A Great Week in Vancouver

The Objectivist Center held its Fifteenth Annual Summer Seminar in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 3rd -10th. The event featured a stellar program, the yearly gathering of Objectivists, and an abundance of events. Throughout the week, participants enjoyed the beauty of the area, intellectual stimulation, and the company of like-minded individualists.

William Thomas organized an incredible array of speakers in his first year in charge of the entire program. Jason Gibson said, "A week in which my most difficult choice is between the greater of two goods (vs. the lesser of two evils) is a wonderful thing." What a variety of choices!

The highlight of the event was David Kelley's two-part presentation on "Islamic Philosophy: The Good, the Bad, and the Dangerous." Kelley also gave his usual "State of the Culture" address; presented a new talk on epistemology, entitled "What Knowledge Is"; and participated in a panel on libertarianism.

Each day of the seminar began with sessions of two six-part courses. Thomas taught a morning class on "Analyzing the Harmony of Interests," an in-depth look at Ayn Rand's theory that there is not a conflict of interest among rational men but a harmony of interests within the Trader Principle, including non-self- sacrifice, existential independence, non-deception, and non-coercion. Thomas examined problem cases within that structure and provoked substantial debate on the topic. The other morning course was "The Basics of Objectivism," led by Shawn Klein. He laid out an overview of the entire system of Objectivism for beginners and those who wanted to review the core of the philosophy.

Nathaniel Branden presented "New Reflections on Self-Esteem," critiquing the psychological movement that he started and criticizing its misinterpretation. In addition, Duncan Scott conducted a live interview with Dr. Branden to give the participants an inside look at the interviewing process in the Objectivist History Project. Scott also presented clips of his recent interviews with Joan Kennedy Taylor and Ed Snider.

Other philosophy presentations included Eric Mack's "Is Ignorance Bliss?" and Douglas Rasmussen's student workshop on "Rand and Veatch's Ethics." The always-entertaining Fred Seddon spoke about "Atlas Shrugged and Business Ethics," touching on his experience teaching that subject using Rand's epic novel. He also presented a provocative program entitled "The Four-Fold Theory of Truth." A well-attended panel on the relationship of Objectivism and libertarianism featured Robert Bidinotto, Eric Mack, Lindsay Perigo, and David Kelley.

Throughout the seminar, a variety of classes focused on the arts. Alexandra York presented "Art as a Spiritual Experience" and ran a workshop on the same subject. Stephen Hicks offered his views about "Philosophy and the Origins of Modern Art." Michael Newberry talked about "Innovation in Art" and was gracious enough to sell prints of his work through the Objectivism Store at the seminar. Douglas Wagoner and Michael Shapiro discussed inspiring music in "Listening to Baroque Music" and "The Music of Star Wars: Appreciation and Analysis." John Enright presented "The Poetry of Love"; first-time presenter Shannon Ringvelski spoke about "Reading Contemporary Fiction"; and Patrick Stephens talked about theatrical improvisation and gave a workshop where students did improvisational work.

Political and policy classes added to the program as well. Washington, D.C., Director Ed Hudgins talked about "The Ethical Infrastructure of a Free Society" and "Can a New Individualism Save the Republic?" Sam Kazman's provocative theme was "Demonize, Then Pulverize—New Template for Destroying Industry." Local policy expert Michael Walker explained the situation in his country with "Freedom in Canada." Patrick Stephens spoke about "Bioethics and the Making of Man." Robert Bidinotto gave a two-part presentation on "Guerilla Activism" and followed up with a workshop on the same topic. Robert Poole posed an interesting suggestion: "Let Government Go Bankrupt." Tibor Machan compared regulation by the government with the prohibited practice of prior restraint in free speech law. Then in a separate presentation he answered the question "Are Principles of Morality and Politics Stable and Lasting?"

There was a wide range of other fascinating topics. Molly Hays spoke about "The Necessity of Romantic Love." Francisco Villalobos presented "Exercise for Busy Objectivists" with the provocative subtitle (Look Better Naked), but without actual nudity. Marsha Enright and Christopher Robinson explored the nature of creativity. Robinson also spoke about "Psychological Pitfalls of Induction." Lindsay Perigo gave a moving presentation entitled "The Elixir of Youth." James Lepeyre gave his views about "Applying Objectivist Principles to Business Management." Don Hauptman spoke of his experiences in buying the original manuscript and materials for Ayn Rand's Playboy interview and gave revealing insights into that groundbreaking article.

The participants and faculty members talked about a variety of topics in Participant Sponsored Seminars. The topics included a presentation on induction by Glenn Fletcher; a talk geared at the obstacles for young Objectivists, entitled "An Objectivist Tool-Kit" by Scott Schneider; a presentation on life coaching by Steve Nahm; a talk about art movements by Jason Walker; and numerous additional presentations by Tibor Machan.

The annual Advanced Seminar preceded the Summer Seminar, featuring presentations on epistemology, ethics, free will, and the formation of the concept of the mind. Scholars David Kelley, William Thomas, Edward Hudgins, Heather Demarest, Paul Vanderveen, and Merlin Jetton all presented papers, and the author of each paper received constructive criticism from the seminar participants.

The Summer Seminar festivities started with the welcome barbecue and concluded with dining and dancing at the Hyatt Regency, Vancouver. In between, attendees enjoyed a variety of the many delights the Vancouver area offers, including beaches, parks, hiking, climbing, restaurants, and nightclubs. One highlight was Jennifer Iannolo's gourmet-dining excursion. In addition, the Center's sponsors were treated to a sumptuous dinner at the Vancouver Club. And every evening many people gathered in the common room for deep—and not so deep—conversation, music, and laughter late into the night.

The seminar ran well as usual. Organizing individualists is often compared with herding cats—Jamie Dorrian and Tim Richmond herded the cats with remarkable skill.

When it was all over, Center sponsor Jordan Zimmerman summed up the feelings of many seminar participants: "This is the only time of the year that I can live in a community of people who share my values. This is the only place that I don't have to be shy or worried about professing my admiration for Ayn Rand, my belief in egoism and personal happiness and advocacy of being rational."