The Objective Standard Blog

The Atlas Shrugged Revolution

A message from Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute:

UPCOMING AYN RAND INSTITUTE EVENT—THE ATLAS SHRUGGED REVOLUTION, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

The Atlas Shrugged Revolution

I am very pleased to announce that on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, in New York City we will hold our second annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution fundraising dinner event.

Last year’s event attracted 125 attendees and raised more than $400,000—and we hope that this year’s event will be an even greater success.

Here are the details for this year’s dinner:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
6:00 p.m.
W New York
541 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10022

John Allison of BB&T Corporation will again join me to discuss the public’s continuing interest in Atlas Shrugged—and the ideas behind it. We will also update attendees on the work being done by ARI to promote Ayn Rand’s philosophy at this critical time in our nation’s history.

For more details and to register, please visit our event Web site.

We hope you’ll be able to join us in Manhattan on September 14, for ARI’s second annual Atlas Shrugged Revolution event!

Sincerely,

Yaron Brook
President and Executive Director

P.S. At this year’s event we will again hold an auction of rare Ayn Rand books and manuscripts. Images and descriptions of the items are available for viewing on the Web.

Copyright © 2010 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

Posted in: Announcements, Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events

OCON Workshop on Starting and Growing an Objectivist Community Club

If you are attending OCON next week and have any interest in starting an Objectivist community club in your hometown, this is a good opportunity to learn from those who have a successful track record in such ventures:

Join the Oclubs.org workshop at OCON. Learn how to start & grow an Objectivist Community Club in your hometown!

  • The Colorado Objectivist community has more than 60 members and 7 monthly events
  • Chicago has 40 members in its community and 7 events per month
  • Atlanta’s new Objectivist community is thriving with 30 members and 1 event per month

Learn how these cities got started!  Join Oclubs for a 45 min presentation and workshop at OCON. This event is either for people who already run a community club and want to grow it or for people who want to start one.

Wednesday, July 7 at 6:15p -7:00, 5th Floor, Charleston F room

Oclubs.org was started to support the leaders of Objectivist clubs. We create resources, answer questions, and share advice. Read our Mission Statement here.

Posted in: Announcements, Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events

Today is “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”

Here is the final batch of drawings of Mohammed, in defense of the requirements of human life and civilized society. In honor of “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” we have placed all of the drawings together on a single dedicated page, which can be found here.

I wish to thank those who participated in this campaign, and to encourage everyone to distribute this link far and wide today. Let the world know that you will not be silenced.


Drawing of Mohammed by Mark Wickens


Drawing of Mohammed by William Green


Drawing of Mohammed by Amit Ghate


Drawing of Mohammed by Andy Fingerhut


Drawing of Mohammed by David Chayes


Drawing of Mohammed by Jeffery Small


Drawing of Mohammed by Martin Gasser


Drawing of Mohammed by Diana Hsieh


Drawing of Mohammed by Richard Watts


Drawing of Mohammed by Meredith McCurdy


Drawing of Mohammed by Gus Van Horn


Drawing of Mohammed by Kyle Haight


Drawing of Mohammed by Greg Perkins


Drawing of Mohammed by Anne Haight

Posted in: Announcements, Events, Foreign Policy and War, Individual Rights and Law, Philosophy, Religion

Drawings of Mohammed, in Defense of Human Life

Islamists have called for the murder of Salman Rushdie, and have attempted to assassinate him, for his “blasphemous” depiction of Mohammed in his novel The Satanic Verses . . . Islamists slit the throat of Theo van Gogh and stuck a knife in his chest for directing the film Submission, which depicted Islamic violence against women . . . Islamists have threatened to murder Ayaan Hirsi Ali for writing the script and doing the voiceover for Submission . . . Islamists have attempted to assassinate Kurt Westergaard for drawing a cartoon of Mohammed . . . Islamists have attempted to assassinate Geert Wilders for producing the film Fitna, which showed that the Koran calls for violence against infidels . . . Islamists have threatened to murder Matt Stone and Trey Parker for depicting Mohammed dressed as a bear in a South Park cartoon . . .

When will this end? Certainly not before those of us who recognize the vital nature of the freedom of speech speak up against such evil.

How can we speak up and be heard? One way is by participating in “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” which is May 20.

