Ayn Rand Institute

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Objectivist movement
A statute of the Greek god Atlas, the inspiration for the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand which was a catalyst for the Objectivist movement
 
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The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism (ARI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Irvine, California that promotes Ayn Rand's philosophy, called Objectivism. It was established in 1985, three years after Rand's death, by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's legal heir. Its executive director is Yaron Brook.

ARI's stated goal is:

...to spearhead a cultural renaissance that will reverse the anti-reason, anti-individualism, anti-freedom, anti-capitalist trends in today's culture. The major battleground in this fight for reason and capitalism is the educational institutions—high schools and, above all, the universities, where students learn the ideas that shape their lives.[1]

ARI is mainly an educational organization, but also has "outreach programs." Its various programs include classes on Objectivism and related subjects offered through its Objectivist Academic Center, public lectures, Op-Eds articles, letters to the editor, competitions for essays about Rand's novels, materials for Objectivist campus clubs, supplying Rand's writings to schools and professors, and providing intellectuals for radio and TV interviews.

Atheism is a tenet of the Ayn Rand Institute. In politics, economics, and sociology, the Ayn Rand Institute embraces democratic capitalism, classical liberalism, and individualism.

Contents

[edit] History and context

Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand's designated legal and intellectual heir, founded the Ayn Rand Institute in 1985, three years after her death. Both Rand and Peikoff had expressed negative thoughts concerning the formation of bureaucratic organizations designed to promote Objectivism. Rand never intended that Objectivism would become an organized movement (especially not with her leading the movement), but she approved of rational individuals with the same ideas working toward a common goal. Peikoff was initially wary of creating ARI, but was eventually persuaded to do so, and in 2006 he commented that he approves of the work ARI has done[2].

The Institute was originally headquartered in Marina del Rey, California and its executive director was Dr. Mike Berliner. In 2000, Dr. Yaron Brook replaced Dr. Berliner as executive director and the Institute was moved to Irvine, California.

Charity Navigator, which rates charitable and educational organizations to inform potential donors, gives ARI three out of four stars. According to the latest data from Charity Navigator, the Institute spends 80.6% of its expenses on programs, 11.3% on fundraising, and 8% on administration.[3]

[edit] Programs

ARI runs a variety of programs:

  • Free books to schools. ARI offers to give to high schools classroom sets of Ayn Rand's novels Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged.[4] ARI also continues this program at the university level by offering professors free review copies of Rand's writings.
  • Student essay contests. ARI sponsors essay contests on Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. Students worldwide submit essays based on questions about Rand's novels which stress her ideas and their importance in today's world. The Anthem essay contest is for 8th, 9th and 10th graders with a top prize of $2,000, The essay contest on The Fountainhead is for 11th and 12th graders with a top prize of $10,000, and the Atlas Shrugged essay contest is for 12th graders, college undergraduates, and graduate students with a top prize of $10,000. The Institute has offered 521 prizes for the 2008 contests, totalling $81,250.[5]
  • Campus clubs. ARI offers copies of essays, pamphlets, and recorded lectures, and provides live speakers to Objectivist clubs at universities and high schools.[6]
  • The Objectivist Academic Center. ARI runs an educational program called the Objectivist Academic Center (OAC), which conducts classes on Objectivism and related fields.
  • Student assistance. ARI offers financial assistance to students applying to graduate school, and provides mentors for OAC students.
  • Academic outreach. ARI offers free copies and classroom sets of Rand's books to professors, as well as class syllabi which include Ayn Rand.
  • Media appearances. Intellectuals from ARI often appear on radio and television, and their Op-Ed articles and letters to the editor have appeared in many major newspapers.
  • Public lectures. ARI fellows frequently give public lectures in Orange County, California. They also lecture elsewhere, including college campuses across the U.S.
  • Ayn Rand Bookstore. ARI operates the Ayn Rand Bookstore, which sells lectures and other materials from Objectivists.
  • Objectivist conferences. ARI organizes a conference each summer which features lectures and dance classes from Objectivists.

