's Articles
Announcements, Philosophy
Sam Harris and Alex O’Connor Debate Morality
Craig Biddle April 20, 2024
I was delighted to see that Alex O’Connor recently debated Sam Harris about whether ethics is objective and, if so, on what grounds.
Politics & Rights
Disney versus DeSantis and the Fairy Tale of Conservatives Defending Freedom
Saul Zimet April 19, 2024
The story of Governor Ron DeSantis’s prolonged battle against Disney’s legal independence has shown that many conservatives will choose egalitarianism over freedom when they find it politically expedient.
History, Politics & Rights
Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia by Gary J. Bass
Timothy Sandefur April 11, 2024
The first comprehensive book on the Japanese war crimes trial, Judgment at Tokyo is an exceptional feat of political, legal, and historical scholarship.
Politics & Rights
The Biden Administration’s Demon-Haunted World
Elizabeth Weiss April 3, 2024
The Biden administration is heralding a new demon-haunted world in which the backward mysticism of a handful of tribes is injected into nearly every federal agency and, thereby, all of our lives. Let’s not tolerate a slide back into the Dark Ages.
Announcements, LevelUp News
April Ascent—Save 40% on LevelUp 2024
Jackson Upmann April 3, 2024
LevelUp 2024 is just around the corner (June 19–22)—and if you register now you’ll save 40% with April Ascent pricing.
Economics, Politics & Rights
Building a New Hong Kong: An Interview with Ivan Ko
Thomas Walker-Werth March 29, 2024
Ivan Ko fled Hong Kong following China’s imposition of the national security law. Now he's working to create a new city with the goal of preserving and developing Hong Kong’s freedom-loving culture away from the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
Announcements, LevelUp News
Religion, Secularism, and the Future of Liberalism
Jackson Upmann March 12, 2024
If we can’t support and defend the ideals of classical liberalism, we will lose them, one and all. Hence this vital discussion at LevelUp 2024 (Atlanta, GA, June 19–22).
Arts & Culture, Philosophy
The Triumph of Defeat: Lust, Wine, and Rock ‘n’ Roll
Jon Hersey March 7, 2024
The success of many of today's popular musical artists evinces a broad cultural trend: the triumph of defeat—that is, the near-universal acceptance that we are but confused and helpless creatures.
Announcements, LevelUp News
Who is Carl Barney?
Jackson Upmann March 7, 2024
Carl Barney’s book-in-progress, “The Happiness Experiment,” explains his general approach to achieving success and happiness. And his talk at LevelUp 2024 (Atlanta, GA, June 19–22) will present a strategy he calls “Happiness Planning.”
Announcements
From the Editor, Spring 2024
Jon Hersey February 22, 2024
Welcome to the Spring 2024 issue of The Objective Standard. This begins the journal’s nineteenth year in publication, and I’d like to thank everyone who subscribes and supports our work. It’s because of you that all of us at TOS get to do what we love doing, supporting reason, egoism, and capitalism.
Economics, Politics & Rights
Capitalism in One Lesson: Capitalism Is the Only Practical System Because It Is the Only Moral System
Andrew Bernstein February 22, 2024
Whatever supports and furthers human life is morally good. Capitalism is the system that, from every standpoint and perspective, preeminently supports human life.
Politics & Rights
Davos 2024: Special Address
Javier Milei February 22, 2024
When I heard Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, address the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January, I shed tears of joy. I was blown away by his powerful defense of capitalism, his celebration of entrepreneurs as heroes, his incisive criticisms of collectivism and altruism, and his novel ideas on redefining socialism.
History, Politics & Rights, Reviews
America’s Rise and Fall among Nations: Lessons in Statecraft from John Quincy Adams by Angelo Codevilla
Bill Sanders February 22, 2024
America’s Rise and Fall among Nations provides a broad perspective of the course of American statecraft over the centuries, showing its arc from humble, inward-looking beginnings to grandiose ambitions after the 19th century.
History, Politics & Rights, Reviews
Freedom’s Furies: How Isabel Paterson, Rose Wilder Lane, and Ayn Rand Found Liberty in an Age of Darkness by Timothy Sandefur
Molly Sechrest February 22, 2024
Timothy Sandefur’s Freedom’s Furies: How Isabel Paterson, Rose Wilder Lane, and Ayn Rand Found Liberty in an Age of Darkness describes how the three "Furies" radically opposed prevailing trends, became friends, and gave birth to the modern American liberty movement.
Announcements, LevelUp News
Early-bird savings for LevelUp extended to March 15
Jackson Upmann February 15, 2024
Because we’re still developing the (amazing!) program for LevelUp 2024 (Atlanta, June 19–22), we’ve extended early-bird savings to March 15.