Why should you participate? Because freedom of speech is a requirement of your life and the lives of your loved ones.

When and to the extent that individuals are forbidden to express their views, whether by force or the threat thereof, they are unable to function in a manner fully conducive to human life; they are unable to act fully on their basic means of living, the judgment of their mind; thus, they are unable to live fully as human beings. They might not be murdered (as van Gogh was). They might not have to go into hiding or have 24/7 security (as Rushdie, Ali, and Wilders have had to do). But, to the extent that individuals are forbidden to express their views, their lives are throttled (as Stone and Parker’s have been).

Recognition of this fact is what gives rise to the moral right to freedom of speech: the truth that people morally must be left free to express their views regardless of what others think or feel about those views. This right is not an opinion, nor a gift from “God,” nor a permission from government; it is the recognition of an immutable fact—the fact that a fully human life requires the freedom of expression.

Freedom of speech is also the last leg of civilized society. If we lose it, our only means of returning to a state in which we can live as human beings is to take up arms against those who have forbidden us to speak.

For these reasons, The Objective Standard will participate in “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.” And in order to advertise this vital new holiday, we will post in advance, on this blog, batches of the drawings of Mohammed that we receive between now and May 20. Then, on May 20, we will post all of the drawings together in a unified defense of the requirements of human life and civilized society.

I hope you will join us.

The drawings received to date are posted below. If you wish to contribute a drawing, please email it to blog@TheObjectiveStandard.com.


Drawing of Mohammed by Ari Armstrong


Drawing of Mohammed by Jennifer Armstrong


Drawing of Mohammed by Bosch Fawstin


Drawing of Mohammed by Gideon Reich


Drawing of Mohammed by Martin Lundqvist


Drawing of Mohammed by Barbara Herndon


Drawing of Mohammed by Adam Reed


Drawing of Mohammed by Daniel Wahl


Drawing of Mohammed by Kelly Valenzuela


Drawing of Mohammed by Jenna Becker


Drawing of Mohammed by Francisco Gutierrez


Drawing of Mohammed by Ed Cline

Posted in: Announcements, Events, Foreign Policy and War, Individual Rights and Law, Philosophy, Religion, The Arts

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day

In response to death threats by a Muslim group against Trey Parker and Matt Stone for portraying Mohammed dressed as a bear in a South Park cartoon—and in defense of the freedom of speech, on which civilized society depends—Dan Savage of The Stranger has pronounced May 20, 2010 “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.” This is an excellent idea, and The Objective Standard will participate by posting on our blog drawings emailed to blog@theobjectivestandard.com. The images will be posted with the respective submitters’ names in batches as we receive them. Here is my contribution:


Drawing of Mohammed by Craig Biddle

Posted in: Announcements, Events, Individual Rights and Law, Religion, The Arts

On April 22, Celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day

Exploit the Earth or Die™

Because Earth Day is intended to further the cause of environmentalism—and because environmentalism is an anti-human ideology—on April 22, those who care about human life should not celebrate Earth Day; they should celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day.

Exploiting the Earth—using the raw materials of nature for one’s life-serving purposes—is a basic requirement of human life. Either man takes the Earth’s raw materials—such as trees, petroleum, aluminum, and atoms—and transforms them into the requirements of his life, or he dies. To live, man must produce the goods on which his life depends; he must produce homes, automobiles, computers, electricity, and the like; he must seize nature and use it to his advantage. There is no escaping this fact. Even the allegedly “noble” savage must pick or perish. Indeed, even if a person produces nothing, insofar as he remains alive he indirectly exploits the Earth by parasitically surviving off the exploitative efforts of others.

According to environmentalism, however, man should not use nature for his needs; he should keep his hands off “the goods”; he should leave nature alone, come what may. Environmentalism is not concerned with human health and wellbeing—neither ours nor that of generations to come. If it were, it would advocate the one social system that ensures that the Earth and its elements are used in the most productive, life-serving manner possible: capitalism.

