The Capitalist Manifesto Reading Group (2025)
with Andrew Bernstein
12 hours total | 8 sessions, beginning April 24, 2025
Many people today are justifiably outraged about government corruption, poverty, pollution, and racial discrimination. Is capitalism to blame for such problems—or is capitalism a scapegoat?
To answer this question, we must come to understand the true nature of capitalism. Is it an exploitative system that benefits only the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and weak? Or is it a just system that maximizes freedom and increases everyone’s opportunities to prosper?
Dr. Andrew Bernstein will lead a reading group discussion of his book The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic, and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire. Come examine the in-depth case for capitalism with the author, challenge anything you don’t find crystal clear and expand your knowledge, not only of capitalism, but also of the alternative systems, from socialism to mixed economies to so-called “crony capitalism.”
Along the way, you will explore:
- Why human life, by default, is short and miserable—and how capitalism enables people to live relatively long and happy lives;
- How our reasoning minds are our basic means of surviving and thriving—and how capitalism by its very design enables people to act in accordance with their rational judgment so they can flourish;
- How capitalism enables an explosion of widely accessible art, science, and technology that our ancestors never could have dreamed of;
- Why many intellectuals disdain capitalism despite overwhelming evidence that it enables the creation of life-serving values on a previously unimaginable scale.
If you want to understand what capitalism is and how it relates to the requirements of human life, liberty, and happiness, this reading group is for you.
Instructor
Andrew Bernstein
Andrew Bernstein holds a PhD in philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York and taught philosophy for many years at Marist College. He is the author of Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters; Capitalism Unbound: The Incontestable Moral Case for Individual Rights; Capitalist Solutions; Why Johnny Still Can’t Read or Write or Understand Math: And What We Can Do About It; and myriad articles for The Objective Standard.
Course & Session Schedule
How the Course Works
This course is interactive and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.
The course is held live on Zoom, which you can download for free here. Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. OSI may sell course recordings and/or use them for marketing, promotional, or educational purposes.
If you don’t yet have a copy of the book, you need to acquire one so you can read the chapters we’ll be discussing each week.
You can purchase the book from Amazon or BookFinder.com. For students who are unable purchase a printed book, a PDF copy will be made available while enrolled in the course.
Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email. Course participants are invited to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook, where they can post questions and engage in discussions with the instructor and other participants.
Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Read our FAQ or email us at [email protected].
By enrolling, you agree to OSI’s Course Terms and Conditions.
