Principles in Practice: The Blog of the Objective Standard

The Morality of Capitalism by ARI Media
The Threat of Totalitarian Islam: A panel discussion at Harvard University by ARI Media
Rational Egoism in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead by Craig Biddle
Woodstock's Legacy: The Rise of Environmentalism and the Religious Right by ARI Media
OCON Event Announcement by ARI Media
Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by ARI Media
Why Unregulated Capitalism is the Only Moral Social System by ARI Media
Religion vs. Morality by ARI Media
Global Capitalism: The Solution to World Oppression and Poverty by ARI Media
Woodstock's Legacy: The Rise of Environmentalism and the Religious Right by ARI Media
The Originality of 'Atlas Shrugged' by ARI Media
Capitalism and the Environment: The Virtues of 'Exploitation' by ARI Media
Objectivist Summer Conference 2008 Early Registration Deadline Approaching! by TOS Admin
A Few Upcoming Lectures by TOS Admin
Religion vs. Morality by ARI Media
The Morality of Capitalism by ARI Media
The 'Market Failure' Fallacy by ARI Media
Lecture: 'Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism' by Craig Biddle
The Road to 9/11: How America's Selfless Policies Unleashed the Jihadists by ARI Media
Losing the 'War on Terror': The West's Failed Strategy of Compromise and Appeasement by ARI Media
The Rise and Fall of Property Rights in America by ARI Media
Audio of John Lewis's Talk at GMU by TOS Admin
Totalitarian Islam's Threat to the West---Free video now on Web! A panel discussion featuring Daniel Pipes, Yaron Brook and Wafa Sultan by ARI Media
Totalitarian Islam's Threat to the West by ARI Media
The Separation of School and State: The Case for Abolishing America's Government Schools by C. Bradley Thompson by ARI Media
On Second Thought, GMU Refuses to Submit by Craig Biddle
Update on John Lewis's Cancelled GMU Talk by Craig Biddle
GMU Goes Dhimmi: John Lewis Talk Cancelled by Craig Biddle
Debate: 'Justice in War' by TOS Admin
'No Substitute for Victory': The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism by TOS Admin
CORRECTION by TOS Admin
CORRECTED by TOS Admin
Immigration: Let Them In or Keep Them Out? by ARI Media
Objectivist Summer Conference 2007 Preview by ARI Media
The Jihad Against the West: The Real Threat and the Right Response by Craig Biddle
The Jihad Against the West: The Real Threat and the Right Response by ARI Media

Friday, May 09, 2008

The Morality of Capitalism

Posted by ARI Media at 12:48 PM

Who: Eric Daniels, research assistant professor at the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk explaining why capitalism is the only moral social system. A Q&A will follow.

Where: Hilton Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

When: Thursday, May 22, 2008, at 7:30 PM

Admission is FREE.

Description: Despite capitalism's enormous success in producing material abundance and political freedom, it faces a crisis—one that may lead to its demise. Capitalism is perishing because its supposed defenders lack a real defense.

In this lecture, Eric Daniels explores the most common arguments in favor of capitalism. He finds that they all break down in the face of the popular argument that capitalism is immoral and destructive—because it is selfish. Dr. Daniels explains that only Ayn Rand's crucial insight—that capitalism is the only moral social system because it is based on "the virtue of selfishness"—can truly defend capitalism. He illustrates the need for a moral, and not just an economic, defense of capitalism.

Bio: Eric Daniels is a research assistant professor at the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He has lectured internationally on American ethics, on American business and legal history, and on the American Enlightenment. Dr. Daniels's publications include a chapter in The Abolition of Antitrust and five entries in the Oxford Companion to United States History.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail events@aynrand.org.

### ### ###

Eric Daniels is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: media@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

For more information on Objectivism's unique point of view, go to ARI's Web site at http://www.aynrand.org/. Founded in 1985, the Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Labels: Business and Economics, Events

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008

The Threat of Totalitarian Islam: A panel discussion at Harvard University

Posted by ARI Media at 7:47 AM

What: A panel discussion on the nature and threat of totalitarian Islam, followed by a Q&A

Who: Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute; Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum; and Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch

Where: Harvard University, Emerson Hall, Room 105, Cambridge, MA

When: Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at 7:30 pm

Admission is FREE. However, the organizers of the panel have informed us today that non-students must now RSVP in order to attend this event. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to events@aynrand.org by 5 pm Eastern time tomorrow May 6.

