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Ayn Rand's Life and Ideas on Television

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Ayn Rand's Life and Ideas on Television Volume 8, Number 6, June 2002 Ayn Rand’s Life and Ideas on Television On May 12, C-SPAN—a cable television channel “We were thrilled,” said Dr. Yaron Brook, ARI with a weekly audience of 28.5 million—broad- executive director, “that C-SPAN selected Ayn Rand cast a two-hour live program on Ayn Rand and for inclusion in the American Writers Series. They The Fountainhead. The program, part of the recognized—and wanted to report on—Miss Rand’s American Writers Series, was rebroadcast on May continuously growing influence on the culture. We 17, along with two panel discussions and one lec- were pleased, too, that they suggested we hold some ture arranged by ARI. Millions more viewers from of the complementary live events.” all over the world can watch recordings of these “The C-SPAN program,” he continued, “was a programs via C-SPAN’s Web site: www.c-span.org. wonderful opportunity to introduce millions of During the two-hour program, Dr. Leonard people to Ayn Rand and her books.” And, because Peikoff, Dr. Eric Daniels, a historian, and Jeff C-SPAN’s programming is often put to use in class- Britting, of the Ayn Rand Archives, fielded ques- rooms and remains available on the Internet, “its tions on Miss Rand’s life and ideas from viewers impact, I think, will extend far beyond those five who called in and from the C-SPAN interviewer. days in May.” “One indication of how many people were watch- Videotapes of the live program may be pur- ing the program,” said Scott McConnell, manager chased directly from the C-SPAN Web site: of ARI’s media department, “is the number of call- www.c-spanstore.com. ers who phoned in with questions.” Within min- — . — utes of going on the air, C-SPAN’s telephone Editor’s Note: Although ARI worked closely switchboard was full—and remained full through- with C-SPAN to help present Miss Rand’s life and out the program. ideas accurately, it should be noted that C-SPAN To capitalize on the attention focused on Miss was responsible for the final editorial decisions. Rand, ARI sponsored a series of lectures, panel In conjunction with the live broadcast, C-SPAN discussions and film screenings in the days lead- aired an old panel discussion on Miss Rand that ing up to and following the live broadcast. Of ARI would not have approved. Additionally, the these events, three were filmed by C-SPAN and Web site of the American Writers Series contains aired in the week after the live program (see some errors and in some cases material that mis- sidebar). (A full roster of events is archived on represents Ayn Rand. (ARI has suggested that our Web site: www.aynrand.org/cspan.) corrections be made.) Fellowship in Objectivism Brook Lecture Causes Stir at University of Texas at Air Force Base During the spring semester of 2002, Dr. Harry In May Dr. Yaron Brook was invited to speak at Binswanger and Dr. Darryl Wright were visiting fac- the National Air Force Intelligence Center, at ulty members at the philosophy department at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Before University of Texas at Austin. Their teaching posts an audience which ranged from civilians to colo- were made possible under the auspices of the Fel- nels, Dr. Brook delivered a lecture on the topic of lowship for the Study of Objectivism. America at war. The room, which seats 100, was at Dr. Binswanger, who taught a graduate course full capacity, and further crowded by about 30 titled “Cognition and Reality,” observed that “This people who stood in back. spring semester marked the first step in establishing The lecture certainly struck a chord. the permanent penetration of Objectivist scholars The scheduled Q&A session lasted 30 min- into the university environment—an environment utes, but stretched for another half-hour after the which had long been closed to the study of Ayn talk. Second Lieutenant Timothy Mapley, an ARI Rand’s philosophy.” supporter who instigated the lecture, reports that Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2 C-SPAN Broadcasts Top to bottom: Course on Ayn Rand Brook to Appear on PBS n Dr. Leonard Peikoff answered questions at Stanford Later this month Dr. Yaron Brook will be a guest from callers during the live C-SPAN on Tony Brown’s Journal, one of the longest- program on Ayn Rand. The University of Texas at Austin was far from running public affairs shows on PBS. The topic n Dr. Eric Daniels, a political historian, is being the only school at which Ayn Rand’s ideas were taught this spring. Thanks to the of the program is “Slavery Reparations: Racism a fellow and research associate at Duke or Justice?” Recorded in May, it is