Aaron Smith
Ayn Rand University
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Detailed Studies of Objectivism
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Intermediate Writing | 2025
Keith Lockitch0 Lessons
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Intermediate Writing | 2025
Keith Lockitch
Writing is a skill, a creative activity. As such, it cannot be learned primarily by reading a textbook or listening to lectures. One learns to write by writing . . . and writing and writing and writing. This course builds…
Read moreWriting is a skill, a creative activity. As such, it cannot be learned primarily by reading a textbook or listening to lectures. One learns to write by writing . . . and writing and writing and writing. This course builds on the skills acquired and lessons learned in Introduction to Writing, and students write and analyze writing throughout the course. The focus is on “applied philosophical writing”— i.e., nonfiction writing that applies philosophical thinking to current events and cultural and political issues. Intermediate Writing is designed to be taken concurrently with the second quarter of Introduction to Writing, though it can also be taken on its own with Introduction to Writing as a prerequisite.
Note: Live classes will not begin until Q2. The class times are TBD.
Prerequisites or Corequisites: 200-level courses require that students are enrolled in or have completed the “16-Week Objectivism Seminar” (which has the Fiction course as a prerequisite) or have completed the “Intensive Seminar on Objectivism”. Additionally, for this course, “Introduction to Writing” is a corequisite.
Read lessLevel: 200Quarters: Q1-Q2Credits: 2Starts: October 15, 2024Ends: March, 2025
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The Atlas Project
Gregory Salmieri20 Lessons
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The Atlas Project
Gregory Salmieri
Ben Bayer
The Atlas Project was an online, chapter-by-chapter discussion of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, exploring the novel’s intricate plot and abstract themes through online discussion and live interactive video.
Read moreThe Atlas Project was an online, chapter-by-chapter discussion of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, exploring the novel’s intricate plot and abstract themes through online discussion and live interactive video.
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Part II, Chapter 2: The Aristocracy of Pull
Part III, Chapter 7: “This Is John Galt Speaking” (part 2 of 2)
Part II, Chapter 3: White Blackmail
Part III, Chapter 8: The Egoist
Part II, Chapter 4: The Sanction of the Victim
Part III, Chapter 9: The Generator
Part II, Chapter 5: Account Overdrawn
Part II, Chapter 6: Miracle Metal
Part I, Chapter 1: The Theme
Part II, Chapter 7: The Moratorium on Brains
Part I, Chapter 2: The Chain
Part II, Chapter 8: By Our Love
Part I, Chapter 3: The Top and the Bottom
Part II, Chapter 9: The Face Without Pain or Fear or Guilt
Part I, Chapter 4: The Immovable Movers
Part II, Chapter 10: The Sign of the Dollar
Part I, Chapter 5: The Climax of the d’Anconias
Part III, Chapter 1: Atlantis
Part I, Chapter 6: The Non-Commercial
Part III, Chapter 2: The Utopia of Greed
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Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Part 2)
Onkar Ghate9 Lessons
FLEX
Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Part 2)
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged—these novels are brimming with new ideas and new perspectives on life. If you have been inspired by Ayn Rand and now want to learn more about her ideas, it’s likely because you have first read…
Read moreWe the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged—these novels are brimming with new ideas and new perspectives on life. If you have been inspired by Ayn Rand and now want to learn more about her ideas, it’s likely because you have first read one of these novels.
To begin to understand Rand’s distinctive worldview and to learn her new philosophy, Objectivism, there is no better place to start than with the study of these works. Her novels are self-consciously philosophical works, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. Spending time analyzing these, to understand the characters’ inner and outer conflicts and the opposition they face from elements within their society, illuminates Rand’s ideas.
This 8-unit course is the second part of a full 16-unit course. Building on material covered in Part 1, this course addresses topics such as selfishness vs. selflessness, objectivity, moral responsibility, love, and the nature of evil through an analysis of the characters, conflicts, and themes of Rand’s novels.
Prerequisite Readings: We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem should be read before beginning this course.
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Introduction
Selfishness
Selflessness
Love
Objectivity
Judging Moral Responsibility
Happiness & Self-Esteem
The Nature of Evil & The Sanction of the Victim
The Sanction of the Victim & Justice
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Rationality and Objectivity
Tara Smith5 Lessons
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Rationality and Objectivity
Tara Smith
Though rationality and objectivity are central to Objectivism, Objectivists’ understanding of these concepts is often sketchy. In this course, Dr. Smith deepens your understanding of exactly what rationality and objectivity consist of. It identifies the errors in several popular interpretations…
Read moreThough rationality and objectivity are central to Objectivism, Objectivists’ understanding of these concepts is often sketchy. In this course, Dr. Smith deepens your understanding of exactly what rationality and objectivity consist of. It identifies the errors in several popular interpretations of these terms. This course is both theoretical and practical. It clarifies your grasp of the nature of rationality and objectivity and it provides specific techniques—including how to avoid certain cognitive “traps”—to enhance rational and objective thinking.
The course handout can be found here.
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Introduction to Rationality and Objectivity
Rationality: Theory
Rationality: Practice
Objectivity: Theory
Objectivity: Practice
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Ayn Rand’s Life: Highlights and Sidelights
Harry Binswanger2 Lessons
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Ayn Rand’s Life: Highlights and Sidelights
Harry Binswanger
Ayn Rand embodied three extraordinary qualities: philosophic genius, heroic rationality and passionate man-worship. The result was the outstanding figure of the modern era—perhaps, of any era. These two lectures portray the essence of a world-historical figure who lived life with…
Read moreAyn Rand embodied three extraordinary qualities: philosophic genius, heroic rationality and passionate man-worship. The result was the outstanding figure of the modern era—perhaps, of any era.
These two lectures portray the essence of a world-historical figure who lived life with the passionate intensity and full consciousness of her greatest fictional heroes. (A PDF chronology of Ayn Rand’s life is included.)
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Ayn Rand’s Life, Part 1
Ayn Rand’s Life, Part 2
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Ayn Rand’s Conception of Valuing
Gregory Salmieri3 Lessons
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Ayn Rand’s Conception of Valuing
Gregory Salmieri
In her fiction and early journal entries, Ayn Rand frequently refers to valuing as an action that one must “know how to” perform. That choice of words represents her first grasp of the principle that she would later formulate to…
Read moreIn her fiction and early journal entries, Ayn Rand frequently refers to valuing as an action that one must “know how to” perform. That choice of words represents her first grasp of the principle that she would later formulate to state that values (and concepts) are objective rather than intrinsic or subjective.
In this course, Salmieri traces the development of Rand’s conception of valuing. In the process, he discusses a number of central tenets of the Objectivist ethics, including the values of reason, purpose and self-esteem; the virtues of productiveness, pride and integrity; the argument that Man’s Life is the standard of value; and the role played by Rand’s view of free will in her new conceptions of egoism and objectivity. Considering these points in the context of Rand’s novels and the development of her thought makes them easier to grasp and to apply to one’s own life.
The course outline can be found here.
This course was recorded at the 2008 Objectivist Summer Conference in Newport Beach, CA and is a preview of material that was later further developed for Chapter 3 of A Companion to Ayn Rand.
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Valuing in Rand’s Early Works
Valuing in The Fountainhead
Rand’s Mature Conception of Valuing
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Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs | 2025
Shoshana Milgram0 Lessons
LIVE
Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs | 2025
Shoshana Milgram
The Man Who Laughs, according to Ayn Rand, was the best novel ever written by Victor Hugo, her favorite novelist. Together, we will see why she was right. In our course, we will analyze its structure, relish its descriptive style,…
Read moreThe Man Who Laughs, according to Ayn Rand, was the best novel ever written by Victor Hugo, her favorite novelist. Together, we will see why she was right. In our course, we will analyze its structure, relish its descriptive style, and appreciate the integration of the suspenseful plot with the theme, colorful drama, and razor-sharp character portrayals. We will focus especially on the dramatic set-up, key turning points in the hero’s life, the crucial conflicts and contrasts, the moments when the “man who laughs” becomes the man who acts, and speaks—and, of course, the scene Ayn Rand said was the one scene, in all world literature, she wished she had written.
In this course, we will read the novel in parts, with no more than 100 pages per week, and sometimes less. If you are reading the novel in English, I recommend the only complete English translation in print, The Laughing Man, translated by the award- winning James Hogarth, published by Kennedy and Boyd in 2008 (ISBN 1 904999 84 3). (Other in-print or electronic editions have some omissions, though they do render the narrative.) If you are reading the novel in French, the two-volume Nelson edition has the full text and is the edition in Ayn Rand’s library.
Corequisite: Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism Part I: Foundations
Read lessLevel: 100Quarters: Q3Credits: 2Starts: April, 2025Ends: June, 2025
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Ancient Greece (Part 3): The Early Fourth Century
John David Lewis3 Lessons
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Ancient Greece (Part 3): The Early Fourth Century
John David Lewis
The fourth century BC, the events after the defeat of Athens by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, is often seen as the decline of the Greek world, a mere echo of a golden age. But this view overlooks a vital…
Read moreThe fourth century BC, the events after the defeat of Athens by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War, is often seen as the decline of the Greek world, a mere echo of a golden age. But this view overlooks a vital period of Greece’s intellectual achievements and political maturity. At this time, the Athenians reformed their institutions to turn them into a stable government under decent legal processes, the Greeks developed nascent federal political leagues, new markets flourished, orators brought forth groundbreaking ideas, and the philosophical schools of Plato, Aristotle, and others were established. The Greeks began to contemplate the possibility of a “common peace” for all, based on the autonomy of each city-state.
In this course, historian John Lewis defines the major political and military developments of the first half of the fourth century BC (403 to 355 BC). He emphasizes the main events that define this period: Athens’ return to prosperity and power after the defeat by Sparta and the collapse of the Spartan authoritarian society at the hands of the rising Theban leadership, who set free fellow Greeks held as slaves for generations—one of the most liberating events in all of history. Central to these stories is the concept of autonomy, which greatly influenced attempts by the Greeks to resolve their political conflicts under federal political systems. The course concludes with the political and military developments that set the stage for the rise of the Macedonians under Alexander the Great.
This course was recorded at the 2011 Objectivist Summer Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
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Autonomy and the Problem of Federalism
The Struggle for Political Dominance
The Rise of Thebes and the End of the Spartan Mirage
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Virtue, Politics, and Esthetics
Onkar Ghate7 Lessons
FLEX
Virtue, Politics, and Esthetics
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
This final course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism focuses on moral virtue, happiness, the initiation of force, and Objectivism’s view of art. We will discuss the virtues of independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, and pride, and relate them back to…
Read moreThis final course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism focuses on moral virtue, happiness, the initiation of force, and Objectivism’s view of art. We will discuss the virtues of independence, integrity, honesty, justice, productiveness, and pride, and relate them back to the “master” virtue: rationality. The course addresses Objectivism’s conception of happiness, contrasts the Objectivist ethics with conventional views, and explores Rand’s advocacy for capitalism as the only moral social system. We conclude with a look at the Objectivist esthetics, discussing the philosophical significance of art and its role in human life.
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Introduction
Unit 1: The Derivative Virtues: Independence and Integrity
Unit 2: The Derivative Virtues: Honesty and Justice
Unit 3: The Derivative Virtues: Productiveness and Pride
Unit 4: Happiness
Unit 5: The Initiation of Force, Rights, and Government
Unit 6: Esthetics and Art
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The Foundations of Knowledge
Harry Binswanger6 Lessons
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The Foundations of Knowledge
Harry Binswanger
What is knowledge? What does it depend upon? What are the means of acquiring it? In this course, given at Objectivist Summer Conference 2016 (OCON), Harry Binswanger answers these questions and, in doing so, explains the essentials of metaphysics and…
Read moreWhat is knowledge? What does it depend upon? What are the means of acquiring it? In this course, given at Objectivist Summer Conference 2016 (OCON), Harry Binswanger answers these questions and, in doing so, explains the essentials of metaphysics and epistemology from an Objectivist perspective. The course draws on material from his recent book, How We Know: Epistemology on an Objectivist Foundation.
The course addresses such questions as:
- How is “knowledge” properly defined?
- What is the ultimate source of knowledge?
- Can we trust our senses?
- What are concepts and how do we form them?
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Knowledge and Reality
Perception as the Base and Standard of Knowledge
Defending Perception
Concept Formation (Part I)
Concept Formation (Part II)
Question Period
Ayn Rand Essentials
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Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Q1-Q2) | 2025
Onkar Ghate1 Lessons
LIVE
Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Q1-Q2) | 2025
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
Ayn Rand’s novels–We the Living, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged–are self-consciously philosophical novels, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. And more than that, Rand’s fictional heroes discover and embody new philosophical…
Read moreAyn Rand’s novels–We the Living, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged–are self-consciously philosophical novels, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. And more than that, Rand’s fictional heroes discover and embody new philosophical ideas, original to Rand. To understand Rand’s distinctive worldview and to learn her new philosophy, Objectivism, there is no better place to start than with careful consideration of the content and meaning of her novels, which contain the richest treatment of a number of central principles of Objectivism available. The course provides a powerful corrective to a tendency among students of Objectivism to neglect Rand’s fiction in their study of Objectivist philosophy.
There are two iterations of this course in the ARU 2025 school year, in Q1-Q2 and Q3-Q4.