Description: What is the nature of totalitarian Islam--is it limited to terrorism or is it a broader movement? Are non-Muslims its only victims? Who precisely is the enemy? Does the West bear responsibility for creating this movement? What policies can defeat it?

Defenders of Islam around the world have striven to silence critics with threats, protests and acts of violence. How should the West respond to demands for censorship, as in the Danish cartoon controversy?

Panelists will address these critical issues in a lively discussion.

Bios:

Yaron Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and is a contributing editor to The Objective Standard. A former finance professor, he has published in academic as well as popular publications. He is frequently interviewed in the media and appears weekly on the new Fox Business Network to debate and discuss current economic and business news. His columns and opinion-editorials are published on forbes.com and in many major newspapers. Dr. Brook lectures on Objectivism, business ethics and foreign policy at college campuses, community groups and corporations across America and throughout the world.

Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and a columnist for the New York Times Syndicate. Abroad, he appears weekly in Israel's Jerusalem Post, Italy's l'Opinione, Spain's La Razón, and monthly in Australia's and Canada's Globe and Mail. His Web site, DanielPipes.org, is the single most accessed Internet source of specialized information on the Middle East and Islam. Dr. Pipes has appeared on ABC World News, CBS Reports, Crossfire, Good Morning America, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, O'Reilly Factor, The Today Show, the BBC and Al-Jazeera.

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and the author of seven books on Islam and jihad, including the New York Times bestsellers The Truth About Muhammad and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades). Spencer is a weekly columnist for Human Events and FrontPage Magazine, and also writes a weekly Qur'an commentary for HotAir.com. He has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the U.S. intelligence community.

For more information: e-mail media@aynrand.org

Please note: The above event is organized, hosted and sponsored by an individual campus club. Although ARI provides financial support, educational materials and speakers for eligible student clubs, campus clubs are organizations independent of ARI. ARI does not necessarily endorse the content of the lectures and sessions offered.

Labels: Events, Foreign Policy and War, Religion

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Rational Egoism in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead

Posted by Craig Biddle at 7:52 PM

Who: Andrew Bernstein, professor of philosophy and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk and Q & A examining The Fountainhead and explaining Ayn Rand's morality of rational egoism

Where: University of Maryland, Arts Building, Room 2309, College Park, MD

When: May 1, 2008, at 8 pm

Admission is FREE and open to the public.

Hosted by: the Terrapin Objectivists
Club Contact: anyborgh@umd.edu

Description: In The Fountainhead, novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand fully dramatizes the moral theory of rational egoism—the theory which holds that it is each person's responsibility to choose his goals and values by use of his independent reasoning mind; and that it is his right to pursue these goals in quest of his own selfish, personal happiness. Put another way, conscientious adherence to one's best rational judgment is the only appropriate means by which to live a fully human life—and success, creative achievement and personal happiness are its proper goals and ends. The theme of the novel is the virtue of independence in thought and action: the crucial importance of deriving your values and standards by the exercise of your own best judgment, as opposed to blindly following the judgment of others; and then pursuing these values consistently and indefatigably, as opposed to betraying or compromising them in practice. Dr. Bernstein explores how the plot and conflict of The Fountainhead convey this theme, including a detailed, in-depth analysis of the five major characters in the story—Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, Gail Wynand, Dominique Francon, and the hero Howard Roark.

Bio: Dr. Bernstein is a visiting professor of philosophy at Marist College; he also teaches at SUNY Purchase (which selected him Outstanding Teacher for 2004) and formerly at Pace University and at Marymount College (which selected him Outstanding Teacher for 1995). Dr. Bernstein lectures regularly at American universities and appears frequently on radio talk shows. His op-eds have been published in such newspapers as The San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Times, Los Angeles Daily News and The Houston Chronicle. Dr. Bernstein is the author of three Ayn Rand titles for CliffsNotes: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead and Anthem. He also authored Penguin's Teacher's Guide to "The Fountainhead," and The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire.

### ### ###

Andrew Bernstein is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: media@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

For more information on this talk, please e-mail media@aynrand.org.

