Select Essays

Here are links to some of my articles, most of which were published in The Objective Standard. (See my author page at TOS for more.)

Philosophy and Objectivism

• What is Objectivism
• Independent Thinking, Morality, and Liberty
• Religion vs. Subjectivism: Why Neither Will Do
• Religion Is Super Subjectivism
• The Is–Ought Gap: Subjectivism’s Technical Retreat
• How Morality is Grounded in Reality
• Objective Moral Values: Basic Human Needs
• Making Life Meaningful: Living Purposefully
• Objective Moral Virtues: Principled Actions
• Here’s What’s Wrong with Ayn Rand’s Philosophy
• Ben Shapiro Denies and Affirms the Law of Identity
• The Argument From Intimidation: A Confession of Intellectual Impotence
• “Ayn Rand Said” Is Not an Argument
• The Beauty of Ayn Rand’s Ethics
• Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand’s Morality of Egoism
• Secular, Objective Morality: Look and See
• Basic Moral Theories Essentialized
• Why “Sacrifice” Means Loss, Not Gain
• Purpose, Value Hierarchies, and Happiness
• Reclaiming Spirituality for Lovers of Life
• Egoism, Benevolence, and Generosity
• Individual Rights and Principles of Egoism
• The Is-Altruism Dichotomy
• Purpose Comes from Reason not Religion
• Altruism: The Morality of Logical Fallacies
• Letters and Replies: Jesus and Violence
• Don’t Say Grace, Say Justice
• Scientific Morality and the Streetlight Effect
• Steve Jobs’ Philosophy of Life
• The Virtue of Honesty
• Independence vs. Second-Handedness
• Why the Prager-Shermer Debate Will Go Essentially Nowhere
• Reclaiming Spirituality for Lovers of Life
• Carl Barney on Objectivism and Success
• Rand’s Ethics and Say’s Law
• A Step Toward Rational Secularism Is Better than None
• Resources for Understanding Objectivism
• Resources for Advancing Objectivism

Individual Rights and Capitalism

• Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rights: The Moral Foundation of a Free Society
• Capitalism and the Moral High Ground
• Individualism vs. Collectivism: Our Future, Our Choice
• The Creed of Sacrifice vs. The Land of Liberty
• Liberty: What Is It? Why Is It Good? On What Does It Depend?
• Moral Diversity: Asset or Liability for Liberty?
• Independent Thinking, Morality, and Liberty
• Libertarianism vs. Radical Capitalism
• Ayn Rand: America’s Comeback Philosopher
• Religion vs. Free Speech
• Immigration and Individual Rights
• The Right to Immigrate and the Legitimacy of an Objective Screening Process
• Why Religious Conservatives Should Embrace Secular Rights
• Freedom of Speech Is Freedom to Think
• Tommy Robinson’s Right to Free Speech Morally Trumps All Laws That Violate It (Even That One)
• Capitalism Because Science
• The Poor, Disabled, and Helpless Under Capitalism
• A Civilized Society: The Necessary Conditions
• Reason and Capitalism, or Unreason and Environmentalism: Choose Wisely
• Libertarians Fiddle while Rome Burns
• How Would Government be Funded in a Free Society?
• The Equality Equivocation
• The Passion of Socialists
• America’s Declining Economic Liberty, and its Cause
• The American Right, the Purpose of Government, and the Future of Liberty
• Open Letter to Paul Krugman re Intellectual Impotence, Inflation, and Ayn Rand
• The Shapiro Principle: A Godsend for Lovers of Liberty
• An Open Letter to Advocates of Identity Politics
• Identity Politics vs. the Law of Identity
• Bad Parenting, Bad Education, and the State of America
• America’s Next Leftist President: Donald Trump
• Liberal Right vs. Regressive Left and Religious “Right”
• When Ayn Rand Meets Patrick Henry
• What to Celebrate on Independence Day
• A Vital Truth for Valentine’s Day: Say’s Law and Romantic Love
• Scrutinizing Scruton’s Scrutinizing
• Mere Atheism
• Auberon Herbert: Advocate of Reason, Individual Rights, and Limited Government

The Political Spectrum

• Political “Left” and “Right” Properly Defined
• The Vital Function of the Left-Right Political Spectrum
• Liberal Right vs. Regressive Left and Religious “Right”
• Principles of the Liberal Right
• The Muddy Waters of the Nolan Chart
• A Note to the Right Regarding the “Alt-Right”
• Four Fallacies Regarding the Political Spectrum

Foreign Policy, War, and Peace

• U.S. Foreign Policy: What’s the Purpose
• The Causes of War and Those of Peace
• Ten Steps to End Jihad Against the West
• The Jihad Against America and How to End It
• Islamic Jihad and Western Faith
• Relativism and Religion vs. the Lives of Americans 
• Israel: To Be, Or Not To Be
• Hamas and The Left’s Pretense about the Deaths of Innocents in Gaza
• A “Teal Movement” in Iran Could Be the End of the Regime: The U.S. Should Encourage It 
• Reply to a Question about Targeting Non-Combatants in War 
• The Taliban Can… Because We Let Them 
• The Evil of Whitewashing Islam

Environmentalism

• Reason and Capitalism, or Unreason and Environmentalism: Choose Wisely
• Environmentalists’ Marching Orders for Human Extinction
• Exploit-the-Earth Day
• Keep the Lights On—and Shine ‘Em on Environmentalist Nonsense

Art

• Robin Field: The Most Delightful Performer Ever to Say ‘A is A’
• Robin Field on Objectivism and the Performing Arts

Parenting

• How to raise a Life-Loving Child
• Objectivism and Parenting

Conservatism

• Dennis Prager’s False Alternative and Ayn Rand’s Philosophy of Life
• Contra Ben Shapiro, Rational Self-Interest Is Not Hedonism
• Ben Shapiro and the Garbage Smear
• National Review’s MO Regarding Ayn Rand
• How Conservatives Begat Trump, and What to Do About It
• William F. Buckley: Cowardly, Dishonest, Unjust, Racist, and Loved by Conservatives