Reason TV interviews Atlasphere founder Joshua Zader
The interview, titled “Dating in the Atlasphere,” was actually conducted in August 2008, but they’ve waited a while to publish it as part of a long series of interviews about Ayn Rand’s legacy.
From Reason TV’s summary:
Joshua Zader’s intellectual relationship with Ayn Rand began as it does for so many, during his college years. He then blazed a trail uniquely his own among Rand admirers by creating The Atlasphere—an online networking and dating site for the fans of Rand’s novels with particular emphasis on The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Zader found inspiration in Rand’s portrayals of independence and integrity, saying: “Rand’s ethical vision was really one where we want to create a win-win world for everybody, and that there shouldn’t be conflicts of interest among rational people if you’re using an ethical system where everybody is treated as an end in himself.” Zader has seen the real life impact of Rand’s ideas through his work on The Atlasphere, which currently boasts over 19,000 members.
Zader discusses the some finer points of Rand’s thought and novels, her supporters, her detractors, and her continuing impact. As a student of Buddhism, Zader explores how her ideas relate to what may seem like a conflicting view of the world. Zader: “Sometimes I see Buddhism as a set of practices in search of a philosophy, in an analogous way that Objectivism could be seen as a philosophy in search of a set of practices.” Joshua Zader blogs at Mudita Journal.
Approximately 10 minutes. Joshua Zader was interviewed by Ryan Seals, filmed by Alex Manning and edited by Hawk Jensen.
I felt Ryan Seals did a good job of coming up with interview questions. I remain grateful for his creativity in suggesting topics to explore.
I will be very interested to hear how other Objectivists respond to my comments about Objectivism and Buddhism, which are bound to be controversial, at least in some circles.
What do you think?
UPDATE: I now have a transcription of most of the interview, for those who would like a text version.
I found the interview intriguing; thank you for posting it here. Your comments linking Buddhism and Objectivism are of most interest to me, as I have only recently begun a study of Zen. You’ve given me a fair amount to think about, and I’ll do so before commenting in any depth; but for now, I’ll agree with you that those who achieve a measure of Buddhist acceptance and detachment are the best examples of faces without pain, or guilt, or fear.
Hi, Josh. Terrific interview! I appreciated your comments about Buddhism and Objectivism. I’ve embarked on a Buddhist practice for about a year now and am seeing terrific benefits in health and well-being. One thing I’ve always loved about Objectivism is an emphasis on paradigm change. Sadly, with the last publication of major new book projects covering covering significant substantive detail in the 1990′s it seems like actual progress on the philosophy is frozen in time.
Thankfully, there is trailblazing work going on neuroscience, psychology, complexity and complex systems that can be drawn in to flesh out Objectivism as a broader system of knowledge. Objectivists are going to have to throw off the yoke of not invented here in the movement and unabashedly borrow from the best these fields have to offer.
Jim
Josh,
That was awesome. Very succinct. You tied it together very nicely at the end.
Regards,
Al
Excellent interview Joshua.
Congratulation, a beautiful and well delivered interview!
http://www.newclarion.com/2009/11/ayn-rand-the-valuer/
But don’t worry, I defended you.
[...] thanks to a user on braincrave.com for transcribing the parts of my August 2008 interview with Reason.tv that pertain to Ayn Rand’s legacy. I’m pasting his transcription below (with a few [...]