work

Inside ARU: Philosophy and Work with Keith Schacht

Ayn Rand University is an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career and life guidance they need to flourish.

In this clip, from the ARU course “Philosophy, Work and Business,” instructors Tal Tsfany, Onkar Ghate and Don Watkins talk to entrepreneur and inventor Keith Schacht about how to choose and pursue a fulfilling career.

To learn more about ARU, visit university.aynrand.org.

Inside ARU: Philosophy and Work with Yaron Brook

Ayn Rand University is an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career and life guidance they need to flourish.

In this clip, from the ARU course “Philosophy, Work and Business,” instructors Tal Tsfany, Onkar Ghate and Don Watkins talk to bestselling author, speaker, and public advocate for Objectivism about how to pursue an intellectual career.

To learn more about ARU, visit university.aynrand.org.

The Evolution of Work by Jason Crawford

Man has always needed to work. But throughout history, as work moved from farms to factories to offices, it has improved in many ways. Work has become easier, safer, more reliable, more enjoyable, more flexible. Above all, it has become more productive, resulting in both soaring real wages and increased leisure. This talk will tell the story of how we got from the hunter-gatherer life to the modern working world, and will celebrate the industrial heroes who brought us here.

Recorded live as part of The Objectivist Conference on August 31, 2021.

Productive Achievement: Man’s “Noblest Activity” by Onkar Ghate

Most thinkers throughout history have held a negative or, at best, neutral view of productive work. If not scorned outright, production has usually been viewed as having no moral significance. But Ayn Rand had a unique view of the human potential, central to which is the importance she accords to the act of production. Productive achievement, in her philosophy, is man’s “noblest activity.” This talk explores what Objectivism means by the virtue of productiveness and discusses aspects of our culture’s positive and negative attitudes toward producers and productive activity.

Onkar Ghate is senior fellow and chief content officer at the Ayn Rand Institute. Tara Smith, who participates in the question period, is professor of philosophy and BB&T Chair for the Study of Objectivism at the University of Texas at Austin. This talk was delivered at Objectivist Summer Conference 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 10, 2017.

Transforming Burnout with Selfishness – Ellen Kenner, Edwin A. Locke and Jean Moroney

Burnout is a vicious cycle involving loss of motivation for one’s job or career. Internal causes include altruism, the duty premise and secondhand values. External causes include unrealistic expectations of others and injustice. Our panel of experts: Ellen Kenner, Edwin A. Locke and Jean Moroney discuss how making selfish value choices breaks the vicious cycle of burnout, so you can experience a virtuous cycle of productivity for achieving selfish goals.