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Home , John Ridpath, The Left (Poland)

,EreLET7-EI "THEAYN RANDINSTITUTE

The Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Oblectivism, Marina del Rey April, 1987 THE INSTITUTE: 1987

The timing was coincidental, but the cepts," a revised version of his doctoral meaningwas not. Two yearsfrom the day dissertationon goal-directedaction. Plans that it had officially opened,The Ayn Rand are also underway to publish a book of Institute relocatedits headquartersto a essayson the Objectivist theory of con- much larger suite of six offices at 330 cepts; advertisementswill appear in the !ilashington Street in the businessdistrict major philosophicjournals to elicit submis- of Marina del Rey. The move was neces- slons. sary. The Institute no longer consisted of New American Library has decided one Executive Director, Dr. Michael not only to publish the "High School Berliner, operatingout of one small office. TeachersGuide to " by During the past two yearsthe Institute's Dr. , but also to dis- ARI staff (1.to r.): Michael Berliner, full-time staff has expandedto include Dr. tribute the manualto peopleattending edu- Jayne Deoens,lVilliam Lanahan, Donna \Tilliam Lanahan, Director of Develop- cational conventions.The Institute will Montrezza,and Michael Palumbo. ment; Donna Moflftezz\ Administrative distribute the Guide to high-schoolteach- Assistant;Jayne Devens, DatabaseMan- ers as part of the 1988Essay Contest. ager; and Michael Palumbo, Office And the Institute's first experimentin oBJECTTVTSM Assistant. advancedphilosophic raining has already ..UNDERGROUND'' In 1987,the Institute will continueto begunwith the start of Dr. Binswanger's utilize time and money to support and seminar for graduate students in philoso- expandits two majoron-going projects: the phy. (Seepage 3 for details.) Ayn Rand published is being in the high-schoolEssay Contest, which awarded As ARI begins its third year, there is midst of the Communist EasternBloc. And in collegescholarships last year, no longer any questionabout whether there with assistance $15,000 from the Institute, more of and the CampusObjectivist Clubs, 65 of is enoughsupport to sustainthe Institute as her books will be availablethere soon. which are now establishedthroughout the a major force in spreadingthe Last December, Korwin-Mikke Janus U.S. and .Associated proiects such of .During 1986, there were contactedARI; he was on his first visit to as the Campus SpeakersBureau, video- 900 new contributors, most of whom the ,he said, and one of his tape/audio lectures and the production of learnedof ARI through the insert cards in main goals was to find Ayn Rand books club materials will also continue. But as Ayn Rand'sbooks. that he publish-in could . indicated in the last issue of the Newslet- As of 1987,The "Undergroundr" i.e., illegal,publish- ter, during the upcoming year the Institute has successfullycompleted its start-up ing is big business in Poland, and Korwin- will place greater emphasison developing phase,and the questionthat now remainsis Mikke has publisher become a successful projects of a more purely philosophic whether the interest shown in the Institute and distributor of anti-communist pro- and nature. thus far will grow enoughto support it as a free enterprise literature. A self-described Institute's Publishing Division professional pro-capitalist (in The mature, fully-operational and "liberal" the l9th-cen- will be inauguratedwithin the year when it organization.According to Dr. Lanahan, tury European senseof the term), Korwin- publishes Dr. 'sbook 1987,ARI's third year,will be mostcritical Mikke first read Ayn Rand's "The Roots '"The Biological Basisof TeleologicalCon- in revealingthe answer. of Var" about sevenyears ago. He subse- quently published Anthem, which did not sell very well, he says,"because the Polish reader is too sophisticatedabout total- itarianism." Sincehe agreedwith what he had read of Objectivism, particularly with THE BANQUET:TAKE TWO the idea that politics must have a logical ethical base,he wanted to make more Ayn More than 150 peoplefrom 16 states quet, Ed Snider will assumethe samerole Rand books availableto what he describes attended ARI's first banquet in Los in New York. The auction, alone, raised asa largeand increasinglyinfluential "Lib- Angeleson November 8, 1986.It