Philosophy

Reason or mysticism: These are our basic alternatives. One leads to knowledge, production, trade, prosperity, and social harmony. The other leads to ignorance, destruction, plunder, poverty, and unspeakable cruelty.

Where in Rand’s corpus should a curious reader begin? As someone who’s read it all, I would say that, for most people, there’s no better place to start than with one of Rand’s major works of fiction—Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We the Living, or Anthem—and I suspect Rand would agree.

Carrie-Ann Biondi, a philosophy PhD and Aristotle scholar, taught in universities for twenty-five years, becoming associate professor of philosophy at Marymount Manhattan College and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. But in mid-2020, she jumped ship. Here, she shares why.

This podcast episode focuses on the value of Rand’s ideas to people from Latin America who were raised in religious families and environments. We discuss real-life problems associated with religion along with practical solutions provided by egoism to help people think more clearly and live wonderful lives.

On 9/11, let’s remember not only the death-worshipping nature of the faith-driven creatures who planned and committed these atrocities but, more important, the life-loving nature of the rational people who lost their lives that day.

For anyone who values life and liberty, for anyone who prizes courage and clear thinking under extreme pressure, the spirit and actions of Flight 93’s passengers and crew that day are a fount of inspiration. These heroes forever deserve to be honored—and their courage emulated.

Real Americans, genuine Americans—not those who merely live here, but individuals anywhere in the world who live the American way—are wonderful people. And they deserve a moral code that supports their wonderful way of life. That moral code is Ayn Rand’s Objectivist ethics.

Jews have been irrationally blamed for many crimes. In reality, their “sin” was to birth the first faith-based, supernatural religion to deeply influence Western history.

With this simple practice, you’ll achieve a new level of clarity, the positive effects of which will reverberate throughout your life.

I recently spoke with bestselling author Adam Grant about his approach to writing, applying principles of persuasion from his book Think Again, and how some of his ideas relate to Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism.