aynrand.org/impact Volume 18, Number 8, August 2012 Summer Internship Program A Record-Setting Year for ARI’s Free Books to Has a Big Impact Teachers Program n June ARI welcomed thirty interns to our Iheadquarters in Irvine, California. The A Message from ARI Executive increase in participation in all of our education students chosen to participate in this highly Director Yaron Brook programs geared toward young people. competitive program (close to 230 applications were received) came from top schools, such as Dear Impact Reader: • First and foremost—and as a direct consequence Harvard, Georgetown and Emory Universities, of the success of this year’s Free Books to Teach- pursuing majors ranging from history and politi- I am very pleased to provide ers Program—our high school essay contests cal science to economics and English. you with a report on the results have set an all-time record, with some 29,000 The interns spent three weeks at ARI, taking of our Free Books to Teachers participants. classes on Ayn Rand’s ideas and their applica- program for the 2011–2012 • Our new Books to Free Market Students program tion to issues today, helping ARI staff with school year. As you will see, we have enjoyed the provided Ayn Rand’s books to students attending office work and learning important office skills. most successful year in the history of this program. summer programs in free market education and Debi Ghate, vice president of Education and internship programs. In its first year, the program Research, commented on the program: “Our Free Books Program Results had more than 8,000 participants; the program’s annual internship program gives us the oppor- As of today, we have received requests from educa- second year is just beginning and we are optimistic tunity to engage closely with students very new tors for more than 412,000 free copies of Anthem, We that interest and participation will grow in 2012. to and intrigued by Ayn Rand’s ideas but pas- the Living, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. • We have increased participation in our summer sionate to learn more. This year’s students were This represents a 50 percent increase over the total internship program in our Irvine office, with thirty a remarkable group of college students, many requests for the 2010–2011 school year. interns this summer—up from twenty last year. from top universities, many of whom are headed Adding this year’s results to our previous years’ [Editor’s note: see related article on this page.] for an intellectual career.” totals, the cumulative results over the program’s continued on page 3 “During their time with us,” Ms. Ghate now-nine-year history are as follows: continued, “these students gained a deeper understanding of Rand’s philosophy and novels, • 2.5 million copies of the novels have been sent to and they left with greater appreciation for her teachers and students. as a serious thinker. We expect their interest • More than 45,000 teachers have participated in the in Rand to continue developing. Some interns program since its inception. will apply to the Objectivist Academic Center, • The novels have been taught in an estimated our distance-learning program; we hope all of 65,000 high school classrooms. the interns will discuss the ideas they learned • Finally, given the fact that the novels are reused in here with their professors and peers for years to subsequent years, we now estimate that roughly come.” six million students have been introduced to One intern said about the program, “I have Ayn Rand’s novels since this program began. left this three-week internship with more than work experience for a resume—I have left with The Broader Impact of the Free Books to a new manner of thinking.” Teachers Program Every day the students took several classes, As a result of our free books program success, taught by ARI staff and other ARI-associated over the past year we have observed a significant intellectuals. ARI senior fellow Onkar Ghate gave several lectures on Rand’s views on rea- Ayn Rand Featured in Playboy Magazine OAC instructor Keith Lockitch discussing environmentalism with the interns son and the purpose and practice of morality. He also spoke about religion in America. OAC instructor Keith Lockitch lectured on The Foun- tainhead, Atlas Shrugged and environmentalism, while fellow instructor Doug Altner spoke about the nature of government, individual rights and Ayn Rand in the July/August 2012 issue of Playboy Ayn Rand in the March 1964 issue of Playboy Rand’s views on economics more broadly. ARI policy director Elan Journo delivered yn Rand gave a wide-ranging interview tion is particularly notable for its breadth. a lecture on egoism in foreign policy, and ARI A for the March 1964 issue of Playboy maga- Topics covered include: guilt, original sin, fellow Don Watkins spoke about the growth of zine. In the July/August 2012 issue, Playboy has emotions, motherhood, religion, morality, romantic government. In