The Objective Standard Podcast

"Ayn Rand's Theory of Rights: The Moral Foundation of a Free Society" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:19:00 EDT

Examines the essential aspects of her philosophy that give rise to her theory of rights, as against the theories of God-given, government-granted, and "natural" rights. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Religion vs. Free Speech" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:24:00 EDT

Demonstrates that the tenets of religion are incompatible with the right to free speech, and shows why those who want to establish and maintain freedom of speech must repudiate religion and embrace the rational, secular foundation for rights. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"The Government's Assault on Private-Sector Colleges and Universities" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:14:00 EDT

Examines the government�s baseless case against career colleges and exposes its malicious efforts to destroy them. Read by Karl Kowalski.

Interview with Reza Kahlili, an Ex-CIA Spy Embedded in Iran�s Revolutionary Guards

The Objective Standard — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:12:00 EDT

Interview with Reza Kahlili, an Ex-CIA Spy Embedded in Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Read by Sean Saulsbury and Karl Kowalski.

"Toward a Free Market in Education: School Vouchers or Tax Credits?" by Michael A. LaFerrara

The Objective Standard — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:04:00 EDT

Distinguishes school vouchers from tax credits, showing that only one can provide a viable road toward free market education. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

Review of Atlas Shrugged: Part I, directed by Paul Johansson

The Objective Standard — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 22:03:00 EDT

Reviewed by C. A. Wolski. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Justice Holmes and the Empty Constitution" by Thomas A. Bowden

The Objective Standard — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:48:00 EDT

Examines the meaning and consequences of Oliver Wendell Holmes's famous dissent in Lochner v. New York, showing how and why it has devastated American jurisprudence, and indicating what future jurists must grasp and do in order to begin reversing the damage. Read by Karl Kowalski.

An Interview with Andrew Schiff about Fishing Nets, Hut Gluts, and other Economic Matters

The Objective Standard — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:02:00 EDT

The author and investor discusses his book, the state of economy, the cause of America's financial problems, and investment possibilities under the circumstances. Read by Karl Kowalski and Sean Saulsbury.

"The False Promise of Classical Education" by Lisa VanDamme

The Objective Standard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:54:00 EDT

Examines the allure of classical education, considers its forms, and shows that---although its advocates claim it to be the solution to today's educational wasteland---it only contributes to the crippling of children's minds. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Vindicating Capitalism: The Real History of the Standard Oil Company" by Alex Epstein

The Objective Standard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:55:00 EDT

Examines the rise of Standard Oil and demonstrates that the company's immense success was the result not of so-called "anti-competitive" practices or "predatory pricing" but of its superior efficiency and productivity. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"The Ground Zero Mosque, the Spread of Islam, and How America Should Deal with Such Efforts" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:43:00 EDT

Considers the Ground Zero mosque, the spread of Islam in America, and how Americans and Westerners in general should deal with such efforts. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"The Decline and Fall of American Conservatism" by C. Bradley Thompson

The Objective Standard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:57:00 EDT

Examines today's putatively splintered conservative movement, zeros in on the essence of its two dominant factions, and shows it to be unified---and stultified---by the conservatives' universal acceptance of a morality that is antithetical to liberty. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Immigration and Individual Rights" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:46:00 EDT

Zeros in on the basic principle of America and demonstrates that this principle mandates a policy of open immigration. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Why Anthony Daniels Smears Ayn Rand" by Alan Germani

The Objective Standard — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:45:00 EDT

Examines Daniels's recent New Criterion article "Ayn Rand: Engineer of Souls" and ponders the why "an otherwise capable intellectual so grossly misrepresent Rand�s actual views--and do so, not at a cocktail party, but in a public forum?" Read by Karl Kowalski.

"Israel and America's Flotilla Follies (and How To Avoid Them in the Future)" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:35:00 EDT

Considers the essentials of the recent "peace activist" effort to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza, the pathetic nature of Israel and America's responses to the assault, and the principles that should have governed their responses. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"The Morality of Moneylending: A Short History" by Yaron Brook

The Objective Standard — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:05:00 EDT

Presents a history of usury, showing that, just as moneylenders are being damned and blamed for today's "sub-prime mortgage crisis," so they have been condemned and castigated for alleged wrongdoing from the beginning of Western civilization. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Citizens United and the Battle for Free Speech in America" by Steve Simpson

The Objective Standard — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:07:00 EDT

Analyzes the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC, surveys the relevant history of campaign finance laws in relation to the Court's decision, and discusses the significance of the ruling for the future of free speech. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Moral Health Care vs. 'Universal Health Care'" by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh

The Objective Standard — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:07:00 EDT

Specifies the rights violations and economic problems caused by U.S. government interference in health insurance and medicine and shows that the only viable solution is to transition to a rights-respecting, free market in these industries. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"The Creed of Sacrifice vs. The Land of Liberty" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:56:00 EDT

