Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and free speech
So to Speak: The Free Speech PodcastEp. 224
What happens when philosopher Ayn Rand's theories meet free speech?
and 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, "." 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:
00:00 Intro
02:51 What is Objectivism?
06:19 Where do Objectivism and free speech intersect?
09:07 Did Rand censor her rivals?
13:54 Government investigations of communists and Nazis
18:12 Brazilian Supreme Court banning X
20:50 Rand's USSR upbringing
24:39 Who was in Rand's "Collective" group?
35:12 What is jawboning?
40:01 The freedom to criticize on social media
46:02 Critiques of John Stuart Mill
59:49 Addressing a critique of ¹û¶³´«Ã½app¹Ù·½
01:09:01 Outro
Transcript is HERE
Show notes:
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"" (2016)
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(1995)
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"" (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)