About the Course
Strengthen your grasp of Objectivism as a practical tool for thinking clearly, living fully, and defending liberty.
This 12-week discussion group explores the original lecture series that formed the foundation of Leonard Peikoff’s book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Led by OSI instructor Tim White, participants will work systematically through the principles of Objectivism, examining their application to everyday life.
Topics include:
- Reason as man’s only means of knowledge and proper guide to action
- Sensory perception as direct awareness of reality and the base of all knowledge
- The mechanics of forming and validating concepts, the basic units of thought
- The observation-based foundations of morality, values, and “oughts”
- The basic principles and virtues of rational egoism
- Observation-based conceptions of justice, art, romance, and other crucial ideas for understanding the world and achieving happiness
- Why capitalism is the only social system based on and consistent with human nature and the requirements of human life
Whether you are new to Objectivism or a long-time student seeking deeper integration, this listening group will help you achieve greater intellectual clarity and confidence so you can thrive all the more.
Missed the course? We’ll notify you the next time it's offered!
How This Course Works
Sessions will run on Tuesdays from 10am–11:30am PT, March 17 through June 9.
This course is interactive and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.
Participants will listen to the provided lecture recordings from “The Philosophy of Objectivism” before each live session.
The course is held live on a video conferencing app called Zoom, which you can download for free here. Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording.
The course is 18 hours long, consisting of 12 sessions of 1.5 hours each. Homework assignments are optional. Doing them may require an additional hour or more per week but will greatly enhance what you learn in this course.
Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email. Course participants are invited to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook, where they can post questions and engage in discussions with the instructor and other participants.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Read our FAQ (opens in a new tab) or email us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
OSI courses are live, interactive, and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.
Courses are held on Zoom, and sessions are recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. You can download Zoom for free here.
Courses vary in length. And some involve homework. Please see the specific course pages for details.
Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email (please register with an active email address). Participants have access to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook.
Zoom is a free video-conferencing app that we use to conduct our courses. You can download it here (opens in a new tab).
Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. That said, we highly recommend attending each live session so that you can ask questions and engage with your instructor(s) and other participants.
If you do miss a session, we recommend that you watch the recording before attending the next session.
Anyone aged 29 or younger may apply for an OSI scholarship to cover the full cost of a course. For information on how the scholarships work, please visit our Scholarships page.
You can see all current and past courses here.
If you have a question that isn’t answered in the FAQ or course description, please email us at [email protected] (opens in a new tab).