proved to more than $20,000 for the Institute. eral Movement" in Poland. (In English, be financially and socially rewarding Among the items that went for the highest the movement'sname literally translatesto enoughthat a repeatperformance has been bids were JeromeRothstein's Comrnunica- "The Conservative-LibertarianMove- scheduled for the East Coast. The tion, Organization€9 Sciencefor $4500; a ment." But Korwin-Mikke saysthis name Institute's second "Evening of Celebra- blue glassvase for $3000;and a first edition does not represent its position since it is tion" will take place on Saturdayevening, of Barry Goldwater's Conscienceof a Con- opposedto Conservatism'sreligious ideas, November 7, 1987 at the Vista Interna- sensatitsefor $2500.Although only a limited and to Libertarianism's anarchist, anti- tional Hotel in New York City. There will supply of Ayn Rand memorabiliaremains, governmentviews.) be dinner, dancing and another fund- similar items will be offered during the Becauseof the primitive production raising auction of items from The Estateof New York auction. techniquesthat underground publishers Ayn Rand. All ARI contributors will receive must use, it is questionablewhether Kor- In light of his bravura performanceas information about the '87 banquet/auction (See[Jnderground, p. 4) auctioneerduring the Los Angelesban- during the summer. Institute Interview:JOHN RIDPATH

didn't find a philosophy of life, but within tenure at York, which by now was trying to 100 pagesI had fallen in love with Fran- make room for more "prestigiousr" mean- cisco...with the combination of his ing published, faculty. Since my ideas were seriousness,courage and playfulness.I saw widely known and not popular, and since I a great story about charactersI loved, hadn't published, it was clear that I was a fighting for the kind of life I had come to prime candidate for dismissal. But the Sen- regard as a fantasy. ate Committee on Promotion and Tenure Q:, When did you becomeinterested in the miscalculated. It voted to deny me tenure on the grounds that I wasn't a good enough A: Not long after, I went to a lecture on teacher-when just a couple of years before Objectivism, and it was then that I grasped a faculty association had named me one of that Ayn Rand waspresenting a whole view the outstanding university teachers in of the world, and that by using your mind . It became clear that the reason for you could identify what you wished to the vote was ideological. I was told by peo- achievein life. Personally,that meant that ple on the Committee that they had never my dreamsdidn't haveto remain dreams, seen the Marxists rally as strongly. So I that I could fight to build a life that was not appealed the decision, mentioning the also I teaching prize, and including a letter of Objectioistshaoe come to know only exciting, but what really John Atlas right away, then recommendation from Frederick von Ridpath as the tall professorwith the reso- wanted. I reread I could find-in Hayek whom I had met while doing some nant ooicewho, when not teachingeconomics started reading everything philosophy..-- research at the.':and and social scienceat- York Unizsersityiit istory, -- who had just won the Nobel prize in eco- ,is on theroad, debating and lectuing Qz How did you changeyour mind about nomics. York ended up not only giving me on subjectsranging the moral defenseof Ieaztinethe furaiture business behind? from dramatic.I took a one-year tenure, but also a promotion. And since to the philosophyof Frederick A: It ivasvery program Toronto, and then got then, they've left me alone to design Nietzsche.Had "fate" preoailed,hozleoer, MBA at of Virginia's Ph.D. courses and teach as I wish. this Ridpath would not be as he is- into the University John you profes- eitherphysically or intellectually. programin ,even though, at that Q: What do hope to accomplish point, I didn't think I wasintellectually up sionally in the future? Qz Let's start with the physicalside of your to gettinga Ph.D. At the beginningof my A: Ofer the years I have worked hard to story. In what ways werelou not "fated" to secondyear at Virginia somegraduate stu- become more at home in the world of ideas be the physicallyactioe l}-year-old man you dents,including me, wereasked to teachan (it was a long way from being a non- haoebecome? introductory economicscourse to under- intellectual