Volume 11, Number 9, September 2005 Introducing More Students to ’s Ideas he 14,332 high school students who entered Ayn Rand’s works but, for lack of funding, cannot Tthe ’s annual essay contest obtain enough copies for their classrooms. With in 2005 will soon receive an acknowledgement of the books, we also send suggested lesson-plans their effort and an invitation to read another of Ayn and teachers guides. Rand’s novels—in the form of a free copy of The In the last three years the Institute has distrib- Fountainhead or . uted more than 165,000 free books. Whereas, to In the fall ARI will send all students who date, the flyers have produced a steadily grow- submitted essays to contest ing stream of book requests, the Web site has the last academic year a complimentary copy of potential to generate a torrent. Atlas Shrugged. These students are entering their ARI’s ability to supply books depends senior year in school or have recently graduated; on funding. The decision to invite teachers to those starting college are eligible to enter our request books online was made after the Institute contest on Atlas. received a million-dollar contribution to help All 9,525 students who entered the fund the program. contest as freshmen or sophomores in 2005 will soon receive a copy of The Fountainhead. Of these Foundation’s Grant Is Matched—Again former entrants, students now in the 11th grade are For the second straight year, a foundation in eligible to enter the Fountainhead contest. Wyoming offered ARI a matching grant for half Over the last two decades, these annual essay the cost of sponsoring the Free Books to Teachers contests have introduced tens of thousands of stu- Program in that state. In August ARI announced dents to Ayn Rand’s novels. To the contest winners the foundation’s offer to our donors by e-mail. and runners-up we have been sending information Ninety minutes later the Institute received ten on Miss Rand’s other writings; occasionally we pledges from donors all over the country to pro- have offered books to the winners. But, thanks vide the rest of the funds needed to sponsor books to additional funding, the Institute is now able to in Wyoming. send free books to all entrants. * * * Ayn Rand’s novels dramatize a profoundly original view of “man as a heroic being, with his Reprinted below are comments from several own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, teachers who have benefited from ARI’s Free with productive achievement as his noblest activ- Books to Teachers program. ity, and reason as his only absolute.” The Institute’s essay contests, like our Free Books to Teachers I have been teaching Rand’s novel for years and program, aim to bring Miss Rand’s literary classics students have always had to buy the novel to par- into classrooms, in order to reach students—the ticipate. This will enable me to teach it to even voters and decision-makers of the next genera- more of my students. Thanks so much! tion—while they are still open to new ideas. — Sarah Davis Silver Creek Central School Using the Web to Reach Teachers Silver Creek, New York * * * Nationwide Thank you!!! I have not had funds to buy new High school teachers have been tremendously class sets of books for three years. Anthem will be welcoming—even incredulous—of ARI’s offer used in 10th grade and The Fountainhead in 12th. to send them free classroom sets of Anthem and — Nadine Stacy The Fountainhead for use in their classes. So far, Ripley Central School we have advertised this offer by mailing flyers to Ripley, New York schools in select cities, counties and states—those * * * regions for which we have received prior funding I have always been interested in Rand’s novels, from our donors. but our school simply can’t afford to buy new texts But now teachers anywhere can ask for books right now. This is a fabulous incentive for me and by filling out a simple form on ARI’s Web site. my students. Thank you! After adding this form to our site, ARI sent an — Meredith Licht e-mail notification to teachers who had previously Brevard High School expressed interest in teaching Ayn Rand’s books. Brevard, North Carolina Within 24 hours of that e-mail, 200 teachers went * * * online and requested more than 11,000 books. I had been thinking about teaching Anthem, and Many teachers also sent us favorable comments this has confirmed my decision. Thank you! about the program (see sidebar). — Jennifer Allinder ABOVE: Pictured here are the new editions of The Started in 2002, the Free Books program sup- Pinson Valley High School Romantic Manifesto and , commemorating plies books to educators who would like to teach Pinson, Alabama the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s birth. From the Ayn Rand Archives, a Special Collection of the Ayn Rand Institute

Throughout 2005—the centenary of Ayn Rand’s birth—Impact will showcase historic photographs, documents and other items that illuminate Ayn Rand’s life and achievements.