For more information on this event and on Objectivism's unique point of view, go to ARI's Web site. Founded in 1985 the Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Please Note: The above event is organized, hosted and sponsored by an individual campus club. Although ARI provides financial support, educational materials and speakers for eligible student clubs, campus clubs are organizations independent of ARI.

Labels: Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events, The Arts

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Woodstock's Legacy: The Rise of Environmentalism and the Religious Right

Posted by ARI Media at 11:16 PM

Who: Yaron Brook, president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A Ford Hall Forum talk that will consider how the opposing forces of reason and emotionalism have manifested themselves in American culture in the four decades since Woodstock, with special focus on the rise of religion and environmentalism. A Q & A will follow.

Where: Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA

When: Thursday, May 8, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

This event is open to the public. Admission is FREE.

Summary: At Ford Hall Forum in 1969, Ayn Rand examined the cultural significance of two high-profile, enormously well-attended but very different events: Woodstock and the Apollo 11 launch.

In her lecture, “Apollo and Dionysus,” she showed how philosophical ideas play out in a culture: she showed why these two events, so opposite in nature, were a product of a long-standing philosophical dichotomy, reason versus emotion. She concluded her talk by noting that, against the bromide that man’s senses and reason confine him to the grubby, material world while his mystical emotions lift him to the stars, Woodstock and the Apollo 11 launch “offered you a literal dramatization of the truth: it is man’s irrational emotions that bring him down to the mud; it is man’s reason that lifts him to the stars.”

In this talk, Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute, will consider how these two opposing forces, reason and emotionalism, have manifested themselves in American culture in the ensuing decades. He will examine the Apollonian elements which are lifting us to the stars. And he will examine the Dionysian elements—religion and environmentalism—which are dragging us back down into the mud, figuratively and literally.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail events@aynrand.org

Labels: Environmentalism, Events, Religion

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

OCON Event Announcement

Posted by ARI Media at 10:47 PM

Leonard Peikoff to host Q-&-A session at Objectivist Summer Conference 2008

If you have not yet registered for Objectivist Summer Conference 2008, there is a new reason to consider attending. OCON is pleased to announce that Leonard Peikoff will host an open Q-&-A session at this summer's conference in Newport Beach, California.

Dr. Peikoff, the preeminent authority on Objectivism, was a longtime student of Ayn Rand's. He is the author of The Ominous Parallels and Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, the definitive presentation of Ayn Rand's philosophy. He is currently at work on his third book, "The DIM Hypothesis."

Dr. Peikoff's Q-&-A session will take place on Wednesday, July 2, from 6:15-7:45 pm, with a brief intermission. An updated conference schedule is available on our Web site.

Admission to this event is included with General Session registration. An a-la-carte price of $25 ($10 for students) is also available; call 800-365-6552, ext., 239, for details.

For more information on Objectivist Summer Conference 2008, please visit the Objectivist Conferences Web site, or call us at 1-800-365-6552, ext. 239.

We hope to see you this summer!

REGISTER ONLINE

Labels: Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist

Posted by ARI Media at 1:52 PM

Who: Dr. Tara Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute.

What: A talk and Q & A examining Ayn Rand's view of egoism and how it can enable each of us to live more successful, happy lives.

Where: University of Chicago, Harper Memorial Library, Room 140, Chicago, Illinois

When: Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 7 PM

Admission is FREE.

Summary: Ayn Rand is well known for advocating selfishness, yet the substance of that selfishness is rarely understood. This lecture presents Rand's ideal: a virtuous egoist.

Dr. Smith explains why a person should be an egoist, the kind of egoism that Rand does and doesn't commend, and the kinds of virtues that a person must exercise in order to actually advance his self-interest. Along the way, Dr. Smith differentiates Rand's rational egoism from hedonism, materialism, and predation, and sketches Rand's egoistic account of two vital but widely misunderstood virtues: honesty and justice.

Bio: Tara Smith is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, where she currently holds the Anthem Foundation Fellowship for the Study of Objectivism. She is the author of the books Moral Rights & Political Freedom, Viable Values: A Study of Life as the Root & Reward of Morality, and Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist, as well as numerous articles.

### ### ###

Dr. Tara Smith is available for interviews now and after her talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: media@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

For more information on this event and on Objectivism's unique point of view, go to ARI's Web site at www.aynrand.org. Founded in 1985, the Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Please note: The above event is organized, hosted and sponsored by an individual campus club. Although ARI provides financial support, educational materials and speakers for eligible student clubs, campus clubs are organizations independent of ARI. ARI does not necessarily endorse the content of the lectures and sessions offered.

