A new organization called the Objectivist Theatre Company will be performing Ayn Rand’s play “The Night of January 16th” in New York City starting on ? when else? ? January 16th, 2004.
The performances will be held at the Objectivist Community Center (243 W38th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues) from January 16th through February 8th on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15 and reservations can be made by contacting Sarah Zimmitti.
Author: Heather Wagenhals
2004 ARI Summer Conference
The Ayn Rand Institute‘s 2004 Objectivist Summer Conference has been scheduled for July 10?22 at the Wintergreen Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
From their brochure for the 2003 conference:
For nearly two decades, summer conferences have served as a forum for the presentation of new intellectual work applying Ayn Rand?s philosophy. Continuing in that vein, the Institute has invited a host of scholars and intellectuals, who are known for their serious interest in Objectivism, to present some of their recent work. As you?ll discover on the following pages, we have scheduled more than 27 hours of general lectures and up to 32 hours of optional courses on an exciting range of topics, from philosophy and sculpture to literature and economics.
More information about the 2004 conference will be forthcoming on the Objectivist Conferences site. In the interim you can request a conference catalog via phone at 1-800-365-6552, ext. 239 or via the web.
2004 TOC Summer Seminar
The Objectivist Center‘s summer seminar this year is scheduled for July 3 – 10 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
For those who are new to TOC’s summer seminars, here’s an excerpt from the description of last year’s seminar:
Every year, for one week, people from across America?and beyond?gather under the sponsorship of The Objectivist Center to hear top lecturers discuss philosophy, politics, law, economics, psychology, art, and life skills. Participants often refer to TOC’s summer seminar as their week at Galt’s Gulch, but the metaphor is not really apt. The heroes in Atlas Shrugged, after all, are recruiting the strength they need to endure a world they have abandoned. The participants at TOC’s summer seminar come seeking the tools and the inspiration to improve their world.
This year the seminar was held from June 28 to July 4 at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. On the afternoon of the first day, even while participants were arriving and registering, the week’s program swung into action. A faculty luncheon allowed members of the teaching staff to get acquainted, and a newcomers session later on Saturday afternoon performed the same function for first-timers. A reception for students allowed participants still in school to discuss the prospects for intellectual careers. The formal kickoff was a welcoming cookout, and many people followed it up by initiating the nightly discussion sessions in the common room.
There will also be an Advanced Seminar in Objectivist Studies held beforehand from June 30 – July 2, at the same location:
The Advanced Seminar is a two and half-day meeting of professors, graduate students, independent scholars, and advanced undergraduates that focuses on new writings on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. The purpose of the seminar is to encourage the development of a high-quality scholarly literature on philosophical topics that is written from an Objectivist perspective. It also has the purpose of encouraging the development of community of scholars working in and around these ideas.
The Advanced Seminar typically has 15-25 participants and six paper presentations. Each paper is the focus of a formal comment and an extensive moderated seminar discussion which allows plenty of time to wrestle with the issues it raises. The seminar discusses arguments critical of or supportive of past Objectivist literature in an atmosphere of rational tolerance and debate. Methodologically, it seeks to integrate Objectivist emphases on essentialistic reasoning and attention to context with high academic standards.
More information about both the Summer Seminar and the Advanced Seminar (including a conference brochure) will be forthcoming on TOC’s seminar page.
ARI 2004 Internship Program
The Ayn Rand Institute is accepting applications from undergraduates for their 2004 internship program. From the announcement:
ARI is currently accepting applications for paid (summer and one-year) internship positions. Full-time undergraduate students who are interested in the role of ideas in culture and history, who are seriously considering an academic career in the humanities, and who have excellent academic records should apply.
As an intern at ARI, you will be involved in a unique work/study program under the direction of ARI’s academic and administrative divisions at ARI’s offices in Irvine, California. Interns will study and attend classes on Objectivism in order to build a solid understanding of Ayn Rand’s philosophy. The study portion of the program will be tailored to meet the intern’s academic interests. The work portion of the program will involve providing general administrative assistance at the Institute, including research, typing, filing, answering phones, etc.
The application form is available in PDF format and must be postmarked by February 28, 2004.
Atlas Shrugged in This Week Mag
Atlas Shrugged topped The Week Magazine‘s Dec 19 list of “Best Books,” as chosen by Chuck Klosterman, a senior writer at Spin Magazine. His mini-review:
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Signet, $9). People who are intellectual (but not necessarily smart) constantly insist that Rand?s philosophy is simplistic and flawed, and maybe it is; no philosophy is perfect. But she makes more sense than anyone else I?ve ever experienced. If you disagree with Atlas Shrugged, it basically means you disagree with the concept of ?being great.?
Heh. (Thanks to co_techie at LiveJournal for the tip. She also notes a significant reference to Atlas Shrugged in the Dec 30 episode of Judging Amy.)
