Salon of the Refused

Ep. 13 - Ayn Rand's Rational, Secular Basis for Morality

Rob Tracinski offers a brief overview of how Ayn Rand offered a rational, secular basis for morality, in contrast both to the religious arguments of the conservatives and to the subjectivism of secular intellectuals. Topics covered include: how to explain Ayn Rand's argument in seven minutes, how defenders of religion rely implicitly on a secular basis for morality, how Ayn Rand's rational approach to morality is liberating, and what to do if Bernie Sanders tries to run you down in a truck.

This is part of a new series within Salon of the Refused offering short explainers and longer conversations about the distinctive contributions of Ayn Rand's philosophy.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

 

 

Ep. 12 - Ed Niedermeyer on Tesla

Rob Tracinski talks with Ed Niedermeyer, author of the forthcoming book Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, about Tesla, Elon Musk, and electric vehicles. The conversation includes: how "mobility technology" is different from just "cars," the limitations of electric vehicles, how a car is different from a cellphone, why people are more important than machines in auto manufacturing, how Tesla shifted into "ludicrous mode," Tesla's biggest liability, the hunger for technological optimism, and whether Elon Musk is basically a greenwashed Ayn Rand hero.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 11 - Ilya Shapiro on the Privileges or Immunities Clause

Rob Tracinski talks with Ilya Shapiro, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, about the Timbs v. Indiana ruling and the possible revival of the Privileges or Immunities Clause. The conversation includes: the rise of Originalism, how the Constitution incorporates the theory of natural rights, how the Supreme Court split apart economic freedom from other rights, the potential for the return of pre-New Deal jurisprudence, and the difference between the Privileges or Immunities Clause and the Privileges and Immunities Clause.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 10 - Shoshana Weissmann on Occupational Licensing Reform

Rob Tracinski talks with Shoshana Weissmann, fellow and digital media manager for R Street Institute, about occupational licensing reform. The conversation includes: taking on the unglamorous issues, how arbitrary barriers to entry in professional licensing spilled out to everything else, "health and safety" and the menace of infected dirt, the return of debtor's prison, how regulations hurt the poor most, and fighting the power of Big Florist.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 9 - Robert Garmong on John Stuart Mill

Rob Tracinski talks with Bob Garmong, former lecturer at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics and author of a forthcoming study on the political thought of John Stuart Mill, about Mill and the history of political "liberalism." The conversation includes: Locke vs. Mill, how a "buttoned down guy with pointy hair" unleashed "sex, drugs, and rock and roll," how Mill turned liberalism on its head, the origin of the dichotomy between property rights and human rights, and how Mill's defense of free speech is the Frankenstein monster that unleashed the anti-speech campus mobs.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 8 - Alex Berezow on Science in the News

Rob Tracinski talks with Alex Berezow, Vice President of Scientific Affairs at the American Council on Science and Health, about misunderstandings and misrepresentations of science in the news. The conversation includes: how DNA ancestry tests are like horoscopes, the fundamental problems with transgender athletes, what the prevailing narratives on left and right get wrong about the opioid epidemic, how the science of nutrition is a victim of its own success, and why if I really wanted to make it in the broadcasting business, I would peddle bogus nutritional supplements.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 7 - Robert Garmong on China

Rob Tracinski talks with Bob Garmong, former lecturer at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, about his experiences in China and the prospects for the country's future. The conversation includes: why China turned against liberalism, whether it is really as powerful as Western observers hope or fear, how Communism in China was different from Stalinism, how to pronounce "Xi Jinping" without sounding like you're ordering the chicken, and the one quality he thinks is mostly likely to save the country from disaster.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 6 - Tom Nichols on NeverTrump, Part 2 of 2

Rob Tracinski talks with Tom Nichols, professor at the Harvard Extension School and author of The Death of Expertise, about the future of NeverTrump. The conversation includes: how Trump actually shifts power to "zombie" bureaucrats, Trump and Russia, and the key to the intellectual revival of the right.

This is part 2 of the conversation. Part 1 is Episode 5.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 5 - Tom Nichols on the Death of Expertise, Part 1 of 2

Rob Tracinski talks with Tom Nichols, professor at the Naval War College and Harvard Extension School, about the "death of expertise." The conversation includes: what happens when experts get it wrong, how both left and right have contributed to contempt for expertise, and how contempt for experts actually reinforces rule by bureaucrats.

This is part 1 of the conversation. Part 2 is Episode 6.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.

Ep. 4 - Scott Lincicome on the Trade War

Rob Tracinski talks with Scott Lincicome about the progress of President Trump's trade war. The conversation includes: why tariff power was delegated to the president, how trade changes jobs instead of taking them away, and how Flashdance and Bruce Springsteen explain Donald Trump's trade policy.

Get the T-shirt mentioned in the interview here.

For more commentary and analysis, visit The Tracinski Letter at www.TracinskiLetter.com.

Support us at patreon.com/SalonoftheRefused.