Egoism Without Permission: An Interview with Tara Smith

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In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Tara Smith about her new book Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand’s Ethics.

Among the topics covered:

• What Rand means (and doesn’t mean) by egoism and the virtues;
• Why  having desires and owning your emotions are crucial to having a good life, even though emotionalism is bad;
• Why the independent person does not seek permission for pursuing his happiness;
• Why self-esteem must be earned and sustained;
• Why self-interest means being interested in one’s values;
• How egoists can still fall prey to accidental sacrifices;
• The importance of introspection for egoism and flourishing;
• Smith’s message in Egoism Without Permission.

Mentioned in the discussion are Tara Smith’s books Egoism Without Permission: The Moral Psychology of Ayn Rand’s Ethics and Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist and Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand.

The podcast premiered on June 12, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.