The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

Ayn Rand Institute
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The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism.

  1. 3D AGO

    Why the Red/Blue Button Moral Dilemma is a Trap

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzfiohcZhGo Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Ben Bayer discuss the viral Red vs. Blue Button dilemma. Topics include: The Viral Dilemma The Case for Red The Case for Blue The False Choice Comparison to the Trolley Problem Ayn Rand’s Alternative Approach to Morality Resources: “Ethics of Emergencies,” Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness  “Why Today’s Ethics Offers No Real Guidance,” Ben Bayer, New Ideal, November 18, 2020 Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand This episode was recorded on April 24, 2026. Image Credit: traffic_analyzer / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images

    56 min

  2. APR 30

    The Unconstitutional, Immoral Military Draft

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nZD3IdL4PY Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège discuss the military draft in light of recent changes to the Selective Service System. Debating Selective Service System changes Unconstitutionality of the draft The immorality of the draft The impracticality of the draft Palantir’s endorsement of the draft Resources:  Against The Un-American Call for National Service, ARI Podcast A Central Planner's Trojan Horse: The Technological Republic, ARI Podcast Ayn Rand, entry on the Draft, Ayn Rand Lexicon  Ayn Rand, “Wreckage of the Consensus” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal This episode was recorded on April 22, 2026. Image credit: Andrew Harnik / staff / via Getty Images

    42 min

  3. APR 29

    Why the New York Times Justifies Theft and Tolerates Murder

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK2AwyUtJtI Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Robertas Bakula discuss the recent New York Times podcast justifying the “microlooting” of big corporations. “Microlooting” and Macrolooting Marxist rationalizations Signs of nihilism Anti-intellectual tribal signaling Hypocrisy and altruism Justifying murder Resources:  Profit without Apology: The Need to Stand Up for Business, Onkar Ghate and Don Watkins  The Marxists’ Exploitation Myth, ARI Podcast, Feb 26, 2025 Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Who Normalized Political Violence?, ARI Podcast, Sept 12, 2025 This episode was recorded on April 27, 2026.   Image credit: AndreyPopov / iStock / via Getty Images

    59 min

  4. APR 23

    Marketing AI Without Empowering Resentment

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRML1GMxiUg Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza, and Tristan de Liège discuss major publicity campaigns launched by AI companies to combat uncertainty and fear about the disruptive power of AI. The AI PR problem Valid marketing problems Valid marketing solutions Special problems re: misuse The invalid inequality concern Invalid regulatory concerns Altruism as appeasement Resources:  Ayn Rand, “What is Capitalism?” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal,  “The Age of Envy” in Return of the Primitive, and “Altruism as Appeasement” in The Voice of Reason.  Threats to Regulate Artificial Intelligence, ARI Podcast, May 12, 2023 Anthropic vs. Trump: The Moral Responsibility of Tech Companies, ARI Podcast, 3/12/26 Don Watkins and Yaron Brook, Equal is Unfair This episode was recorded on April 17, 2026 Image credits: Altman: Anna Moneymaker / via Getty Images; Amodei: Chance Yeh / Stringer / via Getty Images

    51 min

  5. APR 20

    What It Takes to Learn a Philosophy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdy_8p75jzM Podcast audio: This talk by Mike Mazza was recorded live on July 3rd in Boston, MA as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference and is available on the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

    21 min

  6. APR 16

    What People Get Wrong About Evil and the Iran War

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjHQq-bGX5w Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss Ayn Rand’s view of evil as fundamentally impotent, and what it reveals about Soviet Russia, Iran, and the failures of American foreign policy. The standard view of evil Evil as impotent Paradox of Soviet danger Illusion of Soviet technology Overstating Iran’s power Altruism empowering evil Resources:  Ayn Rand, Lexicon entry on Evil and Sanction of the Victim Ayn Rand, “Galt’s Speech” in For the New Intellectual Ayn Rand, “Altruism as Appeasement” in The Voice of Reason Ayn Rand, “The Anatomy of Compromise” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo’s, Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: What Went Wrong After 9/11 Elan Journo, Winning the Unwinnable War: America’s Self-Crippled Response to Islamic Totalitarianism This episode was recorded on 04/10/2026.

    36 min

  7. APR 10

    Why Is Israel Blamed for the Iran War?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU5EJxVtork Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss recent conspiracism about Israel’s role in the Iran war.Topics include: Facts conspiracists distort Facts conspiracists evade The conspiracist mentality      An anti-conceptual culture Decades of unprincipled foreign policy Tribalism and conspiracism Evading America’s deadly morality Resources:  Ayn Rand Lexicon entries on the anti-conceptual mentality, the arbitrary, and tribalism Ayn Rand, “For the New Intellectual” in For the New Intellectual This episode was recorded on April 8, 2026.

    47 min

  8. APR 9

    The Humiliating Iran Ceasefire Deal

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opUGimR5nr0 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss recent conspiracism about Israel’s role in the Iran war. Facts conspiracists distort Facts conspiracists evade The conspiracist mentality      An anti-conceptual culture Decades of unprincipled foreign policy Tribalism and conspiracism Evading America’s deadly morality Resources:  Ayn Rand Lexicon entries on the anti-conceptual mentality, the arbitrary, and tribalism Ayn Rand, “For the New Intellectual” in For the New Intellectual This episode was recorded on April 8, 2026 Image credit: STR / AFP / via Getty Images

    28 min
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The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism.

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