The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MXGenpAkTs Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula interviews Dr. Onkar Ghate, the author of the new book The Moral Idealism of Ayn Rand, peeking into the themes explored in the essay collection, including the literary essence and profound moral idealism found within Ayn Rand's fiction. Fiction vs. Philosophical Propaganda The Moral Ideals in Dramatic Fiction Superhuman Character Misconceptions Admiration vs. Compassion Metaphysical Irrelevance of evil The Death Premise Dramatization of Moral Principles Resources: Onkar Ghate, The Moral Idealism of Ayn Rand Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e5PLKhXvF0 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate discuss whether heritage or creed is what defines American national identity. The American way and sense of life Un-American “Heritage Americanism” Irrelevant Anglo-Protestant “ethnicity” Superior “Creedal Americanism” History of “Creedal Americanism” The eroding American sense of life Resources:  Ayn Rand, Don’t Let It Go, in Philosophy: Who Needs It Ayn Rand, “A Nation’s Unity” Onkar Ghate, “Atlas Shrugged: America’s Second Declaration of Independence”  Ben Bayer, “Our Iran Appeasement Reveals the Need to Declare Moral Independence,” New Ideal, Ju...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6XQv6S2iK0 Podcast audio: The founding of America was the greatest political achievement of the Enlightenment. Knowing that their experiment would be difficult to preserve, the Founding Fathers designed a unique system of checks and balances to prevent the United States from collapsing into tyranny. An essential element of that design, however, has been forgotten. In his talk at the 2026 Objectivist Summer Conference (OCON), Dr. Onkar Ghate explains the role of the moral character of the people as a check on the government. Ghate explains why the Founding Fathers appreciated this pivotal...

https://www.youtube.com/live/b91AlTBDODs Podcast audio: The 2026 Objectivist Summer Conference was a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. To conclude the conference, Yaron Brook, ARI board chairman, spoke about what makes America uniquely worth celebrating — the fact that it is “the Nation of the Producer.” Brook begins by surveying the state of the world prior to the American Revolution — the backbreaking labor, the incurable diseases, and the unbearably cold winters. He then explains how the Declaration of Independence unleashed the people responsible for today’s magnificent world of abundance. Who is responsible for electricity, smartphones, and worldwide travel? Broo...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8MPZSbLXA Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza discuss two major developments in the AI industry: Bernie Sanders’ proposal for an AI wealth fund and the White House’s order to block access to Anthropic’s newest models. Topics include: The Anthropic Ban Fear-Mongering About Security Fear-Mongering About Jobless Future Is there “Collective Knowledge”? Lack of Concern with Individual Rights Resources:  Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, “Marketing AI without Empowering Resentment” Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, “Fear of Progress: The Quest to End Autonomous Driving” This episode was recorde...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXTCE3rXfH4 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Connor O’Leary discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical about AI. Topics include: Valid questions, backwards approach Concerning near-universal acclaim Dependence on religious morality Faith-based moral concepts Appealing to fear and resentment Hostility to human intelligence We need a rational morality Resources:  Ayn Rand, “Requiem for Man,” Capitalism the Unknown Ideal Anthropic vs. Trump: The Moral Responsibility of Tech Companies, Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, March 12, 2026 Marketing AI Without Empowering Resentment, Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, April 23, 2026 Ben Bayer, How to Build...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGcfnm1gELw Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo talks with Ben Bayer, Robertas Bakula, Alex Silverman, Audra Hilse, Sam Weaver, and Keith Lockitch about their upcoming talks at OCON 2026 in New Orleans. Speakers include: Bayer: Ayn Rand on progress     Bakula: antitrust is anti-production     Silverman: metaphysics of productiveness Hilse: publishing We the Living Weaver: Milton’s Paradise Lost       Lockitch: Descartes and Newton on the rainbow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRK4oqOHr4s Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss Jeff Bezos' recent high-profile CNBC interview with Andrew Sorkin on wealth, attacks on billionaires, and government waste. Topics include: Bezos’ Admirable Mind Trend of Villainizing Businessmen The Zero-Sum Fallacy The Incompetence of Government Collectivist Defense of Profit Inequality is not a bug The Role of Intellectuals Resources:  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand This episode was recorded on May 28, 2026. Image credit: Michael M. Santiago / staff / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKYKHBdO6-I Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Tristan de Liège analyze Marc Andreesen’s recent controversial comments rejecting introspection. Topics include: What introspection really is Introspection and success Introspection and moral responsibility Earned and unearned guilt Resources:  The Ayn Rand Lexicon entry on Introspection This episode was recorded on May 13, 2026. Image credit: Michael Kovac / Stringer / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSyqrwXEtBQ Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the war and subsequent negotiations with Iran, and Trump’s visit to China.  Topics include: The war’s shifting purpose The Hormuz evasion Whim over strategy Evading Iran’s nature Stalemate as defeat Projecting weakness worldwide Abandoning American ideals This episode was recorded on May 20th. Image credits: Trump: Saul Loeb / AFP / via Getty Images; China and Iran Flags: Viacheslav Chernobrovin / iStock / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YKNDXS3NOY Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver and Ben Bayer discuss the significance of President Trump’s efforts to construct new government monuments and put his name and face on federal buildings and documents. Topics Include: Trump’s initiatives Why symbols matter Historical monument-building America’s distinctive history How Trump compares Relation to Trump’s policies Rand on monuments Trump’s pursuit of prestige Public response Resources: “The Monument Builders” in The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand “Don’t Let It Go” in Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JW_xItSGlM Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss Ken Griffin’s reaction to Zohran Mamdami's attack on his wealth and life, and the appropriate stance that individuals in Griffin's position should take against such attacks. Topics include: Mamdani’s Attack on Ken Griffin Real Threat to Griffin’s Life and Safety Griffin’s Courageous Defense of the American Dream Griffin’s Concession Sanction of the Victim Animal Farm is Pro-Socialism Anthem and Atlas Shrugged as Better Alternatives A Principled Stance vs. Martyrdom Resources: Atlas Shru...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62w3EFQML58 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Professor Bart Ehrman about his new book on the Christian roots of altruist ethics. Christian vs. pagan ethics The true meaning of Christian “love” Apocalyptic roots of Christian ethics Are Christian ethics rational? Ehrman’s work Resources:  Bart Ehrman, Love Thy Stranger: How Christianity Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West Ben Bayer, “How Christianity Polluted the Moral Atmosphere of the West,” New Ideal, February 5, 2025. This episode was recorded on April 22, 2026.

