The Objective Standard was once something of the house organ of the Ayn Rand Institute. However, following the McCaskey schism (which resulted in Yaron Brook resigning from the magazine) it appears that many former writers associated with the ARI no longer publish there. As of late Ari Armstrong, a friend of Dr. Diana ("Did I tell you I have a Ph.D.?") Hsieh, Ph.D., seems to have become a mainstay. The current issue has twelve articles by Armstrong.
The three most recent blog posts on the magazine's website are by Armstrong. They are: (1) a piece about someone who is running for Lt. Governor of a place called "North Virginia"; (2) a gadget that can help you find your lost keys; and (3) a recent study that shows that plenty of people still believe in the Devil.
Let's look at the post concerning Lt. Governor candidate E. W. Jackson.
Why is it noteworthy that someone who believes in God and Christianity is running for office? In addition to being pointless, it shows Armstrong doesn't understand the topic on which he is opining.
1. Jackson miraculously misses the obvious fact that some people reject all religion. I assume Jackson knows there are quite a few non-religious people out there.
2. How does he deem any religion true or false? He does so according to religious faith—that is, he believes it without reason. Well, I don't know why Jackson believes the way he does, but he may have what he considers good reasons. Most religious believers I know think it is rational to believe the way they do. Christians have been defending their faith with arguments from reason for centuries. Maybe these arguments aren't very good, but Armstrong shouldn't attribute fideism to Jackson without evidence.
3. On the same grounds, he believes, among other niceties, that the minds of homosexuals "are perverted." Maybe he has natural law reasons for believing homosexuality is immoral, like the greatest philosopher since Aristotle had.
4. Does Jackson not know that the scriptures of other religions say that their religion is the correct one? It would seem so. I assume Jackson knows that many if not most religions maintain they are correct to the exclusion of others.
I'm sure Mr. Armstrong is a nice guy, but Craig Biddle needs to get some real talent.
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