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General Sessions
All of our general session options are available with one convenient registration.
(Note: the July 3 ARI Presentation and the July 8 Academic Panel are both free; see our
events page for details.)
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Session Descriptions
"The DIM Hypothesis" (part 2)
Leonard Peikoff
Dr. Peikoff’s book The DIM Hypothesis identifies three different modes of integration, i.e.,
of interrelating concretes, such as individual percepts, facts, choices, story events, etc. As Dr. Peikoff explains: “My thesis is that
the dominant trends in every key area can be defined by their leaders’ policy toward integration. They are against it (Disintegration,
D); they are for it, if it conforms to Nature (Integration, I); they are for it, if it conforms to a Super-Nature (Misintegration, M).”
The book—focusing on literature, physics, education and politics—demonstrates the power of these three modes in shaping Western culture
and history.
In 2007 Dr. Peikoff presented the first and more theoretical half of the book. Now comes the cashing-in:
his identification, on the basis of his hypothesis, of the rules that have governed each of the major changes in Western culture (e.g.,
pagan to Christian or Enlightenment to Modernist); his analysis of the DIM factors defining the condition of the United States today;
and then, applying all this, how those rules predict our future; or, as the title of his last chapter puts it: “What’s Next.” (Along with
his prediction, Dr. Peikoff specifies a timeframe and a degree of probability.)
Leonard Peikoff's appearance at this conference does not imply that he agrees
with the ideas or formulations of any other speakers.
Saturday, July 3, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
Sunday, July 4, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
Tuesday, July 6, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
Wednesday, July 7, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
Friday, July 9, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
Saturday, July 10, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
The Inductive Method: An Epistemological
Revolution
David Harriman
Philosophy is the prime mover of human history; it is the science dealing with the fundamental ideas that
shape our lives and our culture. But what is the prime mover within philosophy? Ayn Rand provided the answer: “Philosophy is primarily
epistemology—the science of the means, the rules, and the methods of human knowledge.”
In this lecture, Mr. Harriman will discuss a new theory of induction by Leonard Peikoff and presents
highlights from his forthcoming book, The Logical Leap: Induction in Physics. He will argue that an understanding of the inductive
method can rescue the field of theoretical physics, now lost in a world of floating abstractions. Finally, he will describe how a proper
inductive approach can revolutionize the field of science education.
If we want a better world for ourselves and our children, we must bring about an epistemological
revolution—and Dr. Peikoff’s theory of induction makes this possible.
Saturday, July 3, 2010; 1:20–2:50 PM
Defending Capitalism
Yaron Brook
Ayn Rand called capitalism the “unknown ideal,” arguing that “it is capitalism’s alleged champions who
are responsible for the fact that capitalism is being destroyed without a hearing, without a trial, without any public knowledge of its
principles, its nature, its history, or its moral meaning.” In this talk, Dr. Brook shows how Objectivism succeeds at making the case
for free markets, and why capitalism’s traditional defenders have failed. Special emphasis is given to Objectivism’s radical moral defense
of free markets and Ayn Rand’s view that capitalism is the system of objectivity.
Monday, July 5, 2010; 10:15–11:45 AM
The Hoover Dam
Talbot Manvel
Of all the things made by man, one of the first to be seen from space was Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam was
built during the Great Depression under the auspices of the Bureau of Reclamation, whose guiding philosophy was to “reclaim” land and
water from nature for man’s use. Hoover Dam tamed the wild waters of the Colorado River, providing power and water to millions of
people in the American Southwest.
This lecture describes the events leading up to the creation of the dam: the exploration of the
Colorado River after the American Civil War, the first attempts to tame it, the dam’s magnificent design and the men who built it. By
the end of the lecture, the listener will understand why mankind’s brightest promise lies in the American ingenuity that made Hoover
Dam possible—and cities like Las Vegas thrive.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010; 8–9:30 PM
Intellectual Property Rights:
Securing the Values of the Mind
Adam Mossoff
The extraordinary achievements in the modern pharmaceutical, biotech, telecommunications and computer
industries are dramatic evidence of the significance of intellectual property rights to man’s life. Yet patents, copyrights and other
intellectual property rights are under attack—theoretically, morally and legally.
This lecture explains why intellectual property rights are fundamentally important property rights by
grounding them in the values that man must conceive and produce in order to live and flourish.
Fundamentally, all property is at root intellectual property, which is why Ayn Rand believes that
intellectual property rights represent “the legal implementation of the base of all property rights: a man’s right to the product of
his own mind.” In explaining why this is the case, this lecture identifies the radical political and legal implications of Rand’s
innovative ethical theory, such as her novel concept of value and her discovery of the role of man’s mind in sustaining his life.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010; 1:20–2:50 PM
Q & A Celebrating ARI's 25th Anniversary
Michael S. Berliner and
Yaron Brook
This year, 2010, marks the 25th anniversary of the Ayn Rand Institute, which opened its doors in February 1985.
In this Q & A, Dr. Yaron Brook and Dr. Michael S. Berliner, the current and first executive directors of ARI, respectively, will field
questions about the Institute’s past, present and future.
Thursday, July 8, 2010; 6:15–7:15 PM
Register now!
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