Prerequisites or Corequisites: None. 100-level courses have “Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction” or the “Intensive Seminar on Objectivism” as a corequisite.
Course Start Date: October 24, 2024
Read lessLevel: 100Quarters: Q1-Q2Credits: 4Starts: October 24, 2024Ends: March, 2025
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Q1 Tutorial Submission [Group A and B Students]
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Ayn Rand at Columbia University
Ayn Rand14 Lessons
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Ayn Rand at Columbia University
Ayn Rand
Throughout the 1960s, Ayn Rand conducted a series of radio lectures and interviews on Columbia University’s campus radio station, WKCR. The lectures were often written works that had previously been in print elsewhere, while the interviews consist of students and…
Read moreThroughout the 1960s, Ayn Rand conducted a series of radio lectures and interviews on Columbia University’s campus radio station, WKCR. The lectures were often written works that had previously been in print elsewhere, while the interviews consist of students and professors inquiring about Objectivism.
The topics Rand covered include the state of the world, industrialists, human rights, law and government.
Through these collected recordings, longtime students of Objectivism and intellectually curious newcomers alike can gain a unique insight into Rand’s thinking.
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Objective Law
Politics of a Free Society
The “Robber Barons”
Review of Aristotle by John Herman Randall, Jr.
The Money-Making Personality
19th-Century Capitalism
Romantic Literature
The Structure of Government
Conservatism vs. Objectivism
Issues in Education
The Enemies of "Extremism"
The Press in a Free Society
The Psychology of Altruism
The Nature of Rights
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From the Frankfurt School to Critical Race Theory: The New Left | 2025
Nikos Sotirakopoulos0 Lessons
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From the Frankfurt School to Critical Race Theory: The New Left | 2025
Nikos Sotirakopoulos
Marxism, ‘neomarxism’, ‘cultural Marxism’, postmodernism, post-structuralism, critical theory, Critical Race Theory: how do we make sense of the myriad branches of the new Left? What are their differences and commonalities, and how have they shaped the world we live in…
Read moreMarxism, ‘neomarxism’, ‘cultural Marxism’, postmodernism, post-structuralism, critical theory, Critical Race Theory: how do we make sense of the myriad branches of the new Left? What are their differences and commonalities, and how have they shaped the world we live in today? This course, led by Nikos Sotirakopoulos, will follow the intellectual and political developments of the Left from the 1960s until today.
Prerequisite: 16-Week Objectivism Seminar or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism II
Read lessLevel: 300Quarters: Q3Credits: 2Starts: April, 2025Ends: June, 2025
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Objective Communication
Leonard Peikoff10 Lessons
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Objective Communication
Leonard Peikoff
If you want to convey your thoughts clearly — in a report for work, a speech for school or a discussion with friends — this course offers valuable advice from an Objectivist perspective. Drawing on ideas from such diverse fields…
Read moreIf you want to convey your thoughts clearly — in a report for work, a speech for school or a discussion with friends — this course offers valuable advice from an Objectivist perspective. Drawing on ideas from such diverse fields as epistemology, drama and education, Leonard Peikoff identifies useful principles of intellectual communication and applies them to three areas: writing, speaking and arguing.
The lessons are part theory, part practical application. Throughout the original ten-lecture course (given in 1980), volunteers were asked to make brief presentations on aspects of Objectivism for class discussion, and so this course may expand or refresh your knowledge of Ayn Rand’s ideas.
Objective Communication course readings, referenced in the course, are available here.
Note: In the original course, Ayn Rand participated in the question period following the first lecture. Some of her answers are retained as part of the Q&A here, and others are available in the book Ayn Rand Answers: The Best of Her Q&A, edited by Robert Mayhew.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The videos are accompanied by other supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded in New York, NY in 1980.
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Basic Principles and Methods of Communicating Ideas
Writing: Analyses of “Philosophy: Who Needs It” and a Sample Essay
Writing: Analyses of “The Wreckage of the Consensus” and a Sample Essay
Speaking: Principles and Methods of Oral Communication
Speaking: Analyses of Student Talks on Parenting and on Objectivist Ethics
Speaking: Analyses of Student Talks on Art and on Moral Sanction
Arguing: Principles and Methods of Informal Debate
Arguing: Analyses of Student Mock Arguments on God and on Knowledge
Writing: Analyses of Student Papers on the Primacy of Consciousness and on Man’s Rights
Writing: Analyses of Student Papers on the Moral and the Practical and on Racism
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Logic: The Cashing-In
Harry Binswanger5 Lessons
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Logic: The Cashing-In
Harry Binswanger
Concepts, though fundamental, are only tools—only means to an end. The end is the practical, productive, rational use of your mind to achieve your values, secure your survival, and enhance your life. That is the topic of this course: four…
Read moreConcepts, though fundamental, are only tools—only means to an end. The end is the practical, productive, rational use of your mind to achieve your values, secure your survival, and enhance your life. That is the topic of this course: four classes on using concepts to think—to think in the way that reaches rational conclusions. Thinking is in sentences—i.e., propositions. Combining theory with homework exercises, two classes contrast the logical and the illogical way to form propositions, then two classes deal with integrating propositions to reach new identifications of facts—i.e., induction and deduction. Emphasis is given to working on practical exercises. The course, recorded at OCON 2019, builds on Binswanger’s OCON 2018 course Logic: The Method of Reason.
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Logic and Propositions: Theory
Logic and Propositions: Practice
Transition to Inference
Deductive and Inductive Inference
Wrap-up and Course Q&A
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Ancient Greece (Part 1): The Archaic Period
John David Lewis3 Lessons
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Ancient Greece (Part 1): The Archaic Period
John David Lewis
Archaic Greece encompasses the three centuries prior to the ascent of classical Greek culture. As historian John David Lewis illustrates, it subsumes intellectual, artistic, and political achievements that are self-sufficient in their own right, but also establishes the foundations of…
Read moreArchaic Greece encompasses the three centuries prior to the ascent of classical Greek culture. As historian John David Lewis illustrates, it subsumes intellectual, artistic, and political achievements that are self-sufficient in their own right, but also establishes the foundations of the later classical revolution. The rise of hundreds of autonomous poleis spread Greek culture across the Mediterranean, culminating in the establishment of Athenian democracy and the defense of Greek independence against the Persian invasions. Poets and other intellectuals brought heroism and respect for reason to the cultural forefront.
This course focuses on three aspects of the period. The first class covers the chronological background of the Greeks in the Minoan and Mycenean palace economies, and their emergence from a dark age in the eighth century BC. The second follows the rise of the polis as a political innovation, which embodied the Greek ideal of self-governance and set the stage for the defense of its independence. The third class is both an examination and a celebration of the Greek discovery of the self and passion for excellence, drawing on selections of lyric poetry from thinkers such as Homer, Hesiod, Tyrtaeus, Solon, Xenophanes, and Sappho.
As Lewis shows, the rise of the Greeks is not explained by factors such as environment, military prowess, or migrations. The cause was the Greeks themselves, who chose, on a cultural level, to live with the fullest measure of energy, intellectual acuity, and passion available to them.
These lectures were recorded at the 2009 Objectivist Summer Conference in Boston, MA.
This course includes a handout.
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Background and Basic Chronology
The Rise of the Polis
The Discovery of the Self and the Mind
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Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy
Gregory Salmieri4 Lessons
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Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy
Gregory Salmieri
Ayn Rand stated the theme of Atlas Shrugged as: “the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.” This course discusses the manner in which the novel demonstrates…
Read moreAyn Rand stated the theme of Atlas Shrugged as: “the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.” This course discusses the manner in which the novel demonstrates a new moral philosophy from the perspective of the protagonists. Follow Rearden and Dagny in their journey as they induce progressively deeper philosophical insights from the events of the novel and see how the philosophical speeches consolidate these inductions to enable further integrations.
The course shows how both Rearden and Dagny struggle with and start to grasp the philosophical principles at the root of their conflict against the looters and within themselves.
Principles discussed include: the sanction of the victim, the spirit-body dichotomy, the difference between motivation by love and by fear, and the nature of morality and why man needs it.
By showing how these principles are presented through the novel’s plot, the course fosters a deeper appreciation of Atlas Shrugged as a work of philosophy and of literature.
This course includes a handout here.
Recommended further reading/watching for this course includes Essays on Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, which provides further philosophical analysis of Atlas Shrugged. And The Atlas Project, a course led by Gregory Salmieri and Ben Bayer, provides readers of Atlas Shrugged with extensive chapter-by-chapter commentary and analysis.
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Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy: Part One
Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy: Part Two
Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy: Part Three
Atlas Shrugged as a Work of Philosophy: Part Four
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Objectivism Through Induction
Leonard Peikoff12 Lessons
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Objectivism Through Induction
Leonard Peikoff
This course, originally given by Leonard Peikoff in 1997, teaches you the method of learning Objectivism’s principles that Ayn Rand used to discover them — the only method (in Rand’s words) of discovering and validating principles in any field: induction….
Read moreThis course, originally given by Leonard Peikoff in 1997, teaches you the method of learning Objectivism’s principles that Ayn Rand used to discover them — the only method (in Rand’s words) of discovering and validating principles in any field: induction.
Induction, in essence, is the process of inferring a generalization from observations. So what are the steps by which one can reach the principles of Objectivism, not by reading books or taking courses, but by looking outward at reality?
The course answers central questions about a proper inductive method, and shows how to use that method to reach and validate several key principles of Objectivism — e.g., causality, egoism, the evil of the initiation of force, objectivity in cognition and values, the status of the arbitrary, and the metaphysical meaning of sex.
According to Dr. Peikoff, this course “is the best way I know of tying your ideas to reality and acquiring a real understanding of Objectivism.”
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The videos may be accompanied by supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded as part of Lyceum Conference 1997.
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Final Exam: Leonard Peikoff’s Answers
An Inductive Approach to Philosophy
Reason as Man’s Basic Means of Survival
Validating Egoism Inductively
Egoism and Justice
Justice and Objectivity
Aristotle’s Induction of Objectivity
Objectivity: From Aristotle to Ayn Rand
The Evil of Initiating Physical Force
Sex as Metaphysical
Values as Objective
The Arbitrary as Neither True Nor False
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Psycho-Epistemology II
Harry Binswanger2 Lessons
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Psycho-Epistemology II
Harry Binswanger
Ayn Rand defined 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.” In these lectures extending material presented in “Psycho-Epistemology I”, Dr. Binswanger introduces and…
Read moreAyn Rand defined 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.”
In these lectures extending material presented in “Psycho-Epistemology I”, Dr. Binswanger introduces and defines a new sub-discipline: applied psycho-epistemology.
Topics include:
- The goal of applied psycho-epistemology
- Psycho-epistemology as one’s automatized “mental software”
- Mental filing as link formation
- Factors affecting information retrieval
- Definition as the process that organizes your knowledge by essentials
- How to concretize properly
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Psycho-Epistemology II, Part 1
Psycho-Epistemology II, Part 2
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Reflections on Life and Personal Values
Leonard Peikoff5 Lessons
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Reflections on Life and Personal Values
Leonard Peikoff
In this collection of talks spanning more than a decade, Leonard Peikoff reflects on a wide range of topics of significant importance to his life, both personally and professionally. Several of these discussions are informal: Peikoff answers written or verbal…
Read moreIn this collection of talks spanning more than a decade, Leonard Peikoff reflects on a wide range of topics of significant importance to his life, both personally and professionally. Several of these discussions are informal: Peikoff answers written or verbal questions from audience members or reflects on personal anecdotes. Throughout the various talks, the listener will get a keen sense of Peikoff’s own personal values, especially in relation to his artistic interests, his professional life and his history with Ayn Rand.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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Why Ancient Greece Is My Favorite Civilization
Triumphs and Tribulations of a Talk-Show Host
Love, Sex and Romance
Centenary Reminiscences of Ayn Rand
Cultural Commentary Q&A
Morality as a Guide for Living
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Unity in Epistemology and Ethics
Leonard Peikoff4 Lessons
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Unity in Epistemology and Ethics
Leonard Peikoff
In these advanced talks, originally given in 1996, Leonard Peikoff discusses the significance and implications of the principle that all knowledge is interconnected. Peikoff makes the case for the unity of knowledge in great detail while showing the relation between…
Read moreIn these advanced talks, originally given in 1996, Leonard Peikoff discusses the significance and implications of the principle that all knowledge is interconnected. Peikoff makes the case for the unity of knowledge in great detail while showing the relation between this fact and the need for systematic integration across the whole of one’s knowledge. The four lessons address such questions as: If all knowledge is unified, what separates seemingly disparate fields of study like history and philosophy? Is morality easy or difficult to practice? Why does a certain category of philosophical concepts require two definitions in order to maintain unity in human cognition?
Students of Objectivism will benefit both from the clarity that Peikoff brings to these issues and from the methodological principles he introduces in discussing them.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
Recorded at Second Renaissance Conference 1996, in McLean, VA.
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Knowledge as a Unity
How to Unite History and Philosophy
The Principle of Two Definitions
Is Morality Difficult or Easy to Practice?
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In Defense of Financial Markets
Yaron Brook7 Lessons
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In Defense of Financial Markets
Yaron Brook
Free, unregulated financial markets serve the vital function of providing capital to the producers. Yet, through the ages, banking and other financial activities have been viewed as corrupt and exploitative. From the money-changers of the Middle Ages to the investment…
Read moreFree, unregulated financial markets serve the vital function of providing capital to the producers. Yet, through the ages, banking and other financial activities have been viewed as corrupt and exploitative. From the money-changers of the Middle Ages to the investment bankers of today, financiers have been crippled by the hostility of looters.
