Saint-Just at *The New York Times*
“One does not make a revolution by halves … . We must not only punish traitors, but all people who are not enthusiastic.”
Saint-Just at *The New York Times* Read More »
Nietzsche’s Sister and *The Will to Power* [Open College transcript]
We’re posting serially at thinkspot the transcripts of my Open College podcasts. Here’s the sixth: OC6: Nietzsche’s Sister and The Will to Power. “The story of The Will to Power all by itself has the makings of a dramatic documentary film. It has this tormented genius, Friedrich Nietzsche, already recognized as one of the great
Nietzsche’s Sister and *The Will to Power* [Open College transcript] Read More »
Marian Tupy (Cato) and Human Progress: TASA conversation upcoming
I will be a guest, along with the excellent Marian Tupy, on the TASA show hosted by Jennifer Grossman. The positive data on human progress are overwhelming. Yet so many are pessimistic. Is it simple ignorance of the data? Is it that bad news drowns out the good? Is it that we’ve made only technical
Marian Tupy (Cato) and Human Progress: TASA conversation upcoming Read More »
1776 in Moscow, Paris, Salzburg, Philadephia, and Kirkcaldy
The American Founders sign the Declaration in Philadelphia. Adam Smith of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, publishes The Wealth of Nations. In Paris, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier demonstrates the composition of air. In Salzburg, 20-year-old Mozart begins work on Piano Concerto No. 9. The Bolshoi Ballet is founded in Moscow. What a year.
1776 in Moscow, Paris, Salzburg, Philadephia, and Kirkcaldy Read More »
What Would Dagny Do? Ayn Rand on the PPP
In dystopic Atlas Shrugged, Dagny Taggart faced huge obstacles keeping the railroad running. But the president of the nation, Mr. Thompson, authorized the Payroll Protection Plan. Would Dagny fill out the application paperwork herself, or would she delegate that to Eddie Willers? Howard Roark said No to the Manhattan Bank Building commission, even though
What Would Dagny Do? Ayn Rand on the PPP Read More »
TAS livestream upcoming on Mill, Objectivity, and Liberal Education
RESCHEDULED FOR JULY 17. In May, I led a discussion with the Atlas Intellectuals on George Orwell’s review of The Totalitarian Enemy. The question Orwell asked was: Are the Nazis really Socialist? I’m returning to the group on Friday, JulY 17 at 2 pm CT to discuss the new Waterfall campaign on Objectivity, beginning with
TAS livestream upcoming on Mill, Objectivity, and Liberal Education Read More »
Analogies: A Primer for the PPP and RRR Debate
Analogies clarify by making comparisons. To work well, they transfer the same structure to a more familiar domain. Often, to make general and abstract claims more easily grasped, they use particular and concrete examples. So here’s a breakdown of my PPP/WalMart analogy previously posted. What one needs to ask in evaluating this analogy is: Are
Analogies: A Primer for the PPP and RRR Debate Read More »
Rand’s “Francisco’s Money Speech” [Waterfall]
Waterfall is a guided series of courses for everyone interested in issues upon which Objectivism has something distinctive and important to say. The first course: Money. Examine the essential role that money plays in production, trade, and investment with thinkers such as Ayn Rand and Ludwig von Mises as your guide—as well as explore the hostility
Rand’s “Francisco’s Money Speech” [Waterfall] Read More »