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 6:
Trade vs. Power

Trade and power are the two fundamental alternatives in human relationships. This lecture explores that alternative as the specifically social-economic dimension of the contrast between producers and looters. This theme is reflected in Atlas Shrugged in the collapse of the economy as power gains the upper hand; and in the producers' and looters' respective goals and attitudes towards others.