Objectivist Community's topics - tribe.net

Bush Seeks Financial Regulation Overhaul

dfrhodes — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 08:44:56 GMT

It's all going down just like in the book (Altas Shrugged of course)

http://www.examiner .com/a-1308776~ Bush_Seeks_ Financial_ Regulation_ Overhaul. html

Next up - Creation of the "Bureau of Economic Planning and National Resources" ... probably Obama's first order of business.

Then - 'Directive 10-289'

d.

btw - Directive 10-289 T-shirts are still $17.89...soon to be $1700.89 :)

http://www.zazzle. com/directive_ 10_289_shirt- 2352124747528865 58

posted in Objectivist Community - 0 replies

Anyone from the Bay Area?

*NetworkGirl* — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:35:01 GMT

Anyone from the Bay Area?...we are working on organizing a salon...

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Atlas Shrugged Characters

Katelynn — Sun, 06 Jun 2004 03:26:22 GMT

I am in the process of reading Atlas Shrugged and love it. I was just pondering the differences of the main characters I have encountered in this novel with those in The Fountainhead. My main focus of thought is with Dominique and Dagny. I believe Dagny is more engrained in her beliefs than Dominique and more intellectual and Dominique seems to have different views of sex, marriage, and relationships on the whole. What do you think?

posted in Objectivist Community - 4 replies

Perhaps this is a good place to look

popcontest — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 22:06:12 GMT

http://aynrand.meetup.com/

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Motivation for building Objectivist Community

Steve — Sun, 03 Oct 2004 02:31:17 GMT

A friend forwarded a copy of a talk by Ron Merrill that addresses "Eddie's Enigma." The talk opens with this quote from Atlas Shrugged, speaking of Eddie Willers:

". . . he still thought it self-evident that one had to do what was right; he had never learned how people could want to do otherwise; he had learned only that they did. It still seemed simple and incomprehensible to him: simple that things should be right, and incomprehensible that they weren't." [p. 6]

Ron Merrill then points out:

'It is Eddie Willers who introduces us to this enigma, the enigma of human irrationality. [...] but this question, unlike the others raised by the book, is never answered. At the end of the book we know with luminous clarity what is right to do; what seems more incomprehensible than ever is, how people could want to do otherwise.'

Ron Merrill's talk proposes a reason for human irrationality: our evolutionary hertiage from the primates. He names these the Primate Principles, which derive from the herd nature our primate ancestors. I won't list the three Primate Principles here, but they are essentially foundations for behavior that we would call irrational, but which well served our primate ancestors.

His conclusion for what we should do from this is to "arrange our lives, as much as possible, so as to avoid the necessity of relying on will [by 'will' Merrill means personal effort to be rational. -sxn]. This means, so to speak, working around the Primate Principles." One way to do this is to "place far more emphasis on organization of community activities among Objectivists. And we should emphasize not just intellectual but social community." This includes adding more of a family focus to Objectivist events.

I recommend reading this article for Merrill's full argument.

http://www.monmouth.com/~adamreed/Ron_Merrill_writes/Miscelaneous/EddiesEnigma.htm

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A Temporary Community

Steve — Tue, 13 Jul 2004 04:18:35 GMT

I just returned from the TOC Summer Seminar. http://www.objectivistcenter.org/events/sem2004/seminars-sem04.asp I missed last year and was only able to attend a couple of days of the 2002 seminar. It was great to be back for the full week.

People who attend the seminar generally appreciate the community that is formed within it. Many of the same people come each year, so there is continuity in relationships, though with 12 month gaps if you don't stay in touch between seminars. I know for myself that it is one of the main reasons I attend the seminars regularly.

Here are some of the characteristics of the community that is formed within the annual seminar:

- Attendees must invest significant money to come -- for the seminar, room and transportation
- Some attendees are first-timers, and their name badges indicate this so "regulars" can make a point of welcoming them
- Some attendees are students attending on scholarships which are funded by contributions for other attendees
- (Nearly) Everyone stays on campus and shares meals together in the dining hall
- The quality of the talks is being judged by the attendees. Some say they don't attend in years when the talks listed look weak.
- The Common Room is a focal point of the social aspect of the seminar. Each night a no-host bar is opened in a room where attendees can gather and talk.
- By the end of the week, "clusters", "clumps" or cliques seem to form -- people with whom you find yourself talking more than others.

