An Objectivist College
Since 1990, The Objectivist Center's annual summer seminar has
grown from a meeting of nineteen students and scholars to a conference
with over two hundred and fifty participants drawn from a wide range of
backgrounds and ages. Unchanged, though, are the intellectual vigor and
pervasive enthusiasm for the ideas of Ayn Rand. Despite the seminar's
expansion, it remains the pre-eminent site for students at all levels
to learn about Objectivism—and a spiritual home where students can
experience, if just for a week, the sense of what an intellectual
community could and should be.
"We expect the summer seminar to continue to be an exciting place for
students to come and learn about the power, breadth, and depth of
Objectivism as a philosophy and movement," says Manager of Research and
Training William Thomas. "At my first seminar, when I was a graduate
student, I discovered an ideal academic society: one that was committed to
a revolutionary system of thought but that dealt with ideas by the highest
standards of rationality and scholarship. I want that spirit to live on at
this year's summer seminar in Vancouver." Executive Director David Kelley
adds: "We have designed this year's summer seminar to give everyone, but
especially students, an experience of the intellectual excitement
and moral idealism that fires this movement."
The Summer Seminar gets going Saturday, July 1. For first-time
attendees, there will be a special reception to introduce you to other
participants, seminar faculty, and TOC staff members. There will also be a
reception for students and faculty on Sunday, July 2, that will
give you a chance to get to know the faculty on a personal basis and give
the faculty a chance to appreciate your interests and concerns.
The summer
seminar offers a wide-ranging and intensive education in
Objectivism. This year, the conference features two new week-long
courses that will take place in the first morning period of each day. The
essential ideas of Ayn Rand's philosophy provide the topic for the
"Introduction to Objectivism" course taught by William Thomas.
David Kelley will teach "Philosophical Method." Kelley will show
how the Objectivist epistemology entails a specific method of analyzing
philosophical issues, defining concepts, and establishing philosophical
conclusions; he will illustrate the methodological issues with examples
both from material that students encounter in their philosophy classes and
from his own research in philosophy.
Each of the morning courses in Objectivism is structured into compact,
45-minute lectures, like university classes. "This year we've realized a
goal we've been working towards for some time: to offer the core of a
'major in Objectivism' at the Summer Seminar," Thomas says. "The
basic idea is that we would offer, through a variety of means, the
essential courses needed to teach the ins and outs of Objectivism, from
the most basic to the most advanced level. We have many of the elements in
place: the cyberseminar, the advanced seminar, fellowships for graduate
students and scholars doing research in Objectivism. But these are all
advanced, scholarly projects. The summer seminar is the right venue for
the training that gets students of Objectivism to that level.
 "So, in
the 'major in Objectivism,' my Introductory Course is
Objectivism 101. It teaches you what the key ideas of Objectivism are and
shows how they relate to real life and other philosophies.
"Objectivism 201 is the 'Logical Structure of Objectivism' course.
Although we're not offering it this year, we plan to offer it at least
every other year—we also hope to publish the Logical Structure
'textbook' later this year. Dr. Kelley's 'Philosophical Method' course
rounds out the major for those who are familiar with the level of analysis
used in the LSO—you might call this new course Objectivism 401 or
'Advanced Topics,' because it brings students into contact with the
nitty-gritty of cutting-edge philosophical research. Now that we have
these courses as a regular program, you can show up at your first Summer
Seminar knowing hardly anything about Objectivism, and after three years
you'll come away with a sophisticated grasp of the content and method of
the philosophy Ayn Rand founded."
Objectivist scholars are developing a distinctive analysis of
intellectual history and it is represented in summer seminar
courses: Stephen Hicks on German philosophy from Nietzsche to
Heidegger; Northwestern University professor Kevin Hill on the moral
thought of Baruch Spinoza; and East Asian specialist Susanna
Fessler on the impact of enlightenment ideas on Japanese
modernization. David Mayer returns to explain the influence of
radical "Whig" thinkers on the American revolution. And Hill joins
Objectivist pioneer Nathaniel Branden and David Kelley to discuss the
relationship between egoism and "other-regarding" virtues such as
benevolence and intellectual toleration.
Contemporary issues in philosophy also get attention. There will be
courses on Noam Chomsky and the epistemological doctrine of
nativism. Noted political theorist Eric Mack will offer a three-day
seminar for students on Anarchy, State and Utopia, Robert
Nozick's prize-winning and influential investigation of libertarian
rights-theory. Lecturers attempting extensions of Objectivism will include
Will Wilkinson (the theory of "psychological visibility"), Will
Thomas (choosing to rear children), and Diana Hsieh (the theory and
practice of moral habits)
But the intellectual feast comprises more than just philosophy
offerings. Art and literature are also well-represented in the
program, with an examination of the meaning of tragedy by former
literature professor Susan McCloskey and a survey of American music of
the twentieth century by conductor Douglas Wagoner. Each afternoon
offers a smorgasbord of sessions on aesthetics, performance, and
physical and mental fitness. For teens there is Debra Ross's
"Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mind," a workshop on mental independence.
But the summer seminar is not just a first-rate week of intellectual
discovery; it is also a "week in Atlantis," the experience of
living in an Objectivist society. This means meeting people with whom you
may form lifelong relationships, enjoying the laughter and intellectual
give-and-take of the common-room discussions every night, and attending
performances that reflect your deepest values.
For students there is—in addition to contact with peers who share your
premises—the exchanges you will have with the summer seminar's select
faculty. There will be a special career-counseling session, offering
practical advice on the different ways in which one can pursue a career in
the intellectual arena and advance one's philosophical ideals at the same
time. Although the summer seminar offers the diversity of a large
conference, students will also find plenty of personal opportunities to
discuss ideas with leading intellectuals.
Student scholarships and conference-assistanceships are available. See
the Summer Seminar registration forms for more details. The deadline for
scholarships is April 21.
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