Labels: Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events, Philosophy

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Why Unregulated Capitalism is the Only Moral Social System

Posted by ARI Media at 9:27 AM

Who: Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A lecture and Q&A explaining the philosophical and moral basis of capitalism.

Where: UCI, Crystal Cove Auditorium, Irvine, CA

When: Monday, April 14, 2008, at 7 PM

Admission is FREE.

Description: Capitalism is blamed for exploitation, environmental destruction, cut-throat competition, sweatshops, child labor, and the rising cost of education. But are these claims true? What is capitalism's essential nature? How can it be considered good? Find out the answers

Bio: Yaron Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and is a contributing editor to The Objective Standard. A former finance professor, he has published in academic as well as popular publications. He is frequently interviewed in the media and appears weekly on the new Fox Business Network to debate and discuss current economic and business news. His columns and opinion-editorials are published on forbes.com and in major newspapers. Dr. Brook lectures on Objectivism, business ethics and foreign policy at college campuses, community groups and corporations across America and throughout the world.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail events@aynrand.org.

### ### ###

Dr. Yaron Brook is available for interviews now and after his talk. Contact: Larry Benson E-mail: media@aynrand.org Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

For more information on Objectivism's unique point of view, go to ARI's Web site at www.aynrand.org. Founded in 1985, the Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Labels: Business and Economics, Events, Individual Rights and Law

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Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Religion vs. Morality

Posted by ARI Media at 10:22 AM

Who: Dr. Andrew Bernstein, professor of philosophy and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk arguing for a secular, rational basis for morality. A Q&A will follow.

Where: University of Colorado, Boulder, Wolf Law Building, Room 207

When: Thursday, April 10, 2008, at 7 pm

Regarding both points, this talk shows that the exact opposite is true. The purpose of morality is to guide human life on earth and religion is utterly incapable of it. Flourishing life requires a code of secularism, rationality, egoism and freedom. Religious faith clashes with every principle of a proper moral code, and, as such, has led, and can only lead to, hell on earth.

Bio: Dr. Bernstein is a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Marist College; he also teaches at SUNY Purchase. Dr. Bernstein lectures regularly at American universities and appears frequently on radio talk shows. His op-eds have been published in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Times, The Los Angeles Daily News, and The Houston Chronicle. Dr. Bernstein is the author of three Ayn Rand titles for CliffsNotes: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Anthem. He also authored The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail media@aynrand.org

### ### ###

Andrew Bernstein is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: larryb@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

Please Note: The above event is organized, hosted and sponsored by an individual campus club. Although ARI provides financial support, educational materials and speakers for eligible student clubs, campus clubs are organizations independent of ARI. ARI does not necessarily endorse the content of the lectures and sessions offered.

Labels: Events, Philosophy, Religion

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Global Capitalism: The Solution to World Oppression and Poverty

Posted by ARI Media at 10:20 AM

Who: Dr. Andrew Bernstein, professor of philosophy and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk arguing for the morality and practicality of global capitalism. A Q&A will follow.

Where: Rogers State University, Will Rogers Auditorium, Claremore, OK

When: Wednesday, April 9, 2008, at 7 pm

Description: The opponents of global capitalism overlook the key points in the debate. The capitalistic nations of Europe, North America and Asia are by far the wealthiest societies of history—with per capita incomes in the range of at least $20,000 $30,000 annually. But capitalism is not merely the system of prosperity; fundamentally, it is the system of individual rights and freedom.

Capitalistic nations protect their citizens’ freedom of speech, of the press and of intellectual expression. Similarly, their citizens possess economic freedom, including the right to own property, to start their own businesses and to seek profit. By stark contrast, the pre-capitalist systems of history, and the non-capitalist systems of the present, are politically oppressive and economically destitute; their citizens have no rights and, consequently, little or no wealth.

What deeper principles make possible the freedom and wealth enjoyed under capitalism—and lacking in its political antipodes? How has capitalism already greatly enhanced the lives of millions of human beings in formerly impoverished Third World countries? What can the men of the free world do to further promote the spread of capitalism into the repressed nations of the globe?

