Winter 2024 • Vol 19, No. 4
Purchase Issue
From the Editor, Winter 2024
Welcome to the Winter 2024 issue of The Objective Standard. This issue features articles on the architecture of John C. Portman, the vital importance of Ayn Rand's ideas for advocating freedom, the art of Hiroshi Nagai, and more. Continue »
Cover Article
Arts & Culture, Biographies, History
‘Make it Something that Enhances Life’: The Architectural Philosophy of John C. Portman
John Portman designed buildings that amazed visitors and provided businesses with flexible, practical, and impactful spaces. As one memorial put it, his designs took “people away from the congestion of urban life to . . . spaces that are open and uplifting to the human spirit.”
Features
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Ayn Rand and the Future of Freedom
Facing today’s opponents of liberty without arming oneself with sound answers to their deep, philosophic arguments is like showing up with a knife to a nuclear war.
Shorts
Arts & Culture, Politics & Rights
The Obscenity of Banning Books
Granting governments the ability to violate intellectual freedom by banning books from schools doesn’t help or protect anyone. It is an obscene way of stunting developing minds at a crucial juncture of life and handing the state yet another tool for controlling us.
Arts & Culture
Dreaming of America: The Art of Hiroshi Nagai
In today's gloomy culture, Hiroshi Nagai’s work is a beacon of optimism—a reminder of the beauty man is capable of creating and the serenity that is his to achieve.
Arts & Culture
Mark Knopfler: Sultan of Song
Mark Knopfler says of his craft, “if you’ve energized somebody . . . or you’ve sensitized somebody, you’ve made a difference.” In a body of work spanning nearly five decades, the Sultan of Song has continued to do just that: sensitize listeners to the drama of the oft overlooked.
Reviews
History, Reviews
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham
None of the millions of people who witnessed the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986 will ever forget the wave of shock and grief that swept over the United States, and the world, on that day. To read Adam Higginbotham’s new account of the Challenger heroes is to be overwhelmed by a powerful sense of awe and astonishment.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Star Trek: Prodigy, created by Kevin and Dan Hageman
At a time when few children make it to adulthood “with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact,” shows such as Star Trek: Prodigy are vital for teaching young people the values of science and curiosity.