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_analy...

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 Consens...

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

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 Regul...

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.

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 Re...

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.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8snaqpmo24 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Agustina Vergara Cid and Mike Mazza discuss the launch of Artemis II and the future of space exploration. Topics covered: The cultural reaction the launch of Artemis II Why it took 50 years to go back to lunar space The reactions to the achievements of private space companies How NASA is slowing down progress in space Mentioned in the discussion were Mike Mazza’s articles “Freedom to Launch: How Deregulation Created a Space Renaissance,” “Space Renaissance: How Freedom Created Progress in the Space In...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T3Zekd7xfE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss California’s Billionaire Wealth Tax proposal. California’s budget and welfare crisis Challenging the "fair share" narrative Injustice of retroactive taxation Productive ability vs. the welfare state The role of business visionaries This episode was recorded on March 19, 2026. Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKAe7rMPwjE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss recent developments in the Iran war. Topics covered: Intro Moral vs. stated reasons for the war The Trump administration’s arbitrariness The government’s attacks on freedom at home The risks in leaving the war early The reaction of Trump’s base to the war Our un-American foreign policy This episode was recorded on March 20, 2026. Image credit: PeterPencil / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUha6pLRumY Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Don Watkins and Sam Weaver discuss Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent speech at the Munich Security Conference and the tribal conception of Western civilization that he advocates. Civilization as a project Rubio’s superficial view Christianity vs. civilization Racist undertones Nationalist false alternative Resources:  Ayn Rand, “Man’s Rights” Ayn Rand, “Racism” Elan Journo, “The Virulent Pull of Tribalism” Onkar Ghate, “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God” This episode was recorded on March 12, 2026. Image credit: Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh7hO-q_gb4 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Mike Mazza discuss the recent standoff between Anthropic and the Defense Department over military use of AI technology, and the moral questions faced by those creating weapons of war.   Anthropic’s reasoning Authoritarian threats Ayn Rand’s “To Young Scientists” Moral sanction Resources:  Ayn Rand, “To Young Scientists” Ayn Rand Lexicon entry on the sanction of the Victim Ben Bayer, “Effective Altruism’s Faith-Based Sacrifice for the Future” This episode was recorded on March 6, 2026. Image credit: Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Image...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZV5I8YRYvI Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Elan Journo about the American and Israeli attack on Iran.   Topics include: The Institute’s Position on Iran; Answering critics; Congressional approval; Evaluating Trump; Prospects for Success or Failure. Resources:  ARI Resources on the American Conflict with Iran This episode was recorded on March 3, 2026.   Image credit:  U.S. Navy / Handout / via Getty Images

