Impact 201312

E:
ated

E:
oated

aynrand.org/impact

Volume 19, Number 12, December 2013

Coming in 2014: An Enhanced Digital Presence
Launch of ARI’s New Digital Initiative
One of the largest changes in 2014
will be the launch of our Digital Initiative, which includes a brand new
website and social media platforms.
With this project, ARI aims to bridge
the gap between reading Ayn Rand’s
fiction to the application of her philosophy. ARI will introduce a tool
for website visitors that tailors recommended content (articles, books, videos,
etc.)—based on what books visitors have read, and whether they are a student
or a teacher or are just interested in Ayn Rand—to their current understanding
of Objectivism. In the future, we will expand this tool to include other audience groups and more features in order to further customize the experience.
The end result will be an integrated online presence that increases awareness
and understanding of Ayn Rand and her ideas. To learn more about the Digital
Initiative, see the September issue of Impact.
PANTONE:
306C Coated

PANTONE:
123C Coated

PANTONE:
123C Coated

PANTONE:
311U Uncoated

PANTONE:
115U Uncoated

PANTONE:
115U Uncoated

ARI Campus Offerings
A
RI Campus, the free online educational program launched last year,
will play a key role in ARI’s new
digital presence. Here is a preview
of two of the many offerings coming
to ARI Campus in 2014:
•
“Objective Communication”: This offering is adapted from a series of
lectures by Leonard Peikoff. In it, Dr. Peikoff identifies certain principles of intellectual communication and applies them to the areas of
writing, speaking and arguing.
•
“History of Philosophy, Volume 1—Founders of Western Philosophy”:
In this offering, also adapted from a series of lectures, Dr. Peikoff traces
the development of Western thought from ancient Greece to the present.
Volume 1 covers Thales to Hume.
You can enroll in the currently available ARI Campus offerings at
campus.aynrand.org.

Objectivist Summer Conference 2014, June 28–July 4, Las Vegas, Nevada
ARI is in the process of revamping OCON to provide a conference that is more engaging and easier to attend.
Detailed information will be available soon at objectivistconferences.com.

Another Record Breaking Year in 2013

T

he Ayn Rand Institute is spearheading a growing awareness, understanding and acceptance of Ayn Rand’s
ideas. We aim to reverse today’s anti-reason, anti-self-interest and anti-capitalist trends by concentrating
our efforts on impacting areas in the culture that will most directly and deeply change it as a whole. In 2013,
our education and policy teams did just that. With another record shattered by our Free Books program and
our presence known on Capitol Hill, ARI will continue the momentum in 2014.

Current ARI Campus Offerings
Beginner • “Ayn Rand: A Writer’s Life”
• “Ayn Rand, the Radical Thinker”
• “The Fountainhead”
• “Introducing Objectivism”
• “Anthem”

Education: Fostering Awareness and Understanding of Ayn Rand

• “We the Living”

Students

• “Philosophy: Who Needs It”

ARI Campus, which provides free classes on Ayn Rand’s life, novels and ideas, launched two new offerings this
year. The first, “Introducing Objectivism,” is a brief lecture by Ayn Rand, in which she gives an overview of her
groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism. The second, “What Is Capitalism?” features an in-depth discussion by
her on the epistemological, moral and political foundations of capitalism. Both offerings have been rated 4.6 out of
continued on page 2

• “The Ayn Rand Bookshelf”
Intermediate • “Philosophy of Education”
• “What Is Capitalism?”
Advanced • “Moral Virtue”

Another Record Breaking Year in 2013,
continued from page 1

five by current campus students.
While eleven offerings are now offered at ARI
Campus, several more are currently at various stages
of development.

Students learn about Ayn Rand’s view of happiness with instructor
Keith Lockitch

The gains of the Free Books program since its inception

One of ARI’s longest-standing education programs, the Free Books to Teachers program, completed its most successful year to date. The purpose
of the Free Books to Teachers program is to introduce young people to Ayn Rand’s ideas by supplying
free classroom sets of Rand’s novels to high school
teachers. Teachers are also provided a wealth of
materials to aid them in incorporating Rand’s ideas
into their curriculum.
During the 2012–13 school year, ARI mailed
over 418,000 books, a program record. This marks
the second year that distribution has topped 400,000
copies—signifying continued growth in demand
from teachers. ARI estimates that as a result of the
Free Books to Teachers program, six million students have been introduced to Ayn Rand’s ideas
in the classroom. These students may never have
encountered Rand if not for reading one of her novels
in school. Some of these students may go on to be
the leaders, intellectuals and educators of tomorrow;
all will have an awareness of Ayn Rand’s ideas that
may influence them throughout their lifetime.
For the coming year, ARI has produced a new
handbook for teachers that will accompany Free
Books to Teachers shipments. Besides educating
teachers on Ayn Rand’s life, ideas and works, these
handbooks are meant to increase the number of teachers who encourage student participation in ARI’s
annual essay contests—another program intended
to educate young people about Ayn Rand’s ideas.
Offered to students around the world, ARI’s
annual essay contests on Anthem, We the Living,
The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged distributed
$100,000 this year in scholarships to the various
winners.
For the first time, ARI offered an Atlas Shrugged
summer reading program to promote the accompanying essay contest and help students improve
the quality of their essays. More than 750 students
received weekly emails providing instruction on the
novel’s characters, plot and overall theme. ARI fellow Keith Lockitch hosted an hour-long livestream
QA on the novel to conclude the summer program.
As a result of increased marketing efforts, including
the pilot Atlas Shrugged summer reading program,
Atlas Shrugged essay contest submissions increased
16 percent this year over last.

