Ben Bayer
benbayer.bsky.social
Ben Bayer
@benbayer.bsky.social
180 followers 230 following 320 posts
Fellow and Director of Content, the Ayn Rand Institute. Former philosophy prof. Views expressed are my own, I am not authorized to speak for my employer. https://ari.aynrand.org/experts/ben-bayer/
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"Once we exorcise morality of these ghostly remnants of religion’s past, we’ll see this leaves more than enough room for new secular moral ideals to flourish."
newideal.aynrand.org/debunking-th...
Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics
The scientifically minded should be skeptical of the popular morality of impartiality.
newideal.aynrand.org
From me in OCR: "The president [needs] to impose powerful embargoes against specific military belligerents during declared wars. . . . [But] Trump’s tariffs. . . have been imposed indefinitely against. . . closely allied peaceful nations."

www.ocregister.com/2025/11/03/t...
The president has no ‘foreign policy’ discretion to impose sweeping global tariffs
The president’s real foreign policy discretion over trade applies only in wartime against specific belligerents—not in perpetuity and even against our allies.
www.ocregister.com
Genuine concern for justice does mean carefully choosing one's associates, and even sometimes their associates. Objectivism has stressed this for a long time. The Roberts controversy supports its validity. See Onkar Ghate's 2024 talk for more on why:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PfM...
On Moral Sanction | Onkar Ghate
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
www.youtube.com
Roberts wants to invoke a content-neutral formal "no cancellation" principle so he can excuse palling around with the increasingly irrational Carlson. The "cancellation" concept was formed to target the "woke" left but is now being used to rationalize the "woke" right.
"Cancel culture" is a poorly formed concept. It packages together irrational crusades to deplatform/fire people for honestly mistaken or even true views, with the rational deplatforming/firing irrational people. There's no content-neutral reason to oppose "cancellation" as such.
First, the discourse around "cancel culture" is empty. If you think Roberts is wrong, it's because you know something's wrong with his wanting not to "cancel" Carlson. For all of the irrationality Carlson platforms, he does deserves to be cast out of civilized circles.
If you agree with the outrage over this video, over the fact that Kevin Roberts condemns antisemitism but is unwilling to condemn Tucker Carlson for platforming it, there are some lessons about the nature of justice. 🧵
1. A watershed moment.

The President of the Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, Kevin Roberts , has announced that the organization is standing by Tucker Carlson in the aftermath of Tucker’s interview with neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.

This isn’t Kevin bending his knee to Trump…this is something new
Somewhat lengthier version of the piece I just published in Skeptic.
In Skeptic Magazine I ask (invoking the ghost of Epstein), “If it’s outrageous when money and power enable impunity for horrible crimes, shouldn’t it be even more outrageous when the pretense of moral authority enables someone to commit even worse crime?”

www.skeptic.com/article/neve...
Never Forget … or Forgive: The Ongoing Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal
The sexual abuse scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein is especially outrageous inasmuch as he used his political connections (and money) to escape prosecution for so many years. But if it’s outrageous ...
www.skeptic.com
Lengthy but in-depth discussion of a fascinating book by
@wiringthebrain.bsky.social on free will. I liked a lot about the book.
Integrating Science and Free Will

Kevin Mitchell’s book Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will, offers an interesting and unique exploration of how free will relates to biology and neuroscience.
Integrating Science and Free Will
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
Here Nikos Sotirakopoulos, Ibis Slade, and Sam Weaver compare two very different critiques of so-called "woke" ideology (i.e. egalitarian collectivism), what we can learn from each, and why a deeper, more value-driven response is needed.
Understanding "Woke" Ideology: Books by Yascha Mounk and Chris Rufo

In “The Identity Trap” and “America’s Cultural Revolution,” Yascha Mounk and Christopher Rufo seek to explain the rise of “woke” ideology and how to oppose it. Yet each ends up embracing fundamental premises of this worldview.
Understanding "Woke" Ideology: Books by Yascha Mounk and Chris Rufo
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
More here, including an analysis of the concept of "genocide" and its history:
bsky.app/profile/aynr...
Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?

Claims of Israel committing genocide in Gaza have become mainstream, but are they supported by evidence?
Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
4) Israel does want to destroy Hamas, a group that openly announces its genocidal intent.

And since Hamas intentionally uses its own civilians as human shields, if there's genocide in Gaza -- it's on Hamas.
3) You might think Israel's war is unjust in the way it results in civilian deaths. That doesn't make it genocide.

