The Value of Ayn Rand’s Anthem to Today’s Students

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Aaron Smith and Sam Weaver draw on their classroom experiences to discuss the impact of Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem on students.

Among the topics covered:

An overview of Anthem and how it’s used in classrooms;
Why Anthem’s story interests teenagers;
Anthem’s focus on the importance of intellectual independence;
How individualism is portrayed in the novel;
How the philosophical issues presented in Anthem are relevant to students’ lives;
Some of the features that make the novel unique;
The challenges in teaching Anthem, plus teachers’ guides and other resources;
Why teachers like to teach Anthem.

Mentioned in the discussion are Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem and her book The Romantic Manifesto, as well as the book Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Anthem,” edited by Robert Mayhew.

This podcast was recorded on September 15, 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.