In this course, Dr. Yaron Brook defends these victims. He methodically describes how financiers serve a vital role in the economy. Using the stock market to illustrate this principle, Brook explains the important economic role of speculators, the harmony of interest between short-term and long-term investors, and the objective nature of stock prices. In addition, he defends hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts, “junk” bonds and other financial innovations used extensively in the 1980s.
In the process, he delineates the philosophic ideas that make the attacks on financial markets possible. He defends the profit motive as the only moral and practical motive for financial transactions.
This course was recorded in 1996 at the summer Objectivist conference hosted by Second Renaissance Conferences.
The course outline can be found here.
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Introduction: The Attack on Financial Markets
The Importance of Financial Markets
The Ideas Behind the Attacks Against Financiers
The Role of the Stock Market
Corporate Restructuring
Corporate Takeovers and Myths About Corporate Restructuring
A Proper Defense of Financial Markets
- Library
The DIM Hypothesis II
Leonard Peikoff6 Lessons
LIBRARY
The DIM Hypothesis II
Leonard Peikoff
In this six-lecture course recorded in July of 2010 at the Objectivist summer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Leonard Peikoff discusses the final parts of his then book-in-progress The DIM Hypothesis, published in 2012. Here is a description of the…
Read moreIn this six-lecture course recorded in July of 2010 at the Objectivist summer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Leonard Peikoff discusses the final parts of his then book-in-progress The DIM Hypothesis, published in 2012.
Here is a description of the book from the back cover of the softcover edition:
“In this far-reaching study, Peikoff identifies the three methods of integrating data, as when connecting diverse experiments by a scientific theory, or separate laws into a Constitution, or single events into a story. The first method, in which data is integrated through rational means, he calls Integration. The second, which employs nonrational means, he calls Misintegration. The third is Disintegration—which is nihilism, the desire to tear things apart.
“In The DIM Hypothesis, Peikoff demonstrates the power of these three methods in shaping the West, by using the categories to examine the culturally representative fields of literature, physics, education, and politics. Extrapolating from the historical pattern he identifies, Peikoff concludes by explaining why the lights of the West are going out—and predicts the most likely future for the United States.”
Note: Since the lectures that compose this course predate the book’s completion, the book supersedes the course. If and when there are disagreements between the two, listeners should assume that the published book represents Peikoff’s viewpoint.
(A handout for this course, prepared by Peikoff, can be found here.)
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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DIM in the Literature and Politics of Ancient Greece
DIM in the Literature and Education of Rome and the Middle Ages
The West’s Modal Progression
Secular Modes in the U.S. Today
The Anti-Secular Rebellion
What’s Next?
- Library
Anthem
Keith Lockitch10 Lessons
LIBRARY
Anthem
Keith Lockitch
Anthem is Ayn Rand’s “hymn to man’s ego.” It is the story of a young man, Equality 7-2521, who yearns for knowledge. But he lives in a bleak, dystopian future where science and technology have regressed to primitive levels, and…
Read moreAnthem is Ayn Rand’s “hymn to man’s ego.” It is the story of a young man, Equality 7-2521, who yearns for knowledge. But he lives in a bleak, dystopian future where science and technology have regressed to primitive levels, and where independent thought, personal possessions and romantic love are abolished. Obedience to the group is so deeply ingrained that the very word “I” has been erased from the language. How can Equality 7-2521 free himself from this totalitarian, collectivist society?
This video lecture course is an introduction to Anthem that includes background material on Rand and the era in which she wrote, an overview of the story, an analysis of the characters, a discussion of the story’s themes and brief comparisons to other well-known dystopian works. Among the questions answered in this course:
- How did Rand think of the idea for Anthem?
- What is most important about the characters Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000?
- What ideas led to the dismal world depicted in Anthem?
- Why does Rand consider the word “ego” to be sacred?
- How does Anthem compare to novels such as Brave New World and 1984?
High school students studying the book will find this course especially valuable, but the material is designed to interest viewers on all levels. You may take the whole course in sequence or choose to select lessons of particular interest, since each lesson is a self-contained module. Teachers who wish to use the course for classroom instruction are encouraged to select lessons most relevant to their instructional goals.
Spoiler alert: This course assumes that students have read Anthem.
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Ayn Rand and the Writing of Anthem
The Style and Literary Form of Anthem
The Setting of Anthem: A Dystopian World
Commentary on Anthem: Chapter 1
Commentary on Anthem: Chapters 2, 3 and 4
Commentary on Anthem: Chapters 5, 6 and 7
Commentary on Anthem: Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
Secondary Characters in Anthem: International 4-8818 and Liberty 5-3000
Themes of Anthem
Anthem and Other Dystopian Novels: 1984 and Brave New World
- Library
Ayn Rand: A Writer’s Life
ARI Instructor1 Lessons
LIBRARY
Ayn Rand: A Writer’s Life
ARI Instructor
Who was Ayn Rand? What kind of person did it take to create the fictional heroes of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and to develop a new philosophy of reason? This documentary-style course traces Rand’s life (1905 – 1982) from…
Read moreWho was Ayn Rand? What kind of person did it take to create the fictional heroes of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and to develop a new philosophy of reason? This documentary-style course traces Rand’s life (1905 – 1982) from the perspective of her goal of becoming a writer. Photographs, film clips and audio of Rand’s own personal recollections enliven this narrative of her prolific career. Among the questions answered in this course:
- What motivated Rand’s decision at age nine to become a writer?
- Why did she think it necessary to flee Soviet Russia?
- How did she get her start in Hollywood?
- How did she support herself while working on her unpublished fiction projects?
- How did she get the idea for the story of The Fountainhead?
- Why was Anthem first published in England and not the United States?
- Why did publishers who had turned down Rand’s earlier novels want to publish Atlas Shrugged?
- Why did Rand turn to nonfiction writing after publishing Atlas Shrugged in 1957?
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Ayn Rand: A Writer’s Life
- Flex
Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Part 1)
Aaron Smith9 Lessons
FLEX
Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Part 1)
Aaron Smith
Ben Bayer
Onkar Ghate
We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged—these novels are brimming with new ideas and new perspectives on life. If you have been inspired by Ayn Rand and now want to learn more about her ideas, it’s likely because you have first read…
Read moreWe the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged—these novels are brimming with new ideas and new perspectives on life. If you have been inspired by Ayn Rand and now want to learn more about her ideas, it’s likely because you have first read one of these novels.
To begin to understand Rand’s distinctive worldview and to learn her new philosophy, Objectivism, there is no better place to start than with the study of these works. Her novels are self-consciously philosophical works, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. Spending time analyzing these, to understand the characters’ inner and outer conflicts and the opposition they face from elements within their society, illuminates Rand’s ideas.
This is what we will do in the course. We will examine the heroes and villains in her novels from the perspective of their basic ideas, values, motivations and goals in life. We will consider how Rand’s new ideas in morality—about what is good and evil—shape her stories and convey to you, the reader, how a radically different way of life from the one we’ve been traditionally presented with is both possible and desirable. Rand’s novels convey new ways of looking at an impressively wide range of subjects, from love and sex, to pride and selfishness, to work and joy, to honesty and integrity, to faith and reason. To explore these is to explore Rand’s own worldview.
Rand held that art, particularly literature, was indispensable in depicting a moral ideal, her own new moral ideal emphatically included. Through examining Rand’s fiction we will learn about her new vision of the ideal.
This 8-unit course is the first part of a full 16-unit course. Beginning with an analysis of Rand’s use of fiction to express her philosophy, Part 1 offers an in-depth exploration of her views on topics such as productive work, individualism, and the benevolent universe premise.
Prerequisite Readings: We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem should be read before beginning this course.
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Introduction
Ayn Rand as a Fiction Writer
Work & Life
Individualism & Independence
The Moral & The Practical
Emotions & Life
The Benevolent Universe Premise
Physical Force
The Conflict & Journey of Select Characters
- Library
Kant’s Philosophy (Part 2): Moral Philosophy
Jason Rheins3 Lessons
LIBRARY
Kant’s Philosophy (Part 2): Moral Philosophy
Jason Rheins
No thinker has had a greater influence on philosophy in the last two centuries than Immanuel Kant. Building on his metaphysics and epistemology, Kant proposed an ethics that dispensed with the need for a divine authority in ethics, but which…
Read moreNo thinker has had a greater influence on philosophy in the last two centuries than Immanuel Kant. Building on his metaphysics and epistemology, Kant proposed an ethics that dispensed with the need for a divine authority in ethics, but which distilled and retained Judaeo-Christian morality’s fundamental principle—duty or moral law—and its fundamental virtue, voluntary obedience to the law.
This course examines the major conceptual elements of Kant’s moral philosophy and analyzes Kant’s lasting influence on subsequent ethics. This course is Part 2 of a two-part course on Kant’s philosophy. Part 1 addresses Kant’s theoretical philosophy.
This course was recorded at the 2011 Objectivist Summer Conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
This course includes a handout.
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Morality for Its Own Sake
The Moral Law
Formulations of the Categorical Imperative and Duties
- Library
The Morality of Freedom
Onkar Ghate1 Lessons
LIBRARY
The Morality of Freedom
Onkar Ghate
Do all people desire freedom? If we look at the history of civilization and at popular political movements over the last hundred years, argues Onkar Ghate, the answer is definitely no. The fact that freedom’s value is not self-evident underscores…
Read moreDo all people desire freedom? If we look at the history of civilization and at popular political movements over the last hundred years, argues Onkar Ghate, the answer is definitely no. The fact that freedom’s value is not self-evident underscores the importance of understanding its actual nature and value, especially for those interested in living free.
This lecture surveys the philosophical foundations of freedom as a moral and political ideal and offers a philosophical analysis of liberty’s rise and decline as a Western ideal. Focusing on the Age of Enlightenment, Ghate argues that the essence of Enlightenment philosophy inspired its leading figures to define and embrace political liberty. Among the questions answered in this course:
- Why is the Enlightenment best understood as championing reason and rejecting obedience to authority?
- What is the basic Enlightenment argument for liberty?
- Why couldn’t this argument withstand increasing attacks from nineteenth- and twentieth-century thinkers?
- Does Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism provide a new case for the ideals of the Enlightenment?
This lecture should be of interest to students of all levels, especially students interested in advocating liberty.
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The Morality of Freedom
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Objectivism: The State of the Art
Leonard Peikoff8 Lessons
LIBRARY
Objectivism: The State of the Art
Leonard Peikoff
This series of lectures was given by Leonard Peikoff in 1987, partway through the writing of his book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The book is an edited version of Peikoff’s 1976 lecture course The Philosophy of Objectivism, which…
Read moreThis series of lectures was given by Leonard Peikoff in 1987, partway through the writing of his book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The book is an edited version of Peikoff’s 1976 lecture course The Philosophy of Objectivism, which Ayn Rand attended and endorsed as “the only authorized presentation of the entire theoretical structure of Objectivism, i.e., the only one that I know of my own knowledge to be fully accurate.”
In revising the 1976 course for publication, Peikoff reorganized the material into an order of presentation that more accurately reflects the logical structure of Objectivism. In Objectivism: The State of the Art, Peikoff discusses this revised structure as well as more precise formulations of various points in Objectivism.
Peikoff described this course as “what I myself learned about Objectivism while writing my current book on the subject.” It contains fascinating technical material suitable for advanced students of Objectivism. Peikoff’s presentation of the hierarchical structure of Objectivism is especially valuable for those who would like to deepen their understanding of the philosophy.
The course consists of six lectures and two 90-minute Q&A sessions. Topics covered include:
- Where the study of philosophy should begin
- How philosophy can be a single, integrated whole, yet consist of parts that are proved before one knows the total
- The logical structure of metaphysics
- The full definition of ‘objective’
- The uniqueness of Ayn Rand’s concept of ‘logic’
- Logic as the means of practicing objectivity
- The definition of ‘principle’
- Why that which is obtained dishonestly is not a value
Disclaimer: Although Leonard Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The recordings are accompanied by supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded at The Jefferson School, San Francisco, CA, in 1987.
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The Logical Structure of Objectivism
The Logical Structure of the Objectivist Metaphysics
Rand’s Distinctive Conception of Objectivity
Rand’s Distinctive Conception of Logic
Moral Principles: What Is a Principle?
Moral Principles: Integrity and Honesty
Question Period 1: Objectivism: The State of the Art
Question Period 2: Objectivism: The State of the Art
- Live
Objectivist Logic | 2025
Harry Binswanger0 Lessons
LIVE
Objectivist Logic | 2025
Harry Binswanger
Ayn Rand embraced Aristotelian logic but took it much further. This course, through lectures and homework exercises, reviews the three most important ideas of Aristotelian logic and then focuses on the new principles of proper thinking developed by Ayn Rand….
Read moreAyn Rand embraced Aristotelian logic but took it much further. This course, through lectures and homework exercises, reviews the three most important ideas of Aristotelian logic and then focuses on the new principles of proper thinking developed by Ayn Rand. Topics will include: concept-formation, axioms, the syllogism, the need for and rules of proper definition, hierarchy, context-holding, thinking in principles, thinking in examples, and logical fallacies from equivocation to the stolen concept.