This premise is intimately related to reason: The Benevolent “If a man does recognize and adhere to real- ity, then he can achieve his values in reality; he Universe Premise can and, other things being equal, he will. For Each month Impact suggests readings and other the moral man, failures, though possible, are resources for fans of Ayn Rand’s fiction who wish an exception to the rule. The rule is success. to learn more about her , . The state of consciousness to be fought for and expected is happiness. t the start of The Fountainhead, Howard “The rejection of this viewpoint,” Dr. Peikoff ARoark is expelled from architecture school. continues, “is what Ayn Rand calls the ‘malevo- His career is seemingly over before it begins. lent universe’ premise (others have called it the Other obstacles confront him throughout the story, ‘tragic sense of life’). This premise states that man yet he remains unbowed; he believes that, despite cannot achieve his values; that successes, though the setbacks, he can succeed. This premise— possible, are an exception; that the rule of human which many of Ayn Rand’s heroes share—is given life is failure and misery.” (It is no accident that voice by a character in Atlas Shrugged: “It is not that reject reason and uphold faith or happiness, but suffering, that we consider unnatu- another alleged source of mystic insight regard the ral. It is not success but calamity that we regard as world as a vale of tears, with suffering and failure the abnormal exception in human life.” as man’s lot in life.) This idea is what Miss Rand termed the For further reading on the benevolent universe Featured this month are neither archival photographs nor “benevolent universe premise.” premise, see chapter 9 of Dr. Peikoff’s Objectiv- manuscript pages, but one book born of many audio record- “‘Benevolence’ in this context is not a syn- ism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, particularly the ings in the Archives: Ayn Rand Answers: The Best of Her onym for kindness,” explains Dr. section “Happiness as the Normal Condition of Q & A, edited by Dr. Robert Mayhew. Transcribed, edited and in his book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Man.” Also consider his taped course “Certainty organized topically, Miss Rand’s extemporaneous comments Rand. “[I]t does not mean that the universe cares and Happiness.” Ayn Rand mentions the benevo- on a variety of issues—ranging from sex to drugs to Vietnam about man or wishes to help him. The universe lent universe premise in her essay “The Inexpli- to theories of truth—will soon be available in print for the first has no desires; it simply is. Man must care about cable Personal Alchemy” (Return of the Primitive). time. Some of the questions she addresses are on issues and adapt to it, not the other way around. If he In Dr. Robert Mayhew’s course “Ayn Rand on that she did not discuss elsewhere. As with books like Letters does adapt to it, however, then the universe is Humor,” some time is spent discussing how the of Ayn Rand and Journals of Ayn Rand, which also relied on ‘benevolent’ in another sense: ‘auspicious to benevolent universe premise shapes her use of the Archives, this new volume makes accessible to millions of readers substantive intellectual material which, before now, human life.’” humor in her novels. had been difficult, if not impossible, to come by. * * * Ayn Rand Answers is scheduled for publication later this Audio of Atlantis Legacy Event because Ayn Rand’s work and her values continue month. Copies of the book may be pre-ordered from the to live after her life. And your supporting the Insti- Ayn Rand Bookstore. (237 pages; softcover; $10.20). Available on Online tute in the way that you do means that your work For more information and to order, visit: www.aynrandbookstore.com or call 1-800-729-6149. and your values will also live after your life—and, During the Ayn Rand Centenary like Ayn Rand, you’ll live forever.” AL celebration in Southern California Atlantis Legacy donors are those who have In the Media: Selected Highlights earlier this year, ARI hosted a special luncheon for arranged bequests and other estate gifts to ARI by participants in the Atlantis Legacy (the Institute’s including the Institute as a primary or contingent Broadcast: In June the Institute’s senior fellow, planned giving program) that featured an infor- beneficiary through a will, insurance policy, retire- Dr. , was invited to participate in a mative question period with a panel of experts ment plan, health savings account, etc., and/or of a panel discussion on the subject of altruism that on Miss Rand’s life. Atlantis Legacy donors specialized charitable plan. was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in the United who were unable to attend, those who have only The audio portion of the luncheon is available Kingdom (and globally via the Internet). In July recently become participants in the program and exclusively to Atlantis Legacy donors as an audio