scheduled University’s Program on Values and Ethics efforts of one student, Jason Rheins, Stanford University offered a ten-week, fully accredited to air on Saturday, June 15, at 2 p.m. on KCET (a in the Marketplace. He is an alumnus of PBS station in Los Angeles). ARI’s Objectivist Academic Center. course titled “Introduction to Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand.” Dr. Brook will also appear twice on The n Panel on “The Fountainhead in Today’s World”: With the help of Dr. Onkar Ghate and Dr. McCuistion Program, another PBS show. The topic (left to right) Drs. Harry Binswanger, Michael Darryl Wright, Mr. Rheins developed a curricu- of the first program, which will air in Dallas on June Berliner, Edwin Locke lum for the course, which involved a sequence 16, is Israel’s founding and its current situation; n Jeff Britting, archivist, Ayn Rand Archives, of lectures and discussion sections. The ARI the second program, which will air June 23, is on was interviewed about Ayn Rand’s life as part guest lecturers—Drs. John Ridpath, Yaron possible solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict. of the live C-SPAN broadcast. His lecture, Brook, Andrew Bernstein and Onkar Ghate, and Both McCuistion and Tony Brown’s Journal “Ayn Rand and Hollywood: Soviet Film School Mrs. Amy Peikoff, J.D.—each presented a dif- are syndicated to PBS stations nationwide; to The Fountainhead,” was also broadcast. ferent aspect of Ayn Rand’s philosophy. In these programs may be broadcast in your area, [screenshots by Larry Benson] so check your local listings. Continued on page 4 Brook Lecture Causes Stirat Air Force DISCOVERING Base, continued from page 1 apparently some members of the audience that night “were whispering ‘yes, that’s right!’ throughout AYN RAND’S the talk.” The very next day, he said, “I walked into work between two people who were discussing Dr. Brook’s talk.” Even days later, “many people were PHILOSOPHY asking for written copies of Dr. Brook’s speech, and more are asking where they can get the video Who Is the Final Authority in Ethics? tape, so they can watch it—again.” Lt. Mapley ascribed that positive response to [Each month Impact will suggest readings for fans of Miss Rand’s novels who wish to learn the fact that Dr. Brook’s lecture “certainly didn’t more about her philosophy, Objectivism.] hold back. He confronted the audience with “There are certain “It may not appear to be the same ques- America’s history of moral weakness, bluntly named questions,” wrote tion, but it is—in the sense that it comes the enemy—militant Islam—and dared to tackle the Ayn Rand, “that from the same fundamental error. issue of civilian casualties in war.” Most signifi- must be ques- “The nature of the error will become cant, said Lt. Mapley, Dr. Brook named the essen- tioned—that is, apparent if one applies that question to the tial conflict in this war—reason vs. faith. And he challenged at physical sciences: ‘Who decides what is presented the audience with a positive solution: in their root—be- right or wrong in electronics?’ Or: ‘Is it sci- the short term, eliminate those who seek to initiate cause they con- entific plagiarism to accept and even to use force against us, and in the long term, embrace a sist of smuggling medical principles and therapeutic tech- pro-reason philosophy, Objectivism. a false premise niques discovered by someone else?’ America’s military is the most advanced, the most into the mind of a “It is obvious that the root of such powerful in the history of civilization, said Dr. Brook, careless listener. questions is a certain kind of conceptual but without intellectual ammunition—without moral ‘Who created the vacuum: the absence of the concept of ob- certainty in our principles—we cannot win. “I was universe?’ is one jectivity in the questioner’s mind.” deeply honored by the invitation to address some of such question. In the rest of her essay “Who Is the the men and women who help defend our country,” ‘Do you still beat your wife?’ is another. Final Authority in Ethics?” (in The Voice he continued. “That their response was predomi- And so is the question above. of Reason), Ayn Rand goes on to explain nantly positive, was very encouraging to me.” “It comes up in many different ways, di- the concept of objectivity, its application — . — rectly or indirectly. It is usually asked in in the realm of ethics and the errors that Since September 11, ARI’s Web site has featured some formulation such as: ‘Who decides give rise to such a question. a continually expanding collection of editorials what is right or wrong?’ n See also chapters 4 and 5 of Objectiv- and articles on the war: “Students of Objectivism are not likely www.aynrand.org/medialink/actofwar.html.
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