Porcfest2015

Ayn Rand's magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, is a literary achievement. But it is also a philosophical tour-de-force. In this week-long course, David Kelley and William R Thomas will tour the novel's intellectual landscape, highlighting the key ideas of Objectivism and the distinctive way Ayn Rand integrates her philosophical system with a tight, developing plot. The course will show how the novel clarifies what is really essential in the philosophy of Objectivism. The lectures will also discuss specific philosophical insights embedded in the novel's characters, events, and conflicts, drawing special attention to insights that are not highlighted in standard expositions of the philosophy. The lectures may be enjoyed individually, but they sum up to a course if taken in sequence. No previous familiarity with Ayn Rand's ideas is necessary, but it doesn't hurt to be familiar with Atlas Shrugged.

Atlas Shrugged as a Philosophical Novel part 3:
Reason vs Anti-Reason

This lecture addresses the themes of reason and logic as against irrationalism in its various forms, including faith, whim, and emotionalism, as they are developed in Atlas Shrugged. Why do reason and logic matter? Is a rational person without emotion or passion? Apparent contradictions drive the mystery plot of the novel. Unraveling them is the key to solving the mystery and understanding the radically objective world-view of Ayn Rand and the strikers in the novel.