Dr. Keith Lockitch, a junior fellow, discussed those who simply desire an encore, can now listen file on ARI’s Web site. For access, please contact “” on the nationally syndicated online to an audio recording of the event. Gift & Estate Planning Manager Kathy Cross at David Lawrence Show. The panel comprised Dr. Michael Berliner, 310-876-1633 or [email protected] The Institute’s executive director, Dr. Yaron editor of Letters of Ayn Rand; , author Brook, was interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio of the illustrated biography Ayn Rand; and Dr. in August; he argued that the right to sell or buy Shoshana Milgram, a literary scholar working Announcements human organs is an expression of the right to life on an in-depth biography of Miss Rand. Some Congratulations In August Marc Baer, a graduate and should be legalized. Also in August C-SPAN questions centered on the holdings of the Ayn student at the University of California, Irvine, success- Radio broadcast “Neo-Conservatives: Friends or Rand Archives (a special collection of the Insti- fully defended his dissertation in the area of moral Foes?”—the lecture that Dr. Brook delivered live, tute), while others focused on Ayn Rand herself. philosophy. A student at ARI’s Objectivist Graduate in July at Objectivist Summer Conference 2005 in Responding to a questioner asking who in the Center for many years, Mr. Baer was awarded an ARI San Diego. room had met Miss Rand, Dr. Milgram com- dissertation grant in 2003 to help him complete his Dr. Gary Hull’s lecture “Antitrust Is mented to the assembled guests: dissertation. (For technical reasons, he will receive his degree in 2006.) This fall he will begin a fellowship at Immoral” was broadcast twice in July and once “[W]hen I’m in the Archives—and I recently in August on C-SPAN 2’s BookTV. The lecture the University of Texas at Austin, under the auspices spent six months in the Archives—it seems that of the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship. was delivered in Irvine, California, under the Ayn Rand is still alive. I see her writing her books, auspices of ARI Lecture Series 2005. College Credit for Studying Ayn Rand ARI has writing letters, meeting with friends, allies, and been asked to announce that Dr. Brian Simpson, an Op-Eds and Letters: The San Francisco Chron- the world at large. Her life appears to be ongo- economics professor at National University in San icle recently published two articles by ARI junior ing—month by month, as she’s living it. This Diego, will begin teaching an online course, ECO fellows. On August 14 the paper ran “Fight the experience—which I need in order to write about 430: Economics and Philosophy, in September. Root of Terrorism with Bombs, Not Bread” by her life—is what the Institute has made possible. Among the required readings are Ayn Rand’s The Alex Epstein and, on August 4, “The Bait and It is what these two people [Dr. Berliner and Mr. Virtue of Selfishness and : The Unknown Switch of Intelligent Design” by Dr. Keith Lock- Britting]—who have not told you of their heroic . The course, which has no prerequisites, can be itch. Responding to calls by the G-8 for billions in efforts to catalog and organize all the materi- taken from anywhere in the world via the Internet. foreign aid to Africa, the Institute re-released an als—have made possible. When I walk into the It is offered through National University’s School of op-ed by ARI guest writer Dr. , Archives, and I look through the papers, it’s as Business and Management. An application form and “Capitalism Is the Cure for Africa’s Problems,” if she’s still there—and of course I’ve got all the course syllabus are available on the university’s Web site, www.nu.edu. which appeared in several newspapers, including kinds of questions for her! She can’t answer all the Orange County Register. On August 22 the of my questions, and I have to answer some of Job Opportunities ARI is currently recruiting a Web Wall Street Journal published Dr. Edwin Locke’s them for myself. But I think that my experience Specialist and an Education Department Assistant. For full details, including information on how to apply, letter to the editor on “death taxes” (taxes on in the Archives speaks to why and how we’re all please visit: www.aynrand.org/employment. inherited wealth). here today for Ayn Rand’s centenary. We’re here 2 The New Intellectuals: A Conversation With Thomas A. Bowden Thomas A. Bowden is an individuals to get together and engage in huge, Impact: Switching gears, let’s turn to The attorney in private practice complex chains of contracts and thereby create Enemies of Christopher Columbus. You are a in Baltimore, Maryland, very sophisticated values, such as power plants lawyer by profession; do you have a background specializing in labor and and factories, that individuals could not achieve in history? employment law. He is by themselves. I then show how antitrust laws TB: Yes, my original interest was in jour- author of The Enemies