July 3 (Monday) Program

8:30 – 9:30 am

(Advanced Morning Course in Philosophy)

Shawn Klein, M.A. – Empiricism, Hold the Skepticism: Locke, Hume, and Rand, Part 2 of 3.

(This is a 3-part course. See the course description for Sunday, July 1).

David Kelley, Ph.D. and William Thomas, M.A. – Atlas Shrugged as a Philosophical Novel 2

(This is a 6-part course. See the course description for Sunday, July 1).

9:45 – 11:00 am

Jay Friedenberg, Ph.D. – An Introduction to Cognitive Science, Part 1 of 2

(Part of the Symposium on Cognitive Science)

This two lecture series will serve as an introduction to cognitive science. The talks will outline the new interdisciplinary scientific study of mind. Cognitive science encompasses a broad array of different perspectives including philosophy, psychology, cognition, neuroscience, evolution, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Although these disciplines have different methodologies and theoretical orientations, they are united in their goal to understand the mystery of mind.

Jay Friedenberg is Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Manhattan College. He has recently coauthored an undergraduate textbook in cognitive science.

Robert L. Campbell, Ph.D. – 100 Years of the Blues

The blues is a distinctly American kind of music. Arising in the 1880s or 1890s, the blues brought together African and European musical influences in a different way than the music of Brazil or of the Caribbean. Using recordings, Professor Campbell will trace the history of this highly resilient musical form, vocal and instrumental, folk and urban, inside and outside of jazz, from the earliest surviving examples to the present day.

Robert L. Campbell is a former reviewer of jazz and blues for Cadence magazine, co-author of The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra, and webmaster of a music history site, www.redsaunders.com.

11:30 – 12:45 pm

Joseph Rowlands, M.S. – Eliminating the Altruistic Baggage

Conventional morality is built upon an altruistic base. While Objectivism rejects altruism in favor of rational self-interest, we can't simply substitute a new goal while using the same flawed framework. This speech will identify several ways in which self-sacrifice still permeates the thoughts of Objectivists, and provide alternatives. It will try to recast our moral tools to be more consistent with a philosophy of living.

Joseph Rowlands is the founder of Rebirth of Reason (RebirthOfReason.com), an online Objectivist organization. He is also the co-creator of the Importance of Philosophy website.

Christopher Robinson, Ph.D. – Knowledge Without Omniscience

We are often told that reality is like an elephant and we are all blind men feeling different parts of it. The purpose of this metaphor is to persuade us that other viewpoints are equally valid. In this lecture, Dr. Robinson will point out the arbitrary, question begging nature of this metaphor, how it conflicts with an active-minded Objectivist philosophy, and why we should divest ourselves of this and similar metaphors.

Christopher Robinson is a psychology professor. Though his primary focus is evolutionary psychology, he teaches eleven classes, ranging from Human Sexuality to Psychology of Fine Art.

2:15 – 3:30 pm

Marsha Enright, M.A. – Children and the Embodiment of Objectivism, Part 2 of 2

This second session follows-up on Sunday’s lecture with a how-to seminar with situational examples and discussion.  Parents, please bring your real-life examples and problems.

C.A. Baylor, M.A. – American Exceptionalism

Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff point to America as a country uniquely influenced by the Enlightenment’s ideas of liberty. Scholars call this now-controversial point of view “American Exceptionalism.” To what extent should Objectivists celebrate American history? The scholarly literature shows at least three widespread cultural ethos with remarkable staying power: classical republicanism, which stresses the public interest, self-sacrifice, and shared values; classical liberalism, which stresses the importance of individuals voluntarily choosing their own ends without coercive restraints; democracy – the idea of implementing the will of the people; and race and gender prejudice. This discussion will examine the relative influence of each on the American Founding and some later periods, and where America is now. Liberalism is the most distinguishing feature, but the public’s understanding of liberalism has changed over time so that contemporary liberals can advocate more, rather than less, government coercion.

C.A. Baylor has a M.A. in history (Brown University). He is a Ph.D. student in American Politics at Boston College. He has taught high school social studies and has been an adjunct instructor at Quincy College, Cambridge College, and Curry College. He is the moderator of the Boston Objectivist Network.

Duncan Scott – The Objectivist History Project: Exclusive New Interviews

At this presentation, highlights from three to five new videotaped interviews from The Objectivist History Project will be shown. Duncan Scott, director of The Objectivist History Project, has been videotaping people who were central players in the Objectivist movement. Scott argues that hearing from Objectivists who have a long range perspective on the movement allows us to re-examine the evolution of Objectivist thinking and methodology, sometimes exposing ideas and practices that need to be challenged

Duncan Scott is a film and video director. He has over 140 productions to his credit and has won four Emmy Awards. He is the co-restorer and distributor of the movie, We The Living. He is the Project Director of The Objectivist History Project.

6:00 –10:00 pm

Optional Special Function: TOC/TAS Sponsors Dinner.

By invitation only, this special banquet is held for Center’s most generous supporters. Held in past years on the Summer Seminar Thursday, the Sponsor’s Dinner is being held July 3 to make the most of the long weekend this year. This year's location is the elegant and light-hearted Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland. Shuttle service will be provided from the Chapman University campus to the Grand Californian Hotel.

8:00 pm

(Evening Arts Series)

Michael G. Shapiro, M.A. – Composer on a Bare Mountain: The Life and Music of Modest Mussorgsky

Many have heard Modest Mussorgsky’s strikingly dramatic music—such as Pictures at an Exhibition, or St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain, featured at the end of Disney’s classic Fantasia – without being aware of the equally dramatic struggle of the composer’s life. Almost fanatically devoted towards his own vision of musical art, Mussorgsky struggled both with the musical establishment of his day (which criticized his work for being too raw and unconventional) and the Tsarist regime of 19^th century Russia (which forced the cancellation of his opera Boris Godunov due to its anti-monarchist sentiment). In this talk, Michael Shapiro will recount the life and times of this markedly individualistic composer, and present some of his passionate orchestral works—including the rarely-heard, vastly superior original version of Night on Bare Mountain

Michael G. Shapiro is a professional composer for film, television, electronic games, and multimedia. He has an M.A. in music composition (New York University), and is a graduate of the film scoring program at thhe University of Southern California. He has written scores for seven feature films, including Home Room and the upcoming feature film Siren. He has also composed the score for the audio book edition of Ayn Rand's Anthem.