The Objective Standard: Spring 2021, Vol. 16, No. 1

by Craig Biddle, Aaron Briley, Jon Hersey

The Spring 2021 issue (Vol. 16, No. 1) features the following articles, shorts, and Intransigent Individualist by Aaron BrileyCommon Sense for Five Reasons for Fans of Ayn Rand to Study Thomas Reid by Jon HerseyGeorge Reisman on Ludwig von Mises, Ayn Rand, and Capitalism by Jim BrownFive Amazing Things that Happened in 2020 by Thomas WalkerOn Accusations of Racism in the Classical Music Industry by F. F. MormanniPer-Worker Productivity Fossil Fuels versus Wind and Solar by David McGruerWas Breonna Taylor a Victim of Systemic Racism? by Aaron BrileyHow TOS-Con Changed My Life by William An Unruly History by Annelien de Dijn, reviewed by Timothy SandefurThe Meritocracy Trap/em> by Daniel Markovits, reviewed by Timothy SandefurA Glorious Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution by Damon Root, reviewed by Timothy SandefurWonder Woman 1984, Witten and Directed by Patty Jenkins, reviewed by Frank OlechnowiczChernobyl, by Craig Mazin, reviewed by Jennifer K. CrosbyHercules, Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, reviewed by Andreea MincuThe A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke, reviewed by William NauenburgOrdinary People (1980), Directed by Robert Redford, reviewed by Joseph KellardThe Iron Lady, Written by Abi Morgan, reviewed by Angela WerthThe Objective Standard is a quarterly journal of culture and politics written from an Objectivist perspective (Objectivism being Ayn Rand’s philosophy of reason, egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism). The journal is based on the idea that for every human concern—from personal matters to foreign policy, from the sciences to the arts, from education to legislation—there are demonstrably objective standards by reference to which we can assess what is true or false, good or bad, right or wrong. The purpose of the journal is to analyze and evaluate ideas, trends, events, and policies accordingly.We maintain that the standards of both knowledge and value derive from the facts of reality; that truth is discovered only by means of reason (i.e., through observation and logic); that the factual requirements of man’s life on earth determine his moral values; that the selfish pursuit of one’s own life-serving goals is virtuous; and that individual rights are moral principles defining the fundamental requirements of a civilized society.We stand opposed to the notion that the standards of knowledge and value are not factual but subjective (feeling-based) or other-worldly (faith-based); that truth is ultimately dictated by majority opinion or a “supernatural” being’s will; that democratic consensus or “God’s word” determines what is moral; that sacrifice for “the common good” or in obedience to “God’s commands” is virtuous; and that rights are social conventions or “divine decrees.”In stark contrast to these philosophic approaches, ours is a philosophy of reality, reason, egoism, and laissez-faire capitalism.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2021

About the author

Craig Biddle writes and lectures on philosophical and political issues from an Objectivist perspective, Objectivism being the philosophy created by Ayn Rand. Craig also edits The Objective Standard, a quarterly journal of culture and politics. His first book, Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It, is a highly concretized, systematic introduction to Ayn Rand's ethics.

The book in progress is an introduction to the principles of good thinking and the fallacies that are violations of those principles. He has lectured and taught seminars at universities across the country, including Stanford, Duke, Tufts, UVA, UCLA, UM–Wisconsin, and NYU. Also lecture regularly at Objectivist conferences.

For a brief elaboration on the nature of Objectivism, see my essay “Introducing The Objective Standard” or Leonard Peikoff’s essay “The Philosophy of Objectivism: A Brief Summary.” To learn more about the philosophy, I suggest beginning with Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged.