Lectures
An asterisk (*) next to a title indicates that the lecture is available online to registered users of the Ayn Rand Institute's website. Registration is free. After logging in, locate Dr. Brook's talks in the ARI Lecture Series collection.
Business Talks
- Why Conservatives are Anti-Business*
Conservatives often present themselves as "pro-business" and "pro-free market." Yet, in reality, they support many anti-business policies. - The Moral Foundations of Capitalism
- Moral Defense of Finance: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective
Foreign Policy Talks
- Democracy vs. Victory: Why the "Forward Strategy of
Freedom" Had to Fail*
According to the "Forward Strategy of Freedom," establishing democracies in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq should spur a pro-freedom, anti-terrorist revolution in the rest of the Muslim world. But the strategy has failed.
- "Just War Theory" vs. American Self-Defense [Originally
titled "The Morality of War"]*
America's "war on terror" is being sabotaged by the moral code of altruism embodied in the "just war" theory that drives Washington's battle plans. Dr. Brook advocates a different morality of war, one based on the principle of rational egoism.
- Neoconservatives vs. America*
Neoconservatives reject the moral need to pursue only America's self-interest in foreign policy, and instead urge us to sacrifice ourselves in order to bring "democracy" to the world.
- The Moral Case for Supporting Israel
In its battle against Palestinian terrorists, Israel deserves, but is not receiving, America's moral and political support. By sacrificing our loyal ally for the sake of appeasing our common enemies, we are undermining our own war on terrorism.
Objectivism Talks
- Ayn Rand and Capitalism
- Atlas Shrugged: Its Influence After Fifty Years
Published in 1957, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged introduced her radical new philosophy of Objectivism. In contrast to the ethic of self-sacrifice promulgated by most of the world's popular philosophies and religions, the heroes of Atlas Shrugged promote the morality of rational self-interest. The novel's philosophies and messages are as relevant and significant to life in the twenty-first century as they were when Atlas was published more than fifty years ago.
- Ayn Rand: Radical for Capitalism
- Capitalism is the most successful political and economic system in the world. Wherever capitalism has been tried, it has resulted in unprecedented productivity and a commensurate improvement in living standards. Nevertheless, capitalism is rarely defended as a morally optimal system. Instead, it is frequently condemned as selfish and immoral; justifiable only as a "necessary evil." Dr. Brook presents a defense of capitalism based on the moral principal of rational self-interest as delineated by Ayn Rand. It is time, argues Brook, that the world acknowledges not only the pragmatic benefits of capitalism, but also its inherent morality.
- State of the Ayn Rand Institute
- ARI and the Objectivist Academic Center
- An online chat session hosted at the ObjectivismOnline.net site. Presented with Onkhar Ghate on April 23, 2004. ((Read Transcript Online)
To hire Dr. Brook to speak at your event on any of the above topics, please send your inquiry to: yb@aynrand.org.
