Podcast audio:
In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Onkar Ghate discuss both invalid and valid attempts to blame “both sides” of American politics for various outrages.
Topics include:
- Introduction
- False moral equivalence
- “Two sides to every issue”
- Political violence on both sides
- Free speech hostility on both sides
- Altruism encourages tribal warfare
- Recognizing and resisting tribalism
Resources:
- Ayn Rand, “Doesn’t Life Require Compromise?”, The Virtue of Selfishness
- Ayn Rand, “The Missing Link,” Philosophy: Who Needs It
- Ayn Rand, “Global Balkanization,” The Voice of Reason
This episode was recorded on October 28, 2025, and posted on November 6, 2025.
Image Credit: PM Images / DigitalVision / via Getty Images