Prerequisite: Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction
Level: 200Quarters: Q3-Q4Credits: 4Starts: April, 2025Ends: September, 2025
To access this course
orAyn Rand's Novels
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Kant’s Philosophy (Part 1): Theoretical Philosophy
Jason Rheins3 Lessons
LIBRARY
Kant’s Philosophy (Part 1): Theoretical Philosophy
Jason Rheins
No thinker has had a greater influence on philosophy in the last two centuries than Immanuel Kant. This course presents the historical context in which Kant developed his metaphysics and epistemology and explains his most important ideas. By analyzing the…
Read moreNo thinker has had a greater influence on philosophy in the last two centuries than Immanuel Kant. This course presents the historical context in which Kant developed his metaphysics and epistemology and explains his most important ideas. By analyzing the content and methodology of his mature philosophical system, the course acquaints you with the essential elements and spirit of Kant’s philosophy and gives you a richer appreciation of his profound influence. This course is Part 1 of a two-part course on Kant’s philosophy. Part 2 addresses Kant’s moral philosophy.
This course was recorded at the 2007 Objectivist Summer Conference in Telluride, CO.
This course includes a handout.
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Historical and Conceptual Framework
Concepts and Method in Transcendental Idealism
Reason, Idealism, Kantianism and Objectivism
- Discussing Objectivism
“Apollo and Dionysus”
Aaron Smith1 Lessons
DISCUSSING OBJECTIVISM
“Apollo and Dionysus”
Aaron Smith
Sam Weaver
Welcome to Discussing Objectivism! In the Content section below you will find the Reading and Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Sunday, September 29th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
Read moreWelcome to Discussing Objectivism! In the Content section below you will find the Reading and Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Sunday, September 29th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
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Content
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We the Living
Onkar Ghate7 Lessons
LIBRARY
We the Living
Onkar Ghate
We the Living is Ayn Rand’s first and least-known novel. It is the story of a young woman, Kira Argounova, who is solemnly dedicated to living her own life. But she is trapped in a collectivist dictatorship that declares the individual…
Read moreWe the Living is Ayn Rand’s first and least-known novel. It is the story of a young woman, Kira Argounova, who is solemnly dedicated to living her own life. But she is trapped in a collectivist dictatorship that declares the individual is nothing and the group, everything. Set in Soviet Russia just after the communist revolution, We the Living not only depicts the chilling, day-to-day reality of life under totalitarian rule but also celebrates the unconquerable human spirit.
This video lecture course is an introduction to We the Living that includes background material on Rand, the era in which she wrote the novel and some of her reasons for writing it; an overview of the story; an analysis of many of the characters and detailed discussion of the main themes. Among the questions answered in this course:
- What qualities of the story’s heroine, Kira Argounova, set her apart from the other characters?
- Why does Leo Kovalensky disintegrate in the way that he does?
- Why do the other communists want to get rid of Andrei Taganov, an honest man ardently devoted to their cause?
- What role do the more minor characters play in helping Rand convey her theme — and what is that theme?
- Why is We the Living not essentially a novel about Communist Russia?
College and high school students studying the novel will find this course especially valuable, but the material is designed to interest all viewers wanting to learn more about the novel, Rand’s ideas and her critique of communism and collectivism. You may take the whole course in sequence or select lessons of particular interest, since each lesson is a self-contained module. Teachers who wish to use the course for classroom instruction are encouraged to select lessons most relevant to their instructional goals.
Spoiler alert: This course assumes that students have read We the Living.
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Ayn Rand and the Writing of We the Living
Commentary on We the Living: Translating an Abstract Idea into a Story
Commentary on We the Living: The Plot Conflicts and Their Resolution
Secondary Characters in We the Living
Main Characters in We the Living: Kira, Leo, Andrei
Themes of We the Living: The Sanctity of Human Life
Themes of We the Living: Sub-Themes of the Novel
- Library
History of Philosophy
Leonard Peikoff20 Lessons
LIBRARY
History of Philosophy
Leonard Peikoff
This course was adapted from a series of lectures on the history of Western philosophy, given by Leonard Peikoff to fans of Ayn Rand in the early 1970s. Peikoff holds that a knowledge of the history of philosophy is “a…
Read moreThis course was adapted from a series of lectures on the history of Western philosophy, given by Leonard Peikoff to fans of Ayn Rand in the early 1970s. Peikoff holds that a knowledge of the history of philosophy is “a precondition to understanding, and therefore to changing, the nature and present course of the civilization.” The purpose of the course, therefore, is to present and analyze the central philosophical arguments and developments spanning Ancient Greece to the Enlightenment in order to show the steps by which the ideas and trends of today have come to be accepted, as well as the context in which they must be understood and, if necessary, corrected.
The course provides an excellent introduction to the subject of philosophy as well as a demonstration of the power of ideas to shape the intellectual climate of a culture. The course is intended for a general audience and presupposes no prior knowledge of philosophy.
Note: Since the lectures from which this course was adapted were originally given by Dr. Peikoff in the 1970s, a few of Dr. Peikoff’s cultural references may be obscure to those unfamiliar with the cultural atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s. This will not, however, hinder one’s understanding or appreciation of the course content. Also note that not all of the material from Dr. Peikoff’s original lecture series is included in the ARI Campus version of this course. The audio of Dr. Peikoff’s complete lecture course is available for purchase at ARI’s e-store (divided between two sets of recordings, Part 1 and Part 2).
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The videos are accompanied by supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded in New York, NY. Thales to Hume in 1972, Kant to the present day in 1970.
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Introduction to the History of Western Philosophy
Thales of Miletus and the Birth of Greek Philosophy
Plato’s Political Philosophy: Collectivism and the Philosopher-King
Thomas Aquinas: The Union of Aristotelianism and Christianity
Aristotle: A Philosopher for Living on Earth
The Separation of Faith and Reason: The Transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
Aristotle’s Epistemology: Concepts, Explanation and the Nature of Science
The Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation
Aristotle: The Father of Logic
Aristotle’s Metaphysics: Matter, Form and Causality
Aristotle’s Teleology: Motion, Goal-Directed Action and the Unmoved Mover
Aristotle’s Psychology: The Nature of the Soul, Sense Perception and Thought
Heraclitus of Ephesus: A World of Change and Contradiction
Aristotle: Universals, Individuation and an Overview of His Metaphysics
Parmenides of Elea: Logic Demands a Changeless Universe
Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics: Happiness, Reason and the Ideal Society
Pythagoras: Mathematics and Mysticism
Epicurus, Atomic Theory and the Ethics of Hedonism
The Pluralists, the Atomists and the Birth of Determinism
Stoicism and the Quest for Apathy
- Library
Objectivist Epistemology in Outline
Gregory Salmieri4 Lessons
LIBRARY
Objectivist Epistemology in Outline
Gregory Salmieri
Ayn Rand held that “philosophy is primarily epistemology,” the “science devoted to the discovery of the proper methods of acquiring and validating knowledge.” This class surveys Rand’s “new approach to epistemology” — the most original and least widely understood aspect…
Read moreAyn Rand held that “philosophy is primarily epistemology,” the “science devoted to the discovery of the proper methods of acquiring and validating knowledge.” This class surveys Rand’s “new approach to epistemology” — the most original and least widely understood aspect of her thought. The course emphasizes the structure of the Objectivist epistemology and the central role played by Rand’s theory of concepts. The course covers some applications and extensions of Rand’s ideas (including aspects of Leonard Peikoff’s theory of induction) that illustrate the power of her epistemology.
This course was recorded at the 2006 Objectivist Summer Conference in Boston, MA.
This course includes a handout and transcript.
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Preliminaries
Concepts
Conceptualization
Objectivity
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Ayn Rand on Art and Culture
Ayn Rand3 Lessons
LIBRARY
Ayn Rand on Art and Culture
Ayn Rand
This course examines Ayn Rand’s views on art, its importance to individuals and the culture, in her own words. “Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments. Man’s profound need of art lies in the…
Read moreThis course examines Ayn Rand’s views on art, its importance to individuals and the culture, in her own words.
“Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments. Man’s profound need of art lies in the fact that his cognitive faculty is conceptual, i.e., that he acquires knowledge by means of abstractions, and needs the power to bring his widest metaphysical abstractions into his immediate, perceptual awareness. Art fulfills this need: by means of a selective re-creation, it concretizes man’s fundamental view of himself and of existence. It tells man, in effect, which aspects of his experience are to be regarded as essential, significant, important. In this sense, art teaches man how to use his consciousness. It conditions or stylizes man’s consciousness by conveying to him a certain way of looking at existence.”
–Ayn Rand
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Art in Education
The Esthetic Vacuum of Our Age
The Simplest Thing in the World
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The Ayn Rand Bookshelf
Elan Journo1 Lessons
LIBRARY
The Ayn Rand Bookshelf
Elan Journo
You may already know of Ayn Rand as author of The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. But did you know that Rand wrote two other novels, plus many nonfiction essays on topics ranging from moral virtue to the 1969 moon landing to the impact…
Read moreYou may already know of Ayn Rand as author of The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. But did you know that Rand wrote two other novels, plus many nonfiction essays on topics ranging from moral virtue to the 1969 moon landing to the impact of Progressive education to the ideas driving rampant inflation to the persecution of “big business” to the role of art in human life?
This short video course is a light, informal conversation about Rand’s novels and nonfiction, with special emphasis on three of her most popular collections of essays: The Virtue of Selfishness, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal and Philosophy: Who Needs It. Among the questions this course answers:
- What books and essays did Rand write?
- What kinds of topics did she cover?
- Why should I read her works today, decades after they were published?
- Where should I start?
If you’re looking for an introduction to Rand’s writings, pour yourself a cup of coffee and come join the discussion!
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A Conversation About Rand’s Writings
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Marx and Communism | 2025
Nikos Sotirakopoulos0 Lessons
LIVE
Marx and Communism | 2025
Nikos Sotirakopoulos
One of the most influential thinkers of all time. The political movement for which millions were ready to kill, and die for. Welcome to the ARU course on Karl Marx and communism! Together, we will get a firm grip on…
Read moreOne of the most influential thinkers of all time. The political movement for which millions were ready to kill, and die for. Welcome to the ARU course on Karl Marx and communism! Together, we will get a firm grip on the basic ideas of Marx around capitalism, history, and human nature. Then, we will travel across the turbulent 20th century, through a prism of intellectual inquiry and historical commentary. Our guide in this tour will be a former card-carrying Marxist, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, aided by more members of the ARU faculty. Get on board!
Prerequisite: 16-Week Objectivism Seminar or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism II
Read lessLevel: 300Quarters: Q2Credits: 2Starts: January, 2025Ends: March, 2025
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orIndividualism and Capitalism
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Free Will
Harry Binswanger2 Lessons
LIBRARY
Free Will
Harry Binswanger
Ayn Rand is the first philosopher to recognize that the free will is at the root of not only ethics but also epistemology. By identifying that “Man is a being of volitional consciousness,” that one’s choice to think or not is…
Read moreAyn Rand is the first philosopher to recognize that the free will is at the root of not only ethics but also epistemology. By identifying that “Man is a being of volitional consciousness,” that one’s choice to think or not is an act of free will, she revolutionized our understanding of the relationship of consciousness to existence. In these lectures, given at 1999 Lyceum Conference, Dr. Binswanger presents and validates the Objectivist theory of free will, with emphasis on the relationship between volition and the reality-orientation.
Topics include:
- mental focus: what exactly is “focus”? how do we know focus is volitional? focus vs concentration
- drift, evasion, “meta-evasion” and self-monitoring”
- the error in asking “what makes one man focus and another not?”
- free will as the base of objectivity, and determinism as the premise of mysticism
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Free Will, Part 1
Free Will, Part 2
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Understanding Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff12 Lessons
LIBRARY
Understanding Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff
This course, originally given by Leonard Peikoff in 1983, is addressed to those who are sympathetic to Ayn Rand’s philosophy, but who experience difficulty in completely digesting it and integrating its principles into their lives. Peikoff argues that to properly…
Read moreThis course, originally given by Leonard Peikoff in 1983, is addressed to those who are sympathetic to Ayn Rand’s philosophy, but who experience difficulty in completely digesting it and integrating its principles into their lives. Peikoff argues that to properly understand Objectivism, and philosophy more generally, one needs the right method for understanding philosophical ideas and keeping them tied to reality.
Using a combination of theory, demonstrations and exercises, Peikoff explains the essentials of a proper method, including: the need for concretization; the value (and misuse) of definitions; the importance of reducing abstract ideas to the perceptual level; the need to establish an idea’s context and understand the logical hierarchy of ideas. These processes are used to help reach a deeper and more grounded understanding of several key ideas in Objectivism, including: life as the standard of value, the virtue of honesty, the validation of individual rights, and the evil of the initiation of physical force.
For decades, students of Objectivism have found this course to be particularly helpful in improving their own thinking methodology and their understanding of Objectivism. The course includes periodic homework assignments. In order to get the most out of the course, complete each assignment before progressing to the next lesson.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
Recorded in New York, NY in 1983.