attack companies, specifically at the contractual nalism, but in college I transitioned into history of Christopher Columbus level, by making certain types of contracts ille- because it gave me the opportunity to look at (Paper Tiger, 2003), which gal. For example, a contract to fix prices between events, the same kind of events that journalism exposes multicultural myths competitors is illegal; a contract that allegedly has deals with, but from a more fundamental and long- about Columbus, the American Indians and the a tendency to monopolize or to “restrain trade” is range perspective. For about ten years my career spread of Western civilization. A lecture by Mr. illegal. focus was history. I studied to become a history Bowden about his book, under the auspices of Impact: What sort of considerations would professor, earning a bachelor’s in American his- the George Mason University Objectivist Club, a businessman have to keep in mind if he were tory from the University of Kentucky and then a was broadcast on C-SPAN’s BookTV. Last year about to sign a major contract and concerned master’s in American business and economic his- he presented a lecture, “Columbus Day Without about antitrust? tory from the University of Delaware. I was three Guilt,” as part of the ARI Lecture Series in Irvine, TB: Well, he would need to have a battery chapters into my dissertation when I decided that California. of lawyers who are up to date on the latest trends the life of a history professor was not for me. After As a guest writer for ARI, Mr. Bowden has in antitrust, and they would have to compare some casting about, I discovered the legal profes- written op-eds that have appeared in such publica- each aspect of the contract against what the law sion, though history has remained my avocation. tions as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, allows, or what they guess the law allows—the Impact: What was the genesis of the book on Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Los Angeles laws themselves are so vague that you cannot tell Columbus? Daily News. A frequent commentator on radio, he just from reading them what they mean. There TB: It started in 1992, the 500th anniversary has also appeared on Fox News Channel’s Han- are precedents to help you predict how they will of Columbus’s voyage. In the months leading nity & Colmes. be interpreted, but taken at face value, antitrust up to the anniversary, I observed a number of Between 1988 and 1994 Mr. Bowden law literally makes every contract illegal, because hostile press reports denigrating Columbus and taught at the University of Baltimore School of every contract, by its nature, “restrains trade” (a his achievement, and I thought they should be Law. He has given courses at Objectivist confer- fact the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized). If I answered. I developed a question-and-answer ences on American legal history and jurispru- pay you a dollar for a can of soda, that exchange pamphlet designed to explode the most prominent dence. As a member of the Board of Directors of prevents every other trade that could have been myths about Columbus. The pamphlet was distrib- The Association for Objective Law, he filed amicus made with that dollar or with that soft drink. So uted to campus Objectivist clubs by ARI that year curiae briefs in federal courts, challenging manda- and was later sold through Second Renaissance tory community service requirements for public Books [now the Ayn Rand Bookstore]. Fred Weiss school students. The new book of essays The Abo- at the Paper Tiger urged me to revise and expand it lition of Antitrust (Transaction, 2005; edited by to book length, which I did in 2003. Dr. Gary Hull) includes a chapter by Mr. Bowden. Impact: What is a common misconception Impact spoke to him about that essay and that people have about Columbus? some of his other projects. TB: I think the most basic issue people have * * * confusion about is whether it was right or wrong Impact: What is the thesis of your essay on anti- for Columbus to inaugurate a tide of European trust law? immigration that spread Western civilization Thomas Bowden: I show both historically across North America. In my book I immediately and theoretically how antitrust is a top-to-bot- establish the value of Western civilization—even tom assault on the right of adults and companies with its contradictions of slavery and religion—as to trade, by means of contract, the values they objectively superior to primitive Indian life, produce. My chapter title is “Antitrust: The War including ways in which Indian life is commonly Against Contract.” thought to be superior, such as the idea that they Impact: Why are contracts so important? lived in greater harmony with nature, that they TB: The contract is probably the most basic were more serene and less anxious. The ultimate legal mechanism by which people coexist in a message of the book is that we should regard division of labor economy. It is