to Rand’s philosophy and interested in intellectual
careers. During the three-week program, the interns
learned about Ayn Rand’s ideas and their application
to current affairs. For example, Onkar Ghate, Chief
Content Officer at ARI, spoke about morality—what
it is and Ayn Rand’s conception of it. Analyst Doug
Altner gave talks on capitalism and why it is moral
according to Ayn Rand. Keith Lockitch gave lectures
on Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
Besides the lectures, the curriculum included
small breakout sessions for interns to further explore
topics such as business leadership, environmentalism
and foreign policy. The internship culminated with the
interns using their newly gained knowledge of Rand’s
ideas to participate in one of three debates on public
policy issues. During their time at ARI, interns gained
experience working in an office setting. Through the
internship, these students gained a solid understanding
of and respect for Rand’s philosophy that they will
carry with them into their lives and careers.
Another of ARI’s education initiatives designed
for college students is our Campus Club program.
Through this program, ARI provides Objectivist
clubs on college campuses with materials for study
as well as guidance on engaging in activism. ARI also
helps these clubs host live events on their campuses,
where students can learn about Ayn Rand’s ideas from
Objectivist speakers. For example, Onkar Ghate spoke
at Stanford University in October about Ayn Rand’s
concept of self-interest. With clubs active at over fifty
universities across the country, including Yale, New
York University and the University of Arizona, ARI
will continue to work with campus Objectivist clubs
to develop the next generation of intellectual student
leaders.
This year, select clubs were offered the opportunity to opt in to the newly created Club Associates
program. Two club associates, both former leaders of
highly successful clubs, provided semester-long guidance to club leaders on building membership, fostering
discussion and undertaking outreach. The program
received positive feedback from participants, and ARI
is considering expanding it in the coming year. In 2014,
ARI will continue to build the campus club network
and establish Objectivism as a competing movement
on college campuses nationwide.
ARI continued the Books to Free Market Students
program to help ensure that college students interested
in the free market are exposed to Ayn Rand’s ideas.
ARI supplies Ayn Rand’s writings to organizations
who work with young people interested in free market ideas. This year, the program was expanded to
offer Ayn Rand’s nonfiction books as well as her novels. More than 7,000 books were provided to twenty
organizations and twelve student clubs, including the
Charles Koch Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education.

Academics

ARI exhibited at various conferences to reach out to middle and high
school educators

In June, ARI once again welcomed summer
interns to its headquarters in Irvine, California. This
year’s class consisted of twenty-nine top college students majoring in a variety of fields. Most were new

ARI reaches out to college professors to enrich understanding of Rand’s ideas in academia. ARI intellectuals and education staff attend conferences to introduce
academics to Ayn Rand’s views and engage in discussion about them.
For example, ARI speakers gave presentations
at four sessions of the annual Association of Private
Enterprise Education conference. This event brings
together several hundred scholars and public policy
intellectuals with a common interest in studying and
supporting the advancement of free markets. Topics
discussed by ARI speakers included Ayn Rand’s views
on the use of force and how Rand’s ideas differ from
those of John Stuart Mill.
For the eighth year in a row, ARI intellectuals
spoke at the annual BBT Moral Foundations of Capitalism Conference. Close to eighty academics and staff

2

from free market organizations attended the event, at
which almost half of the sessions discussed Rand’s
ideas to some extent.
ARI also hosted a workshop this year on incorporating Ayn Rand into the business management curriculum. This event brought professors and Objectivist
scholars to ARI’s Irvine, California, office. The workshop identified key ideas from Rand’s philosophy that
should be taught to business students and formed an
action plan for getting Objectivism taught more widely
in business schools. As a result of this action plan,
Yaron Brook participated in the Academy of Management’s annual conference for business professors
where he spoke on the morality, myths and realities
of capitalism. In 2014, ARI will continue cultivating
our professor network to get Rand incorporated into
business management curricula.

