From the Editor, Summer 2015

Welcome to the Summer 2015 issue of The Objective Standard.

In the wake of yet another effort on the part of jihadists to silence critics of Islam, cartoonist and blogger Bosch Fawstin made time to chat with me about the jihadists’ attempt to murder him and the other participants at the pro-free-speech event in Garland, Texas, earlier this month. Fawstin discusses his experience at that event, his work in general, and what drives him to do what he does. The interview is accompanied by three of Fawstin’s drawings, including his prize-winning cartoon of Muhammad.

Other features in this issue include my essay on the basic schools of thought regarding the proper purpose of U.S. foreign policy, which examines the aims of and arguments for so-called “idealism” and “realism” and presents the case for an alternative school that may be called “egoism.”

Next up is James S. Valliant’s article “The New Testament Versus the American Revolution,” which shows that (conservatives’ claims to the contrary notwithstanding) the impetus for and actions comprising the American Revolution directly contradict the tenets of Christian scripture.

In “Lessons of the Armenian Genocide,” Andrew Bernstein examines the history of and motive behind this underreported atrocity, finding the cause to be a combination of mysticism (in the form of Islam) and collectivism (in the form of racism).

In “A Parable for Thomas Piketty,” Ari Armstrong takes us to an island of primitive fisherman, where an innovator named Grok and an egalitarian named Pike elucidate a fundamental absurdity of modern leftist “economics.”

And wrapping up the features section, author, marketer, and media strategist Ryan Holiday discusses turning obstacles into advantages, which is the theme of his best-selling book, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. The interview is conducted by Kirk Barbera, who also reviews The Obstacle Is the Way in this issue.

The other books reviewed are: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins; The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; and Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek (all reviewed by Barbera); and The Story of Art, by E. H. Gombrich; and The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition, by Anthony Ryder (both reviewed by Daniel Wahl).

The films reviewed in this issue are: A Most Violent Year, Whiplash, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Theory of Everything (all reviewed by Ari Armstrong).

As always, in our section From TOS Blog we offer a sampling of our regular blog commentary. If you’d like to receive our weekly blog digest in your inbox, simply join our email list via our website.

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Enjoy the issue, and have a delightful summer! —Craig Biddle

About Craig Biddle

Craig is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, cofounder and director of education at Objective Standard Institute, and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. He is currently working on his fourth book, “Thinking in Principles.”

View all articles by Craig Biddle →