Welcome to the Winter 2022 issue of The Objective Standard, which rounds out the journal’s seventeenth year providing conceptual clarity on the basis of rational philosophy.

Joe Kroeger was a delightful man. He was extremely intelligent, highly productive, and enjoyed a long career in the technology sector. But Joe was not merely a man of ability. He also loved human ability.

Superb literary tragedy induces in us unforgettable intellectual-emotional experiences of human error leading to the agonizing downfalls of even great (or formerly great) men. As philosophy, it does not tell but shows us in searing action many major errors to avoid if a flourishing life is our goal.

Including works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Claude McKay, Eliza Cook, Walter de la Mare, and Sara Teasdale.

The Orville: New Horizons explores complex issues in a balanced manner and presents a positive but believable vision of the future, resulting in one of the best science-fiction shows in recent decades.

In Soul Celebrations and Spiritual Snacks, York draws our attention to two areas where many could benefit from focusing more and more regularly: the deep need for ongoing spiritual renewal—and numerous specific means by which to attain it.

Israel is the only state in the Middle East that substantially recognizes individual rights. Yet many American and European professors increasingly show support for anti-Israel movements and tyrannical regimes that aim to erase Israel from the map.

Unfortunately, Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) features only the trappings of the original, with watered-down characters, a weak plot, and no moral message.

The life and fate of banned Russian novelist Vasily Grossman is a tragedy worthy of his own novelistic skills. More than fifty years after his passing, we can only imagine what he might have achieved had communist tyranny not stifled him.

Declassified tells the stories not only of the loves and losses of Beethoven and Brahms but of the heartbreak of a young musician who built a life for herself atop the expectations of others—and who, in the wake of inevitable disappointment, learned to salvage her love of classical music and spotlight its value for all to see.

Would you like to deepen your understanding of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism by comparing and contrasting her ideas with those of other world-class thinkers? You can do just that in OSI’s next iteration of Ayn Rand Integrations.

On September 21, 2022, the Russian government announced that it was conscripting 300,000 men to go to the front lines in Ukraine. This desperate act on the part of Putin’s regime further demonstrates its complete disregard for individual rights—not only those of Ukrainians, as was already obvious, but of Russians as well.

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be leading a reading group on one of my favorite books: Ayn Rand’s Philosophy: Who Needs It. 

Ayatollah Khamenei has said that an Islamic revival is spreading through the Middle East, not by conscious intent, but “like the scent of spring flowers that is carried by the breeze.” Maybe so, but a headwind is blowing steadily and insistently from the West.

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.