Fall 2020 • Vol. 15, No. 3
From the Editor, Fall 2020
Welcome to the Fall 2020 issue of The Objective Standard. Features include “The Assault on Corporations” by Michael Dahlen, “John Singer Sargent and the Art of Elegance” by Timothy Sandefur, and more. Continue »
Cover Article
Economics, Politics & Rights
The Assault on Corporations
For their endless innovations and productive achievements—the goods they create, the services they provide, the problems they solve—successful corporations deserve our deepest respect and admiration. And when they are unfairly attacked, they deserve our defense.
Features
Arts & Culture, Biographies, History
John Singer Sargent and the Art of Elegance
More than any of his contemporaries, Sargent expressed the glamour that emerging capitalism made possible. Yet that is just what made him incomprehensible or unacceptable to later artists and critics.
Biographies, History, Science & Technology
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Bridges to the Future
Across Britain, Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s innovations stand as triumphant monuments to his genius—and likely will for centuries to come.
History, Politics & Rights
George Floyd, Revolutions, and the Path to Justice
By burning and pillaging the property of their fellow citizens, rioters spit on the progress their forbears achieved under far worse circumstances.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Politics & Rights
To Black Lives Matter, No Lives Matter
We who care about the lives of individuals, political freedom, the rule of law, civilized society, and all that is required for human beings to live peacefully and prosper—we must unpack the package deal that enables BLM to lure people to support its evil aims.
Good Living
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life: Five Lessons from Miyamoto Musashi’s ‘Way of the Warrior’
Miyamoto Musashi is on my “top ten” list of people whose ideas have dramatically improved my life. I think that if you read his works and reflect carefully on their myriad implications and applications, you’ll enjoy similar results.
Reviews
Philosophy, Politics & Rights, Reviews
Black Lies Matter: Why Lies Matter to the Race Grievance Industry by Taleeb Starkes
Black Lies Matter is a courageous, honest, and accurate exposé of Black Lives Matter—and of the Race Grievance Industry more broadly—and it deserves the attention of anyone who genuinely cares about black lives and civil society.
Education & Parenting, Politics & Rights, Reviews
The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture by Heather Mac Donald
Mac Donald repudiates race and gender pandering, affirming that the proper mission of educators is to help students correct their fallacious reasoning, not to adopt or encourage it.
Economics, Politics & Rights, Reviews
Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire by Rebecca Henderson
Although Henderson promises to demonstrate how a “reimagined capitalism” might “rescue a world on fire,” her book does not correctly identify capitalism, never mind reimagine it.
History, Philosophy, Reviews
Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters by Andrew Bernstein
If you appreciate man at his best, read this book. You’ll not only enjoy heroes more deeply, you’ll be better equipped to emulate them, too.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Firefly, created by Joss Whedon
Firefly is not perfectly accurate in its attempts to depict the essential natures of heroism and villainy, but its successes are much more uplifting than its failures are problematic.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Shane by Jack Schaefer is an invigorating tale of heroism that celebrates the fundamental power of the good in human life and its ability to defeat evil.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
And Then He Shot His Cousin by Jeremiah Cobra
Thrilling and inspiring, And Then He Shot His Cousin is the story of an individual’s power to find and hold onto goodness while immersed in darkness, and to forge his own path into the light.