Newsletterof the @Institute Volume6, Number 4, April 2OO0

Training the Next Generation Since 1995, ARI's undergraduate course on : The asked to submit assignments-have included students from of Ayn Rand (UPAR) has offered students compre- other disciplines as well as individuals well advanced in their hensive, systematic training in Objectivism-training available careers as lawyers, software engineers, physicists, architects, nowhere else. As the prerequisite course for the Objectivist teachers, businessmen. UPAR helps such individuals develop Graduate Center, UPAR is our means of finding and encour- their ability to think in essentials and to apply philosophy in aging new intellectuals. But UPAR alumni are not the only their own lives and professions. ones to benefit; teaching the course has helped sharpen the UPAR is two academic semestersof 15 weeks each. Stu- skills of the instructors too. dents attend classesby dialing in to ARI's teleconferencing sys- UPAR essentializes the key ideas of Objectlvism, integrates tem, which allows two-way communication between all the those ideas into their broader philosophic context, and con- participants. Thanks to inexpensive long-distance telephone cretizes their real-life personal importance. Students read Dr. rates, students from as far away as Australia and Israel have Peikoff 's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, the course been able to attend UPAR. (We are working to develop on-line textbook, and attend weekly lectures that help illumlnate the video courses.) practical, concrete application of philosophy in the students' This year Dr. shares the teaching of lives. UPAR with Dr. , who will teach the course alone "By emphasizing how the philosophy is lntegrated-week next year. Dr. Ghate explained how class assignments improve after week-UPAR helped me understand ObJectivism more a student's thinking and writing: completely," said Marc Baer (UPAR, 1995), who is a graduate "By writing short papers on a given topic in Objectivism, student tn philosophy at the University of California at Irvlne the students develop the ability to concretize the philosophy in and attends the Objectivist Graduate Center. It was also very personally relevant ways. In private tutorials, I critique their important, Baer pointed out, "to meet regularly with Dr. work, and the discussion that develops as a result is impor- Hull-to learn from an expert who could answer all of my tant to their learning. The opportunity to apply Objectivism, questions." Dr. Gary Hull, who proposed and designed UPAR, then get feedback from an Objectivist professor, is something taught the course from 1994 to 1999. that they cannot get elsewhere." More than 100 students have attended UPAR. Although In addition to providing intellectual nourishment, the the course serves as a prerequisite for admission to the Objec- weekly lectures are spiritually refueling for the students. In tlvlst Graduate Centet students who do not intend careers as contrast to the irrationallty of today's academic world, UPAR professional intellectuals are always encouraged to apply. is like an oasis. Whereas typical university classes in the hu- Graded students-who are assigned homework, quizzes, and manities are nihilistic, UPAR focuses on profound values: tutorials-have typically been college undergraduates, usually mastering Objectivism, perfecting one's method of thinklng, in the humanities. Auditors-who attend classes but aren't Gontinued on page 3 Gountering "Earth Day" and Defending Technology The is joining with the Committee for the Objectivist campus clubs, at college campuses nationwide. Moral Defense of (CMDC) in a campaign to op- For added impact, other ARI op-eds opposing environmen- pose the celebration of "Earth Day" and to defend industry talism will be sent to 500 college newspapers well in advance and technology. of the march. On Earth Day (April 22) environmentalist groups plan to To help arm some of the victims, we are now sending arti- march in Washington, D.C., and use the occasion to demand cles in defense of industry and technology to corporations and tougher government regulation of industry and technology. organizations that have been attacked by the environmentalists. The ARI-CMDC campaign will culminate on Earth Day with a We hope also to arrange radio, TV and print news inter- counter-march and protest against environmentalism in views for ARI speakers. In addition, we will promote the Washington. "For once," said Robert Tracinski, chairman of the Earth Day counter-march at our environmentalism Web pag- CMDC, "they will face open, articulate, principled opposition." es: http://environmentalism.aynrand.org. ARI has produced a new pamphlet with articles and op- If you would like to attend the counter-march or other- eds that blast environmentalist myths and defend man's moral wise be involved in the campaign, pleasecontact Nick Proven- right to exploit nature for his own survival. The pamphlet will zo of the CMDC, (540) 548-2918, or visit their Web site at be distributed at the counter-march and, with the help of www.moraldefense.com. ln Moral Defense of Forestry bypeter schwartz

Thefollowing is an excerpt of a speechdelivered by Peter Schwartzon January 28 before the California Forestry Association.It has beenreproduced without any additional editingfor print. The entire speechwill soon be ovoilable at ARI b environmentalis m Webs ite (http: //environmentalism. aynrand. org).

