Craig Biddle's Articles
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Good Living
Purpose, Value Hierarchies, and Happiness
Craig Biddle May 20, 2014
Zeros in on the nature and importance of purpose in good living, discusses how to organize and prioritize your values and goals with respect to their relative importance to your life and happiness, and offers tips and standing orders for making your life the best it can be.
Announcements
From the Editor, Summer 2014
Craig Biddle May 20, 2014
Craig Biddle introduces the Summer 2014 issue of The Objective Standard.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism
Ayn Rand’s Philosophy, the Laws of Nature, and a Gay Jamaican
Craig Biddle May 4, 2014
Philosophy professor Jason D. Hill has written a beautiful article, “Jamaican, Gay and Ayn Rand Made it OK,” about how Rand’s books and philosophy helped him to think clearly about his life and his sexual orientation, and to pursue his goals and happiness with passion and pride.
Announcements
TOS’s New Website
Craig Biddle April 23, 2014
I'm delighted to announce the launch of TOS’s new website. Our staff and developers have worked hard toward making the site easy to navigate and a pleasure to use. I hope you find it so. A number of tasks and improvements remain to be done, and we will be working on these over the next few weeks.
Good Living, Philosophy
A Peek at Thinking in Principles: The Science of Selfishness
Craig Biddle February 21, 2014
Discusses the nature of principles, surveys various kinds of principles, draws crucial definitions of “principle” from the survey, and shows the vital role of principles in thinking.
Announcements
From the Editor, Spring 2014
Craig Biddle February 21, 2014
Craig Biddle introduces the Spring 2014 issue.
Announcements
Liberty, Free Markets, and Moral Character—An Important Conference for College Students
Craig Biddle February 20, 2014
May 22–25, I’ll be speaking at “Liberty, Free Markets, and Moral Character” along with Andrew Bernstein, Brad Thompson, and several libertarian speakers. The conference is for students between 18 and 24 years old; the deadline for applications is March 8.
Economics
Jonathan Hoenig’s Pit Trading 101: Fuel for The Capitalist Soul
Craig Biddle February 19, 2014
Jonathan Hoenig’s new film, Pit Trading 101, is a fascinating and inspiring look at a small group of highly ambitious capitalists who attended the University of Trading in the 1990s and went on to trade in the commodities pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where they allocated huge amounts of capital via split-second decision making.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism
Who Is Ayn Rand?
Craig Biddle February 5, 2014
A brief biography of Ayn Rand (1905–1982), an American novelist and philosopher and the creator of Objectivism, which she called "a philosophy for living on earth."
Ayn Rand & Objectivism
What Is Objectivism?
Craig Biddle February 5, 2014
Explains how the philosophy of Objectivism is derived from the observable facts of reality and the demonstrable requirements of human life and happiness.
Arts & Culture
Duck Quacks Don’t Echo: A Fun New Show About Scientific Facts
Craig Biddle January 22, 2014
“The show that proves unusual scientific facts in the most hilarious ways.” That’s the billing for the delightful new television show Duck Quacks Don’t Echo, co-hosted by Tom Papa, Michael Ian Black, and Seth Herzog. Duck Quacks premiered January 13 on National Geographic Channel, where two half-hour episodes air back…
Philosophy
Basic Moral Theories Essentialized
Craig Biddle January 10, 2014
[Click for a PDF of the full chart] Human action, whether by individuals, groups, or governments, is driven by ideas—most substantially by the ideas people accept as morally correct. Why did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her bus seat to a white passenger? Why did Edward Snowden release classified…
Announcements
Happy New Year!
Craig Biddle January 1, 2014
Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for your business and support in 2013. All of us at TOS wish you a productive and prosperous 2014. Keep fighting the good fight and living great life. The future is ours for the making. Forward!
Announcements
Matching Funds to Double Your Impact
Craig Biddle December 11, 2013
Dear Friend of TOS, I’m delighted to announce that in response to TOS’s end-of-year fundraising appeal, I just received the following letter from our generous supporters Chris and Lydia Ash, which I share with their permission: Mr. Biddle, The Objective Standard is deeply valuable to my wife and me. The…
Politics & Rights
The Libertarian Case for Legalized Plunder
Craig Biddle December 8, 2013
I’m often asked why I make such a big deal about the libertarian MO of ignoring or denying the philosophic foundations of liberty. I give my general reasons in “Libertarianism vs. Radical Capitalism,” in which I provide several examples showing that the attempt to defend a free society apart from…