the means by thethe ggovernmentovernment hhasas bbackedacked ooffff aandnd ssaid,aid, iinn eeffect,ffect, Columbus Day as an occasion for celebrating which our property rights are exercised. Every- “It would be silly to enforce that,” and then it Western civilization. body knows that the division of labor makes us allows some level of trade that it regards as “rea- In a brief Afterword, I look at the situation more productive, but in order to receive the full sonable.” But there is no objective principle that after September 11, 2001, and conclude that it’s benefit from that productivity, you have to be able businessmen can look to in order to know whether more important now than ever that we celebrate to trade what you produce on your own terms, a given trade will be regarded as “reasonable.” As Western civilization as superior to every other which is what contracts make possible. a result, all contracts in this country are entered alternative—including, especially, Islamic totali- From a certain perspective, your entire day, into by permission of government, not as a matter tarianism. Like the multiculturalist opponents every day, is spent fulfilling contracts. At work of right. of Columbus Day, the Islamists also hate the you’re performing an employment contract. You Impact: How do lawyers and legal scholars West—and are waging a physical war on Western use the money you earn to pay for an apartment, typically view antitrust law? civilization. the terms of which are governed by a rental agree- TB: I think, in general, their attitude toward Impact: Even as the West contends with ment. At home, if you’re married, you’re fulfilling antitrust is the same as their attitude toward other Islamist threats, several of your recent op-eds for a marriage contract. When you engage in leisure laws, which is that they are treated as irreducible ARI have signaled the threat to America posed by activities, contracts are often involved. At a ski facts. They are laws that are properly passed by the religious conservatives. What are the dangers as resort, for instance, the resort may require you to legislature, and therefore they have an equal status you see them? sign a waiver that says you assume responsibility with laws against murder, rape and robbery. The TB: Americans don’t understand how for- for any injuries you incur. Contracts are the legal idea that laws gain their validity simply from being tunate they are to live in a society that adheres, mechanism by which you make your world take enacted by the proper authority is known as legal however imperfectly, to the principle of separating the shape that you want it to have. positivism. An objective view, by contrast, would church and state. The Founding Fathers did all And contracts make trades objective, in several hold that law must be based on objective princi- the heavy lifting, philosophically and politically, respects. Interpreted according to governing law, ples, most fundamentally the principle of individ- to establish the principle, and we are still rid- contracts state what the conditions are for entering ual rights. Lawyers in general have no clue about ing on their efforts. But we can’t coast downhill into an agreement, what the performance require- individual rights and would not think of evaluating forever; even the highest mountain has a bottom. ments are for all parties, what constitutes evidence antitrust laws using rights as a standard. Accord- No constitutional protection of individual rights or of abiding (or not abiding) by the agreement, and ing to the prevailing view, every law, including the limitation on governmental power can survive the what the consequences are for breaking it. The Constitution, obtains its validity in the same way, collapse of philosophy. The religious right is cash- point is to give individuals maximum certainty that by social approval. The Constitution, they would ing in on the liberal left’s intellectual bankruptcy they will actually get what they bargain for. say, is correct not because it embodies and imple- by arguing that the First Amendment mandates Impact: How does the issue of contracts ments individual rights but because it was enacted only freedom “of” religion, not freedom “from” relate to antitrust? by a properly conducted vote. religion. This means allowing government to rely TB: In my essay, I look at how complex Impact: That sounds ominous. on blind faith in deciding how to use force against networks of contracts allow individuals and cor- TB: It is. But I think it is a good sign that a helpless, disarmed citizens. History demonstrates porations to achieve the values they seek. I spend book which uncompromisingly calls for the aboli- the ugly persecution and bloodshed that inevitably more time discussing corporate contracts because I tion of antitrust can be published by a major social follow. The only defense against religious conser- regard the corporation as the apotheosis of con- science publisher [Transaction Publishers]. I think