Ayn Rand Centre UK Podcast

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/New Directions in Psycho-Epistemology: The Conscious Self as the Manager of Cognition and ActionAyn Rand defines “psycho-epistemology” as “the study of man’s cognitive processes from the aspect of the interaction between the conscious mind and the automatic functions of the subconscious.” This talk will put forward some new ideas about the nature of this interaction. Topics will include:—Consciousness as non-physical “management,” the “subconscious” as physical “labor.”—Neural processes as the proximate causes of all conscious experiences.—Thinking as consciously asking but subconsciously answering questions that produce new knowledge from old.—Volition as a knowledge-pump from sources in the perceived world and conceptual memory and thought that overrides automatic “programming.”—Automatic action as controlled by the brain, not by consciousness.—Words as “handles” for volitionally pumping knowledge into the thought process.—How conscious, volitional focus on key issues enables your thinking to go beyond what comes to mind automatically.—Why you respond to noxious stimuli before you feel the pain associated with them.—What happens to conscious experiences when they leave awareness. (They don’t become subconscious memories!)—Why emotions sometimes inhibit thinking.Lee Pierson, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell University, has conducted Creatical Thinking and other seminars for students from grade school to grad school and beyond, for a variety of educational and corporate clients in the United States and Canada. He is the Director of the Thinking Skills Institute.

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/Most Objectivists would agree that there isn’t an ideal presidential candidate to vote for in the upcoming elections—none driven by a rational set of principles, seeking to unequivocally and consistently protect individual rights.However, there is no doubt that the head of the government holds significant sway over the rights of Americans.It makes sense, then, to identify the candidate that poses the greater threat to one’s rights, and vote against him by voting for the alternative candidate. And it is in this identification that many Objectivists are divided.In this Meetup, we discuss and debate which candidate is the bigger threat to one’s rights, and should be voted against. With us are two Objectivist intellectuals on opposite ends of this debate—with Dr. Andrew Bernstein voting against Joe Biden, and Dr Robert Stubblefield voting against Donald Trump.

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/“It is the metaphysically given that must be accepted: it cannot be changed. It is the man-made that must never be accepted uncritically: it must be judged, then accepted or rejected and changed when necessary.” — Ayn Rand, Philosophy: Who Needs ItAyn Rand’s distinction between the metaphysically given and the man-made has been vital in helping us rationally approach issues of agency, moral responsibility and the acceptance of reality, among others.In this Meetup, we will explore several questions around the metaphysically given and the man-made. For instance:How does this distinction relate to moral responsibility?What are the consequences of not properly distinguishing between the metaphysically given and the man-made? Why is it so important to do so?How can we use this distinction to better understand human nature, and what aspects of ourselves are in our control?https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-metaphysical-versus-the-man-made/

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/Human rights organisations and activists often point to Israel as a violator of rights, especially in the context of its policies related to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.Do such concerns regarding Israel have any merit?How do Israeli policies towards the “Palestinians” compare to policies by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, or Hamas in Gaza, or other countries in the region?

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/“Values are the motivating power of man’s actions and a necessity of his survival, psychologically as well as physically.” — Ayn Rand, The Voice of ReasonOne of Ayn Rand’s most significant and unique contributions to philosophy—and ethics, in particular—was her conception of value.In this Meetup, we explore various aspects of the Objectivist values.What are values, and why are they necessary for human survival and flourishing?How do we rationally identify our personal values? How can we pursue our dearest values in the face of external and internal roadblocks?How does Rand’s value-oriented approach to morality contrast with other conventional approaches to morality?https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-objectivist-ethics/

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/“Virtue is not an end in itself. Virtue is not its own reward or sacrificial fodder for the reward of evil. Life is the reward of virtue—and happiness is the goal and the reward of life.” — Ayn Rand, Atlas ShruggedAlthough the concept of ‘virtue’ has been prominent in most moral philosophies, one of Ayn Rand’s revolutionary contributions to ethics is her grounding of ‘virtues’ in the pursuit of rational values.In this Meetup, we explore various aspects of the Objectivist virtues.In what way do virtues help us gain and keep our values? How is life the reward of virtue?How does Rand’s conceptualisation of virtue contrast with prominent moral approaches to ‘virtue’, both religious and secular?How does Rand’s approach to certain ’conventionally recognised virtues’, like honesty, justice and integrity, differ from convention?

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/A discussion with Objectivist philosopher Harry Binswanger and Jean Moroney, President of Thinking Directions, on their theory of The Reactive Subconscious.

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/We might be in the throes of cultural turmoil and political chaos, but that doesn’t mean that the lights have gone out—there are still heroes fighting the good fight, who we can laud and look up to.What are the defining qualities of a hero in today’s culture? Who are the heroes—and villains—in the current cultural episode? In this meetup, we will explore these questions, and identify the heroes and villains of the recent protests and riots—and also the heroes and villains among those responding to the protests and riots.

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/A discussion about Ayn Rand's essay 'Philosophy: Who Needs It'. The essay is available here: https://campus.aynrand.org/works/1974/03/01/philosophy-who-needs-it with an additional audio Q&A.

Sign up here to join upcoming events live via Zoom: https://www.meetup.com/London-Ayn-Rand-Meetup/Consider supporting our work by becoming a member: https://aynrandcentre.co.uk/membership/The current debate around sex and gender differences has raised fundamental questions about the roles of choice, environment, and biology in shaping human nature. For instance:What can and can’t evolutionary theory teach us about the attitudes, preferences, and behaviors of individuals?To what extent, and in what sense, are we responsible for our actions?How might biology and/or environment mitigate or enhance this responsibility?Do we inherit character traits? Can we choose to change them?Can we control what we ‘imbibe’ from our environment, including our social interactions?What are the implications of evolutionary psychology for mental illness and treatment, and for moral agency and self-improvement?These questions, and more, are discussed by evolutionary psychologist Dr. Diana Fleischman, and clinical psychologist Dr. Gena Gorlin.Recommended reading:https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.100...https://7b78c7dd-f3cf-49a2-9cd8-bc805...http://people.whitman.edu/~herbrawt/c...https://breakingthefreewillillusion.c...