What can we learn from this?

1. Building a community requires investment by its members

2. Objectivists love the intellectual AND social aspects of their community

3. A high quality community requires effort by its members to maintain it -- both in its programs and in "quality control"

4. Selectivity happens. Deal with it.

Steve

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Art Deco show at SF California Palace of the Legion of Honor

Steve — Fri, 25 Jun 2004 02:56:59 GMT

The Art Deco exhibition at the San Francisco Legion of Honor should be of interest to most members of this tribe. I visited it on Tuesday, when Legion admission is waived, but only made it through half of the exhibit before the museum closed. The show closes its run on July 5th, so you don't have a lot of time left. Details on the show can be found at:

http://www.thinker.org/legion/exhibitions/exhibition.asp?exhibitionkey=320

Numerous ordinary and extraordinary pieces are included, from elegant cocktail shakers to the beautiful 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton automobile. http://www.thinker.org/tours/tour.asp?tourkey=838 There are a series of travel posters displayed, and the one I liked the best was the Nord Express, showing a stylized locomotive powering toward some exotic destination. http://www.thinker.org/tours/tour.asp?tourkey=809

One immense piece is the architectural model for Rockerfeller Center -- I hadn't realized how large the center is. Not to be missed, though, in the same room as the model is an iron gate designed by Rene Paul Chambilan (sp?) that was build for the entrance to the executive suite at the Chenin building in New York. From the card for this piece: The "gate used the imagery of the city and machine to celebrate capitalism. Zigzag lines and lightening bolts reflect the dynamism of the metropolis, cogs and wheels represent the machinery that powers it, and the stacks of coins, the capital that fuels the city."

The show moves to Boston after it closes in San Francisco.

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Bridging Religion and Atheism: Faithful and Faith-Free Talk Together

Steve — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 07:42:13 GMT

I've been invited to participate this Sunday in a panel in Sacramento that brings two followers of religion and two panelists who are "faith-free" together for a discussion on their beliefs. The announcement can be read at:

http://ourtown.sacbee.com/events.wsi?group_id=250&event_id=1

The discussion will be guided by three questions that all panelists will answer, and one question that's focused specifically on each panelist's beliefs.

The questions are:

1. Briefly describe your theological/philosophical perspective and the journey you took to get there.
2. What are your most important values and how did you arrive at them, e.g. when and how did they become important to you? Do you feel your theological/philosophical perspective influences your values and if so, how?
3. What is the naturalistic/religious divide, is it just language or is it something more?
and
4. For Steve: You've mentioned before that many atheists have misperceptions of Objectivists. Some would say that your focus on the pursuit of self-interest shows a disregard for the poor. Can you explain the Objectivists perspective on selfishness and the poor?

The panel is sponsored by the Atheists and Other Freethinkers group of Sacramento. http://www.rthoughtsrfree.org/aof.htm

I'll post my answers to each of these questions as follow-ups to this message. My intention is more to educate the AOF attendees on Objectivism than to spar with the believers on the panel. Feel free to respond to my answers with any suggestions you have for improving the message.

posted in Objectivist Community - 4 replies

Welcome to the O C

Steve — Sat, 14 Feb 2004 21:24:36 GMT

I would like this forum to be a resource for all of us Objectivism
friendly people to stay in touch, share ideas, find others whom we can work with. We have many ideas in common but we won't always agree on everything. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate ice cream!

Those are my ideas for this group. What are yours?

Steve

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Rebirth of the Spirit

Steve — Fri, 09 Apr 2004 20:48:22 GMT

For those who may not subscribe to the Objectivist Center news:

Forward From: ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org
Subject: TOC NEWS: Report from the Front: Rebirth of the Spirit
April 9, 2004
Report from the Front

Rebirth of the Spirit
By Edward Hudgins

The Greeks had a myth about the great goddess Demeter who brought bountiful harvests. Her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades, god of the underworld, and taken to the realm of the dead. As Demeter despaired, the crops failed and the Earth died. Hades finally agreed to let Persephone return to the land of the living for part of the year and each year her return brought the spring, a time of rebirth and renewal.

