How Friendship Can Be Selfish

Podcast audio:

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Tristan de Liège and Gregory Salmieri discuss friendship as a moral and philosophical value and explore the relationship between friendship, egoism, and altruism.

Topics include:

• Friendship in Rand’s fiction;
• Visibility in friendship;
• Egoism and Friendship;   
• Valuing Friendship;
• Altruism and sacrifice;
• Unconditional love;
• Compromise and reciprocity.

Resources:

• Tristan de Liège’s lecture “How to Value Friendship”
•  A Companion to Ayn Rand, edited by Gregory Salmieri and Allan Gotthelf.

This episode was recorded on October 6, 2025, and posted October 30, 2025. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.

Image Credit: Compassionate Eye Foundation/Steven Errico/DigitalVision via Getty Images