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Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 8:39amSanction this postReply
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In past years, for those of us who didn't attend a summer conference of TOC or ARI (and for those of us who did and want to share), I started having "post-conference" Objectivist club meetings in L.A. and then in San Francisco:

The more industrious members who went to a conference and took notes would summarize one or two lectures apiece. Would those who just got back from TOC or any other conference mind sharing some of the high points of their favorite lecture with us on SOLO while the conference is still fresh?

There is effort and work involved. But it comes to mind that Objectivism is actually a -philosophy-. And this would make for a more positive and educational series of threads than some of the food fights and gossip and muck-raking and personal or character speculation we've seen recently.

Who was the best lecturer this year in terms of a) inspiration, b) original and powerful ideas ... and why? Were there any "Aha!!! Moments" in which you learned something entirely new, had a stunning fresh insight?

I didn't go this year to a summer Objectivist conference and I always greatly enjoy them. I ( and I assume others - please post if you agree) would very much appreciate some mini-reports.

Phil

Post 1

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 9:20amSanction this postReply
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I would be particularly interested to know if someone could summarize Yaron Brook's arguments for characterizing the Neo-Cons as a major threat to America's survival.  Is it in some way based on Peikoff's 'DIM Hypothesis'?  Or does he simply echo Rand's arguments about the insidious influence of National Review as expressed in her Playboy interview? 

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Post 2

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 9:37amSanction this postReply
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Phil -- yes, I would very much enjoy reading "mini-reports" from those who attended the ARI and/or TOC summer conferences. I was not able to attend either of them this year and would appreciate some "insider information."

Also, you mentioned that you have organized post-conference meetings in S.F. and L.A. Would you please tell me how/where/from whom to get information about, or an invitation to, such a meeting in the L.A. area?

Thanks!

REB


Post 3

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 9:51amSanction this postReply
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Phil,

Michael Shapiro has posted some summaries on his blog http://www.livejournal.com/users/madbard/

under the July 17th and 18th entries.

The seminar was a philosophy of science tour-de-force with Lyman Hazelton's talk on Chaos and Randomness being the highlight for me. Hazelton maintains that many non-quantum real world processes are causal, but indeterminate (soft causality).

The other extreme highlight for me was Michael Newberry's Friday talk. He took us through a tour of some of his best paintings and mentioned what you can't capture painting from a photo. Also, he mentioned that an important aspect of romantic art is that it can capture a rapturous human experience and make it permanent.

I also enjoyed mathematician Marty Lewinter's number play with Fibinacci sequences and standup comic routine. Marty and I also played quite a bit of fiddle and guitar in the common room.

Jim


Post 4

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 10:37amSanction this postReply
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From the link in post #3, date 17th.

"Duncan Scott interviewed Nathaniel Branden, who admitted some belief in ESP and the supernatural, much to the raised-eyebrow dismay of the audience."

Why dismayed, I guess they don't read Hudgin's op-eds.


Post 5

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 10:49amSanction this postReply
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Glenn,

I guess I should've known out of the volume of stuff written, that is what you would have seized on. I, myself, was attending Will Thomas' friends and family lecture in the other room. Anyway, I'm in too good a mood after having come back that I don't have a bad word to say about Objectivists of any stripe, you included.

Jim

(Edited by James Heaps-Nelson on 7/19, 1:36pm)

(Edited by James Heaps-Nelson on 7/19, 1:46pm)


Post 6

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 10:55amSanction this postReply
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James, I see you are still living with those splinters

Post 7

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 11:02amSanction this postReply
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Glenn,

So be it!  I've done okay so far and I've always led an interesting life. Why don't you post an ARI summary? Many of us would be interested in reading that as well.

Jim


Post 8

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 11:15amSanction this postReply
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Well Yaron Brook announced that he got a $1,000,000 check from an anonymous donor for ARI's high school book project.

So I guess that means this year's budget will be almost $6,000,000.

 


Post 9

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 11:21amSanction this postReply
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Glenn,

Well, congratulations to Yaron and ARI. I'm as excited about their book project as you are. I'd also like to know how their summer conference went.

Jim


Post 10

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 11:45amSanction this postReply
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Well, Diana Hsieh has indicated on her blog that she's going to write up some comments on OCON, so we'll get a synopsis at some point.

Another couple of high points I forgot to mention was watching Logan Darrow Clements on Court TV talking about Seizing Souter's home and seeing a real life couple brought together by the Atlasphere.

Jim


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Post 11

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 6:38pmSanction this postReply
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Glenn: ""Duncan Scott interviewed Nathaniel Branden, who admitted some belief in ESP and the supernatural, much to the raised-eyebrow dismay of the audience."

Glenn, I don't know why you quote such nonsense. I sent it to Nathaniel, and on the assumption that anyone can suddenly go mad, I asked: "Is it true?"

He responded: "Of course it's not true. Me believe in the 'supernatural?' What I did say was that it was a fallacy to assume we knew all the means possible of gaining information about the world, and there is serious evidence to support the idea of anomolous perception.

"And you can quote me."

The interview will shortly be available on DVD, so what Nathaniel said will be on the record.

Barbara

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Post 12

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 7:48pmSanction this postReply
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I want to retract a statement I made to Glenn in my last post. I said that I didn't know why he posted such nonsense. In fact, I know precisely why he posted it.

Barbara

Post 13

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 8:17pmSanction this postReply
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"The more industrious members who went to a conference and took notes would summarize one or two lectures apiece." [Post 0]

..I'm still waiting for something more detailed than one adjective or one sentence...

...still waiting

..still..waiting

Post 14

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 8:01pmSanction this postReply
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I too know precisely why he posted it, Barbara.  But I wonder if the reasons we're referring to are the same.

JR


Post 15

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 9:28pmSanction this postReply
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Jeff, am I supposed to know what you're talking about? Because I don't.

Barbara

Post 16

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 10:20pmSanction this postReply
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Barbara,

In reality there is no "evidence" for "anomalous perception." I've been following the literature, and there is overwhelming evidence in the opposite direction: for a law of nature that information cannot exist, or be communicated, except as attributes of energy or matter.

I recall discussing Nathaniel's intellectual history with you at SOLOC 4, and you told me that he had no interest in the mathematical foundations of measurement. But without those foundations one cannot evaluate statistical evidence, which is the only possible evidence for so-called "anomalous perception" (in the accepted sense of perception lacking a material medium.) And with proper measurements, the so-called "evidence" for such things always disappears. Has Nathaniel Branden expanded his interests to include the foundations of measurement, and come up with a major breakthrough? If not, where do his claims of "evidence" come from?

Post 17

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 10:02pmSanction this postReply
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If you'll tell me why you think Glenn posted what he posted about Nathaniel, I'll tell you why I think he posted it.

JR


Post 18

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 - 11:27pmSanction this postReply
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Diana Hsieh is smarter and a better writer, so I direct everybody to her blog: www.dianahsieh.com/blog/  for "Brothers, you asked for it!"(July 20, 2005) an article on Nathaniel Branden's history with mysticism. 


Post 19

Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - 12:06amSanction this postReply
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I ditched what I originally wrote here for it wasn't fair to Nathaniel Branden. However, if he has evidence for "anomalous perception" that's great.

--Brant

(Edited by Brant Gaede on 7/20, 9:55am)


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