And anyway, see point 1): a war of self-defense is just, no matter how pathetic you find the aggressors who are losing.
2) "Genocide" isn't defined by a number of deaths but by intent, the intent to destroy a group hated for prejudicial reasons.

If in making Arabs Israeli citizens and giving (undue) deference to Gazan civilians, Israel is committing genocide, it's the lamest genocide ever.
High-level summary of why "genocide" charges against Israel are absurd:

1) The paradigm case of genocide was the Holocaust. Germany was not attacked by Jews, it attacked them.

vs. Israel, which was attacked by Gazans, on Oct 7 , and has been attacked relentlessly for decades.
My statement on the two year anniversary of October 7, 2023.
For the Oct 7 anniversary, Tristan de Leige and I philosophically analyze -- and skewer -- the absurd claims that Israel has engaged in "genocide."
Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?

Claims of Israel committing genocide in Gaza have become mainstream, but are they supported by evidence?
Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
From Onkar Ghate and me in @ocropinion:
"To intimidate the victim to self-censor. . . . has the advantage of giving the opponents of free speech an easy cover: they can pretend their victims are acting voluntarily."
www.ocregister.com/2025/09/26/w...
What happened to ABC and Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t censorship. It was worse.
If we don’t want to lose our freedom, we must abandon these tribal loyalties.
www.ocregister.com
Here Mike Mazza and I analyze the week’s debate about free speech and Jimmy Kimmel.
Trump vs. Kimmel: The Tribal Weaponization of the FCC against Free Speech

Though Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC has now been reversed, the threats issued by FCC commissioner Brendan Carr and President Trump were flagrant violations of the right to free speech.
Trump vs. Kimmel: The Tribal Weaponization of the FCC against Free Speech
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
Excellent discussion of the intellectual trends that are stoking the flames of political violence in every corner of American politics.
Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Who Normalized Political Violence?

Charlie Kirk’s assassination is yet another instance in a rising trend of political violence. What’s driving this crisis, and what must be done to stop it?

youtu.be/0UIpOG0GSL4
Charlie Kirk’s Murder: Who Normalized Political Violence?
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
Here Robertas Bakula and I tackle the Trump administration's morally corrupt antitrust program -- which it has borrowed unapologetically from Biden.
Why Trump's Antitrust Has No “Monopoly” on Moral Corruption

From Google to Visa, the current administration is targeting productive industries with brutally arbitrary antitrust litigation. Is Trump’s enforcement of these laws corrupt, or is the arbitrariness built into the laws themselves?
Why Trump's Antitrust Has No “Monopoly” on Moral Corruption
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
Here Nikos Sotirakopoulos and I challenge the stale and conventional explanations offered by thinkers on the right for the ongoing popularity of socialism.
How NOT to Explain Mamdani’s Socialist Revival

The Wall Street Journal recently tried to explain Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. But their explanations betray an unwillingness to challenge how their own moral premises fuel the ongoing appeal of socialism.
How NOT to Explain Mamdani’s Socialist Revival
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be
We're happy to begin republishing some timeless New Ideal articles on the orange site, starting with this classic that informs a lot of my own writing on the subject of morality.
"Reason, freedom and the pursuit of personal profit—if we can learn to embrace these three ideas as ideals, a magnificent future awaits."
Our Moral Code Is Out of Date
New Ideal is pleased to republish perennial articles from newideal.aynrand.org on Substack.
new-ideal.aynrand.org
This is the course I help teach. We're starting again in the fall with a new and improved set of lectures. Hoping to see many of you there.
Ayn Rand said that the most complete presentation of her philosophy was in her fiction. In our upcoming course, “Objectivism Through Ayn Rand’s Fiction,” you’ll immerse yourself in the worlds of heightened clarity she created for the purpose of projecting a moral ideal. Explore now: buff.ly/z8thr0i
Relevant to the controversy about @genagorlin.bsky.social's tweet, here's a delightful podcast I just did with Samantha Watkins about why it sure can be rationally selfish to have kids--but there's no damn unconditional duty to do it.
Was Ayn Rand Anti-Family?

Samantha Watkins and Ben Bayer discuss the common criticism that Rand is “anti-family” and analyze its roots.

youtu.be/zwT-unSQu_8
Was Ayn Rand Anti-Family?
YouTube video by Ayn Rand Institute
youtu.be