Thinkers such as Thales, Socrates, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and Ayn Rand advanced our knowledge of fundamental issues. For example, Thales reasoned that the teeming diversity of nature could be explained by a small number of principles. Socrates recognized the importance of rigorously defining key moral concepts. Aristotle invented the sciences of logic and biology. Thomas Aquinas reintroduced Aristotle’s rational philosophy in a medieval culture dominated by religion. John Locke emphasized that all knowledge originates in observation and taught that individuals have an unalienable right to their own lives and property. Ayn Rand created a complete philosophic system glorifying man’s mind and validating the objectivity of knowledge.

These great thinkers are towering heroes of philosophy. But what is a hero? What’s the value of understanding the characteristics of a hero? And how can we emulate heroes? In this talk, Andrew Bernstein will address such questions.