A Socialist Reads Atlas Shrugged
In this podcast, a self-identified Socialist examines the arguments in Ayn Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged. Far from simply shooting down the ideas in the book, Jonathan Seyfried does their best to argue on fair ground. Through a close read, listeners will come away with a genuine appreciation for Rand's strongest arguments as well as an understanding of the flaws. NOTE: this is not a read aloud of Atlas Shrugged, but instead a critical close reading.
Episodes
45 episodes
E45 - Farewell...For Now
In this final episode, Jonathan discusses recent life changes that led to the break in episodes. Alas, this will be the last episode for a long while. Thank you to all the listeners who have corresponded and shared their experiences with the po...
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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44:14
E44 - Stinging Jets
In this episode, Jonathan explores Hank Reardon's perception that business enterprise is a "shameful cult." This involves a larger discussion of the value of work and the psychological toll of living with people who have different values. Jonat...
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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43:16
E43 - Guiltless Serenity of Spirit
In this episode, Jonathan finishes up their discussion of Chapter 5. We see Dagny and Francisco interact in the novel's present time. The dialog reinforces the pattern for Francisco: keeping secrets and acting paternalistic toward Dagny. Howeve...
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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36:19
E42 - A Ray of Hidden Light
In this episode, Jonathan discusses the end of the backstory of Francisco and Dagny's relationship. In reference to the "exhilaration" of Francisco's manic overworking, Jonathan draws out the distinction between workaholism and flow state. Flow...
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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44:49
E41 - A Proud Surge of Motion
[For October-November 2022, episodes will not be released with the usual weekly frequency due to some family commitments. Hopefully the podcast will get back to regular weekly episodes soon. Thanks, everyone, for your patience and thoughtful en...
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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39:32
E40 - >>Fast Forward>> Part 1 of The 20th Century Motor Company
In this episode, we "Fast Forward" to the Story of the 20th Century Motor Company (located in Chapter 10 of Part 2; p.616-627 in the Signet paperback edition). There are not many places on the internet to find the excerpt except for
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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1:59:17
E39 - A Woman of Such Confident Dangerous Power
This episode starts by checking in with Jim Taggart's growing apprehension of the power of shame-based morality -- something that Dagny thinks is potentially dangerous but Francisco considers merely disdainful. Next, the conversation turns to t...
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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50:57
E38 - Too Great a Capacity for Joy
In this episode, Jonathan delves into the next stages of the friendship between Dagny and Francisco. Also, this episode further analyzes the antipathy between James and Francisco. Next, Jonathan spends a lot of time reflecting on the optimistic...
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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45:46
E37 - Everybody Loves Frankie
This episode focuses on the first scenes presented about Francisco d'Anconia's childhood interactions with the Taggart family, especially Dagny. Jonathan analyzes the friendship dynamics between Francisco, Dagny, and Eddie. Then, when Francisco...
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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31:59
E36 - Centuries of Breeding
In this episode, Jonathan analyzes the back story of Francisco D'Anconia's ancestry. The main topic of this episode is how Ayn Rand infuses an aristocratic family with bourgeois values. This involves thinking about social class in the terms con...
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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57:30
E35 - Play It Open
In this episode, Jonathan reaches the end of Chapter 4. In these last two scenes, Dagny interacts with two characters who share her "sense of life" and value system. The scene with Ellis Wyatt highlights the struggle of someone who has pr...
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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45:36
E34 - Dan Conway
Jonathan first discusses the short scene between Dagny and James. The "secret" that Dagny detects in James Taggart's smile is probably the short-term advantage possessed by those who are willing to use brute force or political maneuvering to ac...
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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45:52
E33 - The Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule
This episode focuses on the vexing problem of setting rules for competition in marketplaces and profit-making. The government's function is to set the rules of the game and enforce them. In Atlas Shrugged, the National Ra...
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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37:22
E32 - Nationalization
File this one under the theme: what is Capitalism and what is wrong with it? Jonathan provides a lengthy history-infused explanation of nationalization (when a government takes over an industry or a particular firm within an industry).&...
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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47:47
E31 - Betty Pope and Ayn Rand's Feminism
I thought that I could cover both the gender discussion and nationalization in about 45 minutes, but that did not happen. So, this week, we get into gender with the scene between James Taggart and Betty Pope. The next episode (#32) will discuss...
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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34:14
E30 - >>Fast Forward>> Part 3 of Francisco d'Anconia's Money Speech
For the 30th episode, Jonathan "fast forwards" to Part 2, Chapter 2 in order to discuss one of the most quoted sections of Atlas Shrugged, Francisco d'Anconia's Money Speech. The gist of the speech is that d'Anconia (and Rand) claims that money...
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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2:11:52
E29 - Phaethon Succeeded
This episode begins by delving into aesthetics with an exploration of the question: what makes great art great? Dagny returns to her apartment and listens to the music of Richard Halley. Jonathan analyzes the description of Halley's Fourth Conc...
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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43:46
E28 - Motive Power
Jonathan begins this episode with a review of a recent book on economic systems: Is Capitalism Obsolete?: a Journey Through Alternative Economic Systems...
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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44:49
E27 - The Old Watchdog and the Silent Presence
This episode begins with Jonathan examining how people typically make decisions about who is deserving of empathy and who is not. This episode's close read starts with the scene between Dagny and the "old watchdog." Jonathan examines the social...
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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36:10
E26 - Nat Taggart and the Importance of Historical Context
This episode begins with an analysis of the scene between Dagny and Jim about the San Sebastian Line. This scene reprises a lot of the dynamics we saw before when Jim and Dagny interacted: Jim's sexism, ignorance, avoidance of responsibility, a...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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32:34
E25 - Spectacularly Worthless
SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains some information about Francisco d'Anconia that has not yet been revealed in the book, but it's not really that big of a spoiler.Jonathan begins this episode riffing on the phrase "spectacularly wort...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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45:32
E24 - Admiration and Ability
Jonathan begins the episode by pointing out the topsy-turvy nature of which characters in the novel are at the top in terms of power but at the bottom in terms of morality. Following that introduction, Jonathan discusses the backstory informati...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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46:10
E23 - Historical Necessity
Jonathan begins this episode by discussing Schumpeter's concept of "creative destruction" and the thorny problem of those who, through no fault of their own, lose their jobs because of it. Next, we challenge Orren Boyle's notion of "progressive...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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35:36
E22 - Definitions of Property (Private, Personal, Intellectual)
After a short statement touching base about the format of the podcast, Jonathan returns to Orren Boyle's ideas about the social responsibilities of companies. The Delano Grape Strike &...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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40:31
E21 - Disunity and Sharing the Burden
In this episode, Jonathan returns to the first scene of Chapter 3 and analyzes the political-economic ideas alluded to by James Taggart and Orren Boyle. In this scene, Ayn Rand associates socialism with fascism, which is a very similar argument...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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37:59