Podcasts

Lecture one discusses: What is philosophy? The historical role of reason and objectivism vs. subjectivism.

Lecture two discusses the process of abstraction and concept-formation, the subconscious, reason and emotions.

Lecture three discusses the validity of the senses,identity and causality: Logic vs. Mysticism.

Lecture four evolves around religion, from a psychological and philosophical perspective. Is the concept of God meaningful? Are the arguments for the existence of God logically defensible? Branden explores these questions and more in this historic series.

Lecture five titled Free Will discusses the meaning and nature of volition. The fallacy of psychological determinism and free will as the choice to think or not to think.

Lecture six is given by guest lecturer Barbara Branden and will discuss the nature of clear thinking, Pseudo thinking and the nature of definitions and common thinking errors.

Lecture seven is on Self-Esteem. Why self-esteem is man’s deepest psychological need and the consequences of the failure to achieve self-esteem.

Lecture eight is on the Psychology of dependence and discusses the independent mind vs. the "socialized mind", social metaphysics and the revolt against the responsibility of a volitional consciousness.

Lecture nine is on The Objectivist Ethics. The foundation of the Objectivist ethics, man’s life as the standard of value. Dr. Branden discusses rationality as the foremost virtue and happiness as the moral goal of life.

Lecture ten is on “Reason and Virtue,” where Nathaniel Branden discusses independence, honesty, integrity, and productiveness and their relation to survival and mental health.

Lecture eleven is on Justice vs. Mercy. The nature of justice and the importance of passing moral judgments and the virtue of pride.

Lecture twelve titled “The Evil of Self-Sacrifice,” where Nathaniel Branden discusses the ethics of altruism and altruism as anti-man and anti-life.

Lecture thirteen titled “Government and the Individual,” discusses the principles of a proper political system, individual rights and Freedom vs. compulsion.

Lecture 14 is on the Economics of a Free Society, the basic principles of exchange, division of labor and the the “pyramid of ability", the mechanism of a free markets profits and wealth.

Lecture 15 is on “Common Fallacies About Capitalism. Nathaniel Branden discusses the monopolies in Capitalism, depressions, labor unions and inherited wealth.

Lecture 16 is a discussion on the psychology of sex and self-esteem and a person's sexual choices as the expression of his deepest values.

Lecture seventeen will discuss naturalism and fatalism, the literary method of Ayn Rand and romanticism and free will.

Lecture eighteen continues the discussion on naturalism and fatalism, the literary method of Ayn Rand and romanticism and free will.

Lecture nineteen discusses why evil is important, what makes the “victory” of evil possible and the sanction of the victim.

Lecture twenty discusses a benevolent vs. malevolent sense of life and why many humans repress and drive underground, not the worst within them, but the best.