Capitalism is the only social system that recognizes and protects each individual’s right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Under capitalism, people are fully free to choose their goals, to identify the means of attaining them, and to act on their best judgment. Accordingly, those who recognize that in order to live well they and their loved ones need abundant energy, clean air, clean water, and the like tend to use the available resources rationally, with an eye to the distant future. Further, under capitalism, if a person (or corporation) spews toxins onto someone’s land, or poisons his water supply, or in any other way violates his property rights, the offender is held accountable in a court of law. But, so long as a person does not violate anyone’s rights, he is free to act in accordance with his basic means of living: the judgment of his mind.

Environmentalism, of course, does not and cannot advocate capitalism, because if people are free to act on their judgment, they will strive to produce and prosper; they will transform the raw materials of nature into the requirements of human life; they will exploit the Earth and live.

Environmentalism rejects the basic moral premise of capitalism—the idea that people should be free to act on their judgment—because it rejects a more fundamental idea on which capitalism rests: the idea that the requirements of human life constitute the standard of moral value. While the standard of value underlying capitalism is human life (meaning, that which is necessary for human beings to live and prosper), the standard of value underlying environmentalism is nature untouched by man.

The basic principle of environmentalism is that nature (i.e., “the environment”) has intrinsic value—value in and of itself, value apart from and irrespective of the requirements of human life—and that this value must be protected from its only adversary: man. Rivers must be left free to flow unimpeded by human dams, which divert natural flows, alter natural landscapes, and disrupt wildlife habitats. Glaciers must be left free to grow or shrink according to natural causes, but any human activity that might affect their size must be prohibited. Naturally generated carbon dioxide (such as that emitted by oceans and volcanoes) and naturally generated methane (such as that emitted by swamps and termites) may contribute to the greenhouse effect, but such gasses must not be produced by man. The globe may warm or cool naturally (e.g., via increases or decreases in sunspot activity), but man must not do anything to affect its temperature.

In short, according to environmentalism, if nature affects nature, the effect is good; if man affects nature, the effect is evil.

Stating the essence of environmentalism in such stark terms raises some illuminating questions: If the good is nature untouched by man, how is man to live? What is he to eat? What is he to wear? Where is he to reside? How can man do anything his life requires without altering, harming, or destroying some aspect of nature? In order to nourish himself, man must consume meats, fruits, and vegetables. In order to make clothing, he must skin animals, pick cotton, manufacture polyester, and the like. In order to build a house—or even a hut—he must cut down trees, dig up clay, make fires, bake bricks, and so forth. Each and every action man takes to support or sustain his life entails the exploitation of nature. Thus, on the premise of environmentalism, man has no right to exist.

It comes down to this: Each of us has a choice to make. Will I recognize that man’s life is the standard of moral value—that the good is that which sustains and furthers human life—and thus that people have a moral right to use the Earth and its elements for their life-serving needs? Or will I accept that nature has “intrinsic” value—value in and of itself, value apart from and irrespective of human needs—and thus that people have no right to exist?

There is no middle ground here. Either human life is the standard of moral value, or it is not. Either nature has intrinsic value, or it does not.

On April 22, make clear where you stand. Don’t celebrate Earth Day; celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day—and let your friends, family, and associates know why.

Posted in: Announcements, Environmentalism, Events, Individual Rights and Law, Philosophy, Science and Technology

Citizens United and the Future of Campaign Finance Law

From the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights:

Citizens United and the Future of Campaign Finance Law

A Panel Debate in Washington, D.C.

Who: Steve Simpson, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice
Eric Daniels, Research Assistant Professor, Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism
Tara Malloy, Associate Legal Counsel, The Campaign Legal Center
Doug Kendall, Founder and President, Constitutional Accountability Center (Invited)
Moderator: Tom Bowden, Analyst, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

What: A panel discussion on campaign finance laws. 

Where: 722 12th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005 (Americans for Tax Reform’s event room)

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at Noon (lunch to follow)

Description: We invite you to join us for an engaging discussion on one of the most important and controversial campaign finance decisions in decades. In Citizens United, the Supreme Court held that corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money on speech during elections. Critics view Citizens United as a striking example of judicial activism that will unleash a flood of corporate money in elections. Defenders view it as a ringing endorsement of First Amendment rights. All agree that it will have a significant impact on campaign finance laws. Please join our panel of experts for a vigorous discussion and debate about this important ruling.

Admission: FREE. Open to the public.

