facebook pixel
New Ideal - Reason | Individualism | Capitalism

Bayer and Ghate Chat on Rand’s View of Conspiracy Theories

Today we’re launching a new multimedia feature on New Ideal, a series of videos featuring New Ideal editors and writers in conversation about works in progress. In these pre-recorded but unscripted sessions, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at forthcoming pieces: the writer’s interest in the topic, a preview of some of the content of the article, and interesting material connected to the topic but beyond the scope of the written piece.

In the first of the series, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss a forthcoming in-depth piece about Ayn Rand’s comments on “conspiracy theories.”

Topics discussed include: what “conspiracy theories” are and how they have become more mainstream in recent years; why “conspiracy theories” are not really theories but anti-theories; the difference between “conspiracism” and “the conspiracy theory of history”; Rand’s view of the impotence of evil vs. the conspiracy theory of history; the applicability of Rand’s perspective to communist conspiracies in the twentieth century and Islamist conspiracies today; how pragmatism fuels conspiracism; the connection between conspiracism and tribalism; and the difficulty of identifying the ideas that move the world, even when they are accepted openly.

Audio download here:

Join the conversation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Do you have a comment or question?

Share this article:

Ben Bayer

Ben Bayer, PhD in philosophy, is a fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute and the author of Why the Right to Abortion Is Sacrosanct (2022). Ben is a managing editor of New Ideal and a member of the Ayn Rand University faculty.

Onkar Ghate

Onkar Ghate, PhD in philosophy, is a senior fellow and chief philosophy officer at the Ayn Rand Institute. A contributing author to many books on Rand’s ideas and philosophy, he is a senior editor of New Ideal and a member of the Ayn Rand University faculty.

Updates from New Ideal

Book Image  

Ayn Rand University App

Explore unique philosophical content that challenges conventional views — in courses you can take on the go.

Available on Google Play and
the App Store.

Welcome to New Ideal!

If you like what you’re reading, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter! You’ll also receive a FREE copy of our book, Illuminating Ayn Rand.