Many cultures celebrate such a season. One need not accept a mythology or religion to appreciate the periodic need to reflect on what's important in our lives, to refocus on all the potential that lays before us, to revitalize our drive to achieve our goals, and overall to refresh our soul. For many years Ayn Rand gave an annual speech in April at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston. She considered it a kind of Objectivist Easter. This was appropriate for Objectivism is the ultimate this-world philosophy, one which first and foremost focuses on life, on its possibilities and joys.

So at this time of season, let us all renew our commitment to ourselves and to the best within us, and as the flowers bloom anew, let our souls follow suit!
-----

For an earlier op-ed on this topic, see my piece on "Spring is a time for personal renewal" at this link.
http://www.objectivistcenter.org/text/ehudgins_spring-time-personal-renewal.asp?mc

******************************
The Objectivist Center is a national not-for-profit think tank promoting the values of reason, individualism, freedom and achievement in American culture. For more information, please visit www.ObjectivistCenter.org. To unsubscribe to this list, or to subscribe to the Center's Web Update List, please visit http://www.objectivistcenter.org/email_updates.asp.

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Steve's Quest

Steve — Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:58:28 GMT

At the upcoming meeting of the Silicon Valley Objectivists, I will be giving a short talk on me. You lucky people get to be the first on the block to experience it! It was an interesting exercise writing this -- I encourage others in the tribe to do this too.

Without further ado, I present...

The Quest for Truth

As a child I, like all of you, was dependent on my parents for the basics of life: food, shelter, knowledge. They provided well for me, but they were raised in a religious context, so the knowledge that I acquired from them was mixed with falsehood. Fortunately, I, like all of you, was not dependent solely on my parents for knowledge. I had other means to find data, information, knowledge – my siblings, friends, others outside the family and my own experience and understanding.

The Mystery of Santa Claus and God

Two experiences from my childhood stick with me to this day. The first occurred on a winters night in Baltimore. I shared a bunk bed with my brother, I was on top. We had just been put to bed, but this was not just any night. It was the night before Christmas. My head was filled with all of the usual tales and excitement about Christmas. Santa would soon be arriving to bring us our gifts. But we had to get to sleep or he would never come! I was too excited to sleep. I lay there thinking about the great toys we'd be getting. Santa would bring a big sack in his sleigh, come down our chimney and set them up under our tree. I didn't think much about the fact that we didn't have a fireplace. I'm sure Santa would figure something out.

I turned over and pulled the shade aside. My bed was positioned next to the window, which looked out over the street in front of our house. It was snowing and the snow left a blanket of white on the street and the cars parked outside. I wondered if I'd be able to see Santa's footsteps in the morning? It was snowing pretty hard, hopefully that won't be a problem. The yellow street-lamp outside lit the sidewalk. No one was around. I wondered how the world could be so wonderful that Santa Clause existed!

The other experience occurred in our parish church. We went every Sunday, and it was Long and Boring. Lots of strange things would be said by the priest at the altar. I had no idea. We'd all stand, or kneel or sit, I wasn't quite sure when each would need to be done. Mostly I sat or kneeled looking around at our wonderful church. God lived here, I could tell by the little candle next to the altar. The priest lived here too, he had quite an outfit on! There were statues of Mary and Joseph flanking the altar. The light illuminating them made an amazing effect on them. They cast shadows on either side of the statues making them look like they had wings! Just like angels! At first I didn't realize that the lights were doing this. I thought that it was a special effect that God set up to remind us of Mary and Joseph's holiness.

Lazy or Rational?

My sister was the rebellious one in the family. She was seven years older than me, and was always pushing my father's buttons. As a teenager, she would date boys he didn't like. And she would listen to music he didn't like. And she would stay out late on Saturday and try to sleep through church, which my father REALLY didn't like! She was being too lazy to uphold her duty to attend church. I wasn't lazy and I strove to never be like that. I'd be up and ready for church on time, even though I often thought it would be nice to sleep a little later.