There is a seriousinjustice being perpetratedagainst advocates,however, are policies divorcedfrom any your industry.You in the forestrybusiness are facing connectionto humanwelfare. Let me explainwhy I ever-increasingrestrictions on your activities.You saYthis' face growing oppositionby environmentalistson what If you look at the conJlictsbetween tl re interests you can do, whereyou can do it, how you can do it. of man and the so-called"interests" of nafure,it be- Why? Why arethese obstacles being continually comesclear that the first are invariablysacrificed to placedin your path?It is not becausethe environmen- the secondby environmentalists.Whenever there is a ialistshavl beter politicalcontacts than you do, and hydroelectricdam to be built, it is the welfareof the not becausethey havemore skilled PR people. snail darteror the Chinooksalmon that is inviolate, The environmentalists,in my view,have one fun- andthe welfareof manthat is dispensable.Whenever damentalpower: it is the power of a moral principle. there is a choice betweencutting down trees for hu- The environmentalistsclaim you haveno moral man use and leavingthem in placefor the spotted right to cut down treessimply to makea profit. They owl, it is the bird's homethat environmentalistssave claim that morality is on the side of protectingthe andhuman habitation that goesunbuilt. redwoodsand saving the spottedowls. They gain sup- Huge hacts of Arctic land are off-limits to pro- port amongpoliticians and amongthe public for one ductive enterprises,in order not to disturb the cari- reason:they are able to assertthat their goalsare bou and the ice floes.Mining is prohibitedwhen it morally virtuous, and that yours are not. disturbsthe movementsof snakes.Mosquito- and al- Now, in reality the exactreverse is true. The act ligator-infestedswamps (euphemi stically called "wet- of transformingthe ffees of a forest into housesand lands") are deemedsacred, not to be defiledby man- fumiture and books-the act of transformingraw na- madedrainage. (Even land that is actuallygrowing tuie into humanvalues that enhancehuman iife-rs a cropscan be christenedwetlands, if somebureaucrat highly moral activity, while the attemptto block such decidesthat vegetationtypically found in swamps activity is not. All of you here are engagedin the cre- could havegrown therehad the cropsnot beenplant- ation of humanvalues-while the environmentalists ed.) The most beneficialprojects, from housingde- are engagedin the opposite. velopmentsto scienceobservatories to hospital cbm- And thatis whatI'd like to discusstoday. I'd like to plexes,are haltedif there is any danger-if thereis talk to you aboutthis battle-which is a battleof ideas any allegationof danger-to somepiddling species. taking placebetrveen foresty and environmentalism. The incalculabledamaee inflicted on humanbe- I am far from an experton the forestrybusi- ings by suchprohibitions Is immaterialto environ- ness-but I do know aboutenvironmentalism. So let mentalists.They have abandoned even the pretext of us look at this movementand seewhat it standsfor, holding humanhappiness as their ultimatepurpose. In and how, therefore,it can most effectivelybe fought. its place,as the open secretwhich the public is un- Now, pleasebear in mind that when I talk about able to takefi.rlly seriorsly, is the premisethat nature must environmentalism,I do not meana movementthat remainmchanged as an endin iself It is thepremise that seeksclean air and litter-freeroads. That is not what naturemust be protected notfor ma4butfiom man environmentalismis. Any rationalhuman being under- As you in the forestryindustry devise ever-im- standshow such conditionsare desirablebecause provingmethods of production,you arehit with ever- they are beneficialto him. One would not enshrine moreconstraints. Instead of beingpraised for your the environmentif one were simply opposedto dirt. work, insteadof being hailed for making all our lives If, for example,you valueclean clothing, you do not betterby creatingthe goodsthat make life easier, declareyourself to be a . . . "clothingist";if you regu- you are condemned--condemnedfor your very vir- larly vacuumyour carpetat home,you do not become tues.You arevilified becauseyou do not leavenature a "carpetist."You cleanthem, not for theirown sake, untouched,as a sterile,inhospitable wilderness. You