vatives, in the near term and the long term, is to tract. Corporations are the mechanism that allows it shows the increasing acceptance of Objectivism. continued on page 4 3 The New Intellectuals: while his intellect was brilliant and his writing in my law practice, which means that my best style eloquent, what he did was almost uniformly thinking and writing disappears into courthouse A Conversation With Thomas A. Bowden, bad, because of his wrong philosophic premises. filing cabinets and is forgotten. I’d like to figure continued from page 3 He introduced large elements of pragmatism, out a way for my efforts to have a larger impact. establish the proper philosophical grounding for skepticism and positivism into American law and Impact: Do you have time for hobbies or individual rights and limited government. thereby set the stage for the 20th century, where recreation? Impact: I understand you attended a confer- individual rights have essentially disappeared from TB: I work in a law firm dedicated to defend- ence on legal philosophy at the University of discussion in the courtroom. The title of the course ing the interests of management in labor and Texas at Austin? sums it up: “Oliver Wendell Holmes: Destroyer of employment disputes, and believe me, they need TB: Yes, it was a multidisciplinary gathering American Law.” defending every day, so that takes up most of my of philosophers, historians and lawyers held last On a more positive note, I gave a course in time. Our son, John, who was a babe in arms when spring, sponsored by the Anthem Foundation for 2001 called “A Celebration of American Law.” I Susan and I attended our first summer conference Objectivist Scholarship. organized it believe that there’s a tremendous amount of value in Williamsburg, is a teenager now, in his last year around a number of questions in legal philosophy in America’s legal system, despite its many flaws. of middle school. When work and family leave me that interested her, such as the proper approach to Legal history is filled with hundreds of brilliant, spare time, I like to play tennis and ride my motor judicial interpretation, the relationship of common hard-working minds who created complex systems scooter (not at the same time). When reading for law to enacted law, and the meaning of a govern- that allow us to walk into a grocery store, slide a pleasure, I usually turn to suspense fiction by ment of “laws, not of men.” The whole experience charge card through a scanner and walk out with authors like John Sandford, Michael Connelly and was tremendously exciting. It represented one of food to eat. For such a simple transaction to hap- Lee Child. Plus, we’re all big Harry Potter fans at the things I missed by not going into academia— pen there must be a huge amount of legal ground- my house. I don’t watch spectator sports as much the provocative exchange of ideas among scholars work in place, mostly contractual. So I concluded as I used to, but I still think they’re wonderful whose sole interest is reality and how to understand in the course that there’s a tremendous foundation sources of value replenishment, as I indicate in my it. At the end of the day, we had generated a num- on which we can build a more objective legal ARI op-eds on the topic. [The op-eds can be found ber of promising avenues for future scholarship. system in the next few decades. on ARI’s Web site.] Impact: Could you tell me a little about the Impact: Can you tell us about projects you * * * courses you’ve given at Objectivist conferences? plan to pursue? TB: I’ve spoken at four conferences. In 1994 TB: In the short term I’d like to continue

I gave a lecture on the Roe v. Wade decision and writing op-eds for ARI, and I’m editing two of my Impact is published monthly by the Ayn Rand® Institute (ARI) and is how the Constitution was interpreted to arrive at lecture courses (“Concretizing” and “Celebration”) complimentary to current donors who contribute $35 or more per year. into a book to be published by Paper Tiger. In the For information on how you can support ARI, and to learn about our the correct decision, though for the wrong reasons. projects, please visit our Web site: www.aynrand.org. Atlantis Legacy®, In 1996 I gave a course, “Concretizing the Prin- longer term I’d like to resume lecturing at sum- the Institute’s planned giving program, and related indicia are registered mer conferences, and I have some definite ideas trademarks. The Ayn Rand Archives is a special collection of the ciples of Objective Law.” We looked at interesting Ayn Rand Institute. Objectivist Conferences (OCON) and the Ayn Rand cases that highlighted the different ways in which for expanding the Columbus book. I want to deal Bookstore are owned by Second Renaissance, Inc., which is operated the law can succeed or fail in being objective. in more detail with the Indian wars and removals, by the Ayn Rand Institute. Second Renaissance, Inc., and the Ayn Rand Institute do not necessarily endorse the