Over time I began to realize that the pieces didn't fit. I studied science in high school and college. I took religion and philosophy classes. I learned the value of measurement, records, observation, analysis. God didn't measure up. My atheistic tendencies started in high school, but developed fully in college. But I was still getting up to go to church with my parents every Sunday. Until one Sunday. I had decided that I didn't want to go to church when I no longer believed in God. It took me a while to work up my courage to tell my father that I wasn't going to go to church anymore. I thought he'd be furious. When I finally did (maybe as a junior in college), all he said was, “okay.”

Life Begins

Okay, so I chucked God, but I know from my philosophy class that I needed a “world view.” Which one? Some other kind of religion? Something from the East? One of the faddish self-actualization schemes that were sprouting up left and right? I did not rush out and pick up another world view just like that. I read. I observed. I compared. I thought. But mostly I lived my life. I was sure I would figure it all out eventually.

Humanism – Others on the Quest

I moved to San Francisco in 1984. At one point I learned about the American Humanist Association, and found out that there was a local chapter in San Francisco. These folks were really cool, they also didn't believe in God. As a matter of fact they often tweaked their noses at religion. I was pretty annoyed at the psychological scars with which Catholicism had left me. We talked about the American Atheists, but agreed that they were a little too far out there. They seemed to be mostly concerned with getting cheap publicity. We Humanists were more serious.

When I read the literature of Humanism, I wasn't quite figuring out what we believed. Corliss Lamont's The Philosophy of Humanism was the touchstone document. Let's just say that it was long and unremarkable. But each time I read The Humanist Manifesto I felt uneasy. It listed a number of pretty clear beliefs about secular society and certain political stands. But the last item in the manifesto said, “We recognize that there are many truths in the world, and that some Humanists may not agree with every belief listed here” (or words to this effect). The big circle of Humanism was a little too big for me.

Stephen on the Road to Santa Clara

My commute was long – 50 miles each way from San Francisco to Santa Clara. I listened to the radio most days, and today I tuned in KQED, which was broadcasting The Ford Hall Forum. The speaker was somebody named Leonard Piekoff. He was going to talk about Religion vs. America. This was going to be good!

And good it was. He talked about the problems with religion that I saw: faith, obedience, self-denial. He talked about the world the way it should be: reason, reality, happiness. The talk was reaching its climax when I pulled into the parking lot of work. I sat in my car and listened attentively as Dr. Piekoff espoused what was clearly Truth.

I sought out his book, Ominous Parallels, which was mentioned on the broadcast. I found a little card towards the back of the book saying I could find more information by mailing it in. I eventually learned about Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Finally, I found the world view I was seeking.

The Next Act: Making the World Safe for Philosophy

Well, what next? I completed my Quest for Truth. Sure, I needed to read and learn more about Objectivism. I spent time debating with the uninitiated. But it seemed shallow. What should be my new quest? What should I spend my life doing?

My first talk at the Northern California Objectivist Club was on the topic “Creating an Objectivist Church and Yacht Club.” I had experienced the value of yacht clubs, as I had just learned sailing and spent some time with others enjoying after-sail discussions and beer at the Berkely Yacht Club. I knew the problems with religion, but they had much to recommend them, and many young families who were otherwise nonreligious were drawn to them: family services, moral teaching, a community. My talk proposed that Objectivism needed something akin to the blending of the fun, beer and social value of a yacht club with the moral affinity, spiritual bolstering and social support of a church.

Since then I have been seeking ways to build Objectivist communities. Perhaps such a system could be created as a for-profit enterprise. Maybe this new fangled Web system could be used to bring together we few and scattered Objectivists. Of one thing I was certain: these informal clubs where there were no affiliations and one guy ran the thing was not what would supplant the iron grip that religion has on the moral high ground of America. We need something that is lasting and that is a beacon for the Truth. I'm still trying to figure out how to build this.

Objectivist Community's topics - tribe.net

Bush Seeks Financial Regulation Overhaul

Anyone from the Bay Area?

Atlas Shrugged Characters

Perhaps this is a good place to look

Motivation for building Objectivist Community

A Temporary Community

Art Deco show at SF California Palace of the Legion of Honor

Bridging Religion and Atheism: Faithful and Faith-Free Talk Together

Welcome to the O C

Rebirth of the Spirit

Steve's Quest

Picture for masthead?