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General Sessions
All of our General Session options are available with one convenient registration.
(Note: the July 7 ARI Presentation and the July 12 Academic Panel are both free; see our
events page for details.)
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Session Descriptions
FEATURE COURSE: The DIM Hypothesis
Leonard Peikoff
Dr. Peikoff's forthcoming book, "The DIM Hypothesis," identifies three different modes of
integration, i.e., of interrelating concretes, such as individual percepts, facts, choices, etc. The book then demonstrates
the power of these three modes in shaping Western culture and history.
In his lectures, Dr. Peikoff presents and explains six of the chapters in his twelve-chapter
book. The first three, dealing with epistemology, explain why there are only three possible interpretations of integration
(symbolized by the acronym DIM), and which philosopher is the source of each. The second three illustrate the power of the
DIM hypothesis to reveal the anatomy of Western culture, by considering the trends prevalent in literature, education and
politics since the Renaissance.
Students will receive well in advance a highly detailed outline of the material. Each
lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
Saturday, July 7, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
Sunday, July 8, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
Tuesday, July 10, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
Thursday, July 11, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
Saturday, July 14, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
Sunday, July 15, 2007; 10:15–11:45 AM
The Originality of Atlas Shrugged
Tore Boeckmann
The theme of Atlas Shrugged is "the role of the mind in man's existence," and the
demonstration of a new morality of rational self-interest. The plot features the men of the mind going on strike against
an altruist-collectivist society.
In regard to both abstract message and concrete story, Atlas Shrugged is stunningly
innovative—bearing out Ayn Rand's statement that "creating a new, original abstraction and translating it through new,
original means" is "my kind of fiction writing."
In this lecture, Tore Boeckmann tests the originality of Atlas Shrugged by comparing
the character of Francisco d'Anconia, and the event of the tunnel disaster, with very similar concretes from the plays of
Friedrich Schiller (specifically, Fiesco and Mary Stuart). The comparison highlights nonobvious ways in which
Atlas Shrugged concretizes its theme, and shows how the novel's central plot premise functions as a veritable engine
of abstract and concrete originality.
Saturday, July 7, 2007; 1:20–2:50 PM
James Jerome Hill: Empire Builder
Talbot Manvel
The American railroad industry, the backdrop of Atlas Shrugged, was reviled by the
Left as one of the worst abusers of the free enterprise system. One of the arguments in favor of government regulation was
the idea that the railroads were built mainly through government financing. Although that claim was greatly exaggerated,
those railroads built with government help all ended up in bankruptcy courts. But there was one railroad, the Great Northern,
that was built without a penny of federal help and never went bankrupt. This lecture tells the story of how James Jerome
Hill built up the Great Northern slowly but relentlessly until it could sustain the long extension from the Midwest to the
Pacific Coast. It explains how Hill built a railroad across a desolate, inhospitable region and turned it into the American
Northwest of a million and half people, a feat that earned him the title of "Empire Builder."
Monday, July 9, 2007; 8–9:30 PM
Ayn Rand's Ethics:
From The Fountainhead to Atlas Shrugged
Darryl Wright
Ayn Rand originally envisioned Atlas Shrugged as a socio-political novel that would
build on the ethical ideas of The Fountainhead. But as she worked on Atlas, she developed and revised her
ethical thought in unexpected ways. This lecture explores how, and why, her ideas changed—as well as what did not
change. Topics include life as an ultimate value; the relation between life and happiness; the relation between spiritual
and material values; the importance of asking why morality is needed; the idea that morality presupposes a basic choice to
live; and the question of whether rationality or independence is the primary moral virtue. Special attention will go to the
pivotal role of The Moral Basis of Individualism, the nonfiction work Rand began shortly after the publication of
The Fountainhead (but later set aside). The lecture assumes familiarity with The Fountainhead and Atlas
Shrugged but presupposes no further background.
Thursday, July 12, 2007; 1:20–2:50 PM
The Creation of Ayn Rand's Ultimate
Ideal Man: Who Was John Galt?
Shoshana Milgram
After writing Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand said that she could never hope to create a
hero greater than John Galt—and she did not try to do so. Why did she see Galt as the fulfillment of a lifelong
ambition? Why did she say that Galt was the "best representative" of the Objectivist ethics? What was her answer to the
question: Who is John Galt?
This lecture describes the creation of John Galt from Ayn Rand's earliest thoughts about
the character, through her preparatory notes and the edited drafts of the manuscript, to the final text of the novel.
Topics include key elements of the characterization, significant changes in Galt's plot function and in his relationships
with other characters, inspirations from fiction and from life, editing for style and content (dialogue, description, and
Galt's speech), the phrase "Who is John Galt?"—and John Galt's original name.
Friday, July 13, 2007; 8–9:30 PM
Register now!
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