addition, John A. Allison, who reprinted excerpts from that discussion. love, sex, hedonism, promiscuity, charity, com- is retired chairman and CEO of BB&T Corpora- In the interview, Rand discusses her work and passion, literature, government, free will, foreign continued on page 2 the implications of her ideas. The frank conversa- policy, nuclear treaties, politicians and others. ARI Participates in Conference on Moral Foundations of Capitalism n May ARI staff participated in the annual BB&T I Moral Foundations of Capitalism Conference in Clemson, South Carolina. Hosted by the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism, the conference sible under a free economy—and a man’s position brought together scholars involved with BB&T Socialism vs. Fascism is determined, not by his productive ability and Foundation programs for the study of the moral achievement, but by political pull and force. foundations of capitalism. In addition to ARI and In this section, Impact highlights writings from “Under both systems, sacrifice is invoked as CISC scholars, close to eighty college professors Ayn Rand’s corpus for fans who wish to learn a magic, omnipotent solution in any crisis—and and deans from around the country attended this more about her philosophy, Objectivism. ‘the public good’ is the altar on which victims three-day event. are immolated. But there are stylistic differences “The conference brings together scholars inter- tatism, the political doctrine that man’s life of emphasis. The socialist-communist axis keeps ested in learning about and discussing the implica- S belongs to the state, has many guises. Two promising to achieve abundance, material comfort tions of Rand’s ideas, especially how they relate to of the dominant forms in which statism mani- and security for its victims, in some indeterminate the theory and practice of capitalism,” commented fested itself in the twentieth century were social- future. The fascist-Nazi axis scorns material com- Debi Ghate, ARI vice president of Education and ism and fascism. As both of these terms are fort and security, and keeps extolling some unde- Research, on ARI’s participation in the event. being used today to characterize the U.S. gov- fined sort of spiritual duty, service and conquest. “Such a gathering,” she continued, “is an ernment’s growing intervention in the economy, The socialist-communist axis offers its victims an ideal venue for ARI’s scholars to engage and it is worthwhile to revisit Ayn Rand’s careful alleged social ideal. The fascist-Nazi axis offers discuss Rand’s moral and political thought with disambiguation of the two. nothing but loose talk about some unspecified form academics from various disciplines, including “The difference between [socialism and fas- of racial or national ‘greatness.’ The socialist-com- economics, philosophy, law, business and politi- cism],” Rand writes, “is superficial and purely for- munist axis proclaims some grandiose economic cal theory. This engagement and discussion con- mal, but it is significant psychologically: it brings plan, which keeps receding year by year. The fas- tinues well after we’ve left Clemson—there has the authoritarian nature of a planned economy cist-Nazi axis merely extols leadership—leadership been a mutual interest by an increasing number crudely into the open. without purpose, program or direction—and power of professors in continued collaboration with ARI “The main characteristic of socialism (and of for power’s sake.” (“The Fascist New Frontier,” after the conference ends each year.” communism) is public ownership of the means of The Ayn Rand Column) ARI staff participated as speakers for seve- production, and, therefore, the abolition of private Elsewhere, Ayn Rand elaborated on the funda- ral events at the conference. ARI senior fellow property. The right to property is the right of use and mental attribute of all forms of statism. “A statist Onkar Ghate hosted a breakout session for new disposal. Under fascism, men retain the semblance system—whether of a communist, fascist, Nazi, attendees, introducing them to Ayn Rand’s ideas. or pretense of private property, but the government socialist or ‘welfare’ type—is based on the . Dr. Ghate also spoke on a panel to all attendees holds total power over its use and disposal. government’s unlimited power, which means: on about the role of philosophy in economics. ARI “Under fascism, citizens retain the responsi- the rule of brute force. The differences among statist executive director Yaron Brook spoke to first- bilities of owning property, without freedom to act systems are only a matter of time and degree; the time attendees about Rand’s views on capitalism and without any of the advantages of ownership. principle is the same. Under statism, the govern- and participated in a panel about Ayn Rand’s for- Under socialism, government officials acquire all ment is not a policeman, but a legalized criminal mulation of the trader principle.