Examines the morality of altruism, exposing its incompatibility with the basic principle of America (i.e., individual rights), identifying its philosophic roots, and showing that if Americans want to save America, they must repudiate this creed, root and branch. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"Mandatory Health Insurance: Wrong for Massachusetts, Wrong for America" by Paul Hsieh

The Objective Standard — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:10:00 EDT

Identifies the theory behind the Massachusetts mandatory health insurance program, exposes the program as a fiasco, explains why the theory had to fail in practice, and sheds light on the only genuine, rights-respecting means to affordable, accessible health care for Americans. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"The Mystical Ethics of the New Atheists" by Alan Germani

The Objective Standard — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:01 EDT

Examines the moral ideas of Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins, exposes some curious truths about their ethics, and provides sound advice for theists and atheists alike who wish to discover and uphold a rational, secular morality. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Reason or Faith: The Republican Alternative" by John David Lewis

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:01:00 EDT

Analyzes the resounding Republican defeat and shows that the party faces a fundamental decision that will determine whether it orchestrates a comeback or stumbles into further defeat. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"Capitalism and the Moral High Ground" by Craig Biddle

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:03:00 EDT

Concretizes the selfishness-enabling nature of capitalism and shows why this feature makes it the only moral social system on earth. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

Review of Jennifer Burns's Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:57:00 EDT

Reviewed by Robert Mayhew. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"How the Freedom to Contract Protects Insurability" by Paul Hsieh

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:05:00 EDT

Shows that, contrary to proposals being put forth by Republicans, a genuinely free market in health insurance is not only moral, in that it respects the rights of producers and consumers, but also practical, in that it enables businessmen to solve problems for profit---which leads to more and better products and services at lower prices for consumers. Read by Sean Saulsbury.

"Altruism: The Moral Root of the Financial Crisis" by Richard M. Salsman

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:06:00 EDT

Zeros in on the fundamental cause of the problem, showing that widespread acceptance of the morality of self-sacrifice necessitated the kinds of laws, regulations, and decisions that have driven the financial markets into the gutter. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"Obama's Atomic Bomb: The Ideological Clarity of the Democratic Agenda" by John David Lewis

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:06:00 EDT

Examines America's political climate in light of the unmistakably statist agenda emanating from Washington, and finds cause for optimism in the effect Obama is having on the minds of Americans---and cause for activism toward helping Americans to see the proper political alternative: not conservatism but capitalism. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"Net Neutrality: Toward a Stupid Internet" by Raymond C. Niles

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:07:00 EDT

Focuses on the principle of property rights as it applies to the Internet in the face of increasing calls for government controls of this, as yet, relatively free market. Read by Karl Kowalski.

"'No Substitute for Victory': The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism" by John David Lewis

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:10:00 EDT

This talk consults the historical precedent of American policy towards Shintoism in post-1945 Japan to show that a proper policy today would first identify Islamic Totalitarianism as the cause of the threat facing the West, and then direct American resources toward eliminating the political imposition of Islamic Law. If Americans want to end the threats against their lives and liberty, they must first identify the advocates of political Islam (those who seek to impose Islamic Law by force) as the true enemy, and then destroy that enemy---beginning with the Islamic State of Iran.

"'Just War Theory' vs. American Self-Defense" by Yaron Brook

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:09:00 EDT

The Bush administration's pseudo-war is a self-sacrificial disaster. Nearly five years after President Bush declared "war on terrorism," victory is nowhere in sight. American soldiers continue to die in Iraq for no clear self-defense purpose, while enemy regimes such as Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to sponsor Islamic terrorism and spread anti-Americanism without fear of reprisal. The cause of America's continuing insecurity is not any practical inability to defeat our enemies---America can militarily crush any enemy it chooses---but our leaders' unwillingness to do what is necessary to defeat them. The only path to American security is real war, self-interested war, a war of genuine American self-defense. In this talk, Dr. Brook presents the principles of "Just War Theory," the altruistic theory guiding the Bush administration's so-called "War on Terrorism," and contrasts them with the principles of a proper, moral approach to American self-defense.

"Eminent Domain: To Preserve or To Abolish": A debate between Jeffrey Finkle and Yaron Brook

The Objective Standard — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:11:00 EDT

Does the government have a moral right to take citizens' property under certain conditions---or do citizens have an absolute right to their personal property? Does robust economic development require the occasional use of eminent domain---or would economic progress be greater if property rights were upheld as truly inalienable? What are the moral issues involved in eminent domain? What are the practical issues? Are the moral and the practical necessarily at odds---or can they be reconciled? Mr. Finkle and Dr. Brook will present the facts in support of their respective positions.