For more information on this talk, please e-mail media@aynrand.org

### ### ###

Andrew Bernstein is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: larryb@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

Labels: Business and Economics, Events, Individual Rights and Law

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Thursday, April 03, 2008

Woodstock's Legacy: The Rise of Environmentalism and the Religious Right

Posted by ARI Media at 1:44 PM

Who: Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk that will consider how the opposing forces of reason and emotionalism have manifested themselves in American culture in the four decades since Woodstock, with special focus on the rise of religion and environmentalism. A Q&A will follow.

Where: Hilton Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

When: Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 7:30 PM

Admission is FREE.

Description: At Ford Hall Forum in 1969, Ayn Rand examined the cultural significance of two high-profile, enormously well-attended but very different events: Woodstock and the Apollo 11 launch.

In her lecture, "Apollo and Dionysus," she showed how philosophical ideas play out in a culture: she showed why these two events, so opposite in nature, were a product of a long-standing philosophical dichotomy, reason versus emotion. She concluded her talk by noting that, against the bromide that man's senses and reason confine him to the grubby, material world while his mystical emotions lift him to the stars, reality "last summer . . . offered you a literal dramatization of the truth: it is man's irrational emotions that bring him down to the mud; it is man's reason that lifts him to the stars."

In this talk, Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute, will consider how these two opposing forces, reason and emotionalism, have manifested themselves in American culture in the ensuing decades. He will examine the Apollonian elements which are lifting us to the stars. And he will examine the Dionysian elements, which are dragging us back down into the mud, figuratively or literally: religion and environmentalism.

Bio: Yaron Brook is president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and is a contributing editor to The Objective Standard. A former finance professor, he has published in academic as well as popular publications. He is frequently interviewed in the media and appears weekly on the new Fox Business Network to debate and discuss current economic and business news. His columns and opinion-editorials are published on forbes.com and in major newspapers. Dr. Brook lectures on Objectivism, business ethics and foreign policy at college campuses, community groups and corporations across America and throughout the world.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail events@aynrand.org.

### ### ###

Dr. Yaron Brook is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: media@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

Labels: Environmentalism, Events, Religion

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Friday, March 28, 2008

The Originality of 'Atlas Shrugged'

Posted by ARI Media at 12:45 AM

What: A talk analyzing the theme and content of "Atlas Shrugged." A Q&A will follow.

Who: Tore Boeckmann, speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

Where: Tufts University, Barnum Hall, Room 104, Medford, MA

When: Monday, March 31, 2008, at 8 pm

Admission is FREE.

Description: Ayn Rand said that "creating a new, original abstraction and translating it through new, original means" is "my kind of fiction writing." Tore Boeckmann tests the originality of "Atlas Shrugged" in regard to both abstract theme and concrete means by comparing the character of Francisco and the event of the tunnel disaster with similar concretes from Friedrich Schiller's plays ("Fiesco" and "Mary Stuart"). The comparison highlights non-obvious ways in which "Atlas Shrugged" concretizes its theme.

Bio: Tore Boeckmann's mystery short stories have been published and anthologized in several languages. He edited Ayn Rand's "The Art of Fiction," and has lectured at Objectivist conferences in America and Europe. Recent publications include " 'The Fountainhead' as a Romantic Novel" and "What Might Be and Ought to Be: Aristotle's 'Poetics' and 'The Fountainhead' " in "Essays on Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead,' " edited by Robert Mayhew.

For more information: e-mail media@aynrand.org

### ### ###

Tore Boeckmann is available for interviews now and after his talk.
Contact: Larry Benson
E-mail: larryb@aynrand.org
Phone: (949) 222-6550, ext. 213

For more information on Objectivism's unique point of view, go to ARI's Web site at http://www.aynrand.org/site/R?i=Uz8MXSJNZ6-mFClefvkVyA... Founded in 1985, the Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Labels: Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events, The Arts

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Thursday, March 20, 2008

Capitalism and the Environment: The Virtues of 'Exploitation'

Posted by ARI Media at 1:51 PM

What: A talk analyzing the destructive nature of environmentalism--and explaining the constructive role of science, technology, and capitalism in promoting human life and progress. A Q&A will follow.

Who: Richard M. Salsman, public speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

Where: Rice University, Herzstein Hall, Room 212, Houston, TX

When: Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at 7:30 pm

Admission is FREE.

