Jon Hersey's Articles
Announcements
Introducing OSI’s Republic of Letters
Jon Hersey February 12, 2021
I’m excited to announce Objective Standard Institute’s brand new “Republic of Letters.” This is a meetup group for active writers who have taken (or are taking) one of OSI’s writing courses or have published an article with The Objective Standard.
Real Fake News
CDC Recommends against Americans Making New Year’s Resolutions
This just in from TOS’s Fake News department: As Americans were preparing to ring in the new year on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control dashed widespread hopes for a return to some semblance of normalcy in 2021, recommending that Americans refrain from making New Year’s resolutions.
Announcements, Education & Parenting
FEE Launches Webinars and Workshops for High Schoolers
Jon Hersey October 16, 2020
FEE partners with experts and top professors to bring high-quality instruction to high schoolers across the country.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Science & Technology
Reinventing Flight: An Interview with Blake Scholl
Jon Hersey October 7, 2020
On October 7, 2020, Blake Scholl and his company Boom Supersonic unveiled XB-1, the first privately funded supersonic jet in history.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Reviews
Facets of Ayn Rand: Memoirs by Mary Ann Sures and Charles Sures
Jon Hersey September 24, 2020
Pick up Facets of Ayn Rand and revel in stories about one of history’s greatest storytellers.
Ayn Rand & Objectivism, Education & Parenting, Good Living
Tom Brady’s First-Handed Approach to Achievement
Jon Hersey September 16, 2020
Tom Brady talks about helping his kids see the difference between trying to be the best, which is inherently comparative, and doing their own best, an ever-evolving challenge that keeps one thinking in a first-handed way.
Economics
Jeff Bezos’s Beautiful Defense of American Entrepreneurialism
Jon Hersey August 5, 2020
I dare you to read—without shedding a tear of joy—Jeff Bezos's July 29 statement before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Antitrust.
Arts & Culture
Raise a Glass of Trader José’s in Support of this ‘Fearless Flyer’
Jon Hersey July 31, 2020
Those who oppose the irrational trend of finding offense in everything should applaud Trader Joe’s—and celebrate with some ice-cold Trader José’s Mexican-style lager.
Politics & Rights
Thank You, Big Tech, for Unfriending China
Jon Hersey July 8, 2020
Tech companies get plenty of things wrong, but their response to China’s latest act of authoritarianism is not one of them. Thank you, big tech, for standing up for the rights of Hongkongers.
History, Politics & Rights
George Floyd, Revolutions, and the Path to Justice
Jon Hersey June 17, 2020
By burning and pillaging the property of their fellow citizens, rioters spit on the progress their forbears achieved under far worse circumstances.
History, Politics & Rights
Lessons from Wisconsin’s Stand for Freedom
Jon Hersey May 19, 2020
Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling is a partial victory for freedom, it falls short of making a principled stand for individual rights.
Arts & Culture, Education & Parenting, Reviews
Anne with an E by Moira Walley-Beckett
Jon Hersey April 30, 2020
If you can stand a tearjerker—and if you enjoy art that glorifies imagination, individualism, free inquiry, and the passionate pursuit of values—you may just fall in love with Moira Walley-Beckett’s Anne with an E.
Philosophy, Politics & Rights
Lockdowns Versus Living
Jon Hersey April 27, 2020
Whereas many (if not most) who get COVID-19 may never even know it, the same cannot be said of the government’s “cure.” Barred from taking the actions necessary to support their lives, many are now worse off than they would be taking their chances without lockdowns.
Economics, Politics & Rights
Economists Petition Politicians to Repeal Laws against “Price Gouging”
Jon Hersey April 16, 2020
If you recognize and want to protect the rights of producers and traders to act on their judgment, which will, in turn, enable them to produce and sell the products we all need during this pandemic—please sign and share Raymond C. Niles’s petition.
Politics & Rights, Science & Technology
Statist Responses to COVID-19: An Interview with Michael Fumento
Jon Hersey April 3, 2020
“We need to look at the suffering caused by lockdowns. People suffer when they get COVID-19, and they suffer when they’re thrown out of work and can’t eat. They suffer both ways.” — Michael Fumento