engineer), and I have become A: As a boy, I was short for my age,frail, graduates.It was the kind of requestyou increasingly interested in the role that phil- often sickly, and I fought very hard not to iust couldn't refuse.And within onemonth osophical ideas play in history. I would like be weak. In my teens, I got involved in of that courseI knew with total conviction to give a course and perhaps write a book sports,liftedweights and spenta lot of time what I wantedto do with the restof my life. on intellectual history, focusing on those running and swimming.By 22,I becamea To teach. I phoned home and told my thinkers who transmitted ideas from the CanadianNational backstrokechampion, motherto sellthe business,and I got down major philosophers to the culture. And I then took up skiing and tennis.This battle to work on my Ph.D. am now doing research on the history and againstmy original constitutionled me to Qt lVhatdid you like aboutteaching? importance of the concept of man's rights, appreciatethe physicalside of life. A: I(/hat I loved, and still do, is to work about which I hope to write a maior work. Q: \Vhatelse did "fate" havein storefor you through demanding,complex things and Q: What about vour non-DrofessionalPlons? whenyou weregrowing up? then put them in a form that a youngmind A-: I hope to win a \Toild"Masters-Laser A: From a very youngage I had beentold can graspand enioydigesting. I love to see Championship, a sailing competition I've that I was expectedto spend my life run- that glow that studentscan have when they been involved in for the last severalyears. I ning my father's furniture businessand,in Iearnand grow. will continue to enioy the cabin I helped to Lake in Ontario's Algon- someway,I actuallydid feel that this was Q: Did your known affiliation with Objec- build on Canoe Ridpath's quin Park. where I spend summers sailing, my fate. I felt that taking over tlptV-epq-ewp,y-o42roJejs,i9!rsl-2ro.blg!* a .---., Fuiruture was goiniiio-be tnETeginnm-gof A: ln a srgnltrcantway, only once. ln lvol, canoelng,htkrng, -.-. readlng...generallylov- the greynessof the rest of my life. But I I left Virginia to accepta teachingposition ing the ruggedisolation and beautyof the didn't know what I could do about it. at .It wasiust startingup, wilderness.Foremost, I'll continue to my sons Q: How did you postpone"the ineoitable?" and they were eager for Canadianfaculty enioymy threebest friends, Jeffer- A: First, of course,I went throughcollege members,even ones like me who hadn't son (24 yearsold) and Casey(21) and my (19). just [graduatingfrom the yet finishedtheir dissertations.But about7 daughter, Larkin In sum, I'm in 1959 with a combination engineering- yearslater, at about the sametime that I going to keep on fighting for everything businessmaior], and then I accepteda job was finishing it, I was alsocoming up for that I want and enjoy. offer, telling myself and my family that I neededexperience in a large industry to do a really good job with the funiture busi- ness.I wasabout 25 by then, but alreadyI NEWS BRIEFS was losing the sensethat my life would be challenging and exciting. I was beginning I On April 25, the day beforeDr. Leonard and painting; Nort Buechnerat Michigan, to feel that my hopes for the future were Peikoff'sFord Hall Forum appearance,the on the root of terrorisml 's just fantasies,and that I would just haveto Institute will host an informal party at Har- "$Testerntour" of Oregon State, Berke- let them go....Then, someonegave me a vard for CampusClub members.For infor- ley, San FranciscoState and UCLA' on copyof ,saying that it might mation about Dr. Peikoff's talk, "My epistemology;Ed Locke at MIT, on reason make me think about how I could live my Thirty Years \trfith Ayn Rand: An Intellec- and emotion;John Ridpathat Harvard, on life differently. tual Memoir": call Ford Hall Forum at man'srights. (617) r 'We are pleasedto note that more clubs Q: In zohatways did it? 338-5350. A: It didn't...right away.I wasthe kind of r Recentappearances by membersof the are now offering Dr. Peikoff's tape lecture pre- "engineering-type"back then who hadn't SpeakersBureau include: Harry Bins- courses.In 1986, 14 courseswere read much. So when I first read Atlas, 1 wangerat Carnegie-Mellon,on philosophy sentedon l3 campuses. THEORY and PRACTICE WHERETHERE'S A WILL... The Institute is