The Atlas Society Chats: Recent Episodes
The Atlas Society
The Atlas Society's scholarly discussions are now a Podcast!
Join our CEO Jennifer Grossman, along with our Senior Scholars and special guest for a series of discussions and Q&A covering all sorts of topics relating to Objectivism, current events, and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a Spaces discussion on recent changes to the GOP’s stance on abortion.
"In its 2024 platform, the Republican Party materially altered, for the better, its formal stance on abortion, away from the oxymoronic 'unborn child' language of 2016. This could be the start of something good and permanent. Thankfully the GOP has a 'pro-choice wing' headed by Nancy Mace (Rep-SC). Also, the ending of Roe v. Wade (1973) by SCOTUS in 2022, although problematic, at least allowed extended abortion rights to women in many states. In time, we could see a full, universal right." - Richard Salsman
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a Spaces discussion covering the question, "Was Ayn Rand a Liberal Democrat?"
"Ayn Rand was not a "liberal Democrat" in the sense of being an advocate of the welfare state. But was she a defender of "liberal democracy"? And would she have been tempted by "free-market authoritarianism"?" - Robert Tracinski
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D.for a Spaces discussion on recent polls pointing to mounting hostility to profit and an exploration into the philosophical underpinnings of this trend.
"Polls show that most people distrust and despise profit, while economists insist that 'perfect competition' entails a 'zero profit condition.' Anti-profit bias arises from a distrust of egoism and a belief in the 'zero-sum' premise versus the trader principle." - Richard Salsman
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a special "Ask Me Anything" where Dr. Hicks answers questions related to work/life mindset, socialism as a failed philosophy, Objectivism, and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a summary and analysis of President Trump's four trials, his recent conviction in New York as a “felon,” the postmodernist subjectivism and arbitrariness of his foes, and the persistent erosion of the rule of law in America.
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion on Ayn Rand’s definition of property, property rights, and the moral case for why property must be protected.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a special Ask Me Anything about Capitalism along with topics related to the Dow Jones, abolishment of the FED, fractional reserve banking and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert for a discussion on the use and abuse of mental models in understanding and dealing with reality.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a special "Ask Me Anything" where Dr. Hicks answers questions relating to the origin of rights, the impact of Thomas Aquinas on European social/political thought, Objectivism and a philosophy, and more.
Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for a special Spaces on X with tech journalist Naomi Brockwell to discuss privacy and digital privacy concerns.
Naomi Brockwell is a tech journalist, and creator of "NBTV.media" which teaches people how to reclaim control of their lives in the digital age. Naomi was a producer for the 2015 feature documentary Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It, and producer of the 2018 award-winning documentary about the housing crash The Bubble.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a Twitter/X Spaces discussing the destructive nature of environmentalism as an ideology.
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion on child rearing and the definition of sacrifice.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion on Thomas Kuhn, his ideas, and influence on scientific thought.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion exploring the challenges conservatives face in advancing their ideas politically.
"Unlike liberals, Democrats, libertarians, Republicans, and Objectivists, conservatives have no distinct name brand to suggest what they actually stand for and would fight for, other than what rivals have instituted in the past. Conservatives can’t gain ground morally or politically because they’re always on their heels, reacting, helping their foes consolidate their gains. Conservatives should cease being so ideologically promiscuous, pick a lane (actual brand name), and adopt the absolutist, rock-ribbed principles which promote and sustain reason, liberty, and capitalism."
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion on religion along with an introduction to Ayn Rand’s case for a secular basis of morality.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. where he takes philosophical questions relation to postmodernism, fascism, money, free speech, and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes questions on immigration, foreign policy, government affairs, taxation, and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion on consciousness and how different philosophers have attempted to explain man's perception and understanding of the world around him.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a Spaces on Twitter/X where Dr. Hicks discussed why racialist language is wrong historically and philosophically.
“Beware of racialist language. When revenge racism leads some to blame ‘whites’ for slavery, some respond by pointing out, accurately, that the battle against slavery was firstly and mostly accomplished by Europeans and North Americans. The dangerous temptation, though, is to adopt the same racialist premise and—instead of blaming ‘whites’ for slavery—crediting ‘whites’ with ending it.”
Join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion on the Objectivist principle of “objective law,” and why it is so important.
"The 'rule of law' is considered a basic principle of a civilized society. How does this relate to the Objectivist principle of "objective law," and why is objective law so important?"
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion on the phenomenon of wealthy alums defunding their alma maters and the related resignations of the presidents of Harvard and UPenn.
Christians and Humanists both deserve credit for the dramatic reduction of slavery in the modern world. Yet much controversy exists over who should get the lion’s share of the credit. In this session, Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., takes up the moral and historical arguments.
Join Atlas Society and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a Spaces discussion on the recent trend of antisemitism and anti-capitalism and how it ties into the latest Israel-Hamas war.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholars Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a Spaces discussion and analysis of president-elect Javier Milei and what his policies might mean for Argentina.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.,for a Spaces discussion on lawyer and civil rights activist Derrick Albert Bell Jr. and his work pioneering CRT.
