Ziemowit GowinThe Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) has always championed freedom of speech, a cornerstone of a free society. Building on this effort, in May 2024, the Ayn Rand Institute Press published Tara Smith’s The First Amendment: Essays on the Imperative of Intellectual Freedom. This powerful collection offers a compelling defense of intellectual freedom from an Objectivist perspective, and we are proud to report that the book has already garnered significant interest. From podcasts and interviews to panels and events, The First Amendment is attracting attention.
On September 12, Smith and Onkar Ghate (a contributor to the book) discussed the content of the book with Nico Perino, Vice President and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), on his podcast So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast. Smith was also a guest on The Michael Shermer Show, where she explored the book’s themes.
But the momentum doesn’t stop there.
As part of Free Speech Week at the University of Texas at Austin, a panel discussion on The First Amendment took place on October 24. The event featured Tara Smith, Onkar Ghate, Greg Salmieri, and Elan Journo, all of whom contributed to the book. A few days later, on October 30, Elan Journo talked about religious freedom and the principle of intellectual freedom at UCI School of Law under the auspices of the Federalist Society. And just this month, on November 15, Onkar Ghate spoke at the 2nd Annual Voices for Liberty Symposium, a public event organized by Voices for Liberty. Notably, the Voices for Liberty staff had received copies of The First Amendment prior to extending the invitation to Ghate.
This success mark just the beginning of what we anticipate will be ongoing momentum for The First Amendment: Essays on the Imperative of Intellectual Freedom.
