Charles Thomlinson passed away yesterday. Charles was a forester, writer, and long-time supporter of the importance of Ayn Rand’s ideas.
Charles’s book The View From My Stump was a popular favorite among many admirers of Ayn Rand’s work and, together with his wife Susanna, he was a founder of the “traveling Objectivists,” a group which traveled to destinations around the world twice annually.
He was also the founder of the concept behind the Atlasphere.
Charles was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and did not expect to live more than a year. He published his thoughts about his pending death in the May 2002 edition of TOC’s Navigator, and shared his reflections on how private ownership has helped save American forests in a column for the Atlasphere this past September.
His funeral will be private. There will be a local celebration of Charles’s life from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, January 2nd at the Tomlinson Building at 250 South Poplar Street in Florence, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to The Objectivist Center, the Cherokee Public Library, Hospice of the Shoals, or an organization of personal choice.
Category: The Atlasphere
All things Atlasphere can be found here, columns, podcasts, interesting anecdotes, and more.
New Apprentice, Kelly Perdew, a Fountainhead Fan
We noted several months ago that Trump’s first apprentice, Bill Rancic, was reading The Fountainhead. But now we’ve learned that Trump’s newest apprentice, Kelly Perdew, is a bona-fide fan of the novel.
From an article in the New York Sun:
About 17 million Americans watched Thursday night as Donald Trump chose his next “apprentice” in a three-hour television special on NBC. And even that number – more Americans than bought Bill Clinton’s memoir or saw Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” in theaters – probably understates the significance of the television program.
Thursday’s show featured a “studio” audience in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, a destination spot for high culture that was taken over for the evening by Mr. Trump and his would-be apprentices. NBC’s corporate parent, General Electric, is one of America’s largest companies. And the program is particularly popular among the younger demographic that will influence America’s future.
So what was all the fuss about? Viewers saw Mr. Trump hire Kelly Perdew, who triumphed over the 17 other candidates in the course of the season-long reality television show. And who is Mr. Perdew? A West Point graduate who completed the Army’s ranger training and, according to the “Apprentice” Web site, served two years as a military intelligence officer.
“My military experience will really help me,” Mr. Perdew told Entertainment Weekly.
In promotional material on the show’s Web site, Mr. Perdew says that if he had a super power he would use it to “help the thousands of brave Americans putting their lives on the line to protect our freedom.” He lists “The Fountainhead,” a libertarian tract by Ayn Rand, as among his favorite books.
Course: Introduction to Ayn Rand's Philosophy
From Objectivist Conferences:
Registration is open for “Introduction to Ayn Rand’s Philosophy,” a six-part weekly evening course starting on January 20, 2005. The course is taught as an interactive class, in which participants are invited to raise questions. There are three ways to take the course: in person at the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, California; live via teleconferencing; and by listening online to recordings of the classes.
The instructors scheduled to lead the class are Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute and a former college professor; and Dr. Onkar Ghate, a senior fellow and an instructor at the Objectivist Academic Center.
The course is open to the general public. High school and college students are encouraged to attend and will receive a substantial discount on the registration fee.
Those who wish to attend class at the Ayn Rand Institute should register early?space is limited.
For all the details, pricing and registration information, visit the Objectivist Conferences Web site.
Milton Friedman on the Progress of Free Markets
From an article at the Australian reprinting Milton Friedman’s comments in the Hoover Digest:
After World War II, opinion was socialist while practice was free market; currently, opinion is free market while practice is heavily socialist. We have largely won the battle of ideas; we have succeeded in stalling the progress of socialism, but we have not succeeded in reversing its course. We are still far from bringing practice into conformity with opinion. That is the overriding non-defence task for the second Bush term. It will not be an easy task, particularly with Iraq threatening to consume Bush’s political capital.
Keep reading… (Hat-tip to Instapundit.)
Movie: Open Range
From Robert Hessen:
This film opened in Aug. 2003 and somehow escaped my attention. But we watched it last night on DVD and loved it. It stars Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner (who also directed) and the radiantly beautiful Annette Bening. It is an old-
fashioned Western, distinguished by moral conflicts and smart dialogue. Duvall and Costner are “free-grazers,” men who drive cattle across open country. When they come to a small town that is dominated by Michael Gambon, his henchmen murder one of their crew, so they vow revenge. If you enjoy Westerns, this film is as suspenseful as High Noon, so see it soon and let me know your reaction to it.
You can view the trailer online.
Centennial Editions of Ayn Rand's Novels
An announcement via the Ayn Rand Bookstore:
Marking the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s birth, the publisher of her works has issued centennial editions of Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead and Anthem, featuring newly designed cover illustrations. The covers of the centennial trade paperbacks (softcovers) are slightly modified replicas of the original artwork from the first editions of each book, and will be printed on high quality paper with rough edges. The covers of the standard paperbacks are the work of the publisher’s staff designers.
Availability: Expected shipment date from the publisher is January 2005.
TOC Moves to DC, Names Hudgins Executive Director
An announcement from The Objectivist Center Founder David Kelley:
Next February will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ayn Rand, the writer and thinker who gave us Objectivism, and the 15th anniversary of the Objectivist Center, which I created to promote that philosophy through independent thought and open debate?a promise we have carried through our seminars, conferences and publications, thanks to our dedicated staff and supporters.
In this anniversary year, we will take our organization to a new level of impact in the marketplace of ideas by making major changes in the Center?s location and management.
