The Atlas Society Presents - Objectively Speaking

When Lawyers Become Legislators with Jim Copland

Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 302nd episode of Objectively Speaking, where she is joined by James (Jim) R. Copland to discuss his book "The Unelected: How an Unaccountable Elite is Governing America," which explains how unaccountable agents have taken over much of the U.S. government apparatus. This episode is part of our mini-series on tort reform to discuss why a combination of historical accident, decisions by judges and law professors, and self-interested advocacy by litigators has built an onerous and expensive legal regime. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of Legal Policy, Copland works to develop and communicate novel, sound ideas on how to improve America’s civil and criminal justice systems. He has authored many policy briefs, book chapters, articles, and opinion pieces in publications including the Harvard Business Law Review, the Wall Street Journal, and The Federalist Society.

What if Humans Aren't Primates? with Jonathan Leaf

What if the latest science forced us to rethink human nature from the ground up? Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 301st episode of Objectively Speaking as she is joined by author Jonathan Leaf to discuss his book, "The Primate Myth: Why the Latest Science Leads Us to a New Theory of Human Nature," which examines groundbreaking research in neuroscience and genetics to propose a bold new framework for understanding who we are and why we do what we do. A playwright, journalist, and cultural critic, Leaf has the rare gift for making big ideas accessible. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review, among many other publications, and he has been nominated for Best Play of the Year at the Innovative Theater Awards. His unique background across the arts and journalism brings a fresh perspective to some of science's most provocative questions.

300th Episode: How To Fight Censorship with Nadine Strossen

What are the most powerful arguments against free speech, and why do they all fall short? For our 300th episode, The Atlas Society is excited to welcome back one of America’s foremost civil liberties advocates, Nadine Strossen. Co-author of War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail, Strossen examines the flaws in pro-censorship arguments and offers a compelling defense of the right that is central to both individual liberty and our democratic self-government.  A constitutional law professor and the ACLU’s first female president from 1991 to 2008, Strossen has been named one of America’s "100 Most Influential Lawyers" by the National Law Journal. Her return to Objectively Speaking deepens a conversation she began with us around her earlier book, HATE: Why We Should Resist it With Free Speech, Not Censorship—and her argument is more timely than ever: the cure for harmful speech is more speech, not silence.

The Real Cost of Short-Term Thinking with Robert Tracinski

What is irrational self-interest? What is enlightened self-interest, and why do so many people get it wrong? Using a jaw-dropping real-world story of pardons and political operatives, join Atlas Society Senior Fellow Robert Tracinski for the 299th episode of Objectively Speaking, where he explains why rational, long-term thinking is the true foundation of a free and civilized society and how irrational self-interest doesn’t just fail morally, but practically as well.

Are Trial Lawyers Killing Innovation? with Ted Frank

Join Atlas Society CEO Jennifer Grossman for the 298th episode of Objectively Speaking, where she is joined by Ted Frank to discuss how an unchecked plaintiffs' bar uses litigation as a weapon—driving up costs, chilling research and development, and punishing the risk-taking that fuels progress in medicine, technology, and beyond. This episode is part of our mini-series on tort reform to discuss why a combination of historical accident, decisions by judges and law professors, and self-interested advocacy by litigators has built an onerous and expensive legal regime. Ted Frank is the Director of Litigation and Senior Attorney at the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, where he has spearheaded landmark legal challenges to abusive class action settlements and championed reform in the name of individual rights and rational jurisprudence. He has won several landmark appeals and tens of millions of dollars for consumers and other plaintiffs through his class action work. Adam Liptak of The New York Times calls Frank “the leading critic of abusive class action settlements,” and the American Lawyer Litigation Daily referred to him as “the indefatigable scourge of underwhelming class action settlements.”