(If you are not an Objectivist, please ignore this.) For about 10 years, on and off, certain people at the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), most notably Onkar Ghate and Yaron Brook, have been publicly and covertly (through phone calls, emails, and social media) denouncing and blacklisting Craig Biddle and The Objective Standard (TOS). They did…
Author: Carl Barney
Response to ARI
I recently wrote an article, The Truth about Craig Biddle vs. Smears by Some at ARI. Rather than respond to the article, ARI issued a statement attacking it as “riddled with errors and distortions.” What errors and distortions? They don’t say. Surely they could have spent a few minutes out of respect for readers to…
Leonard’s Birthday
For friends of Leonard Peikoff. (If you are not an Objectivist, skip this.) Leonard; my romantic partner, Julie; and I had a delightful dinner for Leonard’s birthday at my home last Tuesday night. Leonard was upbeat and in good health; the best I’ve seen him in years. He was energetic, spirited, humorous, and delightful as…
The Sun Always Comes Up
This was sent to me by a dear friend, and it resonates.
The Truth about Craig Biddle vs. Smears by Some at ARI
Craig Biddle is an accomplished, highly productive, Objectivist intellectual who has dedicated the last 25 years to advancing Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. He has done it well. He is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, a vital source for commentary from an Objectivist perspective, now in its 15th year of publication. He is…
Fear and Politics
When fear, ignorance, and evasion mix with politics, bad and costly things happen. Financially speaking, the mismanagement of the coronavirus panic is more costly than 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis combined. This, I believe, is the greatest political blunder of this century. However, there are thoughtful writers such as Joseph Ladapo amid the hysteria….
Systemic Racism
Whites-only bathrooms. Whites-only hotels. Blacks unable to get jobs reserved for whites. Lynchings. These evils have occurred in American history. In 1930s Germany, the Nazi government was committing even greater evils against Jews, black people, and many other “undesirables,” prohibiting them from buying homes, owning businesses, or getting jobs. Eventually, the state attempted to murder…
Wonderful Movie and Literary Treats
Lisa VanDamme (of VanDamme Academy, and who I consider the poet laureate of Objectivism) and her husband Chad Morris (a personal trainer extraordinaire) came to dinner at my home with close friends, Craig Biddle, and his wife, Sarah. There’s richness in these relationships. Lisa recommended a wonderful movie called Warrior starring, among others, Nick Nolte….
Why I Support Ayn Rand and Objectivism
Ayn Rand’s writings and philosophy are a symphony of reason and inspiration. For example, in responding to a fan in 1960 about the meaning of life, she wrote: “Joy, exultation, beauty, greatness, heroism, all of the supreme, uplifting values of man’s existence on Earth, are the meaning of life.” In the afterword to Atlas Shrugged,…
Paycheck Protection Program
I have never paid my “fair share” of taxes. I’ve always paid infinitely more than my “fair share” (which is zero). I’ve paid loads of taxes. While I don’t agree in principle with taxes, I comply with the law, and I take any deductions that my CPA can find. When the “Paycheck Protection Program” (PPP)…
