Fireside Chat Ep. 174 — A Dialogue About God and Ayn Rand | Fireside Chat | Fireside Chat

What is the source of morality? Atheist and founder of The Objective Standard Institute Craig Biddle joins Dennis this week to discuss Objectivism, Ayn Rand, God, and where they disagree. Enjoy!

[jonokai]

This is the kind of thing we need to see more of. THIS is what is missing from public discourse.

[hippo]

So happy Craig came on this week. What a pleasure to listen to both sides argue their differences and bond on their similarities and ultimately leave with respect for one another.

[Daniel_Grgic]

I love civil dialogue!!! It’s so rare to see now-a-days. This is a real treat!

[michaelmignogna]

My favorite Fireside Chat yet. Craig’s clarity is so refreshing. And Dennis’s willingness to listen without interrupting—which is exactly what a good interviewer does—was fantastic. I hope we hear more from Craig and ObjectiveStandard.org.

[amanwithouthope]

To men who don't agree on every single matter have a civil and respectful conversation that is a rare sight in this world. Magnificent!

[rationalcapitalist]

Very well done Craig. You handled some some very deep philosophical issues incredibly well. I also applaud the way Prager treated his guest with dignity. I do believe there is a bigger chasm between his and Craig's ideas than he realizes. Having similar political views is the easy part. Having vastly different ideas on metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics (like they do) is much harder to overcome and much more fundamental.

[Avidcomp]

So glad this conversation is on PragerU. I have left countless comments for almost 10 years to have an Objectivist on to counter the broader atheist views.

[craigbiddle]

I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion with Dennis, and I greatly appreciate his willingness to engage in such open dialogue. Thank you, Dennis and @PragerU for having me on the show!

For anyone who wants to learn more about Ayn Rand’s morality, her theory of rights, and her philosophy in general, here are a few articles and an upcoming course I’m teaching at OSI. I’m omitting links, as YouTube doesn’t favor them in comments. But if you search these terms, the articles pop right up.

“Secular, Objective Morality: Look and See”

“Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rights: The Moral Foundation of a Free Society”

“What Is Objectivism?” (at The Objective Standard site)

“Introduction to Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Loving Life” (course—scholarships are available)

[saraish]

I think its important to bring people who have differing outlooks on life together to speak. Often, as with these two, one finds we have more in common than we think

[dentcrow]

I am a right winged atheist. I'm going to be honest with you christians, we need more discussions like this because too many atheists get caught in the leftist trap. I was a leftist not that long ago, it's hard to see outside of the bubble, and I firmly believe we need to help them see the light.

[saraish]

Absolutely awesome. My favorite issue was when you spoke of the founding fathers being imperfect but we don't just through everything out just because they made some mistakes. I think that people have been forgetting this important part of life lately.

[danafarr-edwards]

Both men make very good points for their case's cause. Excellent discussion, made for a good evening's listen.

[grannygear]

I am not an objectionist but a Christian, a sinner saved via Amazing Grace. I believe that the foundation of unalienable rights is conscience. However, one of my favorite quotes is from Ayn Rand, "When I disagree with a rational man, I let reality be our final arbiter; if I am right, he will learn; if I am wrong, I will; one of us will win, but both will profit." Great chat!

God (unlike man or false religions) never, never messes with our free will! It’s a gift.

[tedclemens]

"Clarity over agreement." I like that.

[emoshunless]

Bravo! Craig did amazing! It's rare to see a discussion of this sorts that someone answers the way you want to hear them answered. What a great thing for objectivism.

[mprevs]

Really appreciate Craig Biddle’s arguments. The commonality of both sides is the holding up of Reason as the premier human activity. One that sadly is neglected, as so many settle for being spoon fed. I recently studied Ayn Rand’s philosophy. I was enamored by her strength and shocked by her honesty. She said Aristotle was her only influence! Her philosophy is fascinating and as I ‘test’ it in my everyday life musings and bouts of reasoning, I’m finding that it holds a lot of truth! Let men and women be free to reason out what is best to entertain for the next step, and let them do it with minimal government intervention. There’s good thought fodder during these crazy times to think about how would an Ayn Rand civilization fare vs. what we’ve currently got here in the U.S. She evidently saw that the trajectory the U.S. was taking was not a good one.

[nonoah]

So glad they brought Ayn Rand and God together for this much needed discussion

[htalp]

Really good discussion. As formerly religious and trying to find a voice and a means to describe my values, what Craig describes may be the ticket for me. I have long thought that an objective morality exists apart from a religious structure, and he laid it out so well. Thanks for bringing this to us.

[janebiddick]

Thx for interesting discussion. I tossed around both your vantage points for meaning in my teens. Now I’m glad to have eternal life through our creator’s Son Jesus. My parents were atheists. John 3:16

[jafco]

After all of these years, Dennis has finally acknowledged the existence of Ayn Rand and her philosophy Objectivism.