Advanced Training in Objectivism

Limited to serious students
of Objectivism who aspire
to intellectual careers,
the Objectivist Academic
Center is ARI’s premier
distance learning program for advanced instruction
in Ayn Rand’s philosophy.
This year, thirteen students graduated from
the one-year Core Course, which provides a foundational education in the areas of philosophy and
communication. Students explore Rand’s philosophy in relation to other schools of thought and learn
effective methods of communicating Objectivism
and its application to topical issues.
After completing the Core Course, select students are invited to apply for the Advanced Educational Program (AEP), which provides a deeper
understanding of Objectivism and a focus on developing the broad range of skills necessary for a successful career in academia or policy.
For example, Leonard Peikoff taught a course
on writing in which students received feedback from
him on assigned papers or oral presentations. ARI
held a teaching conference for AEP students, in
which they gave mock classes and received feedback
from ARI instructors. George Selgin, a professor of
economics at the University of Georgia and a leading
proponent of free banking, gave a presentation on
monetary policy for noneconomists.
ARI’s other program for advanced students of
Objectivism is the Junior Fellows program, which
provides work experience and on-the-job training to
recent graduates who aspire to intellectual careers.
In the summer of 2013, the Junior Fellows program
concluded its pilot year, during which two twelvemonth fellowships were awarded. The fellowship
recipients were immersed in the world of research,
writing and speaking while taking part in training
workshops on applying Ayn Rand’s ideas to current issues. Working alongside senior ARI staff,
the junior fellows took on various projects designed
to give hands-on experience in key skills. After
the conclusion of the fellowship, one participant,
Amanda Maxham, joined ARI’s policy team as a
research associate. One fellowship has been awarded
for 2013–14.

Morality of Capitalism
Conference for College Students

F

or the second year in a row, ARI cohosted, with the
Foundation for Economic Education, a daylong
conference for college students. The conference
focused on the moral foundations of capitalism and
brought many students to FEE’s headquarters in
Atlanta, Georgia. The event provided an opportunity
for attendees to engage with leading free market
intellectuals, participate in discussions and network
with like-minded students. At the conference, Jeff
Scialabba, ARI academic programs manager, moderated a panel titled “Taking Ideas Seriously,” at
which Yaron Brook spoke on what an intellectual
career entails. Onkar Ghate gave a lecture on the
morality of freedom, and the conference culminated
with Dr. Brook discussing some of the ideas in his
book Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Ideas
Can End Big Government (coauthored by Don Watkins, an ARI fellow).
continued on page 3


Public Policy: Engaging in and
Reshaping Crucial Debates
Written Commentary

In addition to educating students and scholars about
Objectivism, some ARI intellectuals focus their
efforts on writing and speaking on public policy
issues to reframe the terms of debate.
In November, director of legal studies Steve
Simpson wrote at Forbes.com about the lessons
Atlas Shrugged offers for a productive and successful life. Mr. Simpson’s op-ed is reprinted on
page 6 for your enjoyment. Also in November,
Peter Schwartz, a distinguished fellow of ARI,
authored an op-ed at Forbes.com titled “Why Is
the Tea Party ‘Extremist,’ but Democratic Support
for Big Government ‘Moderate’?”
For the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade,
the landmark Supreme Court case on abortion,
Leonard Peikoff’s 1999 op-ed on the topic was
reprinted in the Huffington Post with an updated
introduction.
On Ayn Rand’s birthday (February 2), Yaron
Brook and ARI fellow Don Watkins published
a piece at Foxnews.com explaining three crucial
lessons Rand offers those who want to fight for a
freer America.
During the debate over the government sequester,
Yaron Brook and Don Watkins wrote an op-ed at
Politix.com. In the article, Dr. Brook and Mr. Watkins
argue that the increase in spending is a result of the
increase in the size of government, and a true solution
would not be budgetary measures like the sequester,
but a return of government to fulfilling its proper role.
Frequent in the news this year were calls to
raise the minimum wage. ARI responded by publishing two articles. In his article at Forbes,com,
Don Watkins explained how the minimum wage
denies individuals the freedom to decide what their
labor is worth. At the Daily Caller, Doug Altner
illustrated how these laws can render an entrepreneur’s business goals unprofitable and unachievable.
In the wake of numerous antitrust trials, analyst Tom Bowden authored several op-eds about
antitrust laws. Mr. Bowden used the Google and
Apple antitrust trials to illustrate how these unjust
laws punish businesses for their accomplishments,
not for any genuine legal injuries. In response to
government scrutiny over the proposed merger of
U.S. Airways and American Airlines, Mr. Bowden
wrote at Foxnews.com that “Antitrust laws deny
companies the right to organize their business as
they see fit. That’s an injustice we need to identify
and condemn, undistracted by the mythical dangers
of private mergers.”
Analyst Rituparna Basu wrote two articles
amid the ongoing debate about Obamacare. Her
articles, published at Politix.com and Forbes.com,
challenged common conceptions about the health
law, arguing that the healthcare law “milks the
hard-earned income of young people—those just
starting out in life—for the sake of those older,
sacrificing in the process a young person’s own
goals and dreams.”
In response to the government selling its stake
in General Motors, Doug Altner authored an op-ed
examining one of the factors in the automaker’s
decline—its relationship with the United Auto
Workers union. At Forbes.com, Dr. Altner explained

