Ayn Rand is one of the most famous novelists and philosophers of the 20th century. Her ideas about free markets and free minds still captivate millions. Gloria Alvarez with the Objective Standard Institute tells Rand’s fascinating story.

PragerU

After years of dire warnings, the climate panic is quietly fading. World leaders barely mention it, voters rank it near the bottom of their priorities, and even Greta Thunberg has moved on. So what changed? Bjorn Lomborg, Hoover Institution fellow and author of False Alarm, investigates.

5-Minute Videos

Where Have All the Climate Alarmists Gone?

Ask what inspired American government, and you’ll hear the usual answers: Greece, Rome, the Enlightenment. The Founders studied them all. But none of them fully explains why America rejected kings altogether. So where did that conviction come from? Noted historian and author William Federer explains.

No Kings: Why We Don't Have One

We think of identity politics as a modern idea, something that emerged from academia in recent decades. But it isn't new at all. It's one of the oldest ideas in history: the instinct to divide people by tribe instead of judging them as individuals. America was founded to reject this idea. So why has it come roaring back, and where does it lead? Associate professor of philosophy Andre Archie explains.

The Vicious Cycle of Identity Politics

More and more young people today suffer from anxiety, depression, or loneliness. But it turns out this isn’t a new problem. Sixteen hundred years ago, a restless university student named Augustine suffered the same maladies. This young man, who would become one of history’s most famous philosophers, found a solution. It still works today. Owen Anderson, Arizona State professor of philosophy and religious studies, tells the story.

Augustine: The Philosopher Who Solved Anxiety

After six long, bloody years, the American fight for freedom was at a crossroads. To end the Revolutionary War and bring King George to the negotiating table, the rebels needed a knockout punch. They got it at the Battle of Yorktown. Author Robert Orrison tells the story.

Yorktown: Victory at Last

Two revolutions reshaped the world in the late 18th century. The American Revolution gave birth to the most successful republic in history. The French Revolution gave birth to the guillotine. So what went right in America, and what went wrong in France? Renowned author and historian Andrew Roberts explains.

America and France: A Tale of Two Revolutions

The West is in a war for its survival, but it's not the war most people think. It’s an existential conflict, as Ben Shapiro describes it, between lions and scavengers. The scavengers have the advantage. They have figured out how to use the lions’ virtues against them. So how do the lions fight back, and win?

Lions vs. Scavengers: Saving the West

When we think of the American Revolution, we think of the North: Lexington and Concord, Washington crossing the Delaware, the winter at Valley Forge. But it was in the South—in the swamps and backwoods of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia—where the war was decided. Mark Malloy, author of To the Last Extremity: The Battles For Charleston, explains.

The Southern Campaign: The Fight for the South

One of the most important battles of the American Revolution… wasn’t a battle at all. In the winter of 1777, George Washington’s army teetered on the brink of collapse. But the General didn’t despair. Instead, he turned ruin into renewal. Renowned historian Allen Guelzo explains.

Valley Forge: The Making of Washington’s Army

In the winter of 1776, it looked like the battle for independence was doomed. The British army had chased Washington out of New York. To salvage victory from defeat, the American general had one last play to make. He would attack his enemy on Christmas night. The password was “victory or death.” Historian Mark Maloy tells the desperate and inspiring tale.

Trenton: The Night Washington Crossed the Delaware

It was the “shot heard round the world”, the spark that officially set off the American War for Independence. But on that cold morning, neither the colonial militia nor their redcoat opponents were looking for a fight. So how exactly did an unplanned confrontation become the opening volley of the Revolution? Robert Orrison, author of A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord, explains.

Lexington and Concord: The Shot Heard 'Round the World

The future of western civilization hangs in the balance. The struggle is between those who want to create and those who want to destroy, the Lions versus the Scavengers. Who are the Scavengers and why do they despise the very values that protect and support them, even make them rich? Ben Shapiro answers these critical questions.

Get a copy of Ben Shapiro's latest book, Lions and Scavengers: The True Story of America (and Her Critics), from the PragerU Shop.

Lions vs. Scavengers: Who Hates the West?

Empathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of another — is a noble virtue. But empathy can also lead us astray. In fact, it can be fatal. Gad Saad, a scholar at the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom at the University of Mississippi, warns how misdirected empathy endangers not just well-intentioned individuals but Western Civilization itself.

Suicidal Empathy

The West is in a war for its survival. That war is playing out both at a civilizational and personal level. Ben Shapiro sees this as a war between lions and scavengers. The lions want to defend civilization and the scavengers want to destroy it.

Lions vs. Scavengers: The Values That Built the West

Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up in Africa and the Middle East. Her life was steeped in danger and chaos. In contrast, young people in the West today are steeped in comfort and security. But ironically, they face the same challenge Hirsi Ali did. What that challenge is, and how to overcome it, is the topic of PragerU’s 2026 commencement address.

Have Courage, Face Reality

In 1777, in a shocking turn of events, a professional British army surrendered to an American force at Saratoga, New York. The surrender dramatically changed the course of America’s war for independence. Phillip Greenwalt, author of The Winter that Won the War, explains how and why it happened.

Saratoga: The Turning Point of the Revolution

On August 6th, 1945, the world changed forever when the United States dropped an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. This new and terrible weapon led to the end of WWII and began the nuclear arms race that defined the Cold War. Eighty years later, people still ask if the use of such a destructive force was justified. Andrew Roberts, author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, answers this critical question.

Hiroshima: The Price of Peace

We’ve been waging a “war” against poverty for half a century. Critics on the left and the right say we’re losing. Are they right? And if they are, what are the reasons? PragerU’s own Xaviaer DuRousseau takes a new approach by returning to first principles: what is poverty, who suffers from it, and why?

The Real Tragedy of the Welfare State

Before George Washington crossed the Delaware, before Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, Patrick Henry lit the spark of rebellion. With nothing but his voice, he thundered the words that rallied a young nation. Eric Metaxas, author of Revolution, tells how Henry helped launch the American experiment—and why his message still echoes today.

Patrick Henry: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Look at the American Declaration of Independence and what’s the first thing you notice? The answer is probably the signature of John Hancock. But John Hancock’s real legacy isn’t how he signed—it’s what he stood for. Eric Metaxas, author of Revolution, tells the story of the man who put his name—and fortune—on the line for American independence.

Menu

Understanding Ayn Rand

More Episodes