Objectivism Archive

Reflections on the current state of Objectivism

October 13, 2009 · Category: Individualism, Objectivism

I wrote the following in response to a friends-only post on LiveJournal, in which a Rand-admiring friend in academia claims Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism offers no worldly advantage. For example, if you look at leaders in various fields of human endeavor, Objectivism is no more represented among those people than in the general population. A few thoughts I've not yet had a chance to integrate fully: - I agree with something Nathaniel Branden said once, that knowing someone calls him- or herself "an Objectivist" tells you almost nothing about that person -- except perhaps whether they are likely to go to ...

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On having betrayed Ayn Rand 50 years ago

June 11, 2009 · Category: Atlasphere, Intellectual, Objectivism

I received the following today from an Atlasphere member. Our form for removing yourself from the member database asks for a reason for the removal and, inside that form, he wrote: You are associated with the Brandens, and novelist Erika Holzer, who do not represent Objectivism and have morally betrayed it's creator. Out of respect for Ayn Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism, I withdraw my membership and support from your institution. In the six years since I launched the Atlasphere, I've received only a handful of e-mails such as this one. It is usually from a young Objectivist, very sincere and ...

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John Galt is smiling

March 19, 2009 · Category: Current Events, Individualism, Objectivism, Politics

The allusions to Atlas Shrugged in the mainstream media are just getting better and better. From the new Bloomberg article "Obama Needs AIG’s Liddy, Not Other Way Around," by Caroline Baum: The hero of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is smiling because he’s seen it all before: the government’s intervention in the private sector; the constraints placed on business in the name of the people; the desperation on the part of government bureaucrats when they realize their leverage is limited; and -- this part is still fiction -- the decision on the part of business leaders to walk away from the ...

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Mudita Forum is now at Google Groups

March 18, 2009 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, FLOW, Individualism, Integral, Intellectual, Meditation, Mindfulness, Mudita Forum, Objectivism, Witness Consciousness

Check out the new Mudita Forum, if you think you might be interested. The purpose of Mudita Forum is to provide a stimulating, thoughtful environment for discussing Eastern consciousness-raising practices — such as meditation, mindfulness, and the cultivation of presence — while using Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism as a basic philosophical frame-of-reference. The old group got lost when I was changing servers a couple years ago, but recently I've been contacted by new people wishing to join. My hope for the new group is that it will be much like the old one: low-volume, high-quality, and stimulating on many levels. I sent invites ...

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Happy Holidays: The Song

December 25, 2008 · Category: Music, Objectivism, Personal

Happy holidays, everyone. The holidays can be an awkward time, sometimes, figuring out what to do for whom. But once in a while you see someone hit the ball so far out of the park, you remember why it's worth trying in the first place. On that note, Los Angeles composer Mike Shapiro just made my evening by sending out this little ditty, which he wrote himself, in lieu of sending cards. Somebody buy that boy an eggnog.

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Contra Ayn Rand, and Gordon Gekko, greed is NOT good

October 4, 2008 · Category: Current Events, Objectivism, Politics

Here is a point I've been meaning to make publicly to other Objectivists for many years. I posted this as a comment on John Enright's post. Ayn Rand called Galt's Gulch a "utopia of greed" in Atlas Shrugged, but I think that was one of her tactical mistakes; greed happens all the time and it's not a good thing. It seems to me that a valid Objectivist definition of greed would be something like "seeking a value out of context." Often the context which gets dropped includes things like the importance of honesty, rationality, or respecting the rights of other people. It seems ...

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Profits are like happiness: If you aim for it directly, you’re more likely to miss

June 29, 2008 · Category: FLOW, Intellectual, Objectivism

I've become very intrigued lately by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's concept of "conscious capitalism" (link to PDF essay). A few days ago, Justin Fox from Time Magazine published a lengthy interview with Mackey and his college housemate Kip Tindell -- who, as it happens, is the CEO of the Container Store, which is similarly prosperous and also run by a very similar business philosophy. Year after year, Fortune magazine consistently rates their two companies as among the best companies in the world for which to work. Here's a good quote from Mackey, from the Time interview, that sort of sums up Mackey's ...

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Buying a Spot on the Syllabus … for Atlas Shrugged

February 27, 2008 · Category: Atlasphere, Individualism, Objectivism, Politics

(Cross-posted from the Atlasphere's Ayn Rand meta-blog.) Inside Higher Ed Editor Scott Jaschik kindly sent a link to his new story "Buying a Spot on the Syllabus," which is indeed very interesting. He begins: Some professors at Marshall University believe that the institution has crossed an ethical line by accepting a gift that requires that a specific book — Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged — be taught in a course. While the criticisms have come from professors who are not fans of Rand’s philosophy, they stress that their objection has nothing to do with this particular book, and that they would have no problem ...

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Atlas Shrugged Movie Updates from Executive Producer John Aglialoro

February 25, 2008 · Category: Atlasphere, Objectivism

If you're hungry for information about the coming Atlas Shrugged movie (how much was it delayed by the writers strike? how firmly committed is Angelina?) don't miss the new interview with John Aglialoro at the Atlasphere.

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Walter Donway: “The Struggle for Poetry’s Soul”

February 1, 2008 · Category: Atlasphere, Intellectual, Objectivism, Reviews

Walter Donway just sent the following announcement, which explains the significance of his essay as well as anything I might hope to write: My brief essay "The Struggle for Poetry's Soul" just went up on the popular Atlasphere web site. In the essay, I try to suggest why it is important to restore the traditional craft and enduring values of poetry, being lost today in the blizzard of "free verse," deliberate difficulty, and rejection of popular values such as rhyme and storytelling in so much of contemporary poetry. With whatever talent I may have, I am trying to explore the ...

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