that GM’s decisions
regarding its labor
policies must be evaluated in the context of
the coercive nature of
labor laws.
ARI writers continued to blog on
the issues of the day.
A R I’s t wo blogs,
Voices for Reason and
Laissez-Faire, featured
daily commentary on
topics such as govern- Don Watkins chats with attendees
ment regulation, the during a book signing for Free
growing entitlement Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s
Ideas Can End Big Government.
crisis and turmoil in the
Middle East. Amanda
Maxham, research associate, began a series of posts
called “GMO Mondays.” Every Monday, Dr. Maxham
blogs on an aspect of the science or politics of genetically modified foods.

Talks and Debates

ARI intellectuals and other Objectivist scholars
spoke at many venues championing individual rights
and challenging statist policies. Yaron Brook alone
gave ninety talks across the United States and abroad.
Dr. Brook regularly speaks on morality, capitalism
and how Ayn Rand’s ideas can redefine the role of
government.
A new venue Dr. Brook spoke at this year was
Chicago Ideas Week, a renowned annual event in
the city of Chicago that features hundreds of thought
leaders speaking on a variety of topics, from the
Middle East to music. Dr. Brook gave two talks and
participated in a debate on the role of the state in
individuals’ lives.
As in previous years, Dr. Brook took part in
an event hosted by Ford Hall Forum. He debated
Hedrick Smith, a former New York Times journalist, on a topic titled “Wealth Inequality and the Role

Taking Capitol Hill By Storm

Yaron Brook speaks to a gathering of congressional staffers

A

RI speakers regularly held educational briefings for
Capitol Hill staffers. The purpose of these sessions is
not to influence legislation, but to introduce congressional
aides and assistants—part of the next generation of political
thought leaders—to Ayn Rand’s moral principles. The goal
of this year’s series was to educate attendees on why the
principle of individual rights should guide policy decisions.
At each session, participants received a free book relevant
to the topic of the briefing, allowing them to build their
personal library of reference materials for advocating Ayn
Rand’s philosophy.
ARI began briefings in 2012 for staffers from the House
of Representatives, and this year ARI scheduled sessions for
Senate staffers as well. Below is the list of this year’s briefings to
date, organized chronologically.
•
“How to Promote Individual Rights and Win the Sequester
Debate” with Yaron Brook

• “Is Regulation Moral?” with Eric Daniels
•
“Post-Arab Spring: What Is the Basis for a Proper Foreign
Policy: The Pro-Capitalist Answer” with Elan Journo
•
“What Does a Pro-Individual Rights Immigration Policy
Look Like?” with Yaron Brook
•
“The Rule of Law: What Is the Role of Congress?” with
Tara Smith
• There a Proper Way to Compromise?” with Onkar Ghate
“Is

3

On the Air

Tom Bowden on RT America

• “Why Is Antitrust Targeting America’s Best Companies?”

with Tom Bowden

Promoters outside the Adam Smith Institute at which Lars Christensen, CEO
and cofounder of Saxo Bank, gave this year’s Ayn Rand Lecture

