• • • Object lesson 
Brooke Gladstone, NPR - On The Media Altruism  Atheism  Atlas Shrugged movie  Ayn Rand Institute  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Personal life  Audio  Audio. “Think you know reality? Ayn Rand did, and through her novels and nonfiction she gave legions of followers a practical philosophy by which to live. Brooke looks at the enduring legacy of the original Objectivist.”

BROOKE GLADSTONE: Ayn Rand thinks that people who raise money for other people or provide services for other people in an organized way are weak and deluded. JEFFREY BRITTING: Absolutely not. That is a flat-out distortion of Ayn Rand from A to Z. And if you wish to see the evidence for that, please consult her novels and please consult her views on charity, and please consult her views on scholarships and please consult her views on friendship and giftgiving and Christmas and good cheer. [CLIP] PHIL DONAHUE: You don't like altruists. AYN RAND: I disapprove of them. I regard them as evil. 08:29 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Ayn Rand 101 
Bruce McCall, Washington Independent (DC) Altruism  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Satire.Ayn Rand Syllabus [....] Assignment: Describe the triumph of free enterprise and laissez-faire capitalism in America’s 19th-century “Golden Age” of child labor, union-busting, monopolies, debtors’ prisons. Tell why Upton Sinclair was a quiche head. 06:13 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Ayn Rand studies on campus, courtesy of BB&T 
Clark Davis, NPR - Morning Edition Atlas Shrugged  Capitalism  Egoism  Audio  On grants given by BB&T to universities, including Marshall University in West Virginia, for the study of Objectivism.Rick Wilson, a sociology instructor at Marshall and head of the West Virginia Economic Justice Project, says that Rand’s philosophy, objectivism, is based on the view that selfishness is the only moral value. “[Objectivism] goes against the collective wisdom of the human race, I think, pretty much everywhere," says Wilson. “I think it’s a curious interpretation of philanthropy to use corporate money to promote, really, an extreme philosophy.” 06:42 AM    View blog reactions

• • • In defence of humanity 
Kelly Habecker, Hawaii Reporter (Honolulu) The Fountainhead  Student essay on The Fountainhead.Howard Roark is a man who, against all the trials of his society, lives and fights only for himself and his rights to exist as an individual, and in doing so shows the reader the personal imperative to truly live, on pain of losing one’s humanity. The Fountainhead is a testament to the potential of man, of the tenuous strength of man’s attempts to assert his potential, and of the necessity of man to continue to be himself in his own life in defence of his very Self. 06:14 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Objectivism, the journal, and the future: An interview with Craig Biddle 
Mark Da Cunha, Capitalism Magazine The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Interview with the publisher of The Objective Standard.[Q:] How did you discover Ayn Rand’s works? [A:] I used to design furniture for a living, and one day a client who knew I was interested in philosophy suggested that I read The Fountainhead. I was not a reader of fiction, let alone of 700-page novels, but my client spoke so highly of the book that I humored her and borrowed it. A few days later, I opened it thinking I’d just read a page or two and get bored. Well, that didn’t happen. I couldn’t put it down. 07:56 AM    View blog reactions

• • • An interview with Lisa Van Damme: About education and Objectivism 
Michael F. Shaughnessy, EdNews [Q:] Who has influenced you? [A:] The greatest influence on my philosophic views broadly was the philosopher Ayn Rand, and the greatest influence on my educational philosophy was Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand's intellectual heir and the father of one of my first students. I discovered Ayn Rand in college and was awed by her philosophic insights, which, in contrast to all I had learned in my philosophy classes, made sense, were consistent with my life experiences, gave new order and intelligibility to the world around me, and identified rational principles by which I could guide my actions in order to live a fulfilled and joyful life.  03:28 PM    View blog reactions

• • • Ayn Rand: Casting the ‘Atlas Shrugged’ movie 
Heidi N. Moore, Wall Street Journal - Deal Journal Atlas Shrugged movie  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Deal Journal readers like Objectivist author Ayn Rand. So, good news for Rand fans who can tear themselves away from their copies of the Romantic Manifesto long enough to get to a theater: a new Atlas Shrugged movie is in the works, and a new Fountainhead (potentially starring Brad Pitt) may not be far behind.  07:37 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Student criticizes Cigar for using Ayn Rand Institute letters in OpEd 
Colin Giblin, The Good 5¢ Cigar (U of RI) Ayn Rand Institute  Letter to the editor.Enough of this solicitation from the Ayn Rand Institute. Once was enough to get people upset over the ignorance still prevalent in our society, but twice is bordering on becoming the Ayn Rand Institute newsletter. That is something I hope you are not. These mass-mailed letters are coming from a source that is from all angles I can see a cult. The institute is based on the beliefs of an author from the 1940s. 07:46 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Interview: Lionsgate’s Michael Burns 
Scott Holleran, Box Office Mojo Atlas Shrugged movie  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Interview with the vice chairman of Lionsgate, the company working on an Atlas Shrugged movie.[Q:] Will Brad Pitt portray John Galt? [A:] No. I think Brad wants to play Howard Roark if they ever get [an adaptation of Ayn Rand's 1943 novel] The Fountainhead going. He's a big architectural fan, almost a [architect] Frank Gehry groupie. Maybe we'll have dueling Ayn Rand projects, though I think Paramount has [rights to] The Fountainhead. I wish we had it; I like that very much as well.  07:24 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Vadim Perelman shows The Life Before Her Eyes 
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net Atlas Shrugged movie  Atlas Shrugged  Interview with the writer/director.[Q:] You've optioned and adapted a few books, so as far as having the original author involved, what's your take on that? [A:] So far, I've had three, now four, adaptations that I've done to date. I did "The Giver" which is like a big huge young adult novels, and then I'm just in the process of doing "Atlas Shrugged"... well, that author is dead, but she has millions of minions that are watching over me. [Q:] I know a lot of people who consider that book their favorite book, and it's a really hard book to try and adapt. [A:] It's kind of like "Lord of the Rings" in a way. There's a very vocal fandom and community and very intelligent ones at that, so you can't really f**k around with them.  08:32 AM    View blog reactions

