The Atlas Society Presents - Objectively Speaking
The Atlas Society
We promote open Objectivism: the philosophy of reason, achievement, individualism, and freedom.
Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism was set forth in such works as her epic novel Atlas Shrugged, and in her brilliant non-fiction essays. Objectivism is designed as a guide to life, and celebrates the remarkable potential and power of the individual. Objectivism also challenges the doctrines of irrationalism, self-sacrifice, brute force, and collectivism that have brought centuries of chaos and misery into the lives of millions of individuals. It provides fascinating insights into the world of politics, art, education, foreign policy, science, and more, rewarding you with a rich understanding of how ideas shape your world. Those who discover Objectivism often describe the experience as life-changing and liberating.
Ayn Rand's philosophical works have been praised as presenting historic breakthroughs in thinking. At the Atlas Society, our scholars work to further develop this philosophy born in the mid-twentieth century. We present the empowering principles of Objectivism to a global audience, and offer those principles as a rational and moral alternative in the marketplace of philosophical ideas.
Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism was set forth in such works as her epic novel Atlas Shrugged, and in her brilliant non-fiction essays. Objectivism is designed as a guide to life, and celebrates the remarkable potential and power of the individual. Objectivism also challenges the doctrines of irrationalism, self-sacrifice, brute force, and collectivism that have brought centuries of chaos and misery into the lives of millions of individuals. It provides fascinating insights into the world of politics, art, education, foreign policy, science, and more, rewarding you with a rich understanding of how ideas shape your world. Those who discover Objectivism often describe the experience as life-changing and liberating.
Ayn Rand's philosophical works have been praised as presenting historic breakthroughs in thinking. At the Atlas Society, our scholars work to further develop this philosophy born in the mid-twentieth century. We present the empowering principles of Objectivism to a global audience, and offer those principles as a rational and moral alternative in the marketplace of philosophical ideas.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 26, 2025 • 1h 2min
Trade War: What is it Good For? (Absolutely Nothing) with Kelley and Tracinski
The news of the day is filled with tariffs and trade wars, not just aimed at China but at our biggest and friendliest trading partners like Canada. Is trade bad? Did it hollow out manufacturing and make us poorer? Are other countries "ripping us off"? Or is it the trade war that's killing the economy?
In preparation for the release of The Atlas Society’s newest publication, "The Pocket Guide to Free Trade," later this year, we invite you to join Atlas Society Founder and Senior Scholar David Kelley, Ph.D., and Senior Fellow Rob Tracinski for a discussion about how trade is a vital necessity of prosperity and essential to economic freedom, and why barriers to international trade are mostly arbitrary and destructive.
Mar 19, 2025 • 1h 1min
Is Politics The New Religion? with Joshua Mitchell
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 245th episode of The Atlas Society Asks, where she interviews Joshua Mitchell, professor of political theory at Georgetown University, about his book "American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time," which explores how America’s founding ideal of civic engagement is being eroded by identity politics, social media-induced bipolarity, cultural addition to convenience–and how these challenges can be overcome.
Joshua Mitchell has written extensively on Western political philosophy and theology, authoring four books, including Tocqueville in Arabia: The Anxieties of the Democratic Age and The Fragility of Freedom: Tocqueville on Religion, Democracy, and the American Future. Mitchell was also part of the team responsible for founding Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar.
Mar 12, 2025 • 1h 1min
How China Perfected the Surveillance State with Geoffrey Cain
Join Atlas Soceity CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 244th episode of The Atlas Society Asks where she sits down with investigative journalist Geoffrey Cain to talk about his book "The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future," which reveals the extraordinary intrusiveness and power of the tech surveillance giants and the chilling implications for all our futures.
A former correspondent at The Economist and regular commentator in The Wall Street Journal, Time, Foreign Policy, and a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC, and Bloomberg, Cain writes about the ways that technology is upending our lives, communities, governments and businesses. His work takes him to the world’s most authoritarian and far-off places, from inside North Korea to the trans-Siberian railway across Russia, from investigations into genocide in Cambodia to experiments in technological surveillance in China.
