◢ Objective Standard Institute

I’ll be going live today at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific on YouTube, X, and Facebook for episode 2 of my new weekly Q&A show. Today, I’ll start with a brief discussion of the principle that the use-value of an idea and its factual basis are the same thing viewed from different perspectives. We’ll talk through several examples to flesh out the idea and make it clear. Then I’ll take questions about this and related matters. You can join the show via the link below. I hope to see you there! youtube.com/watch?v=zhMWnPKE…

You can watch the show here: youtube.com/watch?v=-gx2iJXc…

My new show goes live in an hour. “What kind of show would I want to tune in to every week?” That’s the question I asked myself. And the answer came from my soul with clarity: I want a show focused on the connection between how we know (epistemology), how we should act if we want to flourish (morality)—and the method of thinking that makes knowledge and flourishing possible. Then I realized: This isn’t just the show I’d enjoy watching now. It’s the show I desperately needed when I was in my teens and twenties. That sealed it. So today I’m launching a new live show where I’ll be taking your questions on: • Objectivity and how knowledge works • The science of morality and human flourishing • How principles are grounded in reality • How to apply principles to real-life situations Bring your hardest, most interesting questions about clear thinking and good living—and we’ll work through them together. Join me for the premiere episode today, January 15, at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific. The show will stream on YouTube, X, and Facebook. I hope to see you there!

My heart goes out to Charlie Kirk’s family and friends. In equal measure, my contempt goes out to the subhuman monster who murdered him, to all who helped, and to those cheering his death. It seems human evolution is branching in two directions. One is a species willing to think, to discuss ideas, and to live civilly in the midst of disagreement. These are thinkers. Whatever his flaws, Charlie was a thinker. The other species has relinquished reason, rejected logic, and reduced itself to mere emotion. Having abandoned its means of knowledge, this species can do only one thing: march in lockstep with the tribe. Call them tribers. Beware of the tribers.

I’m super excited about LevelUp 2025: Philosophy for Flourishing. Check out the schedule and lineup below. And be sure to register today, as early-bird pricing ends at midnight tonight. Here’s what’s in store: JULY 16 Opening Reception & Banquet—you’ll meet life-loving people from all corners of the globe. JULY 17 • Sarah Biddle and I will discuss How to Get the Most out of LevelUp • I’ll present Thinking Tools for Loving Life • Thomas Walker-Werth will discuss Facts and Myths About Independence • Carrie-Ann Biondi will discuss Aristotle and Ayn Rand on the Nature and Art of Friendship • Andrew Bernstein will discuss Judging the West: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful • Tim Chermak will present Walt Disney and the Business of Creativity • Evening activities will include karaoke, dancing, enjoying the pool, and more. JULY 18 • Carl Barney will present AI and the Future of Higher Education • Angel Walker-Werth will discuss Fiction as Soul-Fuel: Why Stories Move Us • Angel, Thomas, and I will host a Q&A on Philosophy and Independent Thinking • Kiyah Willis will discuss Liberalism vs. Nationalism: Which Road Leads to Freedom? • Timothy Sandefur will present The Heartbreak and Heroism of Sammy Davis, Jr. • Evening activities will include Disney World, live music, jam sessions, enjoying the pool, and more. JULY 19 • Jason Bateman and Thomas will discuss Heroes of Innovation and Progress • Ely Lassman will discuss AI and Philosophy: Flourishing in Our New Age • Lee Sandstead will present Highway to Health: Exercise and Nutrition for Living Your Best Life • Eric Daniels will present Learning for Life: A User’s Guide for the Active Mind • Angel, Justyna Piątek-Pawłowska, and I will discuss How to Level Up All Year Long • And, at the Closing Banquet & Dance, you and your friends will celebrate the start of your future of flourishing. Registration is risk-free, as LevelUp has a 100% money-back guarantee. If for any reason you can’t come or don’t enjoy the conference, OSI will refund your registration fee in full. Can’t beat that! Early-bird savings end tonight—so register now. See you in Orlando!

I’ve launched a Substack titled Thinking in Principles: Conceptual Tools for Loving Life and Advancing Liberty. In my first post, I explore a range of conceptual fallacies—package-deals, anti-concepts, frozen abstractions, floating abstractions, and stolen concepts—while illuminating the principles they violate. It’s a living document, which I’ll refine and expand with additional examples over time. I hope you enjoy the first post. And be sure to subscribe for new posts and updates!

Iran’s attack on Israel is an attack on the civilized world as such—including America. It is long past time to put an end to this evil. Here’s how to do it: 1. Acknowledge that we are at war. 2. Name the enemy. 3. Acknowledge and assert our absolute right to self-defense—and recognize that individuals, groups, and regimes that engage in or call for jihad against the West thereby forfeit their rights entirely. 4. Define victory. 5. Use the full force of our militaries to eliminate all Islamic regimes and jihadist groups that have supported or executed attacks against our countries or our countrymen. 6. Airdrop leaflets explaining the West’s new policy and encouraging the establishment of rights-respecting governments. 7. Acknowledge that jihadists and their sponsoring regimes bear full responsibility for all death and destruction resulting from retaliation necessitated by their aggression. 8. Answer objections to the effect that “This approach will fuel more jihad!” with observations as to why that makes no sense. 9. Call Islam what it is. Call dishonesty what it is. And call apologists for Islam what they are. 10. Acknowledge the difference between being “politically correct” and being morally correct—and proudly embrace the latter. Full article here: theobjectivestandard.com/201…

In my LevelUp debate with Alex O’Connor .@CosmicSkeptic about morality, I objected to his thought experiment in which he hypothesized human beings as immortal and sought to draw truths about morality from this alien context. I pointed out that, because morality pertains to and derives from human beings as they actually are, including their mortality, this approach is illogical and unhelpful. Here’s an article elaborating on what’s wrong with Alex’s thought experiment, showing how it commits a red herring fallacy and distracts people from the facts they must focus on if they want to understand morality and how it can be objective. I regard this subject as profoundly important because if leading intellectuals don’t come to understand how moral principles are derived from observable facts, our world will continue to be mired in the deadly false alternative of religion vs. subjectivism. Which means: Have faith in and obey an alleged supernatural tyrant who commands people to murder, enslave, love, and everything in between—or do whatever you, your tribe, or your culture feel like doing because there is no such thing as objective morality, so anything goes. That’s a bad alternative. And that’s why this debate matters. craigbiddle.com/2024/09/03/a…

Here are my replies to several questions regarding my debate with .@CosmicSkeptic. Check it out and let me know what you think! youtu.be/FcMpHtAH6RM?si=nzuF…

Another superb video essay from @kiyahwillis We need objectivity on cultural and political issues now more than ever, and Kiyah is an exemplar of the art. Watch and share. youtu.be/rqTPmnnjnZU?si=ljXB…