Open immigration with Dr. Harry Binswanger, Objectivist philosopher & associate of Ayn Rand

Dr. Harry Binswanger is a leading Objectivist philosopher (Objectivism being the philosophy of Ayn Rand). In this video I interview him about his radical views on immigration. Interview 0:00 Introduction 2:03 What do you mean by “open immigration” or “open borders”? 9:20 Shouldn’t there at least be some minimal screening at the border? 18:00 Border crime and war 21:58 Overblown concern with crime; properly dealing with crime 26:48 Overblown concern with jihad in America; properly dealing with jihad; Europe 30:52 9/11, Iran, drug laws, welfare, cherrypicking crime 39:54 Would you have open borders now or phase it in gradually? 41:54 Screening during war; criminals and ex-cons 47:38 The collectivism underlying opposition to immigration Audience Q&A 52:13 Should Italy have open borders with North African countries even if it turns Italy majority Muslim? 56:20 Shoes and a story about Ayn Rand being an atheist 59:51 Israel is at peace with Indonesia. Should Israel have open borders with Indonesia? 1:07:49 How does Rand/Peikoff solve the problem of induction? 1:12:52 Two hopeful countries: India and Argentina 1:15:46 Do you support open immigration of Muslims into the USA? 1:15:59 Will Dr. Binswanger be releasing his book on the philosophy of mathematics? 1:20:18 What makes you think there will be a civil war? Who will be the combatants? Antifa vs. MAGA? 1:23:18 What practical steps can an Objectivist take to improve their rhetorical skills? Any resources besides Peikoff’s great Objective Communication series? 1:25:25 Do you support open immigration of Muslims into the USA? (again) 1:28:39 Are open borders morally compatible with welfare statism? Shouldn’t the welfare state be dismantled before having open borders? 1:30:43 Can you tell your joke about Monsieur Pascal standing at the gates of hell? 1:36:12 My friend often attempts to deceive others by pretending to be three different people. Any advice for him? What would Rand’s position be? Is this compatible with objectivism? 1:37:37 Outro Original livestream (13 Mar 2026): https://www.youtube.com/live/M4OrS6zIB88 The Harry Binswanger Letter website: https://hbletter.com/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ https://www.patreon.com/DanNorton https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/DanNorton11 #aynrand #objectivism #philosophy #debate