of Money in Politics.” In front of a sold-out crowd,
Dr. Brook explained why laissez-faire capitalism, and
not the current mixed economy, is the greatest path
to prosperity.
In October, Dr. Brook travelled to the United
Kingdom to speak on the moral case for laissez-faire
capitalism at the London School of Economics. To
accompany his talk, Dr. Brook co-authored an article
with Don Watkins that was posted on the school’s blog.
In the article, they reflected on how Ayn Rand created
the greatest case for capitalism.
Tom Bowden gave the keynote address at the
2013 Morality of Capitalism Symposium at University of Nebraska at Kearney. His talk, given to two
hundred students, focused on the key, yet forgotten, individuals in the health care debate—doctors.
Mr. Bowden also participated in two panels: one on
health care as a right and one on end-of-life care.
Recently, Don Watkins gave a presentation at the
Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum in New York City. This
conference brought together free market advocates to
discuss strategies for advancing liberty. Mr. Watkins
spoke on Ayn Rand’s legacy of defending capitalism
and what makes her so successful at it. He gave four
critical steps every advocate for free markets should
follow in order to defend capitalism successfully.
In response to the twentieth anniversary of the
Oslo Peace Accords, which intended to bring an end
to the Arab-Israeli conflict, ARI organized a panel
in Washington, DC. The panel focused on what is
necessary for achieving peace in the Middle East and
what US policy toward the region should look like.
Elan Journo participated in the panel and Tom Bowden
served as moderator.
Mr. Journo appeared as a panelist at various other
foreign policy events. At the Oslo@Twenty conference, organized by the American Freedom Alliance,
Mr. Journo spoke on how appeasement has empowered America’s enemies in the Middle East. At a panel
hosted by Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors,
Mr. Journo discussed what actions the United States
should take in regard to Iran’s development of a nuclear
weapon. In a student event hosted at University of California, Davis, Mr. Journo spoke on what the rise of
the Islamist movement means for US foreign policy.
Amid the FDA’s increasing control over the medical market, Rituparna Basu participated in a panel on
the topic at the National Press Club in Washington,
DC. Ms. Basu spoke about why the FDA’s regulatory
policies treat medical manufacturers as guilty until
proven innocent.
In response to the most recent report on climate
change released by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Keith Lockitch
moderated a panel on the science behind global warming. The panel featured the authors of a new publication by the Heartland Institute. Held at ARI’s Irvine,
California, office, this event showcased the Heartland
Institute’s important work on challenging the view that
atmospheric carbon dioxide is the dominant driver of
climate change.

• There Justice in Inequality?” with Yaron Brook
“Is

ARI speakers have given close to two hundred
interviews this year on an assortment of national
and international TV and radio programs, in which
they spoke about how Ayn Rand’s timeless ideas
clarify issues of the day.
Yaron Brook appeared twice on Fox Business’s
Stossel, which analyzes current affairs from a proliberty viewpoint. In February, Dr. Brook addressed
how it is immoral for government spending to
redistribute wealth. In October, Dr. Brook spoke
on how the minimum wage hurts the individuals
it is intended to help.
Onkar Ghate was interviewed on National
Public Radio’s All Things Considered about the
continued on page 4


role of government in avoiding disasters. Speaking
in response to the chemical plant explosions earlier
this year in West, Texas, Dr. Ghate illustrated how
regulations designed to prevent disaster impose significant burdens on innocent business owners.
On Columbus Day, Tom Bowden appeared on
RT America to discuss Columbus’s legacy and how
America should mark the holiday. RT America also
hosted Yaron Brook for the 56th anniversary of the
publication of Atlas Shrugged. During the program,
Dr. Brook explained how Rand’s magnum opus
provides the moral basis for a free society.
ARI speakers regularly appeared on radio
programs such as 1190AM’s The Dan Cofall
Show, WAFS’s Butler on Business and WINA’s
The Schilling Show.

Continuing the
Momentum in 2014

W

ith the success of 2013 behind us, it is
important for ARI to continue our momentum in 2014. With the launch of a new website,
new offerings coming to ARI Campus, and the
education and policy teams working to grow their
programs, 2014 is shaping up to be a pivotal year
for expanding awareness of Ayn Rand. But we
can’t do it without your support. As a 501(c)(3),
your contributions are 100 percent tax-deductible
if completed by December 31, 2013. Renew your
support of the Ayn Rand Institute today and help
ensure our success in the new year.

Fight bad government programs—don’t finance them

I

f you itemize deductions on your tax return, you can “contribute” less to the government at tax time by
donating cash or other assets to ARI now.
Contributions of appreciated securities held more than one year offer double tax savings; they are fully
deductible at current market value, and capital gains tax is also avoided; for details, visit aynrand.org/stock.
As always, consult your tax adviser before arranging a transfer of non-cash property to the Institute.
Gifts must be completed by December 31 to qualify for a deduction on your 2013 tax return. For
assistance with your year-end gifts to ARI, contact Kathy Cross at 732-242-9408 or kcross@aynrand.org.

Notice: Impact Going Digital

A

s part of the Ayn Rand Institute’s Digital Initiative, Impact will soon be going entirely digital.
It will be distributed solely online and weekly beginning with the launch of ARI’s new
website. So what does this mean if you currently receive the print edition? To ensure that you
continue to receive Impact, you can email donorservices@aynrand.org and let us know where to
start sending your digital edition of Impact. To participate in our survey addressing how we can
improve Impact, go to aynrand.org/survey.