• • • John Aglialoro on the Atlas Shrugged movie 
Susan Paris, The Atlasphere Atlas Shrugged movie  Atlas Shrugged  Interview with the executive producer of the upcoming Atlas Shrugged movie.[Q:] Who is John Galt? [A:] He’ll probably be played by an unknown. [Q:] The music of Rand’s character Richard Halley plays an important part in the novel. What are your plans for music? [A:] I’m looking for an epic musical composition, the sort that contributed so much to films like Out of Africa, The Natural, and Titanic. 09:33 PM    View blog reactions

• • • Film Clips: On why the ‘Atlas Shrugged’ film should be canned 
Kim Voynar, Cinematical Atlas Shrugged movie  Ayn Rand Institute  Atlas Shrugged  Leonard Peikoff  As a fan of Rand's work (although I have disagreements with many aspects of her philosophy), and having read everything she's written at least three times, this is what I think: The only reasonable way I see to make a film of Atlas Shrugged is to make it as a mini-series. 09:29 PM    View blog reactions

• • • Interview: Director Vadim Perelman 
Scott Holleran, Box Office Mojo Atlas Shrugged movie  Atlas Shrugged  Interview with the writer and director of the upcoming film version of Atlas Shrugged.[Perelman:] The tone of the Atlas Shrugged script is like the novel—though there are differences. The Doomsday device is not there, [the character] Cheryl's not there—but Lillian Rearden is. So are most major characters but I don't want to say too much because it's still in development. 07:46 PM    View blog reactions

• • • It’s a flee country 
James Taranto, Wall Street Journal OpinionJournal The Virtue of Selfishness  In an item yesterday, we asked: “Aren't Ayn Rand admirers usually known for their jolly sense of humor?” There is some evidence the answer is no. Reader Steven Brockerman disapproves of humor: “As you know, humor is essentially rooted in mockery. Humor is for tearing down--the pretentious; the presumptuous; the posturing. Not the great and the heroic. It's also camouflage for the coward.” 07:39 PM    View blog reactions

• • • Naked city 
Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle Atlas Shrugged  An out-of-state bank has given UT-Austin $2 million to espouse the work of Ayn Rand. BB&T Corp., which has branches in 11 states (but not Texas), made the gift to establish a chair in the Department of Philosophy for the study of objectivism, the philosophical movement Rand established. The gift came after the department and UT philosophy professor Tara Smith approached the bank and its CEO, Rand advocate John Allison. [....] A 1991 Book of the Month Club ad claimed that her novel Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book after the Bible, but her longtime collaborator Nathaniel Branden called her work "intellectually restrictive." In 1964, Rand told Playboy that Hitler and Stalin's shared problem was that they "lacked self-esteem" and that people who place family and friends above work are immoral. 11:16 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Capitalism shrugged: Should Ayn Rand be required reading? 
Heidi Moore, Wall Street Journal - Deal Journal Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Rand has a bit of a reputation problem among those who have not drunk the Kool-Aid. Greed and selfishness generally get a bad rap, no matter how you try to redefine them. And there’s a my-way-or-the-highway absolutism about Rand’s work — “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil,” she once wrote — that may be at odds with today’s cooperative, interlocked financial system, where codependency is the rule. 10:57 AM    View blog reactions

• • • CEOs pushing Ayn Rand studies use money to overcome resistance 
Matthew Keenan, Bloomberg Atheism  Ayn Rand Institute  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Yaron Brook  After BB&T mandated that some schools teach “Atlas Shrugged,” grant seekers became aware of [CEO John] Allison's interest and now tailor their applications by stating up front their interest in Rand, [BB&T spokesman Bob] Denham said. Scholars scoff at the Rand bounty, saying her ideas are too shallow to build courses around her. “Rand could not write her way out of a paper bag,” said Harold Bloom, a professor of the humanities and English at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Bloom, 77, is the author of “The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages” (Harcourt, 1994), an examination of the most important works in Western literature. Rand isn't on the list.  06:51 AM    View blog reactions

