Sightings, October 2004
Robert Bidinotto is now editor of two newsletters at the Capital Research Center. Capital is a watchdog group for the non-profit world that analyzes organizations promoting the growth of the welfare state.
The first newsletter is Foundation Watch, a monthly publication that examines the grant-making work of private foundations. Bidinotto also edits Organization Trends, a monthly newsletter that reports on and analyzes the activities of advocacy organizations. Both are published in print and Web versions. You can read them by going to the Capital Research Center Web site. Recent articles include analyses of the donations of foundations affiliated with Teresa Heinz Kerry and John Kerry's support from the Hollywood left. Bidinotto is still doing work for The Objectivist Center as well. He serves as an adjunct fellow, the editor of the Atlas Society Web site, and a contributing editor of Navigator.
In other publication news, William Thomas's article "An Economist Reads Philosophy" appeared in the Spring 2004 edition of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies.
Bringing the Right Ideas to Iraq
Omar Altalib is taking on one of the most dangerous and daunting tasks one can imagine. With his Iraqi Institute for Law, Liberty, and Prosperity, he wants to bring freedom to his native country, which has so suffered under a heinous dictatorship.
Altalib's family brought him to America when he was a young man, allowing him to experience freedom firsthand. He studied at George Mason University, and his work in the United States included a stint teaching at Ashland University in Ohio, where he assigned Ayn Rand's For the New Intellectual as one of the class readings. Altalib sees Rand as a clear-thinking philosopher who is easy to understand and who offers valuable insights, especially into philosophy and the free-market economy necessary for personal liberty and economic prosperity.
Following the overthrow of the dictatorship in Iraq, Altalib believes the current violence in his country comes from three groups: criminals and thugs who were released from jails by Saddam Hussein before the war, ex-Baath Party members who wish to regain power, and foreign terrorists who can easily infiltrate the country. Altalib recognizes the risk that, as the price for peace, some otherwise peaceful Iraqis could acquiesce to a return to a strongman government or even some kind of regime dominated by religious fanatics. He therefore believes it is crucial to educate the people of his country about the virtues of a free, open society.
Altalib is bringing his considerable knowledge to the real-world task of creating a free Iraq. He maintains an office in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., but spends much of his time in Iraq. Altalib thinks one thing that could help his country and the rest of the Middle East would be to have works by Ayn Rand translated into Arabic. He is not the first to make this suggestion: Stephen Schwartz, author of Two Faces of Islam: Saudi Fundamentalism and Its Role in Terrorism and a speaker at a TOC DC forum last November, thinks Anthem would be especially appropriate for the people in a part of the world that is still struggling to discover freedom. If the money can be found, Altalib would like to use Rand's works in his education efforts. Let's hope that this courageous man can show that the right ideas can truly make a difference!
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Explaining Postmodernism Now Available at the Objectivism Store
Stephen Hicks's book Explaining Postmodernism is now available through the Objectivism Store. The book traces postmodernism from its roots in Rousseau and Kant to its development in thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Richard Rorty. It is an intellectual history with a polemical twist, providing fresh insights into the debates underlying the furor over political correctness, multiculturalism, and the future of liberal democracy.
Dr. Hicks wrote Explaining Postmodernism in part while he was in residence as a scholar at The Objectivist Center. Scholargy Publishing produced the book, which is priced at $18.95 for the soft-cover version.
Another Summer of Philosophy and Fun at Camp Indecon
Imagine a summer camp packed with fun-filled activities like mountain biking, ropes courses, dance lessons, and leather working, where campers also learn about logical fallacies, the nature of reality, and life planning.Sound impossible?
Campers experienced all this and more in Woodland Park, Colorado, this summer. July 24 saw the conclusion of the sixth year of Camp Indecon (for Independence and Confidence), created by St. Louis businesswoman Lorie Bugby to ensure her grandchildren would learn what they needed about the basics of philosophy.
Implementing her vision of a fun place to be introduced to the importance of philosophy in life, the camp uses a curriculum specially designed by four Montessorians (Wayne and Julie Anderson, Mark Berger, and Marsha Enright). Campers are divided into small groups with two-year age spans to participate in the Montessori-like learning activities. The aim of this curriculum is to provide concrete activities attractive to young people, which, with expert guidance, can lead to thinking about important, abstract philosophical topics.
This summer, instructors Wayne Anderson, Mark Berger, John Enright Jr., and Marsha Enright:
--recreated life under monarchy
--played a definition game based on David Kelley's The Art of Reasoning
--baked with and without instruction (like life with and without clear philosophical principles)
--played Simon Says as a segue into a discussion of free will
--and much more!
Campers also benefited from the guidance and companionship of veteran Objectivists like John Drake and Molly Hays as counselors. These energetic staffers played kickball, rock-climbed, swam, mountain-biked, and played loads of games like "Cash Flow," which illustrated the basic principles of getting rich. And as crafts coordinator, Linda Abrams brought her extensive knowledge of ancient ways to the campers through Sprang, glass etching, and leather tooling, among other fascinating and challenging crafts.
Like attendees at The Objectivist Center conferences, campers also enjoyed being in a little "Galt's Gulch." From the first day of the first year of camp six years ago, campers have loved to be with each other as kindred souls. This interest continues and grows unabated, with campers instant messaging each other almost daily and visiting each other's homes when possible.
Camp Indecon provides a uniquely valuable experience to everyone involved—and plans to continue and expand this wonderful experience are growing! Camp Indecon staffers plan to increase enrollment through expanded marketing. Classical liberal, libertarian, neo-conservative, home-schooling, and Montessorian groups may all contain parents interested in the activities and skills promoted at the camp. For more information, see www.campindecon.org, or write to Marsha Enright.