A personal update: new trenches, same battle

Two months ago, I parted ways with the Ayn Rand Institute.

My decision had nothing to do with any philosophical disagreement.
I’m still an Objectivist; working at ARI had been a source of immense pride for me, and I still think it is the best place for people to study Objectivism.

This career development, though, means that I’m now fighting the battle of ideas from different trenches, still determined to champion liberty, progress, and human flourishing.

So here are a few thoughts on what I’m trying to do now, and how you can help if you find my work valuable.

The problem I want to solve

We are losing the battle of ideas.

The ideas of liberty and reason, the proud legacy of the Enlightenment, have given humanity its best days. And yet, classical liberalism today is almost irrelevant in the cultural and political landscape.

Every other tried-and-failed political ideology is experiencing a comeback: from nationalism to socialism to interventionism to racism (progressive and old-style).
The different shades of authoritarianism are succeeding in appealing to more and more people, especially the young and idealistic ones.

The Enlightenment ideals that took humanity from the mud and elevated it to the skyscrapers are seen as outdated, boring, and pale.

This happens for three reasons:

1. There are very few advocates who can make a passionate, MORAL, philosophically coherent case for freedom. But people out there want to be on the side of the good, and whether they champion socialism or religious conservatism, they do it because they think it’s moral. We cannot cede the moral high ground to the enemies of freedom.

2. We have not properly understood the real nature of the Left and of the authoritarian Right. Most people are not aware of the history, causes, and features of authoritarianism. And you cannot fight an enemy if you haven’t first understood its essence.

3. Our ideas don’t reach as quickly and compellingly as they should new audiences: people who would potentially be sympathetic to freedom, but haven’t heard a good moral case for it; people who are optimistic about technological progress; people who want to live happier and longer lives; people who want to be left free to invent, innovate and produce.
   
   Inferior philosophical systems that promise a more fulfilling life, like stoicism, have a massive cultural appeal to many good people. There is no reason Objectivism shouldn’t have the same success. And without the philosophical base of Objectivism, liberty stands no good chance.

What I’m going to do about it

Based on my experience and results over the last few years, I’m confident I can help shorten the gap between how great our ideas are, and how little effect they have out there. This is because:

1. I have good insight into the Left, because I was a part of its most radical flank for the first decades of my life. I used to uphold the worst ideas that are plaguing the West today, from socialism to anti-semitism, and this gives me a competitive advantage in fighting them.

   I’ve also been an obsessive researcher into the history and theory of authoritarianism.

2. I have a strong track record of reaching new audiences. My communication style and teaching experience, ranging from schools, colleges, academia, think tanks and the liberty-advocacy world, have enabled me to connect with many different audiences.

I don’t just want to preach to the choir; I want to plant the first seed of our noble ideas in new people.

To that effect, I plan to focus on two things:

• Go wide: attract new audiences with my YouTube videos and my social media presence. I have proof of concept that I can do it: I’ve brought 5 million viewers to our ideas in the last 4 years, on YouTube alone.

• Go deep: deliver compelling and rigorous courses that examine the ideologies that are destroying the West today, from socialism to the authoritarian right, and from identity politics to environmentalism. My history as a teacher and author of 2 academic books, and the popular and well-received courses I developed and delivered during my time at ARI, are testament that I can do this.

What YOU can do

If my mission aligns with what you want to see in the world, consider starting (or continuing) supporting me.

Here are ways you can do so:

• Sharing my work, and recommending it to others, goes a long way (although I’m told it won’t pay the rent).

• You can become a Member of the Conclave: my €7/month Patreon community, where I hold biweekly deep-dives and Q&A sessions.

• If you want to make a more substantial contribution to the seed funding I’m raising, write to me here, or sign up for the higher tiers on Patreon, if you can afford it. You will be making my work possible. You will also be part of the inner circle with whom I share quarterly impact reports, and hold strategy discussions.
  
  Ok, enough talking about myself. Back at the intellectual trenches, and thank you for reading until this point!