◢ Objective Standard Institute

Early-bird savings for LevelUp 2026 end April 1—just 7 days left to save 50% on your ticket! 🚀 Here’s what the program has in store: ▸ Coleman Hughes—Conspiracy-Thinking in Modern Politics ▸ Emily Morse—Smart Sex: Understanding Desire, Pleasure, and Connection ▸ Coleman Hughes, Kiyah Willis, Timothy Sandefur (Panel Discussion)—How to Maintain Intellectual Clarity in a Time of Conceptual Chaos ▸ Craig Biddle—Evidence and Excellence: How to Identify and Achieve Your Potential ▸ Kiyah Willis—Why the ‘Far Left’ and the ‘Far Right’ Sound the Same ▸ Maddox Locher—The Elements of Secular Spirituality ▸ James Lindsay, Kiyah Willis, Helen Pluckrose (Panel Discussion)—Liberalism vs. Tribalism: How Enlightenment Values Can Rebuild the West ▸ Angelica Werth—Seeing People Clearly: Lessons from Jane Austen ▸ Arthur Zey—Mind-Body Integration: The Physical Side ▸ Luc Travers—The Spiritual Value of Renaissance Art ▸ Timothy Sandefur—Understanding the Declaration of Independence ▸ Ely Lassman—Aristotle in Our Age of Distraction ▸ Daniel Richards—Story and Persuasion: The Power of “Show, Don’t Tell” ▸ Craig Biddle—Looking for Objective Standards in All the Right Places See you in Chicago! PS: Registration is risk-free. LevelUp has a 100% money-back guarantee—so if for any reason you can’t come to the conference, we will refund your registration fee in full.

The "logic" of social justice warriors.

Explaining why an idea is true doesn’t always persuade someone to accept it. Logic matters. Evidence matters. But people understand ideas most clearly when they see them in action. That’s where storytelling shines. In this talk, @danieltrichards will break storytelling down to its basic structure. Drawing on Aristotle’s theory of rhetoric and decades of experience in marketing and persuasion, he’ll show how narrative creates context, stakes, and meaning. You’ll leave with a practical framework for turning abstract ideas into compelling stories that bring your arguments to life. Don’t miss it! Join us at LevelUp in Chicago this July to hear Daniel’s talk. Get your ticket today. 💫

Faith is not evidence.

Ayn Rand defined sacrifice as "the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a non-value". Contrary to the traditional view of sacrifice as a virtue, she viewed it as immoral and irrational, arguing that one should always act in accordance with their rational interest.

You are not your group, your race, or your gender. You are you—an individual.

Being democratic is not enough.

As the U.S. and Israel wage a long-overdue war against the Iranian theocracy, commentators on all sides invoke “international law.” But is there such a thing? If so, what exactly is it, how do we know it, and how does it apply in this context? Join @CraigBiddle for his live call-in show on Thursday, March 5 at 7 PM Eastern / 4 PM Pacific. He’ll discuss what “international law” really means in light of recent events, followed by a live Q&A. Bring your questions and join the conversation!

OSI fellow @kiyahwillis breaks down the recent joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran’s regime. She also examines the global reactions, key political arguments, and why she sees this moment as a potential turning point in the conflict. vist.ly/4teg5

Reason vs mysticism

What does courage mean to you?

How can philosophy help you think more clearly, live more fully, and defend liberty? Find out in our upcoming Philosophy of Objectivism Listening Group (starts March 17). Over 12 weeks, you’ll work through the original lecture series that formed the basis of Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, guided by OSI instructor Tim White. You’ll explore core principles of Objectivism and their application to everyday life—from reason as man’s means of knowledge to the foundations of morality, values, justice, and capitalism as a system consistent with human nature and human flourishing. Whether you’re new to Objectivism or looking to deepen and better integrate these ideas, this program is designed to help you gain greater intellectual clarity, confidence, and practical understanding. Are you in? Enroll now ⬇️

Have you noticed that public discourse is increasingly driven by group loyalty rather than by reason and independent judgment? Many people today embrace or reject ideas not because they’re demonstrably true or false, but because they signal belonging. This mindset fuels hostility toward opposing groups and makes some resort to violence in the name of their tribe. How can we counter this trend and foster a culture of individualism and independence? Join @ConceptualJames, @kiyahwillis, and @HPluckrose at LevelUp 2026 in Chicago (July 8–11) for a discussion of Enlightenment values, the facts that support them, and how you can leverage these truths to help build a world conducive to human flourishing.

What is morality?

Morality begins with intellectual honesty.

Choose yourself. Repeatedly.

"I don’t support Trump—and no, that doesn’t make me a leftist." OSI fellow @kiyahwillis on why MAGA’s blind loyalty to Trump is undermining the values it claims to defend. vist.ly/4r35q