WWW Creator to Be Knighted
Remember using the Internet before the advent of the World Wide Web? If you do, you might appreciate this story from the Independent: Tim Berners-Lee, who developed the protocols for the World Wide Web, is named in the New Year’s Honours List for “services to the internet” and is to be knighted.
There’s no immediate financial benefit to a knighthood, as far as I know, nor is there any career path per se as a knight (Sir Tim lives and works in the USA anyway). But Berners-Lee is a British subject and the selection is still regarded by most as an honor, so I’m glad to see it happen.
From the Independent:
The system, which he developed in his spare time in 1991 while working as a researcher at the European particle research laboratory Cern, features billions of web pages used by hundreds of millions of people every day.
Crucially, Mr Berners-Lee gave his invention away rather than trying to patent or restrict its use, making it possible for the web to grow at a rate never seen. Without his creation, there would be no “www” computer addresses, and the internet might still be the exclusive domain of a handful of computer experts.
I’m not praising Berners-Lee, by the way, for giving away his invention. I’m praising him for having been creative enough to invent it in the first place (and in his “spare time”?). If, like me, you’ve used and enjoyed amazon.com, Yahoo!Groups, expedia.com, or blogging, you have Tim Berners-Lee to thank. He made the Internet easy to use.
Thanks, Sir Tim. Pleased to have you on this side of the pond.
Screenwriter for Atlas Shrugged Movie
Anyone interested in the latest attempt to create an Atlas Shrugged movie will enjoy reading Box Office Mojo’s interview with James V. Hart, who was hired earlier this year to write the script.
From the interview:
“I hated [Atlas Shrugged] in college,” the 56-year-old New Yorker admitted. “It was the peace and love era and the values of the time weren’t consistent with Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Years later, I read it again and it blew me away. I’ve read it four times in the last six months.”
What changed Hart’s mind?
“We’re on the threshold of what Ayn Rand predicted,” he noted. “Socialism has crept into everything and we’re penalizing the thinkers, the movers and shakers for being successful. In a way, the world that Ayn Rand created in Atlas Shrugged is the United States today.”
Pro-Freedom Politicians
Fox News has posted an article called “Libertarian Heroes of 2003” that profiles politicians who took a stand this past year to “limit the size of government, defend our civil liberties, or otherwise uphold the freedom of Americans at the expense of the state.”
A couple excerpts:
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
Businessman Nagin ran for mayor as his first foray into politics. It shows — and I mean that in a good way. Immediately upon taking office, Nagin took a scouring pad to Crescent City corruption. He raided the Taxicab Bureau, arresting some 80 employees — including his own cousin — and had the bureau?s director marched out of City Hall in handcuffs. When the city director in charge of the bureau called a press conference to criticize the raid, Nagin fired her on camera, and later had her arrested, too. Since then, several other city officials have been fired, indicted, and convicted for fraud, bribe-taking and corruption.
And:
Texas Rep. Ron Paul
Rep. Paul not only makes this list, he is this list. He?s the most consistent defender of freedom elected to federal office in about 200 years. For Rep. Paul, such devotion to principle is easy. When a bill comes up for a vote, he merely asks himself whether or not the U.S. Constitution authorizes Congress to do what the bill asks. If the answer is ?no,? — and it almost always is — he votes no. He is reliably the ?1? when the House passes a bill 434-1. The Washington Post once dubbed him ?Congressman ?No.??
Movie: Something's Gotta Give
The new romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton) features a theme emphasizing the importance of honesty, intimacy, and a commitment to personal growth. (It’s also incredibly funny.) The writing, acting, and production are all first rate.
My wife and I saw it on Christmas eve and enjoyed it immensely. For more information about the movie, watch the trailer or read Roger Ebert’s review.
New Greenspan Bio
Following up on the lead from Ayn Rand at Salon.com… Below is an excerpt from TownHall.com’s review of Jerome Tucille’s new (2002) Greenspan biography, Alan Shrugged:
Alan Shrugged provides a thoughtful, penetrating examination of the Fed chairman, from the early years through late 2001. Written by investment executive and biographical best-selling author Jerome Tuccille, and accuracy-checked by Greenspan through his press secretary, Alan Shrugged is likely as close as a lay person will come to understanding Alan Greenspan and the power he wields as Fed chairman. Although written by a fellow financier, there’s little jargon to confuse a lay reader; Tuccille excels at cutting through layers of complexity to present the heart of the matter, be it the workings of the Federal Reserve or an individual.
From the outset, Tuccille deftly evokes images — of the Greenspans’ home environment, Alan’s college years, his early jobs — that enable immersion in the cultures and events that influenced the young Alan. While not a novelized biography, the effect is similar to one, and it’s very effective at keeping a reader’s interest. Of course, the Ayn Rand years are given their due — thankfully, without the tawdry tabloid elements that have found their way into other biographies of Rand’s intimates. Tuccille instead focuses on how Rand influenced Greenspan, and how he influenced her as well, providing a rare, balanced look into Rand’s inner circle and its workings.
Sounds like a book that would interest many Ayn Rand fans.