https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O0HkJbbj4E Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the protests on university campuses against Israel’s war of self-defense and what they say about the state of our culture. Among the topics covered: * Why the anti-Israeli campus protests are rightly labelled as being pro-Hamas; * How there is a double standard in the public’s response to mass protests in...

https://youtu.be/FjsC7I-Qa4A Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Mike Mazza and Aaron Smith discuss Mazza’s recently published article about why academic philosophers tend to get Rand’s ideas wrong so frequently and the parochialism involved in many of their critiques. Among the topics covered: * What Mazza aimed to explain in this article; * Why responding to academic critics is important; * What it means for philosophers to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Lm2YpZvyI Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo offers initial commentary on Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel. Among the topics covered: * How Iran’s attack on Israel is a consequence of its Islamic and imperial nature; * How America’s failure to recognise and confront Iran’s nature emboldens it; * Why America and Israel are morally justified in replacing Iran’s evil...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeuU6AbIDOo Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo give a preview of ARI’s 2024 presidential election coverage and comment on some of the major political issues at stake in the election. Among the topics covered: * How ARI uses Objectivism to analyze elections and the wider political culture; * What the Trump phenomenon says about the state of our political culture; *...

https://youtu.be/UmxjJI50gss Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo analyze Argentinian President Javier Milei’s interview at AynRandCon in Buenos Aires. Among the topics covered: * How the event fell short of ARI’s goal of illuminating points of agreement and disagreement with Milei; * How to evaluate Milei as a President, considering his strange statements about abortion and mysticism; * The...

https://youtu.be/Xh0xF5hACkw Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Sam Weaver and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the recent California ethnic studies mandate. They evaluate the ideological nature of the curriculum and its assault on knowledge, the philosophical ideas that made it possible, and why it must be opposed intellectually. Among the topics covered: * How ethnic studies emerged from an activist assault on the idea of objective...

https://youtu.be/L3RBJNhglek Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss the recent United Nations “ceasefire” resolution. They argue it is yet another example of the West’s moral reluctance to condemn evil regimes and to provide a principled defense of Israel’s right to self-defense. Among the topics covered: * The fact that Hamas seeks to destroy Israel because it is a bastion of civilization; * Why the...

https://youtu.be/UPHqvTkKFcA Podcast audio: In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the recent announcement of the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Apple and analyze the injustice of criminalizing a company for giving customers an experience they want. Among the topics covered: * Why the DOJ’s antitrust case against Apple is significant to all American business; * How Apple is targeted...

https://youtu.be/07j7MQNdJhQ Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the state of the immigration debate between Democrats and Republicans. They show how both parties appeal to fear and collectivism in their opposition to immigration, and explain why a proper solution to the border crisis requires policies that favor free economic migration. Among the topics covered: * How both Democrats and...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTvoxqlq9x4 Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos examine President Biden’s State of the Union address and what it reveals about the goals of today’s political leadership. They discuss the anti-mind premise driving both political tribes and how it leads to statist policies that destroy wealth and create economic hardship. Among the topics covered: * Understanding the values...

https://youtu.be/oV-deDzZNH8?si=MbfQzzp1Qa6D4tLC Podcast audio: In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer responds to a PragerU video which argues that moral wisdom requires a “fear of God.” Bayer argues that a fear of God undercuts moral wisdom and is driven by a fear of the intellectual independence that moral wisdom requires. Among the topics covered: * The proposal that a fear of God provides the basis for an objective morality; *...

https://youtu.be/s4xpmys7ejo Podcast audio: In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo comments on Zack Snyder’s recent conversation with Joe Rogan about his admiration for Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and why his film adaptation was rejected by Netflix. Journo discusses why so many creators like Snyder find Rand’s novels so compelling yet she is still considered “taboo,” the philosophical motives behind the hostility towards Rand, and the immense value...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SYvTdaE9zfI Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Ziemowit Gowin discuss how the Biden administration’s altruistic foreign policy undermines Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas. Among the topics covered: * How America’s inconsistent support of Israel subverts its war of self-defense; * How the morality of altruism leads people to unjustly blame Israel for the...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTntTkvIr3g Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the philosophical and legal implications of the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children. Among the topics covered: * The facts and reasoning behind the Alabama Supreme Court case; * How the court’s decision is a logical result of...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJvI1XA7Bt8 Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Mike Mazza and Ziemowit Gowin discuss Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin, and Carlson’s attempt to undercut America by whitewashing life in Russia. Among the topics covered: * Mainstream media’s reaction to Carlson’s interview; * How interviewing dictators gives them an undeserved sense of moral legitimacy; * How the interview...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the problem of tribalism in our political culture. Exploring issues such as the Israel-Hamas war and the debates over immigration and abortion, they show how both the left and right are guilty of an anti-conceptual mentality that has degraded our political discourse. Among the topics covered: * How tribalism has made today's political atmosphere toxic; * The left's tribal support for...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss the cultural significance of two seemingly unrelated events: the bipartisan congressional hearings on online child safety and the conservative backlash to Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce. They argue that the attacks on Mark Zuckerberg and on Swift's successful businesses reveal a tribal mentality that hates the good for being the good. Among the topics covered: * The true purpose of the online...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer interviews Harry Binswanger about Ayn Rand’s philosophical approach to life and the invaluable lessons we can learn from the way she lived. Among the topics covered: * How Rand integrated philosophy into her life; * How Rand used philosophy to understand herself and others; * What it was like to work with Rand on philosophical projects; * How philosophy empowered Rand to continue learning throughout her...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Mike Mazza and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss and debunk as baseless three commonly heard myths about Ayn Rand: that she demonized the poor, that she uncritically praised the rich, and that she died penniless and hypocritically accepted Social Security at the end of her life. Among the topics covered: * Why the claim that Rand hated the poor has no plausibility; * Rand’s focus on ambition and productive ability; * Why Rand didn’t...

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Coleman Hughes on his new book The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America. They discuss Hughes’ case for colorblindness, his critique of the “anti-racist” movement, and his views about why we need to abandon race as a meaningful category. Hughes also comments on Ayn Rand's individualist analysis of racism. Among the topics covered: * How the ideal of colorblindness disappeared from American...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss international reactions to several recent developments around the world that reveal the power of morality in human affairs. Among the topics covered: * How the retreat of the good encourages evil around the world; * How the “genocide” hearings against Israel exemplify the UN’s equation of good and evil regimes; * Why Israel’s deference to the UN enables its own destruction; * How the...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Daniel Schwartz discuss the problem of plagiarism in our culture. They argue that although academic institutions assume that cheating is wrong, many academics have no intellectual argument as to why plagiarism is morally wrong or why it is necessary to uphold standards of honesty. Among the topics covered: * Background on the universities’ sacrifice of academic integrity to DEI; * How plagiarism is a widespread problem in...

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Nikos Sotirakopoulos and Mike Mazza discuss the emergence of the manosphere. They explore issues such as why it appeals to young men seeking guidance, how it reflects the best and worst elements of our intellectual culture, and what a positive philosophical alternative requires. Among the topics covered: * Defining the manosphere; * Its devolution from a self-help movement to a player in the culture wars; * How the manosphere...

In this end-of-year episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos celebrate another year of unique cultural analysis and commentary by the intellectuals at the Ayn Rand Institute. Among the topics covered: * How our unique perspective on the culture flows from the principled philosophical framework developed by Ayn Rand; * Why we do not fight primarily against bad ideas, but for positive ideals; * How Rand’s understanding of the power of...