sponsoringits first seminar in advancedphilosophy. In mid- A Los Angeles computer analyst where he had reserved space. Thirty stu- February, Dr. Harry Binswangerbegan a recently proved that one doesn't have to be dents came, and within three months the seriesofweekly telephoneconferences with a college student in order to form a campus club was one of the most active in the coun- four philosophy students. The Institute club. In fact, one doesn't have to have any try, had invited all graduatestudents enrolled involvement in academia at all. Using the same "postering" tech- in Ph.D. programsin philosophyto apply The story about the way in which Phil nique, Coatesand a group offriends subse- for admission. Dr. Binswangerthen Coates helped to organize the Objectivist quently helped to start new clubs on five selected the participants on the basis of club at UCLA is repeated for the benefit of other campuses in Southern California.* philosophical papers they had submitted. those ARI contributors who write to us Although it is essential that students The primary purposeof the seminaris asking what they can do to help further'the themselves assume full responsibility for to offer individualized training in both Institute's goals. running campus clubs, non-studentscan be theoreticaland "applied" philosophy. Coates began with posters-many of instrumental in initiating the first student Dr. Binswangeris covering basic phi- them. Last November, he papered the get-together, providing promotional/adver- losophy by conducting an intensive, line- UCLA campus with announcements that tising assistance and giving prospective by-line study of Ayn Rand's Introductionto the first meeting of the Obiectivist club was club members practical, organizational ObjectioistEpistemologjt. And he is teaching to be held in a Student Union restaurant. advice. techniquesin "philosophicaldetection" by Alumni, in particular, might be able to analyzing the philosophic content of arti- NEW CLUBS assume important roles in establishing cles on ethics and politics. Additionally, clubs. It has been suggestedthat by utiliz- the seminaris providing practical,profes- Calif. Inst. of Technology* ing existing contacts, placing ads in their sionalguidance. The centralissue: how to Calif. StateUniv., Fullerton* alma maters' newspapers, and/or by con- cope with the -diffi,cultiesinherent in suc. eaff. StateUniv., Long Peach* tacting potential club members (through cessfullypursuing an academiccareer in Calif. StateUniv., Northridge* ARI), alumni can provide invaluable today'suniversities. Claremont Colleges(So. Calif.) organizational assistance. If this educationalexperiment proves Oakland Univ. (Michigan) If you are interested in becoming effective, the Institute may underwrite SimonFraser Univ. (British Columbia) involved in the Campus Club project, other philosophic training programsin the Univ. of Calif., Irvine* pleasecontact the Institute for information. future. ATTENTION: SPECIAL AT YALE INTEREST GROUPS The ObiectivismStudy Group at Yale wasalso predictable-but not asmixed. In During the upcoming Jefferson is not one of the largest campusclubs nor the of'86, after finding out that School'sthird summerconference, sched- oneof the most active.But sinceits incep- Yale's residentialcolleges can sponsor uled for August2 - 16,1987,at the Univer- tion in December,1985, its six hard-core coursesgiven by teacherswho are not on sity of California,San Diego, the Institute membershave been engagedin ideological the faculty, Berliner, Rubin and the will hold informal "after-hours" meetings battlesof a unique and seriouskind. Group'sco-chairman, Todd Lencz,started for Objectivistswho sharecommon profes- Most recently,under the aegisof an ad a campaignto win acceptancefor a course sionaland/or educationalinterests. hoc group calling itself "The Committee on the philosophy of Obiectivism to be To generatenew ideas for Institute for Feedom," the Yale Objectivistshelped taught by Dr. Harry Binswanger.They proiects, the Institute plans to assemble to stagea seriesof eventsto raiseawareness found a residential college that seemed various "special-interest"groups, includ- on campus of the brutality of the Soviet willing to becomea sponsor,completed the lng: * Union's political system.They erecteda necessarypaperwork, and made arrange- Lawyers-to explore how the symbolicgulag-a