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aynrand.org/impact Volume 18, Number 1, January 2012 Yaron Brook and Don Watkins’s Upcoming Book Picked Up by Major Publisher ooks play an important role in shaping a cul- by the state’s increasing control over the economy. B ture, which is why ARI has made producing “Americans,” Dr. Brook said, “are more open to high-quality, influential books a centerpiece of pro-capitalist ideas in general and Ayn Rand’s ideas Free Market Revolution: our strategy for spreading Ayn Rand’s ideas. in particular than they have been at any other time How Ayn Rand’s Ideas Can Impact is thrilled to announce that, towards this in recent history. It’s critical that we take advantage end, leading publisher Palgrave Macmillan will of this fact. Our book goes a long way to that end. End Big Government release Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand’s Our goal is to reach the better people on the right Table of Contents Ideas Can End Big Government, written by ARI and help them take a light-year step forward in their executive director Yaron Brook and ARI analyst understanding of capitalism.” Introduction Don Watkins. The book will be available in Commented ARI publishing manager Richard bookstores on September 18. E. Ralston: “The first step to reaching our target Chapter 1— The Incredible Unshrinking Government audience is to get the book into their hands. The Chapter 2—Why Government Grows fact that Palgrave Macmillan will be publishing the Chapter 3—With Friends Like These book will go a long way toward helping us achieve that goal. We want Free Market Revolution to be Chapter 4— The 2008 Housing Meltdown: A Crisis That widely read and talked about, and Palgrave Macmil- Government Built lan’s experience, prestige and marketing and distri- Chapter 5— Rethinking Selfishness bution expertise will help with that enormously.” Chapter 6—The Morality of Success Dr. Brook and Mr. Watkins have been long- time collaborators (see their most recent Forbes Chapter 7—The Business of Business Yaron Brook Don Watkins .com column on page 3), and the book came out of Chapter 8—The Nobility of the Profit Motive “Our book looks at why, no matter which their work together. “We both wanted to do a book party is in power, no matter the mood of the on the morality of capitalism,” said Mr. Watkins, Chapter 9—Selfishness Unleashed electorate, government keeps getting bigger and “but the challenge was to figure out a way to talk Chapter 10—The Dynamism of the Market bigger—and it explains what can be done to stop about these complex philosophic issues in a way Chapter 11— The Regulatory State and Its Victims it,” said Mr. Watkins. “Our answer, in short, is that would be clear, engaging and fun for the aver- that government keeps growing because people age American to read. That was the goal we set for Chapter 12—The Immoral Entitlement State don’t like the fact that capitalism is a selfish sys- ourselves and we can’t wait for readers to judge Chapter 13— You Are Not Your Brother’s Health Care tem.” He added, “What we show is that capital- whether or not we succeeded.” Provider ism is selfish, but that that is a good thing.” Free Market Revolution will be available for Chapter 14—Stopping the Growth of the State Free Market Revolution is targeted primarily to pre-order on Amazon in early April. Check out the those, such as Tea Party activists, who are alarmed table of contents on this page! Objectivist Summer Conference Updates ARI Speakers To Address Congressional Staffers Registration Opening Next Month n the November 2011 issue, we reported that f you are looking for an opportunity this I ARI would hold regular briefing sessions I summer to learn about Ayn Rand’s ideas this year for members of Congress and their and meet other fans of her work, look no staffers. Impact is happy to provide more further than the annual Objectivist summer information about these briefings. conference. Packed with numerous educa- tional offerings from top experts in Objec- tivism and fun social activities, this event promises to be one of the most engaging, informative and inspiring of the year. This year’s conference will take place June 30–July 8 in beautiful San Diego, California, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. ARI will begin taking registrations early next month at objectivistconferences.com. Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina New Event Added to Conference Lineup purchase health insurance (and, if not, whether Panel Discussion on the Legal Challenge to the Patient the entire Act must be invalidated or only the Protection and Affordable Care Act individual mandate) and whether the federal government can use its spending power to force ARI will host nine briefings in 2012, dur- This June, the US Supreme Court will decide the states to expand coverage under Medicaid. ing which we will provide attendees with the the constitutionality of two key provisions of In this timely discussion, panelists will necessary tools to defend capitalism, promote the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act explain the legal issues in the case and the individual rights and further the case of limited (otherwise known as Obamacare). At issue, Supreme Court’s decision and will analyze the government. We will discuss issues ranging from among other things, is whether the constitution impact of the decision from cultural, medical taxes and health care to environmental policy and authorizes Congress to compel individuals to continued on page 4 continued on page 4 Summer Internship Program Now Accepting Applications RI is now accepting applications for its A 2012 summer internship program. This unique three-week program is aimed at college undergraduates new to Ayn Rand’s novels, phi- losophy and the debate surrounding them, and “The Comprachicos” out cognitive guidance—he is actively discouraged combines an educational curriculum on these top- and prevented from pursuing cognitive tasks.” ics with a traditional internship in a professional Each month Impact highlights writings from (“The Comprachicos”) workplace. This year up to thirty college students Ayn Rand’s corpus for fans who wish to learn She argues at length in the essay, originally and recent graduates from a range of disciplines, more about her philosophy, Objectivism. published in 1971, that modern education has backgrounds and viewpoints will be invited to the ultimate effect of “stunt[ing]” a child’s mind, take part in the program at ARI’s main office in he purpose of education, according to Rand, which “means to arrest its conceptual develop- Southern California. On top of this incredible edu- Tis to “teach a student how to live his life—by ment, its power to use abstractions—and to keep cational experience, all of our interns will receive developing his mind and equipping him to deal it on a concrete-bound, perceptual method of a $1,200 scholarship and $500 travel stipend to with reality. He has to be taught to think, to functioning.” assist with living and travel arrangements. understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be In addition to teaching students “the wrong Commented one intern last year: “No taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered method of mental functioning,” Rand argued matter where your studies or interests lie, an in the past—and he has to be equipped to acquire that “modern educators . indoctrinate . chil- internship at ARI is an extremely valuable and further knowledge by his own effort.” (“The Com- dren with the kinds of ideas that will make their rewarding experience. If you are at all inter- prachicos” in Return of the Primitive) intellectual recovery unlikely,” such as the “pre- ested in philosophy, politics, literature or Rand viewed education as holding an impor- dominance of [learning by] memorizing” versus Ayn Rand, you stand to benefit. Even if tant role. “It is ideas,” she said, “that determine “by understanding,” the inculcation of the “mob your experience with Rand is minimal, you the actions of . people, and it is the Educational spirit,” and the “anti-rational indoctrination . will come out of here smarter and more pre- Establishment that determines the ideas of a carried on in the form of slanted, distorted mate- pared to face the world.” nation.” (“The Comprachicos”) rial, of mystic-altruist-collectivist slogans, of Complete applications must be received by In her essay “The Comprachicos,” Rand dis- propaganda for the supremacy of emotions over midnight on April 1, 2012. The program is open cusses the progression of man’s cognitive devel- reason.” (“The Comprachicos”) to college undergraduates, as well as recent high opment and the implications of this process for The result, Rand observed, “is the half- school and college graduates. proper education, and offers a sweeping analysis illiterate college freshmen who are unable to read We would appreciate your assistance in of the impact of the Progressive movement on a book (in the sense of understanding its content, directing any students who may be interested in today’s schools. as against looking at its pages) or to write a paper our program to aynrand.org/internships, where Rand held that “the most crucially important or to spell—or even to speak coherently, which is continued on page 4 part of learning,” is “the process of forming, inte- caused by their inability to organize their thoughts, grating and using concepts . and all of man’s if any.” (“The Comprachicos”) other capacities depend on how well or how badly Rand saw the cultural consequences of the he learns” this skill. “Intelligence,” she noted, “is Progessive education system all around her, from the ability to deal with a broad range of abstrac- the violent campus riots of the 1960s to the rise of New Teaching Resource for tions.