Join Senior Scholars Richard Salsman, Ph.D., and Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a Twitter/X Spaces discussion where the duo will provide an Objectivist perspective on Marc Andreessen's Techno-Optimist manifesto.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a deep dive into the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and his abandonment of a reason-based tradition in lieu of promoting insanity.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford, Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., for a deep dive into the philosophy of Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida and what paved the way to today's current debate insanity surrounding gender, sexuality, and transgenderism.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes your questions on Objectivism, taxation, foreign policy, etc.
Join Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., and Senior Scholar Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special 90-minute discussion exploring the definitions of humility and pride and comparing which one is better.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a discussion on this alternate theory for explaining inflation, its implications, and how it has been debunked.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D., and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., for a special 90-minute "Ask Us Anything" discussion where the duo take questions on politics, economics, philosophy, Objectivism, and more.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes your questions on Objectivism, taxation, foreign policy, etc.
Join Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., and Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D.,for a special 90-minute discussion on how public debate often degenerates into trading charges of hypocrisy rather than a more substantive dialogue about issues and principles. Join our scholars as they provide examples, encourage philosophical detection, and trace the philosophical roots of the approach.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., for a special discussion keying off of Dr. Kelley’s recent article on religion and its role in serving human needs today.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a Clubhouse discussion explaining the national debt and recent events surrounding the debt ceiling.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman Ph.D., along with Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a Clubhouse discussion on the rise of National Conservatives and what are the key distinctions between traditional conservatives and nationalists.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D.,for a special 90-minute discussion on the age-old question in the liberty movement of whether taxation is a valid function of government or just theft.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a discussion on the problems with Modern Monetary Theory and its anti-capitalistic principles.
Join The Atlas Society's Scott Schiff and Lorence Olivo for a special happy hour chat with Dr. Larry Gould about life in academia, thoughts on education, and his work countering climate change alarmism.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., for a Clubhouse conversation with special guest and producer of the Atlas Shrugged movie trilogy, Harmon Kaslow. Listen in and share your thoughts in this 90-minute discussion about past—and future—projects to bring Atlas Shrugged to cinematic life, including the Daily Wire’s forthcoming production.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes questions on the recent Silicon Valley Bank Failure, the Federal Reserves, Objectivism, and more.
Join Senior Scholar Richard Salsman Ph.D., and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D., for a special 90-minute discussion about the difference between the psychological issue of narcissism and a healthy, rational egoism.
NOTE: Technical difficulties persisted throughout this Clubhouse for David Kelley and Stephen Hicks was unable to participate so we apologize for the unusual nature of this recording. Nevertheless, there were a great number of topics discussed on politics, economics, philosophy, Objectivism, and more so we hope you will still enjoy what this episode has to offer.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a Clubhouse discussion on the historical pattern of a general suspicion of finance—even from some working in the field—and its implications.
Join founder David Kelley, Ph.D., and Senior Scholar Richard Salsman, Ph.D., for a special 90-minute Ask Me Anything-style discussion on Clubhouse where the duo answer questions on politics, economics, philosophy, Objectivism, and more.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., and founder David Kelley, Ph.D.,for a special 90-minute exploration and discussion on Ayn Rand’s theme regarding sanction of the victim and how evil often feeds off of people trying to be good.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he will be takes questions on intellectual property, economics, the liberty movement, and more.
While antisemitic outbursts by entertainers like Kanye West grab headlines, the incidence of anti-Jewish vandalism and attacks has also been on the rise. While opportunists keenly leverage such trends to score political points, it’s worthwhile to dig a little deeper to explore what philosophical and cultural trends are at play.
Join Senior Scholars Richard Salsman, Ph.D., and David Kelley, Ph.D., for a special 90-minute exploration and discussion of the connection between rising anti-semitism and rising anti-capitalism.
Join The Atlas Society Clubhouse host Scott Schiff for a special Clubhouse happy hour chat on with the Executive Editor for Human Events Media Group, Brent Hamacek, to discuss bringing Objectivist ethics into one’s business life.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D, and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D, for a special 90-minute “Ask Us Anything About Philosophy” event where the duo answer the audience's most pressing philosophical questions.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D.for a discussion on the FTX cryptocurrency scam and what role “effective altruism” had as a cover.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D, and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D, for a special 90-minute “Ask Us Anything About Philosophy” event where the duo answer the audience's most pressing philosophical questions.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a conversation on the definition of self-interest and seven of the most common smears against it.
Join Senior Scholar Richard Salsman, Ph.D. and Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a special 90-minute discussion on the U.S. midterm election results and their ramifications.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D, and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D, for a special 90-minute “Ask Us Anything About Philosophy” event where the duo answer the audience's most pressing philosophical questions.
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D, for a discussion that contrasts the passive-aggressive practice of doing the minimum to keep your job with the proactive withdrawal of the “sanction of the victim” as dramatized in Atlas Shrugged.
Join Senior Scholar Richard Salsman, Ph.D, and Senior Fellow Robert Tracinskifor a special 90-minute discussion on Great Britain and the rise of revolutionary socialism and democratic socialism.
