Banner Year for ARI Scholarly Gathering at from the Year University of Texas Media Department and Contests [Note: the Data Cited Here and in the Last Month Dr
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Volume 8, Number 12, December 2002 Selected Highlights Banner Year for ARI Scholarly Gathering at from the Year University of Texas Media Department and Contests [Note: The data cited here and in the Last month Dr. Allan Gotthelf and Dr. Robert accompanying article refer to ARI’s fiscal Forging Ahead Mayhew each delivered a scholarly paper at a col- year, which runs from October to loquium held under the aegis of the Fellowship for September. ] Despite a serious downturn in the economy and in the Study of Objectivism at the University of Texas the midst of savage acts of foreign aggression Media Successes at Austin. Faculty members from the university against the United States, the Ayn Rand Institute has ■ Twenty-five television interviews, including were the primary intended audience for the event; continued to grow and expand its cultural influence. appearances on Fox News, PBS and MSNBC. two University of Texas professors were invited to ■ Contributions to the Institute have reached a new Key newspapers that published ARI commen- comment on the papers. A number of philosophy high of $3.3 million—a growth rate of 30 percent. taries: the Los Angeles Times, The Houston graduate students from the university and from Chronicle, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer. With the help of those funds we were able to intro- other schools, took part in discussions and a mini- Newspapers that carried our articles for the duce millions of people to the ideas of Ayn Rand. workshop following the presentations. first time in 2002: the New York Post, Christian In the last fiscal year (October 2001 to At the colloquium Dr. Gotthelf presented a Science Monitor. Thirty-three newspaper edi- September 2002), the media department smashed torials commented on ARI’s op-eds. paper on “Similarity, Sameness, and Kinds in five records. It released 58 editorials (14 more than ■ Most successful op-ed: “Honoring Virtue,” an Aristotle, Locke, and Ayn Rand.” A renowned last year), which were published a total of 623 times article on Memorial Day by Dr. Andrew scholar of Aristotle and head of the Ayn Rand (more than double last year’s total of 253), and Bernstein, was published in a record 31 news- Society, Dr. Gotthelf is Professor of Philosophy reached an aggregate circulation of 35.6 million papers, with a total circulation of 5.2 million. (emeritus) at The College of New Jersey. From ■ newspaper readers (twice as many as last year). Thanks to a surge in the number of Web sites January to August of 2001 he was a member of the that carry our articles, we had op-eds published Our speakers and writers were interviewed or Institute For Advanced Study in Princeton. During 200 times on the Internet (the total publication had their writing mentioned in print more than 400 the fall 2002 semester he was a Visiting Professor count, including newspapers, was 623); last times (a 30 percent increase). Of that total, 25 in the Philosophy department at the University of year hardly any Web sites carried our articles. interviews were on television programs, including ■ Texas at Austin. (This latter appointment was Our articles were excerpted on the air by the top-rated The O’Reilly Factor, which are numerous top-rated talk-radio hosts, including made possible thanks to the Fellowship for the viewed by millions of people (the number of tele- Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh. Study of Objectivism.) vision interviews is a five-fold increase over last ■ Total airtime of radio and television inter- Dr. Mayhew, a scholar of Aristotle, is a profes- year). Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director, took views: 10,450 minutes; the average interview sor of philosophy at Seton Hall University and the part in 150 interviews, including most of the tele- was 30 minutes. editor of (among other books) Ayn Rand’s vision appearances. Our speakers and writers gar- Essay Contests, Campus Projects Marginalia and The Art of Nonfiction by Ayn nered a total of 10,450 minutes of radio and televi- ■ The combined total of entries to the Anthem Rand. Last year he taught an advanced philosophy sion airtime. [See sidebar for further highlights.] and Fountainhead high school essay contests seminar at ARI’s Objectivist Academic Center “ARI’s projects differ in their target audience,” was 10,456, a 12 percent increase since last (OAC). His paper at last month’s colloquium was said Dr. Brook. “Whereas our newspaper editorials year and our highest total to date. on “Aristotle, Ideology, and the Number of Teeth ■ and media appearances aim at the general public, Not only was the combined total higher than in Women.” ever, but the total for each contest saw an the essay contests