Ep. 224: Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and free speech
from So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
by FIRE
Published: Thu Sep 12 2024
Show Notes
What happens when philosopher Ayn Rand’s theories meet free speech?
Tara Smith and Onkar Ghate of the Ayn Rand Institute explore Rand’s Objectivist philosophy, its emphasis on reason and individual rights, and how it applies to contemporary free speech issues.
Smith and Onkar are contributors to a new book, “The First Amendment: Essays on the Imperative of Intellectual Freedom.” Listeners may be particularly interested in their argument that John Stuart Mill, widely regarded as a free speech hero, actually opposed individual rights.
Tara Smith is a philosophy professor at the University of Texas at Austin and holds the Anthem Foundation Fellowship in the study of Objectivism. Onkar Ghate is a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Objectivism.
Timestamps:
Intro
What is Objectivism?
Where do Objectivism and free speech intersect?
Did Rand censor her rivals?
Government investigations of communists and Nazis
Brazilian Supreme Court banning X
Rand’s USSR upbringing
Who was in Rand’s “Collective” group?
What is jawboning?
The freedom to criticize on social media
Critiques of John Stuart Mill
Addressing a critique of FIRE
Outro
Transcript is HERE
Show notes:
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“Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings: Free Speech on Campus” (2016)
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Letters of Ayn Rand (1995)
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“Goddessof the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right” (2009)
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“Brandenburg v. Ohio” (1969)
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“NRA v. Vullo” (2023)
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“Murthy v. Missouri” (2024)
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“Moody v. NetChoice” and “NetChoice v. Paxton” (2024)