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/

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