Best Wishes for the New Year from the Staff at the Ayn Rand Institute

Sitting, left to right: Richard E. Ralston, Steve Simpson, Jeri Eagan, Yaron Brook, Julie Ferguson, Mark Chapman, Marilee Dahl, Michael Paxton
Standing, left to right: Rituparna Basu, Carl Svanberg, Amanda Maxham, Patrick Norton, Jeff Britting, Lucy Hugel, Doug Altner, Keith Lockitch,
Morgan Carstensen, Aaron Smith, Steven Dougherty, Angela Dietrich, Jeff Janicke, Stacy Smith, Lew Hendrickson, David Gulbraa, Tierra Murguia,
Jon Glatfelter, David Antonacci, Donna Montrezza, Dustin Maenpa, Kathleen Koehl and Simon Federman
Absent: Anthony Baumann, Niv Brook, Jason Eriksen, Elan Journo, Rachel Knapp, Stewart Margolis, Matthew Morgen, Anu Seppala,, Don Watkins
and Jenniffer Woodson

Impact is published monthly by the Ayn Rand® Institute (ARI) and is
complimentary to current donors who contribute $35 or more per year.
For information on how you can support ARI and to learn about our
projects, please visit our website: aynrand.org. Atlantis Legacy®, the
Institute’s planned giving program, and related indicia are registered
trademarks. The Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights (ARC) is
the public policy and outreach division of the Ayn Rand Institute.
Objectivist Conferences (OCON) and the Ayn Rand Institute eStore
are owned and operated by the Ayn Rand Institute. The Ayn Rand
Institute does not necessarily endorse the content of the lectures and
courses offered. All photos of Ayn Rand are used by permission of
Leonard Peikoff. Purchases from the ARI eStore and OCON do not
qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute.
Editors: Rituparna Basu, Kathleen Koehl
Editorial Advisers: Yaron Brook, Mark Chapman, Marilee Dahl,
Jeri Eagan, Julie Ferguson, Elan Journo, Duane Knight, Keith Lockitch,
Anu Seppala, Lin Zinser
Designer: Simon Federman
Printing: David Antonacci Copy Editor: Donna Montrezza
Headquarters: 2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 250
Irvine, CA 92606-4926 Phone: 949-222-6550 Fax: 949-222-6558

Telecommuters
Staff at the Virginia office

Left to right: Tom Bowden, Kathy Cross and Karl Meisenbach

Left to right: Jeff Scialabba, Rebecca Bernbach, Lin Zinser,
Onkar Ghate, Mike Spicci and Kurt Kramer

Not pictured: Duane Knight and Keith Knutter

4

© The Ayn Rand Institute 2013. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced
without permission. ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions
to ARI in the United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law.

Anthem the Play: The
Reviews Are In

Objectivist Summer Conference 2013: Admirers of Ayn Rand
Gather in the Windy City

A

yn Rand called Objectivism “a philosophy for living on earth,” and she taught that
the purpose of philosophy is to help you to have a more satisfying and productive
life. With this in mind, Onkar Ghate delivered a talk at this year’s summer conference
titled “The Moral and the Practical.” A number of
optional courses developed that theme further, with
topics including free will, understanding emotion
and practicing self-esteem.
In his talk “Objectivism Is Radical (and Applying It Can Be Hard),” Yaron Brook illustrated why
Objectivism is radically different by applying
Ayn Rand’s ideas to various policy issues and contrasting the conclusions with conventional solutions. The video from his talk is available at ARI’s
YouTube page and the audio can be downloaded
at the ARI eStore.
Tara Smith, a philosophy professor at UniverYaron Brook speaking at the opening dinner
sity of Texas at Austin, described how contemporary
Photo courtesy of Godfrey Joseph
political culture undermines the pillars of an objective
legal system in her talk “The Politics of Pretend—and Its Impact on the Legal System.” Dr. Smith’s talk aimed
to give attendees a better understanding of how to engage in political debates most effectively and combat the
erosion of individual freedom.
We enjoyed creating a unique and memorable conference in Chicago and we hope to see you in
Las Vegas for OCON 2014.

T

he theatrical adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Anthem
closed November 3. The show was produced
by Austin Shakespeare and written by Jeff Britting,
curator of the Ayn Rand Archives. Here is what the
critics had to say about the production, which was
held at New York City’s Baryshnikov Arts Center..
“Jeff Britting has, in word as well as intent,
captured in theatrical writing the indomitable
personality and unmistakable voice of one of the
most truly distinctive novels from one of the 20th
century’s most distinctive voices, Ayn Rand. . . .
“Britting, who also composed the haunting
score . . . has made few major sacrifices and no
detectable concessions in his adaptation. . . .”
—TalkinBroadway

Onkar Ghate giving his talk on the moral and the practical at Objectivist Summer Conference 2013

What Attendees Said About Objectivist Summer Conference 2013

“. . . this enthralling production of Anthem is one
of the most significant and powerful theater pieces
I’ve seen in this century.”
—Le Bon Travel and Culture

“I live overseas and do not often get the chance to spend time with my Objectivist friends and engage in wonderful intellectual discussions. I used the conference to take part in plenty of that and enjoyed it thoroughly.”
“The highlight of the conference (by far!) was meeting smart, rational people. Prior to the conference I only knew a
handful of Objectivists (none in my city) and longed to meet others with whom I could share good discussion and
companionship. I am now happy to say that I have made friends with whom I plan to stay close for a very long time.”

