I am a philosopher, and when I’m on the job I have been known to read literary works as “premises with feet.” Despite that occupational hazard I am also fascinated with how some great fiction writers can seamlessly integrate abstract philosophical themes with concrete literary portrayals. When I teach Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, my focus […]
Roark and Keating: first meetings Read More »
I am organizing a session for the Association for Private Enterprise Education conference to be held April 11-13, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The theme is “Reason in Hayek and Rand.” Here we have two giants of twentieth-century thought, but few comparative studies have been done. So as a start I have chosen Reason as
Hayek and Rand on reason Read More »
The New York Times published a wide-ranging piece on John Allison and the controversies over Ayn Rand’s philosophy and influence: (“Give BB&T Liberty, but Not a Bailout”, August 1, 2009). It’s a mix of solid and straight-up reporting along with slightly off and completely wide-of-the-mark interpretations. Here’s a short letter I sent off to the
Rand in the New York Times Read More »
. . I haven’t read Anne Heller’s book, but Timothy Sandefur’s review makes me want to. (Thanks to Bob H. for the link.) . . .
Sandefur reviews Anne Heller on Ayn Rand Read More »
“Read the news today? It’s like ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is happening in real life,” as this Facebook group points out. Many intelligent observers have noted the connection, which has led to sharply increased sales of Atlas and prominent coverage of Atlas‘s themes in Business Week, Forbes, the New York Times, the Economist, The Wall Street Journal,
The increasing(ly clear) relevance of Ayn Rand Read More »
Atlas is not shrugging at Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala.
An inspiring university points to the future Read More »
Putting into one flowchart what I have learned from Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, James Buchanan, and Gordon Tullock. The flowchart is in spreadsheet format: the short version and the long version in Excel 2007 or in Excel 97-2003. Update: DJ Dates has a cool, scalable Google maps version
Pathologies of the mixed economy (or, How we got into this frackin’ mess) Read More »
3/31 Being a Brief Guide to Religious Denominations in America: A Baptist is a man who got saved. A Methodist is a Baptist who got shoes. A Congregationalist is a Methodist who moved to town. A Presbyterian is a Congregationalist who got rich. An Episcopalian is a Presbyterian who ran for public office. (Author unknown.)
Worth Reading for March 2006 Read More »