not for someintrinsic value in them,but only because are denouncedfor the fact that you createvalue for they advanceyour welfare.What environmentalism human beings' Gonrinuedon page 3 UPAR--+ontinued from page 1 living a selfish life. It offers the rare advantage of studying with like-minded class- Application forms for UPAR are available on-line at mates and a professor who actually seeksto communicate knowledge-rather than www.aynrand.org/upar.shtml, or by writing to upar to inculcate skepticism and undermine his students' minds. "The camaraderie was @aynrand.org. If you have questions about UPAR, or would very important. The friendships I made in UPAR still last and we continue to develop like to request application forms, please call at our ideas together," said Marc Baer. (310) 306-9232, ext. 215. The deadline for submitting applica- UPAR profits not only the students but also the instructor. "I got what every tions is June l, 2000; classesbegin in early September. teacher longs for: the ability to teach intelligent students who have a thirst for knowledge," said Dr. Hull. "I was also able to increase dramatically my own under- standing of Objectivism-and become a better teacher." Dr. Ghate added: "I've been forced to 'chew' [Objectivist principles] for myself, which has been enormously clar- ifying-and which has had the additional benefit of revealing to me what issuesI need to understand better. sofs at "UPAR's greatest value," said Dr. Binswanger, "is that it serves as an on-ramp the De-rluefl for becoming an Objectivist intellectual. UPAR feeds into the OGC, which then pre- r:: I cisco State Universit pares one to survive, philosophically, in academia-or to pursue a career outside academia, in one of ARI's newly developed jobs for Objectivist intellectuals." UPAR,after ARI Launches Project to Defend "lnvestors Rights" It for schools to grsnt institutions.That s At the Louis Rukeyser Investment Conference last month in with racism-by , $psnsored Las Vegas,ARI launched a new project to defend the rights of demanding the en- investors and businessmen. More and more companies today shrinement of "di- are under attack from so-called "shareholder activists." Such versity" as the activists demand that corporations subordinate their pursuit para- mount con- of profit for the sake of "social justice" and the "community." sideration in all hiring decisions. In their assault on businesses,these agitators have found ARI's Investor Rights Project defends the moral right to a way of subverting a corporation's purpose from within. pursue profits. At last month's investment conference, we They have been buying token amounts of stock in companies, made available copies of Ayn Rand's "Meaning of Money" attending annual stockholders meetings, and demanding the speech to more than 10,000 investors. We also distributed right to a hearing; whenever they are given a voice, these agita- thousands of copies of an "investor rights alert," which ex- tors propose shareholder resolutions that steer corporations plained and attacked the altruist premises motivating the toward altruistic policies. One such group of activists boasts "shareholder activists." Conference attendees who contributed that in 1998 it sponsored 159 resolutions to 116 companies. to ARI received a copy of Ayn Rands final television inter- Among that group's resolutions were proposals to infect cor- view-with Louis Rukeyser-in which she calls for business- porations with egalitarianism-by locking executive pay to men to defend themselves against altruism (see insert). that of the lowest-paid workers; with environmentalism-by During the past two years, we have put nearly 10,000 copies "eco-systems"; sacrificing development for the sake of and Continued on page 4