Description: Man achieves his survival by using his mind to alter his environment to suit his needs and improve the conditions of his existence. It is this process--expressed in science, technology, and capitalism--that has allowed man to rise from the hunger, drudgery, and misery of primitive existence to the comfort of modern civilization. But it is precisely this process that is under attack by the reactionary "greens"--who want to return man to the pre-industrial era even to the Stone Age.

In this talk, Mr. Salsman does not merely discredit the scientific claims of environmentalism; he demolishes its moral and philosophical base. He demonstrates that: (1) the doctrine that nature has "intrinsic value," i.e., some sort of mystical value entirely apart from its relation to man, is nothing but the desire to destroy human values, (2) the improvement of the environment--for man--can only be provided by laissez-faire capitalism, and (3) that it is the environmentalist movement itself that is today's greatest danger to human health and happiness.

Bio: Richard M. Salsman, CFA, is founder, president and chief market strategist of InterMarket Forecasting, Inc., an investment research and forecasting firm based in Chapel Hill, NC. Mr. Salsman is a noted authority on banking and capitalism. He is the author of two books, Gold and Liberty (1995) and Breaking the Banks: Central Banking Problems and Free Banking Solutions (1990). Mr. Salsman's articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Barron's, Forbes, and The National Post ( Canada). Mr. Salsman lectures widely at investment gatherings and at universities such as Harvard University, the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley.

For more information: e-mail media@aynrand.org

### ### ###

Labels: Business and Economics, Environmentalism, Events

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Objectivist Summer Conference 2008 Early Registration Deadline Approaching!

Posted by TOS Admin at 10:38 PM

We would like to remind you that the deadline to take advantage of our early registration price breaks for Objectivist Summer Conference 2008 is approaching fast! The conference takes place in Newport Beach, California, from June 28 to July 6, 2008. Join us for nine days of intellectual stimulation, and meet people from around the world who share your values.

Register by March 31 to take advantage of discount pricing!

Important Lodging Notes:
This year's conference will be hosted at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel and Spa, where OCON has negotiated special pricing arrangements for conference attendees. The group discount rate will remain available through Friday, June 13, 2008. To book your reservation by telephone, call 1-800-228-9290 and give the discount code "OCON 2008" to claim your conference rate.

For more information please visit the Objectivist Conferences Web site, or call us at 1-800-365-6552 ext. 239.

We hope to see you this summer!

REGISTER ONLINE

Labels: Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events

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Friday, March 07, 2008

A Few Upcoming Lectures

Posted by TOS Admin at 3:42 PM

“Ayn Rand's Ideas: An Introduction”

Who: Elan Journo, resident fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk followed by Q&A

Where: Wrinston Auditorium, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI

When: TONIGHT: Friday, March 7, 2008, at 7:30 PM

Admission is free.

Description: With the publication of her two major novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957), Ayn Rand achieved spectacular and enduring success. Today, interest in Ayn Rand continues to burgeon: her books sell upwards of half a million copies per year, and university courses on her works are increasing in number. Underlying her fiction is a comprehensive system of ideas—a philosophy (as she put it) for living on earth: Objectivism. She wrote: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

What, specifically, does Objectivism advocate? What guidance does it offer man for everyday living? What does it say about ethics? Politics? These are some of the questions to be considered in this lecture. (No prior knowledge of philosophy or of Ayn Rand's works is assumed.)

“Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism”

Who: Craig Biddle, editor and publisher of The Objective Standard

What: A talk followed by Q&A

Where: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA in Cocke Hall, Gibson Room

When: March 12, 2008 at 7: 30 PM

Admission is free.

Description: In her novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand set forth a new morality, which she called rational egoism. In contrast to altruism—the idea that one should self-sacrificially serve others—rational egoism holds that one should selfishly pursue one's own life-serving values. Against predation—the practice of sacrificing others for one's own ends— Rand's egoism holds that sacrificing others is immoral and impractical. In contrast to hedonism—the idea that pleasure is the standard of value— Rand's egoism holds that the long-range requirements of one's life and happiness constitute the standard of value. And against moral relativism—the notion that "anything goes"— Rand's egoism holds that morality is absolute: Nothing "goes" except that which promotes one's life while respecting the rights of others.