RSVP: Please email Krissy Keys at the Institute for Justice at kkeys@ij.org by Friday, March 12th.

Sponsors:  
Institute for Justice
Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

Posted in: Announcements, Events, Individual Rights and Law

Capitalism: The Only Moral Social System

Craig Biddle will be delivering his talk “Capitalism: The Only Moral Social System” at the following universities next week:

  • February 22, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Grainger Hall, Morgridge Auditorium (Room 1100) [map] 7:00pm
  • February 23, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Willey Hall, Room 125 [map] 7:30pm
  • February 24, Ohio State University, Wexner Center for the Arts, Performance Space [map] 6:00pm
  • February 25, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Physics Building, Room 204 [map] 7:00pm

Admission is FREE and open to the public.

Description: Capitalism is widely recognized as the practical social system because, wherever and to the extent that it is implemented, it leads to wealth and prosperity. But this same system is widely regarded as immoral because it enables people to act fully in their own self-interest—that is, to act on their own judgment and to keep, use, and dispose of the product of their own effort. In this talk, Mr. Biddle demonstrates why, far from making capitalism immoral, the fact that it enables everyone to act selfishly and own property is what makes it not only the most practical but also the only moral social system ever devised.

Image: Wiki Commons

Posted in: Announcements, Business and Economics, Events, Individual Rights and Law, Philosophy

2010 Summer Conference

Here’s an announcement from the Ayn Rand Institute:

Announcing Objectivist Summer Conference 2010!

We are pleased to introduce the Objectivist Summer Conference 2010 Web site. Objectivist Conferences is the premier venue for high-caliber presentations by Objectivist scholars, and that is what we bring you this year as Leonard Peikoff presents "The DIM Hypothesis" (part 2), the six-part sequel to the groundbreaking series of lectures that he delivered to our conference attendees in 2007. This year’s conference offers eleven general session lectures, sixteen optional courses, and a variety of social activities and special events.

In addition to Dr. Peikoff’s lectures, we will bring you lectures and courses on a broad spectrum of topics, including politics ("Defending Capitalism" by Yaron Brook); writing ("Writing Objectively" by Keith Lockitch); history ("The Renaissance [part 3]: Reformation and Religious Wars [1517-1648]," by Andrew Lewis); and poetry ("Making Poetry Part of Your Life," by Lisa VanDamme). We are also pleased to announce that there will be a special Q & A on ARI’s 25th Anniversary, hosted by Michael S. Berliner and Yaron Brook.

This year’s conference takes place in the exciting setting that only Las Vegas can provide. Besides the renowned glamour of the Vegas Strip, the area boasts excellent shopping and restaurants, and landmarks such as the Hoover Dam (subject of a general session lecture by Talbot Manvel).

We are looking forward to an inspiring and memorable conference—we hope to see you there!

Register by March 31 to take advantage of discount pricing. Details are available on our registration options and pricing page.

Note: For those who prefer to review details of Objectivist Summer Conference 2010 in print, we have made a printable PDF available online: PDF Catalog.

Posted in: Announcements, Ayn Rand and Objectivism, Events

The Philosophic Foundations of Freedom: A Conference on the Principle of Individual Rights

Here’s an announcement from the UCLA Objectivist Club about an upcoming conference:

What is liberty? Why is it desirable? How is a free society achieved?

Today, it is relatively uncontroversial that freedom is good, but there is widespread disagreement about what it actually constitutes and how to implement it. Some believe that liberty amounts to the wishes of a democracy being carried out; others believe that it is being faithful to a literal interpretation of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. But is there an objective basis in philosophy for determining what freedom is in principle and in practice?

Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, laid out such philosophic principles: A free society requires limited government that enacts and enforces objective laws for the sole purpose of protecting individual rights. It is where the government does not interfere, by penalty or reward, in thought, production, or trade. It requires a separation of church and state, science and state, education and state, and economics and state.

The Philosophic Foundations of Freedom Conference will focus precisely on these philosophic fundamentals, with numerous talks and Q&A sessions, a leadership seminar on intellectual activism, as well as a panel with a special guest, Alex Kozinski, the Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Saturday, January 30, 2010–Sunday, January 31, 2010

Click here for full event details.

Posted in: Announcements, Events, Individual Rights and Law, Philosophy