principles – Ayn Rand Institute Live!

Theory to Practice: Applying Objectivism to the Pursuit of Happiness by Tal Tsfany

April 20, 2022 arilive_user 45:45 0 Comments

Ayn Rand gave us the gift of her fictional characters manifesting moral ideals, and showing us what is possible and admirable. How do we leverage that inspiration toward writing our own story, paving our own path, living our own heroic life? In this talk, ARI’s CEO, Tal Tsfany, shares his experience and insights about the process of implementing moral ideals in one’s life.

This talk was part of Ayn Rand Con Europe on April 3, 2022.

Reason, Purpose and Self-Esteem: Keys to a Better Life and Society

December 16, 2020 Alex Wigger 54:35 0 Comments

Recorded live as part of Ayn Rand Conference Europe 2020.

Principles and Personal Values by Gregory Salmieri

February 19, 2020 arilive_user 1:31:17 0 Comments

Morality is widely seen as a counterweight to self-interest, and it is often thought that adherence to esthetic principles constrains the artist’s ability to express himself and an audience’s ability to respond in a genuinely personal way. On this common view, principles are opposed to personal values. In this talk, Dr. Salmieri explores Rand’s contrary view that principles identify what makes personal values possible and that adhering to them enables an individual to value on a grand scale.

Recorded live in Cleveland on June 25, 2019

Do I Need a Philosophy? by Aaron Smith

December 4, 2019 arilive_user 1:01:13 0 Comments

Many people have at least heard of a few of history’s great philosophers. Names like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—they ring a bell and maybe some of us have even taken a philosophy course in college or perhaps encountered books or podcasts that are espousing or offering some kind of philosophy of life—a philosophy for living.

But what exactly is a philosophy? What does it mean to have a philosophy and, more importantly, do you need a philosophy?

Join Aaron Smith to explore one of life’s big questions: Do I need a philosophy?

Why Are Principles Important in Life? by Keith Lockitch

October 17, 2019 arilive_user 1:00:36 0 Comments

When we describe someone as a person of principle, it’s often meant as a compliment. We mean that the person has a solid moral compass and that his actions are grounded in time-honored rules of conduct. On the other hand, though, we sometimes view principles as being rigid and constraining, a bunch of rules that stifle spontaneity. From that point of view we sometimes view the man of principles as being somewhat dogmatic, maybe even a bit of a zealot.

So is it good to be a principled person or is it a problem? What exactly are principles anyway and what do they do for us? Do we even need them in life? These are questions that Keith Lockitch will be exploring in this episode of Philosophy for Living on Earth.

What Are Rights and Where Do They Come from? by Harry Binswanger

September 11, 2019 arilive_user 58:12 0 Comments

Join special guest Harry Binswanger for this entry in the series of Ayn Rand Institute webinars on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and its application to current issues. His topic is the one principle on which our very lives depend: the principle of Individual Rights. This concept—which the United States of America was based upon—has now vanished from the public understanding with tragic results. In his discussion, Binswanger will present the Objectivist theory of what rights are (their metaphysical status), how we know them (their epistemological status) and what they mean in political practice.

Harry Binswanger explores another one of life’s big questions: What Are Rights and Where Do They Come from?