's Articles
Arts & Culture, History, Reviews
The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece by Kevin Birmingham
Timothy Sandefur March 24, 2022
Despite occasional oversights, Kevin Birmingham's The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece offers a dramatic and enlightening introduction to the complicated context in which one of literature’s greatest and most horrifying novels was created.
Announcements, TOS-Con News
March Gladness Savings on TOS-Con 2022 End Today
Craig Biddle March 22, 2022
TOS-Con 2022 is just too good to miss. And tomorrow—for 24 hours only—you can get 15% off registration. Here's how.
Politics & Rights
Putin, Planes, and Dealing with Dictators
Thomas Walker-Werth March 16, 2022
The Russian government of Vladimir Putin has issued a mandate effectively seizing the planes of European companies. Western companies should learn from this experience and pull out of all rights-violating nations.
Announcements, TOS-Con News
The Future of Civilized Society: A Panel Discussion
Craig Biddle March 16, 2022
Just when you thought TOS-Con 2022 couldn’t get any better, it has! On June 24 (day 3), Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Peter Boghossian, Timothy Sandefur, and I will hold a panel discussion with a Q&A on “The Future of Civilized Society.”
Arts & Culture, Reviews
3 Idiots, Written and Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
Clytze Sun March 11, 2022
3 Idiots (2009), a Hindi-language coming-of-age film, follows the story of three engineering students at one of the top engineering universities in India. It focuses on the happiness a man can achieve when he lives for himself.
Announcements, TOS-Con News
Join OSI in Galt’s Gulch after TOS-Con
Craig Biddle February 23, 2022
After sharpening your mind and fueling your soul at TOS-Con 2022, what better way to extend the experience than by joining OSI in Galt’s Gulch?
Announcements
Sidney J. Gunst Jr. Burned Bright and Lit Torches
Craig Biddle February 21, 2022
My career and books, The Objective Standard and its sixteen years of publication, Objective Standard Institute and all of its programs and activities, the many people I have mentored and taught over the years—all of this was made possible by my good friend, mentor, and cofounder of this journal, Sidney J. Gunst Jr.
History, Philosophy
Heroes and Villains in Western Philosophy
Andrew Bernstein February 21, 2022
The heroes of philosophy from Thales to Rand—and preeminently Aristotle—have provided us with a priceless gift. In sundry forms, heroes support human life. Nowhere is this truth more powerful than with the heroes of philosophy.
Politics & Rights
Debunking ‘White Privilege’
Michael Dahlen February 21, 2022
The theory of white privilege is demonstrably false and racially divisive. It’s an anti-concept, based on a collectivist, nonobjective conception of privilege. It subverts individualism, treating all people as interchangeable cogs within their racial groups.
Economics, Education & Parenting, Science & Technology
Bryan Caplan on Freedom and Innovation
Angelica Walker-Werth February 21, 2022
At Students for Liberty’s Freer Future Fest in Nashville, I spoke with Dr. Bryan Caplan about freedom and innovation. Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University, a scholar at Cato Institute, and the author of four books (plus several in progress), most recently Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration.
Arts & Culture, Good Living
Eight Poems for the Love of Nature
Various Authors February 21, 2022
Including works by A. A. Milne, Thomas Paine, A. E. Housman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Frost, Edward Rowland Sill, Jon Hersey, and William Brighty Rands.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
The Book of Boba Fett, Created by Jon Favreau
Thomas Walker-Werth February 18, 2022
Star Wars is great for two principal reasons: A clear, moving story about good triumphing over evil; and likable, interesting characters. Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett falls short in both regards.
Politics & Rights
Why French Revolution-Inspired Attitudes toward the Ultra-Wealthy Are Nonsensical
Angelica Walker-Werth February 18, 2022
To condemn Jeff Bezos as the next King Louis or Marie Antoinette is utterly nonsensical. Their productivity and the standard of living they make possible for millions of people should be celebrated, not condemned.
Economics, Philosophy
Why Jeff Bezos Is Not a “Tech Mogul” or “King of E-Commerce”
Thomas Walker-Werth February 18, 2022
A king is only a king if he maintains his rule through force. An entrepreneur cannot resort to force; his means of success is voluntary exchange. Next time you hear someone criticize “tech moguls” or the “king” of any given industry, this distinction may come in handy.
Announcements
Highlights of OSI’s Activities and Achievements in 2021
Objective Standard Institute had a highly productive 2021, teaching numerous courses, producing 109 podcast episodes, hosting TOS-Con 2021 with hundreds of attendees, and much more.