content of the lectures and Two years after that I gave a course on the treaties and the reservation system, and the actual courses offered. All photos of Ayn Rand are used by permission of the preeminent American jurist, Oliver Wendell details of primitive life. More fundamentally, I Estate of Ayn Rand. Purchases from the Ayn Rand Bookstore do not qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute. Holmes, Jr. He sat on the Supreme Court for would like to spend more time working on broader issues in law and culture. I’ve spent the last twenty Editor: Assistant Editor: Dan Norton thirty years [1902–32] and is looked upon as a Editorial Advisors: Dr. , Mark Chapman, Anu Seppala hero in American law. In the course I argued that years protecting the interests of individual clients Designer: Simon Federman Printing: David Antonacci Copy Editor: Donna Montrezza Headquarters: 2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 250 Commentary: The Anthem Foundation and ARI Irvine, CA 92606-4926 Phone: 949-222-6550 Fax: 949-222-6558 © The Ayn Rand Institute 2005. All rights reserved. Not to be Each month Impact features a column by the who will spread Ayn Rand’s ideas throughout reproduced without permission. Institute’s executive director, Dr. Yaron Brook, the culture. We help those who want to become who looks at the wider context of ARI’s activities. professors complete their graduate-school train- ing and then prepare for academic careers. Once eemingly every issue of Impact mentions they become professors, we support their work Sone or another of the many projects of the with book grants, research grants and other Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship. forms of assistance. Recently, ARI donors received a letter from John But the Anthem Foundation works dif- McCaskey, president of the Anthem Foundation, ferently. Instead of working with individu- inviting support for the Foundation’s work. So, als, it works with the educational institutions I want to address two salient questions about the themselves. The result is that since the Foun- Foundation: what does the Foundation do? What dation’s founding four years ago, the profes- is its relation to ARI? sional respect shown to the study and teaching Established in 2001, the Anthem Foun- of Ayn Rand has risen—not widely yet, but dation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, noticeably. Another result is that professors separate from ARI, that supports scholarly who do not know much about Ayn Rand are study of Objectivism in American universities. asking Anthem Foundation to help them bring It sponsors teaching, writing and research on established Objectivist scholars to their cam- Ayn Rand’s philosophy through fellowships puses for workshops, conferences and lectures. and grants at both the graduate and under- Such lectures are what the thousands of stu- graduate level. ARI wholeheartedly supports dents who have read Ayn Rand in high school the Foundation’s efforts, because we recognize and show up on American campuses every Sep- that its work is tremendously important. tember want: to learn about Ayn Rand’s ideas For decades academia has been less than from experts in a non-hostile environment. friendly to Ayn Rand and her ideas (to put it The Anthem Foundation’s work thus mildly). That resistance is in part ideological. But another factor—to some extent an effect complements that of the Institute. It is creating of that resistance—is simply that there have a more welcome environment for Ayn Rand been so few professors producing high-quality at American universities, and ARI is training academic work on Ayn Rand. the students, from high school through gradu- The Anthem Foundation’s work is to ate school, who can learn and teach in that change that. environment. The Foundation supports fellowships for The Anthem Foundation recently received the study of Objectivism at two of the most several requests for large grants, each one an influential philosophy departments in the opportunity to expose more college students to country, one at the University of Texas at Aus- the thought of Ayn Rand, some at the nation’s tin and another at the University of Pittsburgh. most influential and prestigious institutions. In Seven Objectivist scholars have taught courses addition to your support of ARI, I encourage or conducted research at these institutions. The you to help the Anthem Foundation meet these Foundation has supported other universities as opportunities. well, where Objectivist scholars are teaching, —Yaron Brook researching and writing on Ayn Rand. *** ARI also supports academic work. Our To contact the Anthem Foundation, please write Objectivist Academic Center was formed to help to John McCaskey at [email protected] find and train the New Intellectuals—the teach- or 900 East Hamilton Avenue, Suite 100, Camp- ers, columnists, public speakers and professors bell, CA 95008, or call him at 408-867-4735.

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