Articles

Do you enjoy discussing the day’s most pressing topics with other active-minded people? Join us in person for talks and discussions on philosophy for freedom and flourishing.

To understand whether abortion violates rights, we need to understand what rights are, where they come from, and how they apply in this context.

Elihu Palmer bravely advocated a philosophy of reason, based on observation of nature, when religion and superstition dominated the culture. He did this not only in spite of fierce popular resistance but also in defiance of tragic personal circumstances.

Both Mike Rowe and Ayn Rand understand the necessity—and virtue—of personal responsibility. Their work offers powerful guidance for individuals to effect positive change in their own lives and beyond.

If you love paintings—and even if you don’t—I think you’ll get immense value from How to ‘Read’ and Enjoy Paintings. In this course, renowned art appreciation expert Luc Travers will show you his unique approach to analyzing paintings and teach you skills that will deepen your enjoyment of art for life.

Although he foresaw and avoided the deadly consequences of both armed conflict in Soviet republics and the continuation of Cold War hostilities, Gorbachev’s legacy falls far short of the praise heaped on it. Instead, the final Soviet leader’s legacy should serve to illuminate the evils of communism and collectivism more broadly.

Should you live for others, or for yourself? Is morality a set of rules that hold you back, or a system of principles to help you thrive? Ayn Rand offered radical answers to these and related questions in The Virtue of Selfishness. Join Angelica Walker-Werth and other active-minded readers for a deep dive into this powerful book.

I’m excited to announce Objective Standard Institute’s new Internship program for people aged 18 to 29 who are interested in a career advancing the ideas on which freedom and flourishing depend.

On Friday, September 30, join our friends at Atlas Academy for their Alternative Education Conference, featuring TOS contributing editor Andrew Bernstein and Montessori consultant Susan Mayclin Stephenson.

“Who sets the tone of a culture?,” asked Ayn Rand. “A small handful of men: the philosophers.” According to Robert Tracinski, many of Rand’s followers have taken this to mean that efforts toward a better future should focus on university humanities departments. But, in his latest book, Tracinski argues that this is only part of the story.

Objective Standard Institute’s summer conference—previously called “TOS-Con”—is now “LevelUp Conferences.” Level Up 2023 will be in Phoenix, Arizona, June 21–24. The venue is the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa.

Elliot Ackerman’s The Fifth Act may be the first great book about the Afghanistan war. It uses the nauseating surrender of the United States to the Taliban in 2021 as a point of departure for a series of reflections on the irrationality with which the war was waged and the consequences of that irrationality for American culture.

Rights pertain to how people may treat one another. They establish a baseline of permissible conduct between individuals. But when we’re talking about a pregnant woman, we’re not talking about two individuals, each with rights, one of whom just happens to reside within the other.

Welcome to the Fall 2022 issue of The Objective Standard, packed with articles building on the foundation of rational philosophy identified by Ayn Rand.

Art is like a lantern that we use to illuminate and clarify, spotlighting what’s important in life. Romantic Realism is a particular way of using that light, to see both what is and what could be. I now realize it is far more than just a theory of art—it is a whole approach to life.