focus on high school students, continued on page 4 increase, too. who are among the most open to Miss Rand’s ■ Thousands of college students, professors and ideas. And here too the results were encouraging.” members of the public attended ARI-spon- We received an all-time record number of sored lectures at such campuses as Harvard, entries: 10,456, a 12 percent increase over last Stanford, UCLA and Michigan. Lecture Series 2002 ■ The total number of live lectures reached a year. Nearly two-thirds of the Anthem entries and new high of 56. continued on page 2 Book Promotions ARI’s Lecture Series 2002 draws to a close on ■ Despite a slump in the publishing industry, the December 12 with a talk by Dr. Brook titled “The sales of Ayn Rand’s books continued to grow Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Is the Solution?” steadily. The total sales exceeded 400,000 More than 400 people attended the third lecture copies; Atlas Shrugged alone accounted for on November 18, titled “Back to the Dark Ages?: 128,626 copies. Today’s Attacks on Reason and Individualism” and ■ A new book, The Ayn Rand Sampler, was pub- given by Mr. Peter Schwartz, chairman of ARI’s lished and distributed for free at bookstores. board. Videotapes of selected lectures are available, The first printing was 150,000 copies. as a premium, for a contribution of $50, which ■ Ayn Rand’s books were prominently featured in summer reading displays at such major includes shipping and handling to the United States bookstores as Barnes and Noble and Borders. and Canada. To obtain a video, please visit our Web ■ ARI Press published Facets of Ayn Rand. site (www.aynrand.org) or call us at 949-222-6550. The Ayn Rand Institute Lecture Series 2003 will Outreach to Business and the Public begin in January. ■ In partnership with AT&T Broadband and ARI’s speakers garnered 10,450 minutes of radio and television C-SPAN, we sponsored a series of public lec- airtime between Oct. 2001 and Sept. 2002. tures and events in conjunction with the broad- cast C-SPAN’s live program on Miss Rand and The Fountainhead. Announcement Inside this Issue ■ A newly designed Web site was launched for ■ Employment Opportunities at ARI. We are cur- ■ Excerpts from Facets of Ayn Rand page 2 our Capitalism Defense Project. The site rently seeking an Education Department Assistant, offers essays and articles in defense of the ■ Discovering Ayn Rand’s Philosophy: morality of profit. a Professional Outreach Manager and a Media The Trader Principle page 2 ■ In addition to other engagements elsewhere, Research Coordinator. For complete details about ■ Part two of the Staff Profile of Dr. Brook was invited to deliver a lecture at the these positions and how to apply, please visit our Air Force’s National Air Intelligence Center at Web site: www.aynrand.org/employment.html. Jeff Britting, Archivist page 3 Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Banner Year for ARI, Continued from page 1 one-fifth of the Fountainhead entries were the result of teachers assigning the books in class. Our DISCOVERING contests, which are in their second decade, are among the largest and best known in the country. AYN RAND’S On college campuses around the country ARI sponsored an all-time record of 56 live lectures on applications of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, PHILOSOPHY to current affairs. We also sent taped lectures, videos, books and other educational materials on Objectivism to a network of about 100 college The Trader Principle to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment campus clubs. given in exchange for the personal, selfish pleasure [Each month Impact suggests readings for fans of which one man derives from the virtues of another To encourage the reading of Miss Rand’s Miss Rand’s novels who wish to learn more about writings, ARI helped to underwrite the production her philosophy, Objectivism.] man’s character. Only a brute or an altruist would of 150,000 copies of a new book, The Ayn Rand claim that the appreciation of another person’s Sampler, which is being distributed at bookstores bjectivism holds that virtues is an act of selflessness, that as far as one’s for free. The 112-page book is intended for any- Oeach man’s own hap- own selfish interest and pleasure are concerned, it one who knows of Miss Rand but has yet to dis- piness, achieved by his makes no difference whether one deals with a cover her writing; it features several excerpts own work and trade, is his genius or a fool, whether one meets a hero or a from her fiction and nonfiction work. The com- highest moral purpose. thug, whether one marries an ideal woman or a bined sales of all of Ayn Rand’s books last year The ethical code of slut. In spiritual issues, a trader is a man who does continued to grow steadily and amounted to more Objectivism is rational not seek to be loved for his weaknesses or flaws, than 400,000 copies.