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Judging Intellectual Honesty
Philosophy Versus Life: Three Arguments Against Philosophy
Life As the Standard of Value
The Virtue of Honesty
The Evil of Initiating Force and the Validation of Individual Rights
Question Period on Honesty, The Initiation of Force and What It Means to Live by Principles
The Logical Structure of Objectivism
Objectivism Versus Intrinsicism and Subjectivism
Rationalism
Rationalism and Empiricism
Objectivism Versus Rationalism and Empiricism
Objectivism on Emotions and Moral Judgment
- Library
A Study of Galt’s Speech
Onkar Ghate5 Lessons
LIBRARY
A Study of Galt’s Speech
Onkar Ghate
“This is John Galt speaking.” Thus begins Ayn Rand’s explanation of her revolutionary philosophy, Objectivism—perfectly integrated into the plot of her greatest novel. This lecture course studies Galt’s speech and integrates it with the rest of the story. Dr. Ghate…
Read more“This is John Galt speaking.”
Thus begins Ayn Rand’s explanation of her revolutionary philosophy, Objectivism—perfectly integrated into the plot of her greatest novel.
This lecture course studies Galt’s speech and integrates it with the rest of the story. Dr. Ghate offers an illuminating breakdown of its component parts and shows why each is essential to the novel. He considers how its abstract philosophical points explain events in the story. Finally, since “Galt’s Speech” is Ayn Rand’s most carefully crafted statement of Objectivism, Dr. Ghate examines her precise formulations on such questions as: why altruism is the morality of death; and why evasion is the root of evil.
The course outline can be found here.
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The Purpose and Structure of Galt’s Speech
The Morality of Life
Purpose and Integrity
The Morality of Death
Your Choice Is Either the Morality of Life or the Morality of Death
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The Anti-Industrial Revolution
Ayn Rand1 Lessons
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The Anti-Industrial Revolution
Ayn Rand
In this 1970 lecture, Ayn Rand analyzes the arguments and underlying motivation of the emerging “ecology” movement, the forerunner of today’s environmentalism. Separating legitimate concerns about pollution from the movement’s deeper animus toward industrial civilization and technological progress, Rand explains…
Read moreIn this 1970 lecture, Ayn Rand analyzes the arguments and underlying motivation of the emerging “ecology” movement, the forerunner of today’s environmentalism. Separating legitimate concerns about pollution from the movement’s deeper animus toward industrial civilization and technological progress, Rand explains her view of the proper relationship between human beings and their environment. Rand addresses such questions as:
- How did the technological progress that accompanied the Industrial Revolution affect the quality and length of human life?
- What results can we expect from attempting to “restrict” technology?
- What are the political implications of the ecology movement?
- What valid issues are raised by instances of industrial pollution?
- What are the underlying motives of the environmental crusaders?
Although aspects of the environmentalist movement have changed since the early 1970s, its ideological essence — its fundamental philosophical perspective on man’s relationship to nature — has not changed, leaving Rand’s analysis and critique as pertinent today as it was then.
Note: After this lecture was recorded in 1970, Rand expanded on her initial speech in an essay by the same name. This valuable addition appears near the end of the lecture in a new recording by a voiceover artist.
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The Anti-Industrial Revolution
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Induction in Physics and Philosophy
Leonard Peikoff7 Lessons
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Induction in Physics and Philosophy
Leonard Peikoff
These historic lectures present, for the first time, the solution to the problem of induction, and thereby complete, in every essential respect, the validation of reason. Dr. Peikoff begins by identifying the axioms of induction and the method of establishing…
Read moreThese historic lectures present, for the first time, the solution to the problem of induction, and thereby complete, in every essential respect, the validation of reason.
Dr. Peikoff begins by identifying the axioms of induction and the method of establishing their objectivity, including the role of measurement-omission. This enables him to make clear the parallels between concept-formation and generalization-formation and leads him to discover the real distinction between induction and deduction.
Dr. Peikoff goes on to discuss the methods used in science to prove non-axiomatic generalizations and advanced theories. He stresses, with many examples (from Galileo, Newton, Faraday, Maxwell and others), the roles of experimentation and of mathematics.
The course then considers the similarities between philosophy and physics. Dr. Peikoff shows that the differences affect only the form (but not the essence) of induction and illustrates this fact by analyzing the inductive proof of typical Objectivist principles.
The course concludes that (apart from mathematics) the same process of induction is essential to every rational field, and that, as a result, truth in any such field, including philosophy, possesses the same objectivity as that of physics, the archetype of science itself.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
This course was recorded at Second Renaissance Conference 2002 in Palo Alto, CA.
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The Axioms of Induction, Part 1
The Axioms of Induction, Part 2
Generalizations in Physics, Part 1
Generalizations in Physics, Part 2
Generalizations in Physics, Part 3
Philosophy and Physics: Differences and Similarities
Measurements in Physics and Philosophy
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Religion and Politics
Onkar Ghate3 Lessons
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Religion and Politics
Onkar Ghate
In Ayn Rand’s philosophy, the most important issue in human life is the supremacy and absolutism of reason. This leads Rand to reject any form of faith or belief in the supernatural, including God, as well as religious moral teachings,…
Read moreIn Ayn Rand’s philosophy, the most important issue in human life is the supremacy and absolutism of reason. This leads Rand to reject any form of faith or belief in the supernatural, including God, as well as religious moral teachings, which order man to obey authority rather than to pursue his own rational interests. Rand argues that reason leads to freedom and that faith leads to force.
How then should politics be structured to allow men of reason and men of faith to live together peacefully? What should be the proper relation between religion and the state? And what is the moral response to religious extremism in free societies? In these three talks, Onkar Ghate answers these questions and more.
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The Separation of Church and State
Religion vs. Freedom
Charlie Hebdo, The West and the Need to Ridicule Religion
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John Locke’s Political Philosophy
Harry Binswanger3 Lessons
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John Locke’s Political Philosophy
Harry Binswanger
More than any other Enlightenment thinker, John Locke was responsible for the creation of the United States. His thoughts on the nature of human knowledge, individual rights, and the sacred value of free thought against political authority formed an intellectual…
Read moreMore than any other Enlightenment thinker, John Locke was responsible for the creation of the United States. His thoughts on the nature of human knowledge, individual rights, and the sacred value of free thought against political authority formed an intellectual legacy embraced by the Founding Fathers, setting the philosophical context that inspired the quest for liberty in America and abroad.
In these lectures, Dr. Harry Binswanger presents and evaluates Locke’s philosophy with an emphasis on his political theory. He begins with an exploration of Locke’s epistemological views which, though largely unoriginal and of mixed value, portray man as intellectually free and independent. He then turns to Locke’s political thought, drawing from both the Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration, where he develops his seminal ideas on individual rights, the essence of government and political authority, and the centrality of property rights and intellectual freedom.
Throughout these three classes, Binswanger compares and contrasts Locke’s approach with Ayn Rand’s philosophical insights, ending with a discussion of how her ideas hold the solution to the problems and challenges faced by Locke.
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Locke’s Basic Philosophy
Rights and Government
Delegation of Rights, Consent, and Property Rights
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Being Selfish, Being Happy
Tara Smith2 Lessons
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Being Selfish, Being Happy
Tara Smith
The idea that a person ought to be selfish is so alien to our culture that when people learn that Ayn Rand upheld a morality of selfishness they are left scratching their heads. What could Rand possibly mean? In this…
Read moreThe idea that a person ought to be selfish is so alien to our culture that when people learn that Ayn Rand upheld a morality of selfishness they are left scratching their heads. What could Rand possibly mean? In this course, given at Objectivist Summer Conference 2016 (OCON), Dr. Tara Smith discusses the crucial features of Rand’s morality of selfishness — what she called “rational egoism” — explaining what it is, what it is not, and why it is an individual’s only means of achieving sustainable happiness.
The course addresses such questions as:
- Why does Rand think that egoism requires moral virtues?
- Is living selfishly easy or hard?
- Is happiness a subjective or an objective matter?
- How does one identify what is in one’s rational self-interest?
A handout, provided to attendees when the course was originally given, is available here: Being Selfish Being Happy Handout. It includes a useful course outline, several quotations from Ayn Rand’s works and a brief list of recommended additional readings.
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Rational Egoism
Rational Happiness
- Discussing Objectivism
“The Anti-Industrial Revolution”
Aaron Smith1 Lessons
DISCUSSING OBJECTIVISM
“The Anti-Industrial Revolution”
Aaron Smith
Sam Weaver
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- Live
Goethe’s Faust | 2025
Nicolas Krusek0 Lessons
LIVE
Goethe’s Faust | 2025
Nicolas Krusek
Goethe’s dramatic poem Faust is a monumental work of literature that takes the reader on a journey “from Heaven through the World to Hell.” In exquisite and memorable verse, it tells the story of a Medieval scholar who—frustrated with the…
Read moreGoethe’s dramatic poem Faust is a monumental work of literature that takes the reader on a journey “from Heaven through the World to Hell.” In exquisite and memorable verse, it tells the story of a Medieval scholar who—frustrated with the limitations of human knowledge—enters into a bargain with the Devil in order to experience “all that is the lot of human kind.”
In the course of his striving Faust progresses from suicidal despair to “highest joy,” from wretched ignorance to “highest wisdom . . . the best that mankind ever knew.” Faust is a work of timeless beauty and philosophical significance in which Goethe presents the human soul’s aspiration to cast off the shackles of the Middle Ages and emerge into the glorious daylight of the Enlightenment.
The recommended text for this course is the abridged English translation by philosopher Walter Kaufmann, which gives all of Faust Part I and the most important sections of Faust Part II. In Kaufmann’s own words, his edition is for “those who would like to enjoy Goethe’s Faust—as opposed to those who want to be able to say that they have read it, all of it.”
Corequisite: Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism Part I: Foundations
Read lessLevel: 100Quarters: Q2Credits: 2Starts: January, 2025Ends: March, 2025
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16-Week Objectivism Seminar (Q1-Q2) | 2025
Onkar Ghate1 Lessons
LIVE
16-Week Objectivism Seminar (Q1-Q2) | 2025
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
This is a two-quarter seminar exploring Objectivism as a philosophical system. Its goal is to help you learn how to better understand and “chew” various principles of Objectivism and philosophical issues more generally. We will focus on some of the…
Read moreThis is a two-quarter seminar exploring Objectivism as a philosophical system. Its goal is to help you learn how to better understand and “chew” various principles of Objectivism and philosophical issues more generally. We will focus on some of the key principles of Objectivism, especially in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. And we will consider a bit of what Objectivism teaches about proper philosophical methodology.
A goal of the course is to reach a better grasp of the meaning of and interrelationships among some of Objectivism’s key principles, which will enable one to better apply the philosophy in one’s thinking and life.
Prerequisites or Corequisites: 200-level courses require that students are enrolled in or have completed the “16-Week Objectivism Seminar” (which has the Fiction course as a prerequisite) or have completed the “Intensive Seminar on Objectivism”.
Course Start Date: October 22, 2024
Read lessLevel: 200Quarters: Q1-Q2Credits: 4Starts: October 22, 2024Ends: March, 2025
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The Art of Thinking
Leonard Peikoff8 Lessons
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The Art of Thinking
Leonard Peikoff
Do you want to improve your method of thinking? This is a course on what to do with your mind during the act of thought, when to do it and how to do it. Leonard Peikoff teaches you how to…
Read moreDo you want to improve your method of thinking?
This is a course on what to do with your mind during the act of thought, when to do it and how to do it. Leonard Peikoff teaches you how to make the principles of Objectivist epistemology the guide of your own daily thought processes. These lectures are part new theory and part exercises.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
Recorded at Conceptual Conference 1992 in Williamsburg, VA.
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Volition as a Means to Clarity
Hierarchy
Thinking in Essentials
Question & Answer Session 1
Thinking in Principles
Certainty
Thinking versus Writing
Question & Answer Session 2
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Foundations of Physical Science II: Light, Electricity, Magnetism | 2025
Keith Lockitch0 Lessons
LIVE
Foundations of Physical Science II: Light, Electricity, Magnetism | 2025
Keith Lockitch
Light and the nature of vision have been subjects of considerable interest from antiquity on. Also known in the ancient world were a few curious examples of electrical and magnetic phenomena. This course will trace the development of optics, electricity,…
Read moreLight and the nature of vision have been subjects of considerable interest from antiquity on. Also known in the ancient world were a few curious examples of electrical and magnetic phenomena. This course will trace the development of optics, electricity, and magnetism from their rudimentary beginnings as unrelated areas of study all the way up to their surprising integration in the work of James Clerk Maxwell.
As in “Foundations of Physical Science I: Motion and Gravitation,” we will proceed hierarchically. Our focus will be on understanding how our knowledge of light and electromagnetism was built up step by step, with each new development growing out of the context set by previous discoveries and grounded at every stage in perceptual observation.
Prerequisite: Foundations of Physical Science I
Read lessLevel: 200Quarters: Q3-Q4Credits: 4Starts: April, 2025Ends: September, 2025
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or- Library
Seminar on Ayn Rand’s Political Philosophy
Onkar Ghate6 Lessons
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Seminar on Ayn Rand’s Political Philosophy
Onkar Ghate
Ayn Rand wrote extensively about political philosophy, arguing that the principles and ideas responsible for the remarkable economic and social progress of the nineteenth century were little understood a century later, and that their implicit moral foundation needed to be…
Read moreAyn Rand wrote extensively about political philosophy, arguing that the principles and ideas responsible for the remarkable economic and social progress of the nineteenth century were little understood a century later, and that their implicit moral foundation needed to be made explicit.
