive in life and support freedom on solid ground.

At a time when few children make it to adulthood “with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact,” shows such as Star Trek: Prodigy are vital for teaching young people the values of science and curiosity.

“First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. And finally, dare.” This was Walt Disney’s advice. And he took it—which is why his dreams became reality. Are you thinking, dreaming, believing, daring? Could you improve in these areas? What would happen if you did? Come find out at LevelUp 2025: Ideas for Thriving.

None of the millions of people who witnessed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986 will ever forget the wave of shock and grief that swept over the United States, and the world, on that day. To read Adam Higginbotham’s new account of the Challenger heroes is to be overwhelmed by a powerful sense of awe and astonishment.

Granting governments the ability to violate intellectual freedom by banning books from schools doesn’t help or protect anyone. It is an obscene way of stunting developing minds at a crucial juncture of life and handing the state yet another tool for controlling us.