Objectivism Q&A with Ben Bayer and Mike Mazza

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer, Mike Mazza and Agustina Vergara Cid discuss answers to questions about Objectivism submitted by Objectivist Academic Center students and the audience.

Among the topics covered:

Question 1: Should an independent man accept charity?
Sub-question: Should one accept charity from someone who is sacrificing?
Question 2: Could direct taxation be justified during wartime?
Sub-question: Are “free riders” in a voluntarily funded government a problem?
Question 3: What is Ayn Rand’s definition of knowledge?
Sub-question: What are Objectivism’s resources for addressing the “Gettier problem”?
Question 4: Are some Ayn Rand fans dogmatic? Isn’t it better to disagree with Objectivism than to agree with it dogmatically?
ARI’s Objectivist Academic Center.

Mentioned in the discussion are Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead, her book Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, and her essays “Government Financing in a Free Society” in The Virtue of Selfishness and “The Wreckage of the Consensus” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.

You can apply for the Objectivist Academic Center here, and sign up for the OAC Preview summer seminars here.

This podcast was recorded on May 5, 2021. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.