barbed-wirestructure in ments for Dr, Binswangerto submit the Institutecan become involved in issuesrel- which were placed wooden tombstones, required materials regarding the course evant to Obiectivismwith the long-range each representinga Soviet state, each and his own qualifications, which would goal of developinga legaladjunct of ARI. * marked with the number of people who haveto be reviewedand approvedby more Medical professionals-todevelop have died under Communism. The Soviet than a dozen faculty-student committees. further interest in 's Union's tombstoneread: 80 million. In an attempt to convincethe "necessary "Medicine: The Death of a Profession" The studentsalso sponsoreda lecture people" that the course was worthwhile and other pertinentARI profects. waspos- * by a Yale professor,who had fled from the and to ascertainwhether approval Businessmen-todiscuss methods of SovietUnion, and they stagedmock KGB sible, the Obiectivist students then began spreadingObjectivism to that part of the arrestsof peoplewhom they had chosento "lobbying." In the fall of'86, after dis- businesscommunity which, if awareof the speakopenly of Sovietatrocities. covering that thetcourse would likely philosophy,would be receptiveto it. grounds Dr. Bins- * By timing these events to coincide be rejectedon the that Graduatestudents in philosophy-to with the showing of the purportedly anti- wangerdid not possessthe "necessaryaca- discusshow the Institute might provide Communist television mini-series "Amer- demic and publishing credentials," the more intellectualand practicalassistance. group the course proposal-for * ika, " the studentswere able to obtain both withdrew Campus club organizersand mem- national and local press coverage. Addi the time being. bers-to exchangeideas about specific tionally, having built the gulag near the Berliner had spoken to two members issuessuch as expandingmembership; "shanties" that Yale'sleftist studentshad of the Philosophy Department, which advertisingand publicity; increasingphilo- erected to declare their support of would have the final word on whether or sophicinterest among students, etc. (as * divestiture in South Africa leftist stu- not the course would be approved. Their High-schoolteachers-to discuss the dents have done throughout the country), generalview, shesays, is that Obiectivism EssayContest, the Chamberof Commerce The Committeefor Freedomdemonstrated is not evenworthy of discussion,much less prolectand othermeans of bringing Objec- that the left does not have a monopoly on a course,because it is not a "serious" phi- tivism into the high schools. * political activism. Dana Berliner and losophy. In an article about the Obiec- Objectivistsfrom foreign countries- Arthur Rubin, two of the Study Group's tivism Study Group that waspublished in a canbe dissemi- to discusshow Oblectivism founders,report that campusreaction was Yale student magazine, The New Journal, nated more actively outside of the English- predictably mixed. However, one family R.LG. Hughs,the directorof Undergradu- speakingworld. from New Haven left flowers in front of the ate Studies of Philosophy, says that the For information about the conference Lithuanian tombstone. idea of adding an Oblectivist seminarto the itself, pleasewrite to The JeffersonSchool, Unfortunately, reaction to the Objec- curriculum was rejected,calling the philos- Box 2934,Laguna Hills, CA 92654.Since tivism Study Group's malor undertaking ophy "disreputable." (SeeYaIe, p. 4) attendanceis limited, it is suggestedthat reservationsbe madeas soonas possible. 3 (Unilerground,continued from p. 1) (Yale, continued from p. 3) win-Mikke will be able to publish such out government permission, of course) to In fact, the Obiectivist students with- lengthy booksas TheFountainhead or Atlas plan how it can bring free enterprise to drew the course before it could be rejected Shrugged,which had been his intention. Poland. According to Korwin-Mikke, the so that they would be able to propose it More likely, for the presentat least, he will government treats the left, particularly the again at a later date. "Given the tremen- bring out essaysfrom The Virtue of Self- Solidarity movement, more severely than dous ideological opposition we encoun- ishness. its actual ideological enemies. tered, we knew we couldn't give them any Although there is more freedom