Craig Biddle and I wrote this essay, “Liberty: What Is It? Why Is It Good? On What Does It Depend?,” as a pamphlet for Students for Liberty to distribute at LibertyCon and other conferences. It’s a brief introduction to Ayn Rand’s views on liberty and how they differ from conventional views. If you’ve not yet read it,…
Author: Carl Barney
Ideas—an Evening with Vernon and Candice Smith
One of my joys in life is discussing important ideas with great thinkers. So I was delighted to have dinner at my home with Dr. Vernon Smith and his wife Candace, Dr. Bart Wilson and his partner Ryan Johnson, Todd Zywicki and his wife Jeri Curry, and Craig Biddle. I won’t get into everyone’s history…
The Assault on Private Career Colleges
For some attorneys general, when it comes to targeting and prosecuting politically unpopular businesses (oil companies, healthcare providers, drug companies, etc.), anything goes. And justice is not their goal. Their goal is to cripple, bleed, bankrupt businesses they don’t like. Their playbook is simple: Make stuff up, fake documents, fake witnesses, whatever will work; conduct…
My Retirement from the Board of Cato
I recently retired as a board member of the Cato Institute to focus on personal pursuits, such as advancing Objectivism through my Prometheus Foundation. I enjoyed my time on the board of Cato, and I have great respect for CEO Peter Goettler, Chairman Bob Levy, and all the other board members. Cato is a good…
Criticism and Complaints
I told my butler (who I call “James”—after all, English butlers are named James) that criticizing and complaining is a virtue. He looked at me disapprovingly, as if I’d said the moon is made of cheese. He said he did not think so; so, I explained. I told him that nothing gets better until one…
Patience: Virtue or Vice?
I used to smile at a cartoon showing a drawing of two scraggly, skinny vultures roosting on a tree branch. The caption read: “Patience my ass, I’m gonna kill something.” That’s a go-getter attitude I thought. Patience is for those who don’t do anything. Patience is for those who sit around, those with no ambition. I didn’t…
Leonard Peikoff’s 86th Birthday Celebration
I was honored to host at my home a celebration for my dear friend and mentor, Leonard Peikoff, on the occasion of his 86th birthday. It was a delightful evening. Leonard’s close friends engaged warmly, and a dinner was served in an elegant surrounding. Several guests, including Lisa VanDamme, Andrew Lewis, and myself, expressed our…
Body by Science
I recently read Body by Science by Doug McGuff, MD, and John Little. While the book has some loose science, I believe it also has sufficient good science and valid ideas to be worth reading. I’ve been practicing its prescriptions with good results.
The Kaufmann Protocol
I’m currently reading The Kaufmann Protocol, by Sandra Kaufmann, MD, and I’m heartened to see that the science of life-extension and anti-aging is making headway…