This course explores Ayn Rand’s political philosophy, beginning with its basic principles and essential concepts and proceeding to important derivative issues. The lessons cover, among other topics, Rand’s view of individual rights and government’s role in protecting them, the problem of physical force in society, the moral foundations of capitalism, the objectivity of the free market, the relationship between economic and intellectual freedom, property rights, and a comparison of Rand’s views to other thinkers’ positions.
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The Basic Principle of Political Philosophy: Individual Rights
Government as the Means of Securing Individual Rights
The Moral Foundations of Capitalism
The Objectivity of the Free Market
A Deeper Look at Property Rights
Intellectual Freedom and the Right to Disagree
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Advanced Oral Communication Workshop | 2025
Yaron Brook0 Lessons
LIVE
Advanced Oral Communication Workshop | 2025
Yaron Brook
In this invitation-only course, Yaron Brook leads advanced workshops on public speaking for developing Objectivist intellectuals aspiring to speak at OCON, ARI’s annual summer conference. He discusses the principles of effective oral communication and practical skills one needs to develop…
Read moreIn this invitation-only course, Yaron Brook leads advanced workshops on public speaking for developing Objectivist intellectuals aspiring to speak at OCON, ARI’s annual summer conference. He discusses the principles of effective oral communication and practical skills one needs to develop and automatize to gain mastery in this area, and helps students to hone their public speaking skills and their ability to communicate philosophical ideas. The main focus of the course is giving detailed evaluative feedback on presentations by participants.
Read lessLevel: 500Quarters: Q2-Q3Credits: 4Starts: January, 2025Ends: June, 2025
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or- Library
Certainty and Happiness: Achieving Success in Thought and Action
Leonard Peikoff1 Lessons
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Certainty and Happiness: Achieving Success in Thought and Action
Leonard Peikoff
Dr. Peikoff’s analysis of the contrast between Objectivism’s “philosophy of success” and the culturally dominant “philosophy of failure”; and the fundamental error shared by the enemies of certainty and of happiness. Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of…
Read moreDr. Peikoff’s analysis of the contrast between Objectivism’s “philosophy of success” and the culturally dominant “philosophy of failure”; and the fundamental error shared by the enemies of certainty and of happiness.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
This lecture was delivered at Conceptual Conferences 1988 in Staten Island, NY.
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Certainty and Happiness: Achieving Success in Thought and Action
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Aristotle’s Theory of Knowledge
Gregory Salmieri3 Lessons
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Aristotle’s Theory of Knowledge
Gregory Salmieri
Aristotle is the father and chief defender of the view that the human mind can achieve a deep and rich understanding of the world in terms of fundamental principles derived ultimately from sense-perception. Aristotle’s theory of knowledge represents a high…
Read moreAristotle is the father and chief defender of the view that the human mind can achieve a deep and rich understanding of the world in terms of fundamental principles derived ultimately from sense-perception. Aristotle’s theory of knowledge represents a high point in the history of human thought. But the writings in which he expressed that theory are obscure, and most readers find it difficult to appreciate their significance or even understand them.
In this course, Dr. Gregory Salmieri—an expert in Aristotle’s philosophy—guides students through this challenging material. He explains Aristotle’s most important insights into the nature of knowledge and the methods by which knowledge is achieved, and he identifies and discusses the texts in which these insights can be found.
Supplemental materials include Dr. Salmieri’s translations of all the passages he discusses (with ample surrounding context) and recommendations for further reading for those interested in deeper study.
This course includes a handout.
This course was recorded at the 2010 Objectivist Summer Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Aristotle on the Different Types of Knowledge
Aristotle’s Theory of Universals
Aristotle’s Method of Scientific Investigation
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Advanced Topics in Objectivism and Philosophy | 2025
ARI Instructor0 Lessons
LIVE
Advanced Topics in Objectivism and Philosophy | 2025
ARI Instructor
In this course, members of the ARU Graduate Center explore advanced topics in Objectivism and philosophy that relate to the subject matter areas in which they are developing expertise. The ARU Graduate Center is an invitation-only program for high performing…
Read moreIn this course, members of the ARU Graduate Center explore advanced topics in Objectivism and philosophy that relate to the subject matter areas in which they are developing expertise. The ARU Graduate Center is an invitation-only program for high performing ARU graduates pursuing intellectual careers.
Read lessLevel: 500Quarters: Q1-Q4Credits: 8Starts: October, 2024Ends: September, 2025
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or- Discussing Objectivism
“The Sanction of the Victims”
Aaron Smith1 Lessons
DISCUSSING OBJECTIVISM
“The Sanction of the Victims”
Aaron Smith
Sam Weaver
Welcome to Discussing Objectivism! In the Content section below you will find the Reading and Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Sunday, October 6th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
Read moreWelcome to Discussing Objectivism! In the Content section below you will find the Reading and Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Sunday, October 6th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
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Other Philosophical Perspectives
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Introduction to Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff1 Lessons
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Introduction to Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff
In this video, philosopher Leonard Peikoff presents the essentials of Ayn Rand’s philosophy to a group of students, then answers their questions. Peikoff, who was Rand’s friend and associate for three decades, is the author of Objectivism: The Philosophy of…
Read moreIn this video, philosopher Leonard Peikoff presents the essentials of Ayn Rand’s philosophy to a group of students, then answers their questions. Peikoff, who was Rand’s friend and associate for three decades, is the author of Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and is the preeminent authority on her ideas. This presentation, recorded in San Francisco in 1995 by the Ayn Rand Institute, features a 42-minute lecture followed by a 33-minute Q&A session.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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Introduction to Objectivism
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Exploring Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Harry Binswanger8 Lessons
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Exploring Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Harry Binswanger
If you have ever wondered what philosophy is and how ideas shape human life, this course is for you. Join Gloria Álvarez as she interviews Ayn Rand Institute philosophers Harry Binswanger and Onkar Ghate on Ayn Rand’s revolutionary philosophy: Objectivism….
Read moreIf you have ever wondered what philosophy is and how ideas shape human life, this course is for you. Join Gloria Álvarez as she interviews Ayn Rand Institute philosophers Harry Binswanger and Onkar Ghate on Ayn Rand’s revolutionary philosophy: Objectivism. This in-depth but accessible discussion series covers a broad range of topics, starting from the fundamentals of philosophy to ethics, politics and art.
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What Is Philosophy?
Reality and Man
Reason as an Absolute
The Foundations of Morality
Moral Values and Selfishness
Politics and Rights
Freedom and Capitalism
Art
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Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic
Leonard Peikoff2 Lessons
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Judging, Feeling and Not Being Moralistic
Leonard Peikoff
Dr. Leonard Peikoff offers an intensive analysis of the process of evaluative judgment, applying the enormously abstract subject of morality to difficult cases. These lectures are invaluable guides for making moral decisions, an immensely important skill described by Ayn Rand…
Read moreDr. Leonard Peikoff offers an intensive analysis of the process of evaluative judgment, applying the enormously abstract subject of morality to difficult cases. These lectures are invaluable guides for making moral decisions, an immensely important skill described by Ayn Rand in her essay “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?”:
“[T]o pronounce moral judgment is an enormous responsibility. To be a judge, one must possess an unimpeachable character; one need not be omniscient or infallible, and it is not an issue of errors of knowledge; one needs an unbreached integrity, that is, the absence of any indulgence in conscious, willful evil. Just as a judge in a court of law may err, when the evidence is inconclusive, but may not evade the evidence available, nor accept bribes, nor allow any personal feeling, emotion, desire or fear to obstruct his mind’s judgment of the facts of reality—so every rational person must maintain an equally strict and solemn integrity in the courtroom within his own mind, where the responsibility is more awesome than in a public tribunal, because he, the judge, is the only one to know when he has been impeached.”
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
Recorded as part of Lyceum Conference 1995 in San Francisco, CA.
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What Judgment Requires
The Proper Role of Emotions
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Concept-Formation, Objectivity, and Certainty
Onkar Ghate7 Lessons
FLEX
Concept-Formation, Objectivity, and Certainty
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
In this third course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism, we will explore Objectivism’s approach to concept-formation, definitions, logic, and the relationship between reason and emotion. We begin with Rand’s perspective on the problem of universals and the process of concept-formation….
Read moreIn this third course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism, we will explore Objectivism’s approach to concept-formation, definitions, logic, and the relationship between reason and emotion. We begin with Rand’s perspective on the problem of universals and the process of concept-formation. The course introduces Objectivism’s view of the nature and means of objectivity, the contextual and hierarchical nature of knowledge, and the cognitive basis of emotions.
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Introduction
Unit 1: Concept Formation: The Problem of Universals
Unit 2: Concept Formation: Isolation and Abstraction
Unit 3: Definitions and Objectivity
Unit 4: Logic: Context and Hierarchy
Unit 5: Reason and Emotions
Unit 6: The Arbitrary and Certainty
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The Philosophy of Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff12 Lessons
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The Philosophy of Objectivism
Leonard Peikoff
In this course, Leonard Peikoff presents the essentials of Ayn Rand’s philosophy and stresses their practical significance for each individual’s life. Recorded live before New York City audiences in 1976, this course was endorsed by Rand in print as “the…
Read moreIn this course, Leonard Peikoff presents the essentials of Ayn Rand’s philosophy and stresses their practical significance for each individual’s life.
Recorded live before New York City audiences in 1976, this course was endorsed by Rand in print as “the only authorized presentation of the entire theoretical structure of Objectivism, i.e., the only one that I know of my own knowledge to be fully accurate.” Rand attended the entire course and participated in eight of the twelve question-and-answer sessions.
In 1991, Peikoff reworked this course into his book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Because this book’s formulations and logical structure are “immeasurably superior,” Peikoff regards his book (rather than his course) as “the definitive statement of Objectivism.”
Despite having been superseded, the course has continuing value because it offers us (1) a recorded statement of the essentials of Objectivism, (2) an opportunity to discover the differences between the course and the book and (3) the chance to hear Rand answer questions from the New York audiences.
Topics covered in the course include:
- Metaphysics and man’s metaphysical nature
- The foundations of epistemology
- The nature and function of concepts
- Rationality
- The foundations of ethics
- Virtue, practicality and happiness
- The principles of politics and the nature of capitalism
- Esthetics
- Objectivism’s relation to the past and the future
Disclaimer: Although Leonard Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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Ideas in History: Objectivism’s Relation to the Past and the Future
What Is Man? Philosophy and Human Nature
The Objectivist Metaphysics: Axioms, Causality and the Primacy of Existence
The Foundations of Objectivist Epistemology
The Objectivist Theory of Concepts: What Concepts Are and How They Are Formed and Defined
The Objectivist Theory of Concepts: Concepts as Objective and Conceptual Knowledge as Contextual and Hierarchical
The Objectivist Conception of Rationality, Certainty and Free Will
The Foundations of the Objectivist Ethics: Egoism and the Nature of Value
Objectivism and the Practicality of Morality: Virtue and Its Relation to Happiness
Objectivism and the Moral Foundations of Government
The Nature of Capitalism and Its Relation to Morality
Objectivism’s View of Art and Its Role in Man’s Life
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Emotions
Harry Binswanger2 Lessons
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Emotions
Harry Binswanger
A proper view of man requires a thorough understanding of not only reason, but also emotion—and of the relation between the two. Philosophers who teach that emotions bypass the mind, claiming that emotions are either “the voice of God or…
Read moreA proper view of man requires a thorough understanding of not only reason, but also emotion—and of the relation between the two. Philosophers who teach that emotions bypass the mind, claiming that emotions are either “the voice of God or of your glands,” doom their followers to the endless inner war of the mind-body dichotomy. Individuals who fail to grasp the intellectual roots of their own emotions face the alternative of whim-worship or repression—i.e., self-defeat or self-denial. By defining the actual cause of emotions, integrated with her discoveries in psycho-epistemology, Ayn Rand has liberated man, providing the knowledge every individual needs to resolve inner conflicts and achieve a harmonious “division of labor” between his reason and his emotions.
In these two impressive lectures, Harry Binswanger presents and “chews” the Objectivist answers to the two basic questions: what are emotions and how should one treat them?
Topics covered include:
- emotions and awareness
- emotions and value-judgments
- the biological function of emotions
- the role of the subconscious in emotional responses
- emotions distinguished from other affective states
- principles of classifying the emotions
- emotions and cognition
- emotions and objectivity
- intellectual techniques of analyzing one’s emotional responses
- emotions and moral choice
- emotions and moral judgment of self and others
- emotions as advocates, not judges
This is a sparkling philosophical, scientific, and psychological integration.
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What Emotions Are
How to Treat Emotions
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The Philosophical Origins of Marxism
John Ridpath4 Lessons
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The Philosophical Origins of Marxism
John Ridpath
Although Marxism as a political system has now been widely repudiated, it remains an intellectual force in the universities. These classes examine Marxism as a secular version of the Judeo-Christian redemption saga. Recorded at Conceptual Conferences 1992 in Williamsburg, VA
Read moreAlthough Marxism as a political system has now been widely repudiated, it remains an intellectual force in the universities. These classes examine Marxism as a secular version of the Judeo-Christian redemption saga.