forestry-cohfinued fiom phge 3 serveyour ends.And you ought to say so proudly. You The envimffientalists' ideology has takeq hold needto assertyour moral right to be left free to con- not in spite bf it5 qppbsitibn to the requirementsof tinue generatingthe magnificent abundancethat has rnan's li ,b ,beesyssof it, becauseit has latchbd lifted humanity out of the mi3er-ablecaves and jungles fiq4ly onto the prevailing culfural premise of self- of the primitive, pre-induStrialera. sacrifice.In their campaignfor privation,this moral that is how you will Ultimatelyptevail-as, in premiseis their strongestweapon-against you, and Justlce,you should. againstoll $eir Victims. : Peter Schwartz is chairman of the board of the Ayn Rand The only practical,way,tofight enviionmentalism lnstttute. is by disarmingthem of that weapon-i.e., by un- equivocallydefending the virtue of production. You may haveto give in at timeson political mat- ters, when you are confrontedwith the power of the state.But the one thing you shouldnever surrender is the moral principle on which your industryrests. Do not try to appeaseyour enemiesby sayingthat you are in businessonly to preservethe wildemess.You 41sn'f-6ndyou shouldn'tbe. You are in the businessof reshapingnature to lnvestorc+ntinued from page 3 ARI Day in Seattle "Meaning of Ayn Rand's of Money" speech in the hands of The Institute will hold an ARI Day in Seattle on Saturday, May investors and business executives. And, in addition to our ac- 6. At the day-long event, ARI managers will present brief re- tivity at the Rukeyser investment conference, we have mailed ports on our programs and invite questions and comments thousands of letters and essays to the best of America's busi- from attendees. There is no charge for attending the event, nessmen, offering them uncompromising moral approval. which is open only to ARI donors and their guests. Invitations And we have begun acquiring small amounts of stock in key have been sent to all donors in Washington, Oregon, and Ida- companies in order to offer our own pro-reason, pro-eqoism, ho. If you live elsewhere and wish to attend, please contact pro-capitalist rcsolutions at future shareholder meetings. Larry Benson at ARI for an invitation. Advance registration is required. Gampus Glub Talks The general public is welcome to attend the following ARI- Announcements sponsoredcampus club talks: I ARI is seekingvolunteers for its Marina del Rey office. Ex- amplesof recent activitiesinclude: preparing mailings, catalog- Stanford University ing ARI audio- and videotapes,processing essay contest en- "The Myth of Scarcity" by Andrew Lewis tries, and assembling materials for special events and Monday, April 24, 7:00 p.t'1. campaigns.By volunteering, you can work directly on ARI Main Quad, Building 320,Room 105 projects and help to keep ARI costs down. For more information, e-mail Bradley Malestein at: We are also seekingvolunteers (who need not live in the [email protected] Los Angelesarea) to translate ARI materials into other lan- guages.Ifyou are fluent in a secondlanguage, we would like to Universityof California,Los Angeles hear from you. "Productivenessas the Central Purposeof a Good Life" by Last year, volunteers saved ARI more than fifteen thou- Andrew Lewis;Wednesday, May 3, 7:30 p.u. sand dollars.For more information about volunteerlng,or to Kerckhoff's Grand Salon be added to ARI's volunteer e-mail list, pleasecontact Chris For more information, e-mail Lane Ratchford at: Wolski at (310) 306-9232,ext. 213, or send him e-mail at [email protected] [email protected]. r SecondRenaissance Conferences will present"Ideas for the In early April ARI sponsoredfive additlonal talks: Rational Mind IV" a two-week philosophic conference,July Z r "Introduction to Objectivism"by Andrew Lewis,at the Uni- to July 15.A one-weekoption is available. versity of Iowa and at Middle TennesseeUniversity. The conferencefeatures new lectures on "Free Will and r " in "by Andrew Bern- Values"by Harry Binswanger.Other faculty members include: stein, at Columbla Unlverslty. Andrew Bernsteln,, M. Northrup Buechner,Ed- I "Rights-Reason-Reality: Intel- Ayn Rand'sAnswer to the wln A. Locke,John Ridpath, PeterSchwartz, Richard Salsman, lectual Crisis of Our Time" by John Ridpath, at University of and Thra Smith. Virginia, Charlottesville,and Duke Unlversity. For a detailed,descriptive brochure, please call (203) 791- 1755,wrtte to SRConferences, 130 Federal Road, Suite 56A, Dan- bury, CT 06811,or sende-mail to [email protected]. Information and on-line registrationare also availableat their Web site: www.natlonweb.com/src/.

Publisher:The Ayn Rand Institute,4640 AdmiraltyWay, Suite 406, Marina del Rey,CA 90292 (310) 306-9232.fax: (310) 306-4925 e.mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.aynrand.org r Editor: Larry Salzman r All rights reserved@2000.

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