By Dina Schein Federman
This talk focuses on Ayn Rand's unique approach to changing the world and extracts lessons for our own fight to promote Objectivism. Dr. Federman reports on Miss Rand's experiences on the basis of which she came to her conclusions about changing the culture: that political activism without intellectual activism is futile; that the cause of our political problems is the ideas our culture holds; that it is the most consistent advocate of an idea who wins; that political conservatives harm capitalism more than the leftists do.
Ayn Rand specialized in identifying philosophical fundamentals driving current events, rejecting both blind political action and ivory-tower philosophizing. Dr. Federman surveys Miss Rand's intellectual activism, answering such questions as: How did Miss Rand select her issues? On what basis would she refuse to appear in print or to be interviewed? How does Objectivism's integration of theory and practice give Objectivists the inspiration to fight our cultural battle that followers of less-integrated movements cannot have?
This talk was recorded at the 2008 Objectivist Summer Conference in Newport Beach, CA.
(MP3 download; 84 min., with Q & A, 60.52 MB)