Rand's egoism is a system of observation-based principles regarding the requirements of human life, personal happiness, social harmony, and political freedom. In this talk, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Atlas Shrugged, Craig Biddle presents the basic principles of rational egoism, contrasts them with the alternatives, and shows why everyone who wants to live happily and freely needs to understand and embrace them.

“No Substitute for Victory: The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism”

Who: John David Lewis, senior research scholar in history and classics at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center, Bowling Green State University

What: A talk followed by Q&A

Where: Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA in Smith Auditorium, Room 105

When: March 13, 2008 at 8 :00 PM

Admission is free.

Description: Over six years after Manhattan was viciously attacked by Islamic holy warriors, the world is still held hostage to their rants and their bombs. Iraq is in turmoil, Syria is emboldened, and Iran, in pursuit of nuclear weapons, intends to wipe Israel off the map and destroy the Great Satan. America. What went wrong? This lecture will show how our failure to identify the ideology of our enemies. Islamic Totalitarianism has made it impossible to confront them. Drawing on the lessons of America's victory over Japan, this lecture will challenge us to reject our assumptions about the nature of a "just war," and to demand the removal, by force, of Islamic Totalitarianism State Islam from the face of the earth.

“Darwin and the Discovery of Evolution”

Who: Keith Lockitch, resident fellow focusing on science and environmentalism at the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk and Q&A exploring Darwin's life and work, and describing the steps by which he came to discover and prove the theory of evolution by natural selection

Where: Hilton Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA

When: Thursday, March 13, 2008, 7:30–9:30 PM/

Admission is free.

Description: The theory of evolution is often disparaged by its opponents as being "just a theory"—i.e., a speculative hypothesis with little basis in hard, scientific facts. But this claim carries with it the implied accusation that Charles Darwin was "just a theorist"—i.e., that he was merely an armchair scientist and that his life's work was nothing more than an exercise in arbitrary speculation. A look at Darwin's pioneering discoveries, however, reveals the grave injustice of this accusation. Darwin was not "just a theorist" and evolution is not "just a theory." In this talk, Dr. Lockitch explores Darwin's life and work, focusing on the steps by which he came to discover and prove the theory of evolution by natural selection.

“‘Apollo and Dionysus’ Revisited”

Who: Yaron Brook, president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A lecture followed by Q&A

Where: Ford Hall Forum, Old South Meeting House

When: Thursday, May 8, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Description: In 1969, Ayn Rand's Ford Hall Forum talk, "Apollo and Dionysus," addressed the near simultaneous events of Woodstock and the first lunar landing. Employing Greek mythology's god of the sun and god of wine, she compared the awe-inspiring accomplishments of NASA's Apollo space program to the famous three-day concert that has come to exemplify the counterculture of the 1960s and the "hippie era." Almost four decades later, Dr. Yaron Brook, President and Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute, reflects on her words and takes a new look at our society's drives toward individualism versus wholeness, light versus darkness, and civilization versus primal nature.

For more information on these talks, please e-mail events@aynrand.org.

Labels: Events

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Religion vs. Morality

Posted by ARI Media at 10:33 PM

Who: Dr. Andrew Bernstein, professor of philosophy and speaker for the Ayn Rand Institute

What: A talk arguing for a secular, rational basis for morality. A Q&A will follow.

Where: Rice University, Sewall Hall, Room 309, Houston, TX

When: Thursday, February 7, 2008, at 7:30 pm

Description: Conventionally, most people believe that morality can only be based in religious faith that in a world without God no principles of right and wrong could exist. Related to this, philosophers have long held that no objective, fact-based, rational code of values is possible. Regarding both points, this talk shows that the exact opposite is true. The purpose of morality is to guide human life on earth and religion is utterly incapable of it. Flourishing life requires a code of secularism, rationality, egoism and freedom. Religious faith clashes with every principle of a proper moral code, and, as such, has led, and can only lead to, hell on earth.

Bio: Dr. Bernstein is a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Marist College; he also teaches at SUNY Purchase. Dr. Bernstein lectures regularly at American universities and appears frequently on radio talk shows. His op-eds have been published in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Times, The Los Angeles Daily News, and The Houston Chronicle. Dr. Bernstein is the author of three Ayn Rand titles for CliffsNotes: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Anthem. He also authored The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for Laissez-Faire.

For more information on this talk, please e-mail media@aynrand.org

Labels: Events, Philosophy, Religion

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