New Book Published in 2013

“As a first-timer, the confidence and knowledge of the speakers, particularly [Yaron] Brook and [Onkar] Ghate,
and their vision really stood out to me.”

The

Ayn Rand Institute eStore
Books, electronic media and more

Holiday Special at the ARI eStore

T

he ARI eStore offers MP3s of talks and courses
by Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff and other Objectivist speakers. The eStore also directs visitors to books
and DVDs on Objectivist thought, provided via Amazon.
To sign up for weekly updates on the newest products,
email estore@aynrand.org.
This holiday season, the eStore is offering a special
product. In “Why Christmas Should Be More Commercial,” Leonard Peikoff explains why the “materialistic”
side of Christmas is moral. This unique MP3 is taken from
the recording studio’s original tapes, meaning it includes
never-before-heard interactions between Dr. Peikoff and
Leonard Peikoff
his producers.
We recommend accompanying this holiday eStore
special with another MP3, “Triumphs and Tribulations of a Talk-Show Host,” in which Dr. Peikoff discusses
the challenging task faced by a talk show host with a radical philosophy to sell.

5

Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism is increasingly influencing the shape of the world from
business and politics to achieving personal goals.
Here, Leonard Peikoff explains how you can communicate philisophical ideas with conviction,
logic, and, most of all, reason.
Based on a series of lectures presented by
Dr. Peikoff, Objective Communication shows how to
apply Objectivist principles to the problem of achieving clarity both in thought and in communication.
You can purchase Objective Communication
through the ARI eStore (estore.aynrand.org).

Atlas Shrugged Is a Book About Pride in
One’s Work, and the Success That Results
By Steve Simpson

D

o fishermen enjoy Hemingway’s The Old Man and the
Sea? Do generals like Tolstoy’s War and Peace? I have
no idea, but I’m reasonably sure no one looks to these novels
for advice on how to catch fish or wage war. The purpose of
a novel is not to provide concrete advice on particular tasks,
but to present a vision of man and his place in the universe.
In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand presents a vision of man
that is unlike anything ever written. Rand’s ideal man is the
visionary, the genius, the producer. Her foremost representatives of this ideal are businessmen, whom she portrays, at
their best, as heroes, not villains; creators, not parasites.
Rand’s vision has inspired successful people from all walks of life for generations. They love the book, not because it tells them how to make better yoga
clothing or run a better taxi service, but because it offers profound insights about
the principles that lead to success (or failure) in any field, and it shows those
principles playing out in the lives of the novel’s characters.
The book has been criticized often in the five decades since it was published.
Most frustrating for those of us who love it are critiques that misunderstand its
essential points and end up attacking straw men. Rand, they often say, believed
that only the strong should survive or that a man’s worth is measured by the size
of his wallet. Writing in the Business Insider, Max Nisen does all this but adds
a new twist. In “‘Atlas Shrugged’ Is Full of Terrible Business Advice,” Nisen
criticizes the book for not being a better version of the Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People.
Of course, Atlas Shrugged isn’t a business how-to manual. But it is full of
powerful advice if you’re willing to consider what Rand actually says. Here are
some of the real lessons in the novel that make it a favorite of so many productive, successful people.

ten years developing a new alloy. Dagny leaves a secure position at Taggart
Transcontinental and works around the clock to develop a new railroad, the
John Galt Line. Is money important to these characters? Yes, of course, but
making money is not their primary motive. Money, as Rand recognizes, is
not an end in itself, but only a means. The end—the purpose of all that hard
work—is achieving happiness. And Rand believes that is possible. As her
protagonist, John Galt, says, “The world you desired can be won, it exists, it
is real, it is possible, it’s yours.”

Money is the product of virtue.

Speaking of money, critics also often misunderstand Ayn Rand’s view of it. In
the novel, she gives that explanation to copper magnate Francisco d’Anconia, who
answers the claim that money is the root of all evil. Nisen picks out one paragraph
where d’Anconia says gold is an objective form of money because, unlike paper,
it cannot be manipulated by government. Nisen cites a couple of articles that supposedly show the gold standard is bad, not good. They even have graphs. And he
recommends that readers watch a video of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke saying
the same thing.
Certainly, if you are interested in all the debates about the gold standard, you
can watch the government’s chief money manipulator respond to the view that he
shouldn’t manipulate the money supply. After that, you might read the hundreds of
books and articles on monetary policy from the last eight decades or so. Ayn Rand
doesn’t try to address all of that in Atlas Shrugged. There are no graphs in the novel.

