Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
LIVE on July 3rd at 10 am ET, Tal Tsfany, ARI’s president and CEO, will review ARI’s mission to spread Objectivism and the progress made during 2024–25.
Tal will celebrate ARI’s 40 years of progress—the milestones, the challenges, the individuals who made it possible—and share a bold vision for the future of the Institute.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore Ayn Rand’s ideas or have been studying them for years, this talk offers a valuable look at how ARI is working to bring reason, egoism, and capitalism to the cultural forefront.
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: aynrand.org/donate.
Image Credits:
NHLImages via Getty Images
Arnold Newman Properties via Getty Images
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
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Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand University app:
– App Store itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: ari.aynrand.org/donate
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Explore these ideas further! ARI's online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: newideal.aynrand.org
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: ari.aynrand.org/events
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: ari.aynrand.org
LIVE on July 3rd at 10 am ET, Tal Tsfany, ARI’s president and CEO, will review ARI’s mission to spread Objectivism and the progress made during 2024–25.
Tal will celebrate ARI’s 40 years of progress—the milestones, the challenges, the individuals who made it possible—and share a bold vision for the future of the Institute.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore Ayn Rand’s ideas or have been studying them for years, this talk offers a valuable look at how ARI is working to bring reason, egoism, and capitalism to the cultural forefront.
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: aynrand.org/donate.
Image Credits:
NHLImages via Getty Images
Arnold Newman Properties via Getty Images
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
-------------------------
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand University app:
– App Store itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: ari.aynrand.org/donate
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: aynrand.org/signup
Follow ARI on Twitter: twitter.com/AynRandInst
Follow ARI on Facebook: facebook.com/AynRandInstitute
Follow ARI on Instagram: instagram.com/aynrandorg
Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Explore these ideas further! ARI's online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: newideal.aynrand.org
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: ari.aynrand.org/events
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: ari.aynrand.org
![Heritage vs. Creed: What Actually Makes You an American?
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.
• [0:00] Introduction
• [5:29] The American way and sense of life
• [14:45] Un-American “Heritage Americanism”
• [23:48] Irrelevant Anglo-Protestant “ethnicity”
• [38:03] Superior “Creedal Americanism”
• [44:49] History of “Creedal Americanism”
• [54:14] The eroding American sense of life
Resources:
Ayn Rand, Don’t Let It Go, in Philosophy: Who Needs It [https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Who-Needs-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451138937]
Ayn Rand, “A Nation’s Unity” [https://courses.aynrand.org/works/a-nations-unity/]
Onkar Ghate, “Atlas Shrugged: America’s Second Declaration of Independence” [https://newideal.aynrand.org/america-needs-a-second-revolution-to-save-its-first/]
Ben Bayer, “Our Iran Appeasement Reveals the Need to Declare Moral Independence,” New Ideal, July 1, 2026. [https://new-ideal.aynrand.org/p/our-iran-appeasement-reveals-the]
Ben Bayer, “The Revolutionary, Secular Concept of Individual Rights” OCON 2024 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79fT9VIDkVs]
This episode was recorded on July 10, 2026.
Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla / staff / via Getty Images
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand Institute app:
– App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: https://ari.aynrand.org/donate
Explore these ideas further! ARIs online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: https://newideal.aynrand.org/
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: https://aynrand.org/signup
Follow ARI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AynRandInst
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Follow ARI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aynrandorg
Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: https://ari.aynrand.org/events/
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: https://ari.aynrand.org/ Heritage vs. Creed: What Actually Makes You an American?](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9e5PLKhXvF0/mqdefault.jpg)


![Mamdanis Socialist War on Gifted Kids
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Samantha Watkins challenge Zohran Mamdani’s plan to phase out NYC’s Gifted & Talented program—a move that would hold back advanced students from the education they need to thrive—and replace it with universal free childcare.
• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:15 NYC’s Gifted & Talented Program
• 05:48 Mamdani’s Reasons to End G&T
• 13:11 Mamdani’s Universal Childcare Proposal
• 21:19 The Goal Is Punishing Gifted Kids
• 31:32 The Reaction to Mamdani’s Proposals
• 38:19 Education Is Not Zero-Sum
Resources:
• Ayn Rand, “The Age of Envy,” Return of the Primitive
• Ayn Rand, “The Comprachicos,” Return of the Primitive
[https://www.amazon.com/Return-Primitive-Anti-Industrial-Revolution-ebook/dp/B002OSXDAK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HOFFE9Z3L994&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZAnEo pBsOvVwT53e2Z7hvXKF-tWKz8ggHWRQdBAmthEmczA3NAiuFVX6rWtU3y.wjnRLrvnxV-Ty1bP_Zagipu1oUDoII-2qOnGuirpaJc&dib_tag=se&keywords=return+of+the+primitive+by+ayn+rand&qid=1763037509&sprefix=return+of+the+primi%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1]
This episode was recorded on November 5, 2025.
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand Institute app:
– App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: https://ari.aynrand.org/donate
Explore these ideas further! ARIs online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: https://newideal.aynrand.org/
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: https://aynrand.org/signup
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Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: https://ari.aynrand.org/events/
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: https://ari.aynrand.org/ Mamdanis Socialist War on Gifted Kids](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A1sggf9exTQ/mqdefault.jpg)