Join Senior Scholar Stephen Hicks, Ph.D, and Atlas Society founder David Kelley, Ph.D, for a special 90-minute “Ask Us Anything About Philosophy” event where the duo answer the audience's most pressing philosophical questions.
Join CEO Jennifer Grossman for a special Clubhouse interview with former chess master and longtime Objectivist Larry Abrams. Listen as the two discuss Larry’s book The Philosophical Practitioner, experience teaching Ayn Rand chess, and more.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski onfor a discussion on what Objectivism has to say about the family.
Join Senior Scholar Jason Hill, Ph.D, for a discussion between the philosophies of Ayn Rand and Friedrich Nietzsche and whether we are currently living in an age of moral nihilism.
Join our founder, David Kelley Ph.D, for a discussion about the cardinal values in Objectivist ethics.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he will field your questions on Objectivism, foreign policy, politics, culture, and music.
Following up on his previous Clubhouse on Inflation, join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy Richard Salsman for a discussion on the topic of recessions.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a conversation on what is needed to preserve, reclaim, and expand the legacy of The Enlightenment.
After presenting “The Case For Democracy” previously, join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for an examination of the downside of unfettered democracy and explore the difference between majoritarianism and political freedom.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a discussion and Q&A on the nature of inflation, its causes, and the proper cure.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion on what is the proper justification for representative government and the “consent of the governed” and if “democracy” is the right word for it.
Join Senior Scholar Jason Hill as he discusses the Falsification Principle proposed by Karl Popper and how it compares to nihilism in America.
Join David Kelley, Ph.D for a special “Ask Me Anything” discussion where our founder answers questions on immigration and border policy, ethics, the acquisition of knowledge, and other questions on philosophy, politics, Objectivism, etc.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinskifor a special “Ask Me Anything” where he answers questions relating to immigration and borders, the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid, and more on Objectivism, foreign policy, politics, culture, and music.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D for a discussion on the conflict between regulations and rights, and the challenge posed by regulations to the value of a presumption of innocence.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski when he discusses the question: “Has everything become defined by victimhood and ‘trauma’ and why?”
Join Senior Scholar Professor Jason Hill for a discussion on the nature of political happiness.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski as he explores the questions: What is “futurism,” and what does philosophy have to tell us about what kind of future is possible?
Join Dr. Salsman for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes questions on Objectivism, monetary policy, politics, etc.
Join our Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion on the events in Sri Lanka and what can be learned from it: "The economic collapse and political upheaval in Sri Lanka offers lessons about the dangers of both utopian environmentalism and populist authoritarianism"
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he will be taking your questions on Objectivism.
Join our founder, David Kelley, Ph.D for a special discussion in which Dr. Kelley defines Open Objectivism and how it differs from Closed Objectivism in several important respects.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion in which he seeks to address: "In a morality of self-interest, why wouldn’t Genghis Khan be the ideal? Why not be a criminal, a dictator, or a conqueror? Why would rational self-interest lead to an orderly and secure society?"
Join Senior Scholar Dr. Jason Hill for part 2 of a special two-part discussion of certain themes in Ayn Rand’s novels.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he fields your questions on Objectivism, foreign policy, politics, culture, and music.
Join Senior Scholar Dr. Jason Hill for part 1 of a special two-part discussion of certain themes in Ayn Rand’s novels.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a discussion in which he seeks to address: What does "scarcity" actually mean in economics, and would an economy with greater abundance make the case for a bigger welfare state—or against it?
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a discussion on the disturbing trend of more and more business school graduates embarking on their corporate careers with a marked hostility to capitalism itself.
Join our founder, David Kelley, Ph.D. for a special discussion in which Dr. Kelley will clarify the logical distinction in these modes of inference, addressing some common errors, and then illustrate how the distinction applies to the philosophy of Objectivism.
Join Senior Scholar Jason Hill, Ph.D for a discussion on the moral bankruptcy of government schooling.
Join Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Dr. Richard Salsman for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he takes questions about capitalism and free markets from the audience and our 64K Instagram audience.
Join Senior Scholar Jason Hill, Ph.D for a discussion of Ayn Rand’s views on civil disobedience.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski where he takes questions while addressing the questions: Do we need to have religious morality in order to have a free society? Does secular liberalism sow the seeds of its own destruction?
Join Atlas Society Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Richard Salsman, Ph.D. for a special discussion on Clubhouse about “Stakeholder Capitalism”—what it is and why it is inherently a fascistic system.
Join Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he will field your questions on Objectivism, foreign policy, politics, culture, and music.
Join our Senior Scholar, Professor Jason Hill for Part 2 of a special 2-part discussion on Elitism and Meritocracy and how higher values are threatened by the crassness of today’s culture.
Join our Senior Scholar and Professor of Political Economy at Duke, Dr. Richard Salsman for a special “Ask Me Anything” where he will be taking questions from YOU and our 64K Instagram followers on Objectivism, monetary policy, politics, etc.