• • • An interview with Tore Boeckmann: The creativity of Ayn Rand 
Michael F. Shaughnessy, EdNews Anthem  Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  [Q:] What are the philosophical issues that Ayn Rand wrote about that you see as particularly salient and relevant today? [A:] Ayn Rand dealt with the basic moral and metaphysical issues that confront men in all ages. Just as when she wrote Atlas Shrugged, men today face the choice between living for their own happiness or sacrificing themselves to other people, or to God. However, one thematic aspect of Atlas Shrugged is especially topical today: its demonstration of the crucial importance of reason to human beings and to morality. We are now seeing a resurgence of religious faith - the opposite of reason - in the form of Christianity here in America, and of Islam in Europe. Atlas Shrugged is a crucially needed antidote to this resurgence, and to the notion that morality is to be based on divine edict rather than on the requirements of human survival. 12:54 PM    View blog reactions

• • • Revisiting Ayn Rand 
fw mystic, Gather Atlas Shrugged  The Fountainhead  Capitalism  Egoism  Personal life  I started [...] Atlas Shrugged and put it down almost immediately. To hear a corporate executive put social welfare over profits is a concept I am not familiar with. Especially if it threatens the existence of the corporation. Simply not believeable.Fountainhead is a better read, but I don't understand why Rand's main character has to be so unfeeling, as if you can't be good at what you do and be human. 07:15 AM    View blog reactions

• • • All Atlas can do is shrug 
Ben Weingarten, Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia U, New York) Atlas Shrugged  Capitalism  Egoism  In the Western canon, Marx and Rand are almost perfect opposites. Where Marx believes in the value of all living for the community, Rand believes in living for oneself. Where Marx argues that the government should control the factors of production and plan society, Rand feels that the government’s powers should almost all be ceded to private individuals. Whereas Marx believes in the downtrodden laborer as the hero, Rand believes in the individual who puts thoughts to productive action as the real hero. And yet Marx remains unchallenged as our curriculum is currently constituted. 10:31 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Morality doesn’t need religion 
Andrew Sardone and Roderick Fitts, Michigan Daily (U of MI, Ann Arbor) Atheism  Egoism  When addressing moral systems, particularly in introductory philosophy courses, the alternative presented to students is often the following: Either God's existence leads to moral facts and principles of right and wrong, or morality is whatever a person or society desires it to be. But the University of Michigan Students of Objectivism begs to differ, and claims such an alternative is a false dichotomy. There exists an intelligible, objective system of ethics independent of some supernatural or societal will or whim. 10:24 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Films: “Rendition” & “The Fountainhead” 
Christine Smith, Nolan Chart The Fountainhead  Egoism  The 1949 film, The Fountainhead, based on Ayn Rand's novel, was most interesting to view. I was glad the screenplay for the film was written by Rand herself. Although the acting was poor, the message was well stated/communicated because of Rand's screenplay. Timeless, powerful and true, the message of individualism, as exemplified by protagonist Howard Roark, is one the film communicates well.  10:42 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Hostile-to-reason academics fear Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged 
Craig Biddle, Capitalism Magazine Atlas Shrugged  Capitalism  Egoism  On controversy over donations given to universities by BB&T that require the teaching of Atlas Shrugged.If you are a successful businessman, why not join [CEO John] Allison and BB&T in this admirable practice? Read Atlas Shrugged and see what you think. If you think it should be included in the curricula of schools to which you donate money, start donating with the appropriate strings attached. In addition to promoting the values on which human life and happiness depend, you will help expose the irrationality of those academics who will publicly denounce you for being rationally principled. Reasons don’t get any better than these. 06:43 AM    View blog reactions

• • • BB&T grant will fund study of objectivism 
Nathan Batoon, Daily Texan (U of TX, Austin) Altruism  Atheism  Capitalism  The BB&T Corp. will grant $2 million to UT to establish the BB&T chair for the study of objectivism, a philosophy of author Ayn Rand. The grant will be paid over a 10-year period for research related to objectivism and Rand's philosophical thought. Rand is known for her work in moral and political philosophy. Her works have evaluated such issues as knowledge and aesthetics. Rand favored laissez-faire capitalism and strongly opposed socialism, altruism, religion and other contemporary philosophical trends. 07:27 AM    View blog reactions

• • • Ayn Rand and the dark side of Objectivism 
Kristy Snow, EzineArticles Altruism  Atheism  Atlas Shrugged  1- Good objectivists are atheistic 2- Are never altruistic 3- Don't help others 4- Withhold intellectual support from "weaker humans" and 5- To be a truly stellar objectivist you need a certain amount of pompous attitude. Randians refer to this as pride. If you are superior, you should act accordingly and let people know. Sounds crazy, but Randians really feel this way. 09:52 AM    View blog reactions