Thursday Course Descriptions

Liberty of Contract
-David N. Mayer, Ph.D.

For a brief period (1897-1937), the U.S. Supreme Court declared that maximum-hours laws, minimum-wage laws, housing-segregation laws, and other laws that denied individuals their freedom to bargain over the terms of their own contracts were unconstitutional. Then, as part of the "New Deal Revolution," the Court ceased to protect liberty of contract as a fundamental constitutional right. Why did it take the court so long to recognize this right, and why did it abandon it? These and other questions will be answered in this two-part lecture, which explores the Court's liberty of contract jurisprudence as an illustration of the problem Ayn Rand identified as "context-dropping." David N. Mayer is professor of law at Capital University and the author of The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson.

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Plato and Objectivism
-Fred Seddon, Ph.D

Dr. Fred Seddon, after exploring suggestions on how to read a Platonic dialogue, examines the Objectivist interpretations of Plato and argues that Plato is a subtle philosopher who probably did not hold many of the unreasonable views that his latter-day followers and foes have ascribed to him. Dr. Seddon has been teaching philosophy since 1962. He is president of the West Virginia Philosophical Society, and an associate of the Center for the Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Ayn Rand, Objectivists and the History of Philosophy.

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Deconstruction, Decay and Decadence in Architecture
-Fred Stitt

The style leaders of contemporary architecture have held forth randomness, nonexistence, and chaos as fundamental values. The results have led to an aesthetic disaster and unprecedented intellectual corruption in architectural criticism and education. This presentation will demonstrate the devastating impact of an irrational philosophy in a realm that many would presume to be grounded in reality. Fred Stitt will document the decay of architectural theory, the current dead end of design theory, and the emergence of a new architecture of the Enlightenment. In 1993, Mr. Stitt founded his experimental school, the San Francisco Institute of Architecture, as "a safe place for the Howard Roarks of our time."

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Do Americans Still Value Freedom?
-Edward L. Hudgins, Ph.D.

Most Americans, when asked, express strong support for a free society. Why do they often favor politicians and policies that limit their liberty and take their property? Ed Hudgins will examine evidence of Americans' confused attitudes toward freedom and the causes of these contradictions. These will include the use of "freedom" as a feel-good word, confusions about positive and negative freedom, the belief in prerequisites to freedom such as antitrust laws and government schools, and a failure to link specific policies to a denial of freedom. He will conclude with tips on how to promote a consistent support for liberty. Dr. Hudgins served as senior economist to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, and is director of regulatory studies at the Cato Institute.

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Acting Techniques for Personal Growth
-Nell Robinson, M.A.

The techniques that actors use to create full, rich, imaginary characters on stage can also be applied to oneself and one's actual life. The goal of the workshop is to develop greater imagination, spontaneity, expressiveness, and sense of creative purpose. Techniques include imagery, theater games, and improvisation. This is not an acting class; no formal acting is involved and no previous experience is necessary. Nell Robinson is a theatrical producer, director, and teacher with a background in psychology. This course is limited to twenty participants.

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Forgiveness and Redemption
-Diana Mertz-Hsieh

The concepts of forgiveness and redemption have a rich history within Christianity, but are largely ignored within Objectivism. In daily life, nevertheless, Objectivists need to respond to moral failings, both in others and in themselves, in a constructive, principled fashion. Diana Hsieh will examine the rational functions that moral redemption, forgiveness, and apology play in our lives and their relation to the Objectivist virtue of justice. Ms. Hsieh is an independent writer and lecturer on philosophy and technology, as well as the owner and co-editor of GeekPress.com, a technology news web site. Please note the schedule change. This talk is now on Thursday.

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How to Save the World
-James Jeck, Ph.D.

Cultural change, especially the kind of sweeping cultural change that Objectivists advocate, takes time. But there are tactics, strategies and practices that can accelerate the process of change. James Jeck will examine different theories about how ideas spread, and offer suggestions on how Objectivists can save the world. Dr. Jeck holds a Ph.D. in marketing and is a marketing and sales consultant in North Carolina.

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