ARI Media Feed

Free speech is a bedrock principle throughout the Western world, but increasingly it is being challenged — on college campuses, among intellectuals and in politics — in the name of preventing “hate” speech or offensive speech or protecting allegedly “marginalized” groups. Link to original

The birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., offers Americans an opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to eradicating racism in all its forms. A good place to start is with Ayn Rand’s 1963 article, “Racism.” Link to original

On January 7, the second anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack, The Hill published a new column by Steve Simpson, in which he reflects on “the often precarious state of free speech in the world today and to consider what the future holds for free speech here in America.” Particularly, Simpson comments on the danger of so-called hate speech laws. Link to original

If you picked up a melon that smells rotten, would you bite into it? Nor would I. When it comes to our media diet, the same thing applies: if a news story smells funky, that's a reason not to swallow it. But what does it take to sniff out unreliable news articles? Link to original

In the two years since Islamic terrorists murdered a dozen cartoonists and others associated with the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the Ayn Rand Institute has vocally and consistently upheld freedom of speech against its attackers. In public lectures, interviews, blog posts and a recent book — plus upcoming events on the same theme — the Institute has challenged individuals around the world to join in defending the right to free speech. Link to original

In this episode, Yaron takes a look at key events in 2016 and things to look forward to in 2017. Tune in Saturday, December 31 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Link to original

In this sound bite from The Yaron Brook Show, originally aired as part of the December 24, 2016 show, Yaron offers a plan for the Trump Administration’s first 100 days. Touching on cronyism, tax reform, entitlements, education, health care and national defense, this is the advice Brook would give Trump, if he were to ask for it. Link to original

On December 11, Yaron Brook, ARI executive co-chairman and president, was back in Europe, this time broadcasting The Yaron Brook Show live from Berlin. It was the last leg of a whirlwind tour in which he visited eight countries in just eight days. Link to original

ARI is currently taking applications for its spring and summer internship program. This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about Ayn Rand’s ideas while building your resume and growing your professional network. Link to original

The truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin has cast a lurid spotlight on German authorities. The police apparently knew the suspect, had evidence of his ties to jihadists and believed he posed a threat. Yet 12 people are now dead. Last August, we saw a truck used as a weapon of jihad in Nice, France, so why didn't police prevent this one? Link to original

Lately we've seen a whole flurry of articles — many of them overstated — about the influence of Ayn Rand on some of Trump's cabinet picks, and in that there's some (qualified) good news. Now comes this heartening news story: Israel's newspaper of record, Haaretz, reports that the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was seen in parliament reading a book by an Objectivist historian, the late John David Lewis. Link to original

In celebration of Christmas, Ayn Rand Archives curator Jeff Britting gathered some Christmas-related memorabilia and objects from the Archives for a special video. “Christmas was a holiday that Ayn Rand loved,” said Britting, “and these objects will give you a taste of what Christmas was like for Ayn Rand and her husband, Frank O’Connor.” Link to original

Voices for Reason is a blog that covers a wide range of topics, including philosophy and its application to current events, programs of the Ayn Rand Institute and the ideas of Objectivism. Looking back on the year, here are 2016’s most-read blog posts (along with edited versions of the introductions that accompanied them at time of publication). Link to original

The Institute’s focus remains unwavering. We, in partnership with our contributors, are striving to implement fundamental, philosophical change in the culture. In the wake of the elections, what the next four years holds is uncertain. But whatever occurs, it will not be as important as the four years after that — and the years beyond. Link to original

In trying to make a valid point — that the left has wrongly portrayed Rand as the central intellectual influence on conservatives — Kevin Williamson goes a bridge too far, trying to pretend that fondness for Rand’s work is the exception among conservatives rather than the rule. Link to original

At ARI, we have caught a lot of flak for our criticisms of Donald Trump. In particular, there was a lot of blowback for Onkar Ghate’s essay, “One Small Step for Dictatorship: The Significance of Donald Trump’s Election.” Some people wrongly saw the piece as an attack on anyone who voted for Trump. Link to original

Steve Simpson, ARI's director of Legal Studies, took to Facebook Live in response to criticism of his recent op-ed on The Hill, "Free speech is a right, not a political weapon." Link to original

How should you invest if you’re not a Warren Buffett-level stock picker? Take Warren Buffett’s advice . . . Link to original

In this episode, Yaron steps away from his speaking tour to broadcast Live from Stockholm. Join Yaron as he tackles false news and globalism along with a US / Europe comparison, and a lively discussion on freedom. Link to original

Donald Trump’s election has spotlighted an important issue: cronyism and the “rigged system” that has special interests in bed with government, getting bailouts and other favors. Link to original

Carol Gould, the author and commentator, has praised Failing to Confront Islamic Totalitarianism for reaching “the highest level of scholarly excellence.” The book, she continued, “should be a primer for leaders around the globe and a text to be read by students hoping to go out into the working world in leadership positions. Highly recommended.” Link to original

Today The Hill published a new column by ARI’s Steve Simpson, in which he argues that while President-Elect Donald Trump’s hostility towards freedom of speech is worrisome, he’s also by far not alone in this regard. “s Trump’s urge to censor this form of speech really different from Hillary Clinton’s desire to ban the political speech at issue in Citizens United?” Link to original

Yaron Brook’s first visit in Georgia was an inspiring experience. Link to original

You still have time to enter ARI’s College Writing Contest for a chance to win up to $1,000. Link to original

What’s wrong with mainstream economics? Has it placed mathematical gymnastics above a genuine understanding of how a division of labor economy encourages specialization, innovation and economic progress? Link to original