The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have become a major force to contend with in U.S. politics, as seen in Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York and in a series of congressional electoral successes. However, while many see the DSA as an idealistic alternative to the status quo, their ideals are deeply rooted in dogmas held on faith, such as their faith in “economic democracy,” in the future promise of socialism, in the evil of Israel, and in the view of capitalism as inherently exploitative.In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Tristan de Liège and Ben Bayer expose the DSA’s agenda as a series of articles of faith, one based especially on a religious approach to morality.Topics include:• How democratic socialists conceive of exploitation• Socialists’ obsession with democracy• Evading socialism’s failures in the 20th century• Why democratic socialists defend dictatorships like Iran and Venezuela• How altruism sustains the belief in socialismThis episode was recorded on October 28, 2026.

Ayn Rand famously held Aristotle in high regard, describing him as a “philosophical Atlas who carries the whole of Western civilization on his shoulders.” Given such a statement, it’s not surprising that there are rich connections to be found between Aristotle’s philosophical system and Rand’s, which she called Objectivism. Scholars of Aristotle and Rand have found deep connections between the two in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics.In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Tristan de Liège, Jim Lennox, and Greg Salmieri explore some of these connections, discussing issues such as the nature of logic, how humans form universal knowledge, and what it is to live a good life.Topics include:• Axiomatic concepts and the laws of logic• The problem of universals• Scientific knowledge as fixed versus dynamic• What biology can tell us about ethics• Nobility and virtue• Convincing academia to take Objectivism seriouslyThis episode was recorded on October 19, 2026.

Recently, author and ARI’s VP of Fundraising and Marketing Don Watkins was interviewed on the Texas Talks podcast, where he discussed Ayn Rand’s unique moral admiration for productive work, her new conception of self-interest, and ARI’s work to preserve and spread her philosophy today.Topics include:Why Ayn Rand has an enduring appealThe morality and spirituality of wealth creationWorking, marketing, and fundraising at ARINews about the Ayn Rand Center in AustinWhy we need a new conception of self-interest to defend capitalismARI’s work and programsBradley Swail is the host of the Texas Talks podcast, not an employee of the Ayn Rand Institute.

Recently, ARI Senior Fellow Ben Bayer was interviewed on the Texas Talks podcast, where he discussed Ayn Rand’s unique approach to philosophy as a practical means for living, the life-promoting philosophy she developed as a result, and how her idealist-realist heroes dramatize it. Bayer contrasted Rand’s approach and views with the dominant ones in today’s culture, focusing specifically on Stoicism and altruism.Bradley Swail is the host of the Texas Talks podcast, not an employee of the Ayn Rand Institute.Topics include:The essence of Rand’s philosophy.Why today’s philosophers don’t dramatize their philosophies in stories.Why Rand’s heroes resonate with so many people.How the philosophy in The Fountainhead compares to that in Atlas Shrugged.How Objectivism differs from Stoicism.Today’s confused oscillation between Judeo-Christian altruism and pragmatism.Bayer’s forthcoming book, Breaking Free from Faith-Based Morality.

In her recent book The Mattering Instinct, philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein argues that much of what human beings do is driven by a universal need to matter — to prove to ourselves that we are worthy of consideration. She argues that efforts to fulfill this need are responsible for a wide range of human projects, from the greatest achievements of scientific discovery and artistic creation, to the worst atrocities of murder and genocide.On this episode of ARI Bookshelf, Greg Salmieri, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza and Sam Weaver discuss Goldstein’s book. The episode includes discussions of the merits and limitations of Goldstein’s account of mattering and her emphasis on the idea that life involves resisting entropy. They also comment on the book’s brief mention of Ayn Rand and relate her ideas to Goldstein’s.Topics include:Goldstein’s basic account of why people have a need to matterHer conception of what constitutes objective matteringThe absence of businessmen and entrepreneurs from her categoriesThe book’s quotation of Ayn Rand in a section about intoleranceHow Goldstein uses the concept of entropy in her account of matteringHer apparent unwillingness to radically rethink conventional ideas about moralityThis episode was recorded on September 19, 2026.