Check Out More From Geoffrey Cain:
Website: https://geoffreycain.net/
X: https://x.com/geoffrey_cain
Mar 5, 2025 • 1h
Woodrow Wilson: Progressive Hero? with Christopher Cox
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 243rd episode of The Atlas Society Asks, where she sits down with author, political historian, attorney, and politician Christopher Cox to discuss his new book, Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn. The book explores Wilson’s opposition to racial equality and women’s suffrage, highlighting his role in segregating the federal government, resisting the 19th Amendment, and ultimately attempting to preserve Jim Crow restrictions even as women secured the right to vote.
Feb 26, 2025 • 59min
Is the Capitalist Peace Claim True? With Hicks & Salsman
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholars Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a special webinar discussing the "Capitalist Peace" thesis, where the duo will examine the claim that capitalist societies tend towards peace while authoritarian ones tend towards it, pulling from historical examples and data.
Feb 20, 2025 • 1h
Funding the Future of AI? with Gregg Hill
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 241st episode of The Atlas Society Asks, where she speaks with Gregg Hill, Co-Founder and General Partner of Parkway VC, about his entrepreneurial journey, his views on the future of AI and robotics, and how investment will contribute to developing these emerging technologies.
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Gregg Hill is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Parkway VC, an experienced investor and successful entrepreneur with a strong focus on AI and technology investments. Before Parkway, Gregg was a founding partner of H&S Capital and played a key role as an early and active investor in several tech ventures, including the AI startup Frustum. Gregg has a background in professional tennis, having been trained by Nick Bollettieri and achieving top rankings before a career-ending injury. He holds a degree in Economics from USC and is passionate about philanthropy, particularly through his work with the American Diabetes Association and Match Point Impact.
Feb 12, 2025 • 58min
What is Wealth? with Dr. Daniel Crosby
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 240th episode of The Atlas Society Asks, where she speaks with psychologist and behavioral finance expert Dr. Daniel Crosby about his new book "The Soul of Wealth: 50 Reflections on Money and Meaning."
Dr. Daniel Crosby is a psychologist and behavioral finance expert who helps organizations understand the intersection of the mind and markets. He is the author of "The Soul of Wealth: 50 Reflections on Money and Meaning," which presents 50 short essays exploring what wealth really is and provides practical suggestions for changing one's thinking and actions in small, powerful ways to live a wealthier life.
Feb 5, 2025 • 59min
FDR's War on Individual Rights with David T. Beito
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 239th episode of The Atlas Society Asks where she interviews David T. Beito, Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, about his latest book, "The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance," which unveils a very different portrait of FDR than the standard orthodoxy found in today’s historical studies.
A Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama, Beito is the recipient of the Ellis Hawley Prize and the author of several books, including "T.R.M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer," "Taxpayers in Revolt: Tax Resistance during the Great Depression," and "From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967."
Jan 29, 2025 • 1h 1min
After 7 October: Israel and the Crisis of Civilization with Brendan O'Neill
Join CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 238th episode of The Atlas Society Asks where she interviews returning guest Brendan O'Neill about his new book "After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation."
Brendan O'Neill was the editor of Spiked magazine from 2007 to 2021, and is now its chief political writer and is also a contributor to the Daily Telegraph and a variety of other publications across Europe and America. In his battle against cancel culture and groupthink, O’Neill has published several books including "A Duty to Offend," "Anti-Woke," and "A Heretic’s Manifesto: Essays on the Unsayable."
Jan 22, 2025 • 1h
Declining Islam in the Middle East? with Timur Kuran
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 237th episode of The Atlas Society Asks where she interviews Timur Kuran, Professor of Economics and Political Science and Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, about the complex dynamics of societal change, including how historical institutions and modern pressures have shaped the role of Islam in the Middle East.
Timur Kuran is a Professor of Economics and Political Science and Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University. Kuran’s groundbreaking work sheds light on the complex dynamics of societal change, including how historical institutions and modern pressures have shaped the role of Islam in the Middle East. His seminal work Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification explores the act of misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures and how this phenomenon is ubiquitous and has huge social and political consequences.