Recorded at Conceptual Conferences 1992 in Williamsburg, VA
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Influences on Marx
Marxist Metaphysics and Epistemology
Marx’s Explanation of History
Marxism, Revolution and Utopia
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Philosophy of Education
Leonard Peikoff4 Lessons
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Philosophy of Education
Leonard Peikoff
This course presents an account of the philosophy of education from an Objectivist perspective, addressing such questions as: What is education? What is its basic purpose? What subjects should children be learning in school? How should these subjects be taught?…
Read moreThis course presents an account of the philosophy of education from an Objectivist perspective, addressing such questions as:
- What is education?
- What is its basic purpose?
- What subjects should children be learning in school?
- How should these subjects be taught?
- What can we do about the dismal state of today’s public schools?
Based on recorded lectures given by Leonard Peikoff in 1985, these lessons focus on primary and secondary education, but many of the principles discussed apply to higher education.
Topics addressed include: different theories of the basic purpose of education; how to teach thinking methods, with special emphasis on the principles of proper motivation, integration and hierarchy; a proper curriculum; teacher’s colleges; and the politics of education.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The videos are accompanied supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded at The Jefferson School in 1985.
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The Purpose of Education
How to Teach Proper Thinking Methods
A Proper Curriculum for Primary and Secondary Education
Teaching Techniques, Teacher Training and the Politics of Education
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Seize the Reins of Your Mind
Onkar Ghate2 Lessons
LIBRARY
Seize the Reins of Your Mind
Onkar Ghate
Many educated people today dismiss free will as an illusion and instead view themselves and other people as determined by their environment and their genetics. Objectivism offers a very different view. It holds that the key to understanding yourself as…
Read moreMany educated people today dismiss free will as an illusion and instead view themselves and other people as determined by their environment and their genetics. Objectivism offers a very different view. It holds that the key to understanding yourself as a human being is that your mind functions by choice. This gives you a fundamental, delimited control over your own life and actions, which you can choose to exert or not. Further, a proper understanding of free will shapes a proper understanding of good and evil and of the nature and personal importance of justice.
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Seize the Reins of Your Mind
Do We Have Free Will?
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Honors Seminar | 2025
Onkar Ghate0 Lessons
LIVE
Honors Seminar | 2025
Onkar Ghate
Keith Lockitch
In this invitation-only seminar, ARU Honors Students develop their thinking, writing and research skills by engaging in research projects in a specific area of philosophical interest. The students receive regular feedback on their work from ARI senior fellows. The seminar…
Read moreIn this invitation-only seminar, ARU Honors Students develop their thinking, writing and research skills by engaging in research projects in a specific area of philosophical interest. The students receive regular feedback on their work from ARI senior fellows.
The seminar is part of the ARU Honors Program, a one-year full-time work-study program for students demonstrating high intellectual potential. Students in the Honors Program take ARU courses while working in a coordinator-level position for one or more of ARI’s departments, contributing to their productive output. The Honors Program provides extensive training, experience and guidance to promising students considering intellectual careers.
Read lessLevel: 400Quarters: Q1-Q4Credits: 8Starts: October, 2024Ends: September, 2025
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Advanced Seminars on Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Leonard Peikoff15 Lessons
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Advanced Seminars on Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
Leonard Peikoff
In this course, originally a series of advanced seminars given in 1990 and 1991, Leonard Peikoff discusses the content and process of writing his then forthcoming book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (OPAR). Although the topics follow the organization…
Read moreIn this course, originally a series of advanced seminars given in 1990 and 1991, Leonard Peikoff discusses the content and process of writing his then forthcoming book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (OPAR). Although the topics follow the organization of the book, this course is not a rereading but an advanced “chewing” of its ideas. Peikoff explains the reason for the precise wording of key formulations, defines striking new integrations among the philosophy’s complex elements and, above all, offers a detailed analysis and defense of Objectivism’s logical structure. Filled with penetrating questions from long-time Objectivists, and Peikoff’s answers to them, the course includes an abundance of material not covered in OPAR.
Attendees of the original seminars were given special prepublication editions of the relevant chapters of OPAR to read prior to the seminars. The course therefore presupposes familiarity with the content of the book. So be sure to read the book either before or in tandem with the course.
Note: Since the final editing of the book was completed after these seminars, the page numbers given in the recorded seminars refer to pages in the prepublication edition. An Advanced Seminars Cross Reference Guide has been provided to assist you in matching the quotation and page cited in the seminars to the corresponding page in Peikoff’s published book.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The videos may be accompanied by supplementary materials that were not part of the original course.
Recorded at Conceptual Conferences 1990 in Tamiment, PA and The Jefferson School 1991 in La Jolla, CA.
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Virtue
Axioms, Causality and the Primacy of Existence
The Primacy of Existence and the Metaphysically Given
Sense Perception and the Identity of Consciousness
Volition and Causality
Concept Formation as a Mathematical Process
Conceptual Hierarchy and the Function of Definitions
Objectivity: Volitional Adherence to Reality by the Method of Logic
Objectivity: Context and Hierarchy in Knowledge and Proof
Reason, Emotions and Certainty
Man’s Nature
The Good
Happiness
Government
Capitalism
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Eight Great Plays
Leonard Peikoff9 Lessons
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Eight Great Plays
Leonard Peikoff
Ayn Rand held that art is an indispensable need of human life, an irreplaceable form of spiritual refueling. In this course, Leonard Peikoff selects eight masterpieces of world literature — eight plays from ancient Greece to the 20th century that…
Read moreAyn Rand held that art is an indispensable need of human life, an irreplaceable form of spiritual refueling. In this course, Leonard Peikoff selects eight masterpieces of world literature — eight plays from ancient Greece to the 20th century that are both philosophically rich and esthetically exceptional — and analyzes them as great works of drama and as works that implicitly convey complete philosophies of life.
For each play, Peikoff provides historical background and context. He then demonstrates how to identify the play’s essential conflict, its plot and character development and its deeper theme. Drawing on all these aspects, he then discusses the overall philosophy conveyed by the play (if not explicitly, then at least implicitly). The result is a unique exercise in philosophical detection and esthetic evaluation.
After completing this course, you will understand better how to reach a full, objective evaluation of an artwork, taking into account philosophical, esthetic and personal (optional) factors — and therefore how to grasp, evaluate and enjoy the objective values a great play offers.
Spoiler alert: Each lecture assumes that students have read the play that will be discussed in that lecture. Recommended editions are provided below.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. The course consists of audio recordings of lectures originally presented to an audience of Ayn Rand fans. (The first eight lectures were given at the Jefferson School, in San Francisco, CA, in 1993; the ninth lecture, on Cyrano de Bergerac, was given at Second Renaissance Conference in Secaucus, NJ, in 1994.)
Recommended Editions:
Antigone
Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle, trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Harvest [Harcourt]. 2002.
Othello
Othello, eds. Kenneth Muir et al. Penguin Shakespeare. Penguin, 2005.
Le Cid
Don Carlos
An Enemy of the People
Eight Plays: Henrik Ibsen, trans. Eva Le Gallienne. Modern Library College Editions. McGraw-Hill, 1981.
Saint Joan
Saint Joan, George Bernard Shaw. Penguin Classics. Penguin, 2001.
Monna Vanna
Monna Vanna: A Play in Three Acts, trans. Alexis Irénée Du Pont Coleman. Second Renaissance Press, 1993.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac, trans. Brian Hooker. Bantam Classics reissue. Bantam, 2004.
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Antigone by Sophocles — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Othello by William Shakespeare — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Le Cid by Pierre Corneille — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Monna Vanna by Maurice Maeterlinck — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
Literary and Philosophical Evaluation of Seven Great Plays
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand — a Literary and Philosophical Analysis
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The DIM Hypothesis I
Leonard Peikoff6 Lessons
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The DIM Hypothesis I
Leonard Peikoff
In this six-lecture course recorded in July of 2007 at the Objectivist summer conference in Telluride, Colorado, Leonard Peikoff discusses the first parts of his then book-in-progress The DIM Hypothesis, published in 2012. Here is a description of the book…
Read moreIn this six-lecture course recorded in July of 2007 at the Objectivist summer conference in Telluride, Colorado, Leonard Peikoff discusses the first parts of his then book-in-progress The DIM Hypothesis, published in 2012.
Here is a description of the book from the back cover of the softcover edition:
“In this far-reaching study, Peikoff identifies the three methods of integrating data, as when connecting diverse experiments by a scientific theory, or separate laws into a Constitution, or single events into a story. The first method, in which data is integrated through rational means, he calls Integration. The second, which employs nonrational means, he calls Misintegration. The third is Disintegration—which is nihilism, the desire to tear things apart.
“In The DIM Hypothesis, Peikoff demonstrates the power of these three methods in shaping the West, by using the categories to examine the culturally representative fields of literature, physics, education, and politics. Extrapolating from the historical pattern he identifies, Peikoff concludes by explaining why the lights of the West are going out—and predicts the most likely future for the United States.”
Note: Since the lectures that compose this course predate the book’s completion, the book supersedes the course. If and when there are disagreements between the two, listeners should assume that the published book represents Peikoff’s viewpoint.
(A handout for this course, prepared by Peikoff, can be found here.)
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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Integration
The Three Archetypes of Integration: Plato, Aristotle and Kant
DIM and the DIM Hypothesis
DIM in Literature
DIM in Education
DIM in Politics
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Objectivism’s Approach to the Virtues
Tara Smith5 Lessons
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Objectivism’s Approach to the Virtues
Tara Smith
In this collection of talks, Tara Smith and Onkar Ghate survey three of the moral virtues that are most distinctive to the Objectivist ethics: independence, pride and productiveness. Lastly, Dr. Smith shows how some character traits (kindness, generosity and charity)…
Read moreIn this collection of talks, Tara Smith and Onkar Ghate survey three of the moral virtues that are most distinctive to the Objectivist ethics: independence, pride and productiveness. Lastly, Dr. Smith shows how some character traits (kindness, generosity and charity) are not moral virtues in principle (even though it can sometimes be good to be kind, generous, or charitable).
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Unborrowed Vision: The Virtue of Independence
Moral Ambition: Perfection and Pride, Part 1
Moral Ambition: Perfection and Pride, Part 2
Productive Achievement: Man’s “Noblest Activity”
Virtues or Vices?: Kindness, Generosity, Charity
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Ancient Greece (Part 2): Fifth-Century Athens
John David Lewis4 Lessons
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Ancient Greece (Part 2): Fifth-Century Athens
John David Lewis
The apex of classical culture is the intellectual revolution of fifth-century Athens: she was nothing less than the intellectual capital and the exemplar of the Greek world. The political context for this development was set by the establishment of the…
Read moreThe apex of classical culture is the intellectual revolution of fifth-century Athens: she was nothing less than the intellectual capital and the exemplar of the Greek world. The political context for this development was set by the establishment of the Athenian democracy (ca. 508 BC) and the successful defense of Greek independence against the Persians (490–479 BC). These events form the background to the rise of the world’s first self-government and the assertion of sovereignty by its citizen Assembly; the creation of the greatest navy yet to be seen; and Athens’s leadership in an alliance that brought unity in the Aegean Sea. But the city’s strained and sometimes violent relations with allied cities—and the failures of an unlimited democracy—set the stage for a tragic result: a suicidal war that swept the Greek world, resulting in the defeat of Athens by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (431–403 BC).
These political events frame the main direction of this course. But as historian John Lewis explains, the deeper importance of Athens is the intellectual revolution by which two generations of Greeks created architectural, artistic, medical, and philosophical achievements on a scale that has never been surpassed. Through this intellectual revolution, the Athenians created the first philosophical culture, injecting new and critical methods of thinking directly into political affairs. But a clash between the new learning and the traditional norms of law and morality led to a conflict between religion and philosophy in the last three decades of the century, a crisis that culminated in the death of Socrates. The last session of this course demonstrates how these philosophical developments lay at the root of Athens’s greatest successes, as well as its greatest failures.
This lecture was recorded at the 2010 Objectivist Summer Conference in Las Vegas, NV.
This course includes a handout.
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Origins of the Athenian Democracy
Athens’s Rise to Political Dominance
The Buildup to the Peloponnesian War
The Conflict Between Philosophy and Religion
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Introduction to Writing | 2025
Keith Lockitch0 Lessons
LIVE
Introduction to Writing | 2025
Keith Lockitch
This course teaches the basic principles and methods of objective communication. We’ll treat communication as a science, as a skill that has certain objective principles that can be learned and applied to the improvement of one’s work. Through written assignments,…
Read moreThis course teaches the basic principles and methods of objective communication. We’ll treat communication as a science, as a skill that has certain objective principles that can be learned and applied to the improvement of one’s work. Through written assignments, lectures and writing analysis, students are encouraged to think critically about communication—their own and that of others. There are two parts to the course: Dr. Leonard Peikoff’s course “Objective Communication” and live classes on nonfiction writing taught by Keith Lockitch.
Corequisite: Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism Part I: Foundations
Read lessLevel: 100Quarters: Q4-Q1Credits: 4Starts: July, 2025Ends: December, 2025
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Philosophy: Who Needs It
Ayn Rand1 Lessons
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Philosophy: Who Needs It
Ayn Rand
What is philosophy — and how is it relevant to my life? Ayn Rand answered these questions in her address to the senior class of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974. Rand challenges the idea that…
Read moreWhat is philosophy — and how is it relevant to my life? Ayn Rand answered these questions in her address to the senior class of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974.