[edit] Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

In 2008, The Ayn Rand Institute opened the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights ("ARC") in Washington, D.C. to specialize in issues of public policy.

  • During the current economic crisis, the ARC has been a vocal proponent of the position that government intervention is responsible for the crisis, and that the solution lies not in further government regulation but in moving toward full laissez-faire capitalism.
  • On foreign policy, the ARC advocates American national self-interest, including ending the regimes that sponsor terrorism, rather than the Bush Administration's policies which they see as timid, halfway measures that only weaken America's position in the world.

[edit] Ideas promoted

ARI sponsored writers and speakers have promoted a number of specific positions in contemporary political and social controversies.

[edit] Religion in politics

Atheism being a tenet of Objectivism, ARI promotes the separation of church and state, and its writers argue that the Religious Right poses a threat to individual rights.[1] Its writers have argued against displaying religious symbols (such as the Ten Commandments) in government facilities [7] and against faith-based initiatives. [2] The Institute argues that religion is incompatible with American ideals[8] and opposes the teaching of "intelligent design" in public schools.[3] ARI also supports women's right to choose abortion,[9] voluntary euthanasia, and assisted suicide.[10]

[edit] Islam and the War on Terror

ARI has taken many controversial positions with respect to the Islamic world. They hold that the motivation for Islamic terrorism comes from Muhammad's own teachings, not "poverty" nor a reaction to Western policies.[11] They have urged that the US use overwhelming, retaliatory force to "end states who sponsor terrorism," using whatever means are necessary to end the threat.[4] In his article "Ends States Who Sponsor Terrorism," which was published as a full page ad in the New York Times, Leonard Peikoff wrote:

The choice today is mass death in the United States or mass death in the terrorist nations. Our Commander-In-Chief must decide whether it is his duty to save Americans or the governments who conspire to kill them.

Though some at ARI initially supported the invasion of Iraq, it opposes how the Iraq War is now being handled.[12] Since October 2, 2001, the Institute has held that Iran should be the primary target in the war against "Islamic totalitarianism."[13]

The Institute is generally supportive of Israel.[5] Of Zionism, executive director of the institute writes: "Zionism fused a valid concern - self-preservation amid a storm of hostility - with a toxic premise - ethnically based collectivism and religion."[14].

[edit] Other issues

In response to the Muhammad cartoons controversy, ARI started a Free Speech Campaign.

ARI is highly critical of environmentalism and animal rights, arguing that they are destructive of human well-being.[15][16]

The Institute is also highly critical of diversity and affirmative action programs, as well as multiculturalism, arguing that they are based on racist premises.[17][18]

[edit] Board of Directors

[edit] ARI speakers and writers

[edit] Associates

[edit] References

  1. ^ ""About ARI"". http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_ari. 
  2. ^ Peikoff quoted from his biography, Leonard Peikoff: In His Own Words http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=LP80DV
  3. ^ Charity Navigator Rating - The Ayn Rand Institute
  4. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: About ARI
  5. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Essay Contests
  6. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Student Clubs
  7. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: The Ten Commandments vs. America (Providence Journal, Louisville Courier-Journal)
  8. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Religion vs. America
  9. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Supreme Court Should Protect Right to Abortion in Current Partial-Birth Case
  10. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: A Culture of Living Death (San Francisco Chronicle, Louisville Courier-Journal, South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
  11. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: The Terrorists' Motivation: Islam (Canberra Times, Fort Worth Star Telegram)
  12. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: What We Owe Our Soldiers (The Capital Times & Wisconsin State Journal)
  13. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: "End States Who Sponsor Terrorism"
  14. ^ 'You don't fight a tactic' | Jerusalem Post
  15. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Man vs. Nature (Sacramento Bee)
  16. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Animal Rights and the New Man Haters
  17. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Multiculturalism: The New Racism
  18. ^ The Ayn Rand Institute: Racism and Diversity

[edit] External links

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