Money, as Rand says, “is the creation of the
best power within you, and your passkey to trade
your effort for the effort of the best among men.”

Take pride in your success.

Like so many critics of Atlas Shrugged, Nisen claims Rand conveyed that successful people are inherently superior to everyone else. But anyone who has
read the novel knows it is filled with noble characters who achieve only modest
financial success. Eddie Willers, friend and ally to railway magnate Dagny
Taggart; Gwen Ives, industrialist Hank Rearden’s superlative secretary; Cherryl
Brooks, the store clerk who tragically marries a villain thinking he is a hero; Jeff
Allen, the proud tramp who stows away on a Taggart train and is hired by Dagny;
even a young bureaucrat who is assigned to monitor Rearden Steel and ends
up becoming Rearden’s ally. The heroes in the novel don’t look down on these
characters. They treat them as friends and allies. Clearly, Rand recognizes that
moral character stems from the choices people make, not their wealth or status.
So Rand doesn’t condemn anyone for failing to become rich and successful.
But she does condemn those who despise others because they are rich and successful. The “hallmark of the second-rater,” she has one of her characters say,
“is resentment of another man’s achievement.” She spends much of the novel
showing just how resentment of achievement—which she called hatred of the
good for being the good—is destroying society.

Instead, Rand focuses on fundamental questions about money, just as she
focuses on fundamental questions on every issue. She asks: What is money and
what role does it play in our lives? She argues that it isn’t the root of all evil, but
the product of all the hard work and thought that sustains us. Money, as Rand
says, “is the creation of the best power within you, and your passkey to trade
your effort for the effort of the best among men.” If you value your mind, your
work, and your life, Rand holds, then you will value money. And if government
can control and devalue our money, then government can control and devalue
our lives.
When have you ever heard an economist say that?

Trade is a virtue, but sacrifice is not.

Nisen says that the businessmen in Atlas Shrugged have contempt for their
customers because in one scene, Hank Rearden says he would rather destroy
his metal than sell it to anyone who demands that he produce it for them as his
duty. But Rand’s point is that there is a big difference between trade, which is a
virtue, and sacrifice, which is a vice. In fact, the heroes in the novel treat their real
customers—those who want to trade with them, rather than take from them—
with great respect. Rearden, for example, spends much of the novel figuring
out how to produce enough of his metal to satisfy customers who are becoming
more and more desperate for it as the economy collapses. But one of the primary
points of the novel is that no one should work for their own destruction. Today,
we see calls for businessmen to sacrifice more and more every day. Is that good
business advice?

Rand’s vision has inspired successful people from all walks of
life for generations. They love the book, not because it tells them
how to make better yoga clothing or run a better taxi service, but
because it offers profound insights . . .

Government is a necessary good.

Was she right? Well, President Obama thinks that “you didn’t build that.”
We hear every day that we should despise and tax the “1%” because they are
wealthy. Evidence of the resentment of success is all around us. Ayn Rand saw
that in 1957, when Atlas Shrugged was published. And she knew that this attitude could prevail only if the successful allowed it to, by feeling guilty for their
achievements. Rand’s response was clear: take pride in any success you’ve earned
and never apologize for it.

Finally, Rand does not treat government as a “pure antagonist” as Nisen and
other critics claim, but as an essential institution that protects the rights on which
individuals and businesses depend every day. Of course, Rand does illustrate the
evil of a government that becomes a violator rather than a protector of rights. If
you think she is wrong, look around. Is our ever-expanding government really
the solution to what ails us today, or the problem?
The bottom line is that Atlas Shrugged isn’t an economics text or a business how-to manual, it’s a brilliant novel of ideas that challenges conventional
thinking on every major issue in life—not just money, but work, family, politics,
and even sex. It does contain great advice, just not the sort of advice that critics
like Nisen prefer.
But if you want to see that, my advice is to go read it yourself.

Pursue your own happiness and achieve it.

Another common criticism of Atlas Shrugged, which Nisen repeats, is that its
characters are motivated by money alone. This is an odd claim about a novel
that is filled with characters who love their work and continually strive to
achieve more and more, often at great short-term cost. Hank Rearden spends

6

Impact 201312

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Destacado

Destacado (20)

Similar a Impact 201312

Similar a Impact 201312 (20)

Más de Anochi.com.

Más de Anochi.com. (20)

Último

Último (20)

Impact 201312