Philosophy for Living On Earth
Ayn Rand Institute
Contrary to common belief, philosophy is not a useless field for academics in an ivory tower, detached from reality. Approached rationally, its principles are the indispensable foundation and practical toolset for navigating the complexities of life on earth. In this series, we explore important philosophical issues, offering answers to life’s big questions, and contemporary controversies, from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 21, 2019 • 1h 1min
Should I Follow My Head or My Heart? by Aaron Smith
All of us have experienced clashes between our thinking and our feelings—between our “head” and our “heart.” The question we seem to face, in any given clash, is: Which one to follow—“head” or “heart”? On this Philosophy for Living on Earth webinar, ARI’s Aaron Smith discusses Ayn Rand’s perspective on this issue. Recorded live as part of…
Aug 14, 2019 • 1h 4min
Can You Take Credit for Who You Are? by Ben Bayer
What makes you who you are? Is it nature or nurture—or a bit of both? Or does that very way of framing the question leave out something very important, namely—you? Can you take credit for who you are? If so, how? We can’t and we don’t create ourselves out of nothing. Some people are born…
Aug 7, 2019 • 1h 1min
What Is Self-Esteem? How Do I Get It? by Elan Journo
Is having self-esteem a good thing? Most people will say it’s part of living a good life. And we all know someone who lives with gnawing self-doubt, someone with little or no self-esteem at all. It really holds them back. But is self-esteem something anyone can attain, or is it just for the lucky few?…
6 snips
Aug 1, 2019 • 1h 2min
Can There Be Good Without God? by Onkar Ghate
Philosopher Onkar Ghate discusses the relationship between morality and religion, challenging blind obedience to authority in morality and exploring the historical source of religious duty. The podcast debates moral absolutism vs. moral grayness, rethinks morality with reason and religion, and delves into the causal nature of free will in morality.
Jul 24, 2019 • 59min
Love Does Not Require Sacrifice by Keith Lockitch
Conflicts among priorities and values, big or small, come up in relationships all the time. Figuring out how to navigate them is critical to making the relationship work. If you look to any self-help or psychology website for advice on this topic, you’ll see articles with titles like: “7 things you should sacrifice for a…