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mzUUDz14Ac Podcast audio: In this special podcast episode, Yaron Brook and Elan Journo interview Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founding leader who became one of Israel’s most valuable intelligence assets. Raised within the movement, Yousef recounts how his experiences led him to break decisively with Hamas and oppose it at great personal risk. The conversation centers on the ideological nature of Hamas, an aspect often evaded by its apologists. Drawing on firsthand experience, Yousef describes a movement rooted in a culture of sexual repression and the subordination of women. He...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnux6MriXE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the recent decision in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, striking down the President’s expansive “Liberation Day” tariffs.   The majority’s reasoning The major questions doctrine Statutory interpretation and legislative intent The dissent’s plausibility The separation of powers A stopgap against eroding separation of powers Scrutinizing deprivation of economic liberty, property Emergency powers Resources:  Ben Bayer, “Ayn Rand on Free Trade, the 'Essence of Capitalism’s Foreign Policy'” Ben Bayer, “The Constitutionally Dubious Law Empowering Trump’s ‘...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKszEjACFA Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Agustina Vergara Cid and Brandon Lisi about their new article: “’I Chose to Be an American:’ Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story.” Topics include: Motivation for the article; Why Rand chose America; Obstacles Rand faced; How Rand pushed America to live up to its values; Archival resources consulted; Most surprising facts about Rand’s story; Impact of the article. Read the article here: “’I Chose to be an American:’ Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story.” This episode was recorded on February 23, 2026, and posted on February...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gUQLWQGG0 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the role of Trump in today’s rise in political violence. Topics include: How Trump’s campaign demonized fellow Americans Connection between tribalism and violence Trump’s whitewashing of violence Trump’s targeted political attacks Trump’s comfort with political force and strongmen How “crisis narratives” legitimize the use of force This episode was recorded on February 13, 2026. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here. Image credits: Zach D Roberts / NurPhoto via Getty Images; B...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49b6O7nOtZI Podcast Audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza discuss the opposition to autonomous vehicles. Topics include: Why some people oppose autonomous vehicles; The safety of autonomous vehicles; Economic costs of automobile Accidents; Fear of displacing jobs; The “common man” argument; Divine right of stagnation. Resources: Nathaniel Branden’s essay “Divine Right of Stagnation” in The Virtue of Selfishness This episode was recorded on January 12, 2026, and posted on February 12, 2026. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here. Image credits: Waymo: Mario Tama...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOtmQv3O7T8 Podcast audio: It is common to think of values as things we “discover” about ourselves — pre-packaged preferences waiting somewhere deep inside. We speak, for example, of “discovering our passion” or of finally realizing “what we were meant to do,” as if these priorities had been there all along. On this view, valuing is automatic: we simply respond to our needs, desires, or emotions. In his 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference talk, titled “Conceiving Values,” Gregory Salmieri offers a different account. Drawing on Ayn Rand’s distinctive view, he argues that valuing is not passive or instincti...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g8n9_LOSwc Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Sam Weaver and Ben Bayer discuss a new policy in Texas A&M University that restricts professors’ ability to teach topics related to gender and sexual orientation, which resulted in one professor being prevented from teaching Plato’s Symposium. Topics include: Texas A&M’s policy; The case of Plato’s Symposium; Relation to intellectual freedom; Who should decide in public universities; Motives behind the policy. Resources: Ayn Rand’s essay “Fairness Doctrine for Education” in Philosophy: Who Needs It Onkar Ghate an...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twCDUSXZMWw Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Tristan de Liège discuss the confusions involved in the conventional conception of sacrifice. Topics include: Examples of Sacrifice; Investment vs. Sacrifice; Value Hierarchy; How to Rank Values Objectively; ‘Sacrifice’ as a package deal; The false appeal of sacrifice. Resources:  Ayn Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand’s book The Fountainhead Ayn Rand’s essay, “The Ethics of Emergencies” The Ayn Rand Lexicon entry on sacrifice This episode was recorded on December 30, 2025, and posted on January 29, 2026. Listen and subscribe wherev...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyYlYiLE7Y Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss the implications of the killing of Renee Good for the rule of law. Among the topics covered: Topics include: ICE operations resembling military operations; The immediate aftermath of the shooting; The administration’s contempt for the rule of law; ICE is not real police; They way ICE conducts arrests; The argument that the Constitution doesn’t apply to immigrants; The administration playing to its base’s tribalism; The administration’s loyalty tests; The shooting of Ashli...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDnD9GWdLaI Podcast audio: In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate examine why Iran’s ongoing uprising may be the regime’s most serious challenge yet — and why it deserves far more moral support from the free world. Topics include: The nature of the protests; Moral versus military support; Trump versus Obama and Biden; The benefits of a free Iran; The roots of Western silence. Resources: Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism What Justice Demands "The U.S. has Appeased Iran for Decades” This episode was recorded on January...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTl2m5StrvQ Podcast audio: The crimes of the French Revolution have long been regarded as indicting Enlightenment ideals. Its Reign of Terror has been seen as the product of an overconfident belief in reason, liberty, and human perfectibility. The American Revolution, by contrast, is said to have succeeded only because it was more moderate and traditional. In his 2025 OCON talk, “Enlightenment on Trial: The Real Lessons of the American and French Revolutions,” Don Watkins challenges this narrative. What history shows, Watkins contends, is that Enlightenment ideals in France were largely confined to intellectual elit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28TpOvna_78 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo and Ben Bayer discuss the recent American attack on Venezuela to capture Nicolas Maduro. Topics include: Invalid “international law” objections; An act of war; Drug, “narcoterrorism” and oil excuses; Nationalistic “spheres of influence”; The altruistic conception of “self-interest”; Contempt for the Constitution; Ayn Rand on the Roots of War. Resources:  Ayn Rand, "The Roots of War" ARI Podcast, "How Drug Boats Could Be Used to Rationalize an Unjust War with Venezuela," December 11  ARI Podcast, “Trump’s Anti-Capitalist Control Over Business,” Sept 1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shwbIXkaZPs Podcast audio: This talk comparing Newton and Descartes approach to mathematics by David Bakker was recorded live on July 2nd 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. Image Credits: Newton: GeorgiosArt / iStock / via Getty Images. Descartes: ilbusca / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images