Atlas Shrugged 50th Anniversary Celebration

The Atlas Society ^ | 9/12/07 | Edward

[Raymann]

It has been half a century since the publication of Ayn Rand's magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged. That book like no other has inspired millions of readers; motivated individuals to pursue their own happiness and achieve the best within them; influenced philosophy, politics, ethics and aesthetics; and has created the Objectivist movement. The Atlas Society will celebrate this great achievement with an all-day conference and gala concluding banquet in Washington, D.C. and give you any updates on the planned Atlas movie!

Our keynote speakers:

*John Stossel, ABC News 20/20, author. Dinner Speaker *Charles Murray, author, philosopher and social scientist. Luncheon Speaker.

Here's the program:

8:00-9:00am -- Registration

9:00am -- Welcoming Remarks

*Edward Hudgins, executive director, The Atlas Society

9:15-10:30am -- Panel One

*Anne Heller, author of an upcoming biography on Ayn Rand

-- Atlas and Rand's Life

*Mimi Gladstein, author of Atlas Shrugged: A Reader's Companion

-- Atlas and Rand the Writer

*David Kelley, founder and senior fellow, The Atlas Society

-- Atlas in Academia

10:30-11:00am -- Coffee Break

11:00am-12:15pm -- Panel Two

*Tibor Machan, professor, Chapman University, philosopher and author

-- Atlas and Ethics

*William Thomas, director of programs, The Atlas Society

-- Atlas and Loving Life

*David Mayer, professor of law and history, Capital University

-- Atlas and the American Revolution

12:30-1:45pm -- Luncheon speaker

Charles Murray -- Atlas and Achievement

2:00-3:15pm -- Panel Three

*Edward Younkins, professor of economics, Wheeling Jesuit University

-- Atlas and Economics

*Ed Snider, chairman, Comcast Spectacor

-- Atlas and the Entrepreneur

*Rob Bradley, president, Institute for Energy Research

-- Atlas and Business Ethics

3:15-3:30pm -- Coffee Break

3:30-4:45pm -- Panel Four

*Fred Smith, president, Competitive Enterprise Institute

-- Atlas and Politics

*Edward Crane, president, The Cato Institute

-- Atlas and the Fight for Freedom

*Edward Hudgins, executive director, The Atlas Society

-- Atlas & the Future of Objectivism

5:00-6:15pm -- Reception at the Cato Institute

*Reflections on Atlas Shrugged by Nathaniel Branden and Barbara Branden

6:30-9:00 -- Gala Banquet

*Keynote: John Stossel

*Final Remarks: David Kelley

We will have other exciting guests and surprises for your enlightenment and for just plain fun as we celebrate Atlas Shrugged and all that it has done for the world!

Conference Registration:

$210 thru September 23

$250 after September 23

[ClearCase_guy]

It’s a great book. Ayn Rand’s atheism detracts from her overall value, IMO, but she was an astute political observer of what happens when collectivist ideas gain ascendancy over individualist ideas.

[goldstategop]

Libertarians like Rand and her philosophy. Conservatives abhor it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Thrownatbirth]

When I hear of the Atlas Society, I just shrug.

[Emmett McCarthy]

I agree. I found that if I simply “read around” her atheism and viewed the whole thing as a kind of secular guide to business and life practices, I could get through it. Bringing the atheism into it was like lighting a dark candle and it was unnecessary to the story, in my opinion.

[robertpaulsen]

"and give you any updates on the planned Atlas movie!"

Maybe they can get funding from the National Endowment for the Arts for the movie.

[twigs]

I agree. Her atheism detracts a LOT from the book. I agree with her beliefs about the necessity of allowing the producers to do their business without interference. But unfortunately, she doesn’t separate her religious beliefs, or lack of them, from her economic beliefs, the best I could see. She BLAMES religion, at least the concept of original sin, as an underlying problem that leads to the collectivist mindset. And while in theory I agree that government should not intervene with producers at all, that also presumes, at least as I see it, that man is inherently good. He isn’t. There needs to be checks and balances in all systems, economic as well as political. The challenge is to include them without killing productivity, which is not an easy thing to do.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Has anyone checked if Steve Fossett was an “Atlas” fan?

[LS]

"Tibor Machan, professor, Chapman University, philosopher and author"

Had dinner with him after giving a speech at Chapman last year. He makes Ron Paul look sane. Complete open borders, even if you still have the welfare state. No enforcement at all.

WoT is completely wrong. Even in Afghanistan. China doesn't have a terrorism problem. They are wonderful.

This is what Rand's thinking leads you to.

[DocRock]

bookmark

[goldstategop]

Exactly. There are some things to admire about libertarians but they're mostly divorced from the real world. It has never been a politically viable brand in the American marketplace of ideas.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[dfwgator]

"Yes, at first I was happy to be learning how to read. It seemed exciting and magical, but then I read this: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read every last word of this garbage, and because of this piece of s**t, I am never reading again."

[LS]

I do have a favorite game, which is "Cast that Movie!"

If you had to cast AS right now, I would have

Jodie Foster as Dagny Taggart

Arnold as the Swedish guy (can never spell his name)

Antonio Banderas as the Spanish guy

Hugh Jackman as Hank Reardon

Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain.

[DangerDanger]

Wish I could attend the event!

“Atlas Shrugged” is an incredible and amazing work. Not for the nanny staters, mind you - but those who love the idea of individual freedom and are wholly anti-collectivist should love this book. It made quite a mark on me - we even named our late, much loved, husky-shepherd mix, Dagney.

Cannot wait for the movie, though it’s going to be difficult to cram all of that in 2-3 hours...

[the lastbestlady]

It’s funny, but Rand disliked Libertarians.

[SJSAMPLE]

I can’t agree.
The book and it’s merits stand by themselves.

The absence of God doesn’t detract one bit, and adds an additional level of clarity. Especially today, where religious institutions are some of the biggest purveyors of socialist ideals.

[blitzgig]

I like Rand and Atlas Shrugged. I don’t agree with her on religious matters, but I admire much of what she writes. And her characters are very intriguing.

[gjones77]

That’s funny, I’m a conservative and I like most of Rand’s ideals.

The simple belief that man’s greatest achievements come from their own needs, and that those ideas belong solely to the person who created them, and that we shouldn’t have a government that puts barriers up to prevent people from doing great things.

I also see and agree with her beliefs that too often in our society the thinkers and those who create are punished by those who want to take their ideas for their own needs without paying the person who created the idea and by those who just don’t want to work and feel entitled to things they didn’t earn.

Rand was a great thinker, we need to stop taking this all or nothing mentality when talking about people and ideas.

[aegiscg47]

I agree that the book is long and the aethism in it can be a turn off, but in one area she was certainly a prophet. She described a society where people who do the actual work become fewer and fewer as they see no point and how people steal other's ideas. I work for a major university library and out of about 450 staff about 75 of us do three quarters of the work. Nepotism, backstabbing, plotting, etc..., goes around us all day and night as factions maneuver to get their piece of the funding pie. I work in the IT area and there is a flock of vultures waiting to steal any projects I turn out so that they can attach themselves to the project and claim credit. Many of us talk openly about if it's worth the hassle to succeed as no good deed goes unpunished. I can see this growing across society as the morals in our culture continue to devolve.

[massgopguy]

It saddened me when I heard of her atheism. But I prefer Anthem. It was the name of my first rock band and then Rush put it to music.