in Since little is known in the'West about seemingly legitimate grounds to reject the Poland than in the other Soviet satellite what is, in fact, occurring in Poland, ARI courser" says Berliner. "Even though Dr. states, and far more than in the Soviet discussed the situation with a State Depart- Binswanger is, in fact, one of the most Union, Korwin-Mikke is not a free man. A ment official. He verified that Poland is an qualified people to teach Obiectivism, we mathematician by profession, he says he anomaly in the Communist world and said realized that the course only had a chance if was dismissedfrom the university in which that although the mechanism for repression it were taught by a professor who is as he had taught becauseof his anti-govern- exists, and dissidents are carefully 'qualified' as possible in Yale's terms." ment activities. He has been arrested, monitored, more freedom, of the kind The Objectivism Study Group has although he has never been tried. His described by Korwin-Mikke, exists in been working hard to find such a professor, phonesare tapped, his mail is read by both Poland than in the rest of the Communist and there is reason to believe that the stu- the military and secretpolice, and the gov- bloc. dents will be able to resubmit the course ernment knows about his publishing com- Korwin-Mikke says that his main pur- proposal in the future. panies and the "Liberal Movement," of posein life is to help transform Polandinto Although interested in and hopeful which he is the Acting President. a free, capitalistcountry, which he believes about the course, ARI, like any outside According to Korwin-Mikke, the could happen-without a violent revolu- party, can play no role in what is properly a goy-ernne$,_wbiqh for and facultv political-ideologiqel_qtuglrqqin Poland i$ tion. He savsthat the lqatte! solelv students -A-t* so complicated, and the Jaruzelskiregime has becomeso corrupt and weak, is filled Yale. is in such disarray,that opponentsof the with men who are now making money governmentcan act freely-within limits, through some form of "black marketr" and if they do so carefully.Thus, the gov- i.e., free enterprise, activity. Korwin- The East Germans,of courser'every Pole ernment has not yet attempted to curtail Mikke maintainsthat they thereforedo not answers.'After all, one alwaysplaces duty the flourishing underground publishing havea vestedinterest in maintainingCom- beforepleasure.' " business,which inundatesthe country with munist power becausethey already know \7hat about the dangers to him per- information about the entire political spec- that they could support themselvesin a sonally?"Of coursethere is a risk, I could trum. Capitalismis still taught in the uni- capitalist system. be arrested,put in lail, who knows...butI versities;a book on the subiectwas written Vy'hatabout Sovietintervention? "The like risk," he says."I cannotabide by any recentlyby a professorat the Universityof Soviets would like to restore order in ideology that puts a priority on security or Krakow, onechapter ofwhich is devotedto Poland, but so far they seemto be afraid of safety.If a man has the chanceto win, he Ayn Rand's ideas.Even individuals under taking any action," he says.If the Soviets must fight, and I still believe that there is government surveillanceare permitted to should act, Korwin-Mikke claims that the sucha chancein Poland." travel outside of the country; Korwin- Poleswould fight-and win. The Institute plans to do whatever Mikke has been able to obtain a passport "There's a joke in our country which possibleto assistMr. Korwin-Mikke with- every nine years.And so far, the govern- namesthis issuer" he says,"It goes:'Sup- out compromisinghis safety. And we will, ment has made no attempt to silence the pose Poland is invaded by the Sovietsand of course,keep you informed of any'new "Liberal Movement," which meets(with- East Germans,who would you fight first? developments.

The Ayn Rand Institute NE\ISLETTER is publishedby The Ayn RandInstitute, 330ttrTashington St., Marina del Rey, C490292. All rights reserved(c) 1987.Reproduction without permissionis prohibited. Dr. Michael Berliner, Editorial Director; SusanLudel, SeniorEditor/'V/riter; DorLna Montrezza, AssistantEditor. Issuesare complimentary to all contributors to The Ayn Rand Institute.

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