![Trump Is Fighting for American Freedom Overseas While Killing It at Home
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss recent developments in the Iran war.
Topics covered:
• [0:00] Intro
• [1:04] Moral vs. stated reasons for the war
• [6:23] The Trump administration’s arbitrariness
• [16:37] The government’s attacks on freedom at home
• [25:36] The risks in leaving the war early
• [31:42] The reaction of Trump’s base to the war
• [38:43] Our un-American foreign policy
This episode was recorded on March 20, 2026.
Credits: v1: simon2579 / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images; v2: PeterPencil / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand Institute app:
– App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: https://ari.aynrand.org/donate
Explore these ideas further! ARIs online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: https://newideal.aynrand.org/
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: https://aynrand.org/signup
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Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: https://ari.aynrand.org/events/
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: https://ari.aynrand.org/ Trump Is Fighting for American Freedom Overseas While Killing It at Home](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CKAe7rMPwjE/mqdefault.jpg)

![Steven Pinkers Weak Defense of Enlightenment Values vs. Religion
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss a recent essay by Steven Pinker and Marian Tupy (“The Golden Age of Humanity? We’re Living In It” [https://www.thefp.com/p/the-golden-age-of-humanity-were-living]) that aims to offer a secular alternative to the recent resurgence in religious culture.
• [0:00] Introduction
• [1:22] The Anti-Enlightenment Phenomenon
• [12:23] Pinker and Tupy’s secular strengths
• [22:32] A weak critique of Christian morality
• [30:07] Christian morality and antisemitism
• [36:41] Understanding the crisis of meaning
• [47:13] Unphilosophical moral foundations
• [59:08] Alternative, Pro-Enlightenment moral foundation
Resources:
• “The Objectivist Ethics,” Ayn Rand [https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-objectivist-ethics/]
• “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God,” Onkar Ghate [https://new-ideal.aynrand.org/p/finding-morality-and-happiness-without]
• “Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics,” Ben Bayer [https://new-ideal.aynrand.org/p/debunking-the-supernaturalism-that?utm_source=publication-search]
This episode was recorded on December 16, 2025.
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand Institute app:
– App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: https://ari.aynrand.org/donate
Explore these ideas further! ARIs online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: https://newideal.aynrand.org/
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: https://aynrand.org/signup
Follow ARI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AynRandInst
Follow ARI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AynRandInstitute
Follow ARI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aynrandorg
Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: https://ari.aynrand.org/events/
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: https://ari.aynrand.org/ Steven Pinkers Weak Defense of Enlightenment Values vs. Religion](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ClmXn3-j2t4/mqdefault.jpg)

![Iranian Theocracy on the Brink? Why Protesters Deserve Our Moral Support
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.
Among the topics covered:
• Introduction; [0:00]
• The nature of the protests; [1:37]
• Moral versus military support; [6:40]
• Trump versus Obama and Biden; [16:49]
• The benefits of a free Iran; [22:31]
• The roots of Western silence. [26:20]
Resources:
- Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism: [https://courses.aynrand.org/works/failing-to-confront-islamic-totalitarianism/]
- What Justice Demands: [https://newideal.aynrand.org/free-read-the-introduction-of-what-justice-demands/]
- The U.S. has Appeased Iran for Decades: [https://newideal.aynrand.org/the-u-s-has-appeased-iran-for-decades/]
This episode was recorded on January 13, 2026, and posted on January , 2026. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
Subscribe to ARI’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss a video:
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AynRandInstitute
Download or stream free courses on Ayn Rand’s works and ideas with the Ayn Rand Institute app:
– App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayn-rand-university/id1452535178?mt=8
– Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aynrandu
ARI is funded by donor contributions. You can support our work by becoming an ARI Member or making a one-time contribution: https://ari.aynrand.org/donate
Explore these ideas further! ARIs online publication, New Ideal, explores pressing cultural issues from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism: https://newideal.aynrand.org/
******
Keep in Touch! Sign up to receive email updates from ARI: https://aynrand.org/signup
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Follow ARI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aynrandorg
Subscribe to the ARI Live! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ayn-rand-institute-live/id1440399458
******
Join an upcoming virtual or in-person event: https://ari.aynrand.org/events/
Visit ARI’s website for more about our content and programs: https://ari.aynrand.org/ Iranian Theocracy on the Brink? Why Protesters Deserve Our Moral Support](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EDnD9GWdLaI/mqdefault.jpg)