First, we will move our headquarters to Washington, D.C. Washington is the center of the think-tank world, where cultural as well as political issues are actively debated?and covered in the media. The Center is already well known?and well respected?within the network of pro-freedom organizations in the capital, which can help us leverage our efforts. With several major universities, Washington is an academic center as well. This move will also allow us to explore new fundraising sources.
Second, the current Washington director, Edward Hudgins, will assume the responsibilities of executive director. I will continue at the Center as ?chief intellectual officer? as well as a member of the board. With Ed as executive director, I will able to devote most of my time to my strengths writing, research, and working with students and other scholars. Ed shares my commitment to Objectivism, and as a veteran of Capitol Hill, the Heritage Foundation, and the Cato Institute, he knows what it takes to succeed as an intellectual advocate. In the past two years he has shown tremendous energy and entrepreneurial vision in promoting our ideas through his writing, TV and radio appearances, and the conferences he?s organized.
With these changes, the Center will be better able to integrate its scholarly, academic and advocacy functions and focus on its strong comparative advantages in today?s intellectual battles.
One program focus will be the defense of capitalism as a moral ideal, not merely an economic one. Ed has received a good response using unique Objectivist arguments in defense of capitalism: the moral right of individuals to their own lives; entrepreneurs as creators who should take pride in their creations; the moral virtues manifested by entrepreneurs; and the need for them to stop apologizing for creating the richest country on Earth.
A second focus will be the culture wars over religion, values, and the clash of civilizations. We will continue to expose the false dichotomies between the religious values of cultural conservatives and the secular but socialistic values of the left. We will promote our distinctive cultural values?reason, individualism, and achievement?by applying to them to the issues of public debate.
We will continue the programs that have served our members well over the years, including publications and the Summer Seminar. We have also strengthened our student-training programs during the past year, and we?ll continue to make that investment in talent.
With our move and management changes we will be able to promote Objectivism more aggressively in the larger marketplace of ideas.
Frank Lloyd Wright Play (in Pittsburgh)
An announcement for Frank Lloyd Wright fans, from Playbill:
The new City Theatre staging of Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright has sparked so much audience interest in Pittsburgh that the show will go on to Jan. 9, 2005, two weeks beyond its announced date.
The world of groundbreaking architect Frank Lloyd Wright is brought to life in the work by Jeffrey Hatcher and Eric Simonson, revised since its earlier premiere in Milwaukee. Performances began Nov. 18 under the direction of Simonson. Sam Tsoutsouvas plays the architect, who ages from 20 to 90. […]
The ensemble portrays more than a dozen people who were important in Wright’s eventful life. The work is populated by architect Louis Sullivan, friends Ayn Rand and Alexander Woolcott, son John Lloyd Wright, wives Catherine and Olgivanna, and paramour Mamah Cheney. Also appearing in the ensemble are Tressa Glover, Shaun Cameron Hall, Nathan James and Mark August Spitznagel.
Wright’s architectural style is incorporated into the staging of Work Song by Simonson and his designers, Kent Dorsey (scenic), Karen Kopischke (costume), Andrew David Ostrowski (lighting), Barry Funderberg (sound) and John Boesche (projection).
Visit the City Theatre web site for a performance schedule and additional information.
A Paean to Freedom …and to Thoughtful Readers
Writing for Texas A&M’s The Battalion, op-ed columnist Mike Walters wraps up the semester with a ringing endorsement of freedom in his article “Individual rights make America great,” which includes this remark:
I’d like to congratulate those who read opinion articles and examine their subjects rationally – you are the thinkers of tomorrow. Only you have the power to create a morally successful path for our industries and nation. We face much evil in the world, evil seeking an easy path through life by taking what others have rather than producing it. Worse are those who inadvertently spread evil ideas by failing to examine them critically and spreading them regardless.
As you move on past college and into the world, remember that individual rights are the only things that will bring about a color-blind society, that allows people to keep the money they make, and give to charity if they wish. Individual rights are the only things that preserve the freedom that allows us to seek happiness.
…Followed by a terrific quote from Ayn Rand. See the full article for more.
Why We Want to Make Money
Writing for the business section of London’s Telegraph, Luke Johnson provides an even-handed discussion of the need for an intellectual framework to guide one’s business endeavors:
It seems odd that there are so few intellectual works that deal with the philosophy of capitalism. Millions of words are written annually on the mechanics of business, but virtually none on the ultimate purpose of it all.
Where is the true justification for the sacrifice and effort? Is the rat race an exercise in futility? In the past 100 years, the profit motive has become the dominant creed, replacing religion, Marxism and the like ? yet there are almost no texts that rationalise why man strives so hard to build enterprises.
Why is it important for those engaged in accumulating wealth to think about the deeper principles underlying their daily work? I believe an understanding of their motivations, and the meaning of our economic and social systems, helps expand the mind and gives a sense of moral value.
After exploring a few other intellectual justifications for the pursuit of success (including those from Christian traditions), he notes Ayn Rand’s contributions:
Ayn Rand, the author of The Fountainhead and inventor of objectivism, was perhaps the foremost exponent of the unfettered philosophy of laissez-faire capitalism. She originated “the concept of man as a heroic being” with “productive achievement as his noblest activity”. Her books and beliefs remain popular today. Eddie Lampert, the Wunderkind behind the recent merger of retailers Sears and Kmart, is apparently an advocate.
See the full article for additional commentary.