Rand challenges the idea that philosophy belongs only in the ivory tower. Instead she argues that, whether we realize it or not, we all hold and act on philosophic ideas — and philosophy is a crucial, practical need of human life.
This illustrated audio lecture is a great starting point for those new to philosophy or to Rand’s ideas. The talk became the lead essay in Rand’s book Philosophy: Who Needs It.
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Philosophy: Who Needs It
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Objective Thinking
Gregory Salmieri6 Lessons
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Objective Thinking
Gregory Salmieri
If you are an honest person, you are not content to hold beliefs subjectively—because of accidental features of your psychology or circumstances. You aspire to be objective—to conform all of your thinking to the facts. To do this you must…
Read moreIf you are an honest person, you are not content to hold beliefs subjectively—because of accidental features of your psychology or circumstances. You aspire to be objective—to conform all of your thinking to the facts. To do this you must be able to identify the available evidence, to determine what conclusions it supports, to check the premises you have already formed, and to integrate your conclusions into a consistent sum. This course discusses these skills, how to develop them and how to apply them in thinking about specific issues.
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Thinking Objectively
Discussion of Objective Thinking
How to Be an Objective Consumer of Science
Discussion of Objectivity in Science
Being Objective About the News
Being Objective About Objectivism
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Metaphysics and the Foundations of Knowledge
Onkar Ghate7 Lessons
FLEX
Metaphysics and the Foundations of Knowledge
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
In this second course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism, we focus on the core of the Objectivist metaphysics and epistemology. We will explore the distinctions between the metaphysically given and the man-made, the axioms of existence, consciousness, and identity, and…
Read moreIn this second course of Advanced Seminar on Objectivism, we focus on the core of the Objectivist metaphysics and epistemology. We will explore the distinctions between the metaphysically given and the man-made, the axioms of existence, consciousness, and identity, and their implications for understanding reality. The course also explains Objectivism’s view of sense perception and the nature of free will.
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Introduction
Unit 1: The Subject of Metaphysics
Unit 2: The Primacy of Existence
Unit 3: Idealism and Materialism
Unit 4: The Subject of Epistemology
Unit 5: Arguments Against the Validity of the Senses
Unit 6: Free Will
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What Is Capitalism?
Ayn Rand1 Lessons
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What Is Capitalism?
Ayn Rand
This 1967 lecture is Ayn Rand’s flagship talk on capitalism. In it she explains in depth what capitalism is, why it is often misunderstood and why it is the only social system consonant with man’s nature. She discusses the philosophical…
Read moreThis 1967 lecture is Ayn Rand’s flagship talk on capitalism. In it she explains in depth what capitalism is, why it is often misunderstood and why it is the only social system consonant with man’s nature. She discusses the philosophical and ethical roots of capitalism, and contrasts them with the moral-philosophic doctrines that lead to rule by force. She then discusses progress under capitalism and how it is fundamentally different from the so-called progress of a statist society. Along the way, Rand takes up such questions as:
- What is the essence of man’s nature?
- What is the fundamental basis for the concept of individual rights?
- How is capitalism consonant with man’s nature? Why are other social systems not consonant with it?
- Why is serving “the common good” not a sound principle for governing a free society?
- What are the different perspectives on “the good,” and how do they inform people’s views on what constitutes a proper social system?
- What has been the ethical basis of all tyrannies in history?
- Who prospers on a free market?
- How does a free market unleash man’s creative abilities?
- What is so often misunderstood about progress under capitalism?
This talk is excerpted from Rand’s substantially longer and more comprehensive essay of the same name. Students interested in mastering Rand’s views on capitalism are encouraged to study the full essay, available here, in addition to enjoying this course.
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What Is Capitalism?
Testing Flex Courses
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Philosophy, Work, and Business | 2025
Don Watkins0 Lessons
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Philosophy, Work, and Business | 2025
Don Watkins
Tal Tsfany
Objectivism upholds productive work as the central activity of a good life. Taking your life seriously requires taking work seriously. In this course, you will learn the principles and attitudes that will guide you in your work, your career, and…
Read moreObjectivism upholds productive work as the central activity of a good life. Taking your life seriously requires taking work seriously. In this course, you will learn the principles and attitudes that will guide you in your work, your career, and in the world of business. This course is focused on ideas in action, explored through a series of live discussions with Objectivist businessmen, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and professionals in various fields.
Corequisite: Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction or Intensive Seminar on Objectivism Part I: Foundations
Read lessLevel: 100Quarters: Q4Credits: 2Starts: July, 2025Ends: September, 2025
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Individualism in an Age of Tribalism
Onkar Ghate5 Lessons
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Individualism in an Age of Tribalism
Onkar Ghate
Increasingly, our culture pushes us to view ourselves as passive members of one group or another. What matters, we’re told, is not the choices we make as individuals, but our ethnicity, our gender, our inherited “privilege” or lack thereof. This…
Read moreIncreasingly, our culture pushes us to view ourselves as passive members of one group or another. What matters, we’re told, is not the choices we make as individuals, but our ethnicity, our gender, our inherited “privilege” or lack thereof. This view is pervasive in our culture—in politics, in psychology, in philosophy, in science, in law, in ethics.
In her novel The Fountainhead (and in her other writings), Ayn Rand challenges the doctrines of collectivism and introduces a radical new conception of individualism. She rejects the tribal mindset and offers a vision of human existence in which we are not interchangeable members of some collective, but sovereign, independent individuals, whose true interests align. In this course, you’ll hear experts on Ayn Rand’s philosophy discuss her unique perspective on individualism and its antithesis: tribalism.
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Thinking for Yourself
Tribalism in Law
Individualism in an Age of Tribalism
Tribalism and Family Relationships
Tribalism vs. Free Will
- Discussing Ayn Rand
Anthem
Sam Weaver1 Lessons
DISCUSSING AYN RAND
Anthem
Sam Weaver
Aaron Smith
Welcome to Discussing Ayn Rand! In the Content section below you will find the Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Saturday, October 5th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
Read moreWelcome to Discussing Ayn Rand! In the Content section below you will find the Assignment for our discussion. Please complete the reading and one (1) of the writing assignments before our discussion on Saturday, October 5th from 9:30 am – 11:00 am.
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Content
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Principles of Grammar
Leonard Peikoff8 Lessons
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Principles of Grammar
Leonard Peikoff
Grammar is the science that studies the methods of combining words into sentences. Discover how this normally dry subject is transformed into an engrossing epistemological field of study. Learn why a mastery of the principles of grammar is essential for…
Read moreGrammar is the science that studies the methods of combining words into sentences. Discover how this normally dry subject is transformed into an engrossing epistemological field of study. Learn why a mastery of the principles of grammar is essential for precision in thinking and writing conceptually. This is grammar as it should be but never is taught.
Course exercises and homework assignments can be found here.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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Basic Grammatical Concepts
Subordination and Coordination Part 1
Subordination and Coordination Part 2
Verbs and Pronouns Part 1
Verbs and Pronouns Part 2
Punctuation
Choosing the Right Word Part 1
Choosing the Right Word Part 2
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Aristotle: Father of Romanticism
Robert Mayhew
3 Lessons
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Aristotle: Father of Romanticism
Robert Mayhew
Could there have been a Romantic school of art if not for the ideas of Aristotle? In this course, Dr. Robert Mayhew addresses this intriguing question. Plato, the first philosopher with a theory of esthetics, saw art as the product…
Read moreCould there have been a Romantic school of art if not for the ideas of Aristotle? In this course, Dr. Robert Mayhew addresses this intriguing question.
Plato, the first philosopher with a theory of esthetics, saw art as the product of irrationality and a dangerous force given its emotional power. In his Poetics, Aristotle offers a brilliant and influential reply to Plato, which Mayhew examines at length.
The course covers a range of topics, including: the rationality of art; the nature and importance of plot and characterization; art as the representation of things as they “might be and ought to be”; and the role of art in moral education.
Mayhew identifies Aristotle’s unrecognized influence on Romanticism and his influence on Classicism, which has been historically misinterpreted. Throughout the course, Aristotle’s views are compared to and contrasted with those of Ayn Rand.
This course was recorded at the 1997 Lyceum Conference in Irvine, CA.
This course includes a handout.
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Art as a Rational Endeavor
The Structure and Purpose of Art
The Poetics’ Historical Influence
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Introduction to Logic
Leonard Peikoff10 Lessons
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Introduction to Logic
Leonard Peikoff
This course covers the standard topics taught in introductory courses in Aristotelian logic. It defines the principles of valid reasoning, and discusses prevalent logical fallacies. It formalizes the steps by which one derives conclusions from premises, and it provides a…
Read moreThis course covers the standard topics taught in introductory courses in Aristotelian logic. It defines the principles of valid reasoning, and discusses prevalent logical fallacies. It formalizes the steps by which one derives conclusions from premises, and it provides a methodology by which to evaluate one’s own thinking processes.
The course booklet with exercises is located here.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
Recorded in 1974.
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Basic Logical Theory
Informal Fallacies, Part 1
Informal Fallacies, Part 2
Introduction to Deductive Reasoning
The Aristotelian Syllogism, Part 1
The Aristotelian Syllogism, Part 2
Definition, Part 1
Definition, Part 2
Inductive Generalization, Part 1
Inductive Generalization, Part 2
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Introducing Objectivism
Ayn Rand1 Lessons
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Introducing Objectivism
Ayn Rand
In 1962, Ayn Rand was invited to write a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times. Her first column was a brief introduction to her philosophy, Objectivism. In this short course, based on a recording of Rand reading her column,…
Read moreIn 1962, Ayn Rand was invited to write a weekly column for the Los Angeles Times. Her first column was a brief introduction to her philosophy, Objectivism. In this short course, based on a recording of Rand reading her column, you will hear her summarize her positions on the nature of reality, the efficacy of human reason, the nature of man, and the ideal political system.
Here are some of the questions this course addresses:
- What are the basic tenets of Objectivism?
- What is the nature of reason?
- What is man’s moral purpose in life?
- Why is capitalism the ideal politico-economic system for man?
- What is destroying capitalism?
To get the most from this course, it is recommended that you first complete the short Philosophy: Who Needs It course.
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Rand Summarizes Her Philosophy
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Lectures on Culture and Politics
Leonard Peikoff5 Lessons
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Lectures on Culture and Politics
Leonard Peikoff
In this collection of talks and lectures, Leonard Peikoff addresses key cultural, philosophical, and political phenomena from the perspective of Objectivism. Topics include: the philosophic foundations of capitalism and the rise of statism in America, the role of philosophy and…
Read moreIn this collection of talks and lectures, Leonard Peikoff addresses key cultural, philosophical, and political phenomena from the perspective of Objectivism. Topics include: the philosophic foundations of capitalism and the rise of statism in America, the role of philosophy and psychology in history, the essential subject matter of pre-college education, and more. A major theme running through these talks is that philosophy is the fundamental factor shaping men’s choices and actions and the course of civilization.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
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The Philosophic Basis of Capitalism
The Role of Philosophy and Psychology in History
Objectivism: A Question and Answer Session
A Rational Curriculum
Can Capitalism Survive?
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The Value of Great (Though Philosophically False) Art
Leonard Peikoff3 Lessons
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The Value of Great (Though Philosophically False) Art
Leonard Peikoff
In these lectures, Leonard Peikoff argues that a great work of art has life-serving values to offer even when its philosophic content is untrue. Through analysis of some great works of literature, and a number of his favorite poems, Peikoff…
Read moreIn these lectures, Leonard Peikoff argues that a great work of art has life-serving values to offer even when its philosophic content is untrue. Through analysis of some great works of literature, and a number of his favorite poems, Peikoff shows that great art, even when the work’s theme is false, teaches you how to use your consciousness and how it can nourish your life.
Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content.
These lectures were recorded in 1997 and in 1999.
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The Survival Value of Great (Though Philosophically False) Art
Poems I Like and Why, Part 1
Poems I Like and Why, Part 2
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Objectivism, Philosophy, and the Foundations of Ethics
Onkar Ghate7 Lessons
FLEX
Objectivism, Philosophy, and the Foundations of Ethics
Onkar Ghate
Ben Bayer
Aaron Smith
This is the first in a four-course track exploring Objectivism as a system of philosophy. This course focuses on Objectivism’s distinctive conception of philosophy and its role in human life, including what a proper philosophical methodology looks like and how…
Read moreThis is the first in a four-course track exploring Objectivism as a system of philosophy. This course focuses on Objectivism’s distinctive conception of philosophy and its role in human life, including what a proper philosophical methodology looks like and how Objectivism thinks about the very subject and goals of morality. Special attention is paid to reason, purpose, and self-esteem as the cardinal values of a moral life and what it means to practice rationality as a virtue.
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Introduction
Unit 1: Objectivism and Its View of Philosophy
Unit 2: The False Method of Rationalism
Unit 3: The Subject of Morality
Unit 4: The Foundations of the Objectivist Ethics
Unit 5: The Cardinal Values: Reason
Unit 6: The Cardinal Values: Purpose and Self-Esteem
Course Categories
AdvancedArt and EstheticsARUBeginnerCapitalism and EconomicsComing SoonCultural CommentaryCuratedEpistemologyEthicsFeaturedHistoryIntermediateMetaphysicsMiniNewPolitical Philosophy
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