Fall 2008Vol. 3, No. 3
Articles
McBama vs. America (accessible for free)
Surveys the promises of John McCain and Barack Obama, shows that these intentions are at odds with the American ideal of individual rights, demonstrates that the cause of such political aims is a particular moral philosophy (shared by McCain and Obama), and calls for Americans to repudiate that morality and to embrace instead a morality that supports the American ideal. Read the article.
The Resurgence of Big Government
Identifies the cause of America’s two-decade swing to the right, explains why this cause was philosophically insufficient to sustain the movement toward capitalism, and indicates what Americans must understand if we want to resume the trek toward freedom, armed with the means to sustain it. Read the opening paragraphs (full article accessible to subscribers).
The Mystical Ethics of the New Atheists (accessible for free)
Examines the moral ideas of Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins, exposes some curious truths about their ethics, and provides sound advice for theists and atheists alike who wish to discover and uphold a rational, secular morality. Read the article.
Mandatory Health Insurance: Wrong for Massachusetts, Wrong for America (accessible for free)
Identifies the theory behind the Massachusetts mandatory health insurance program, exposes the program as a fiasco, explains why the theory had to fail in practice, and sheds light on the only genuine, rights-respecting means to affordable, accessible health care for Americans. Read the article.
Deeper Than Kelo: The Roots of the Property Rights Crisis
Surveys the pivotal historic events that paved the way for today’s flagrant violations of property rights in America, documents the United States Supreme Court’s indifference to and complicity in the crimes in question, and indicates the solution to the crisis. Read the opening paragraphs (full article accessible to subscribers).
The Menace of Pragmatism
Examines the nature of this widely-accepted philosophy, identifies its remarkable "essence," surveys its disastrous implications, and provides pointers for effectively opposing this persistent philosophical problem. Read the opening paragraphs (full article accessible to subscribers).
How the FDA Violates Rights and Hinders Health
Surveys the history, nature, and consequences of this behemoth government agency; shows that it is impractical and immoral; and indicates how, in the absence of the FDA, the free market could provide the highest possible level of drug safety and efficacy. Read the opening paragraphs (full article accessible to subscribers).
Book Reviews
Mugged by Reality: The Liberation of Iraq and the Failure of Good Intentions, by John Agresto
Read the opening paragraphs (full review accessible to subscribers).
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Read the opening paragraphs (full review accessible to subscribers).
The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack, by Ronald Kessler
Read the opening paragraphs (full review accessible to subscribers).
The Tyranny of the Market: Why You Can’t Always Get What You Want, by Joel Waldfogel
Read the opening paragraphs (full review accessible to subscribers).
First into Nagasaki: The Censored Eyewitness Dispatches on Post-Atomic Japan and Its Prisoners of War, by George Weller
Read the opening paragraphs (full review accessible to subscribers).
Correspondence
We value your thoughts on articles in The Objective Standard, and we welcome your letters to the editor—whether critical, argumentative, or complimentary. Well-written letters will be published in our "Letters and Replies" section toward the front of the journal and, when appropriate, may be accompanied by writers’ responses. Letters may be edited.
The Objective Standard (print ISSN 1559-1905, online ISSN 1559-1913) is published quarterly by Glen Allen Press, LLC, P.O. Box 5274, Glen Allen, VA 23058. Although The Objective Standard publishes articles by writers from the Ayn Rand Institute, the two organizations are entirely separate and distinct. The views expressed in any given article in The Objective Standard are those of the author of that article and do not necessarily reflect the position of the journal or of the Ayn Rand Institute. The Ayn Rand Institute retains copyrights to articles by its writers. Copyright ©2008 by Glen Allen Press. All rights reserved. Material on this website may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or manner, without prior written permission from the publisher. To request permission, please Craig Biddle.
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