A Revolution in the Science of Education
From the Van Damme Academy's new blog Pedagogically Correct:Many people understand that education is in desperate need of reform, but few recognize how radical the reform must be. What is needed is not a bigger education budget, a stronger teacher's union, smaller class sizes, or more rigorous testing procedures. But neither is the solution simply a return to Classical Education. What is needed is a basic, pedagogical revolution—a revolution in the science of education—a revolution in the selection of content taught to students, and the method by which that content is presented. VanDamme Academy is the leader of that revolution. Pedagogically Correct is our newsletter.
Lecture CA: Islam’s Role in the Terror War on America
What motivated the slaughter of Americans on 9/11? What drives terrorism against America and the West? Experts and politicians insist that Islam is more-or-less irrelevant in explaining the terrorists' actions. But that is wrong, Elan Journo of the Ayn Rand Institute will argue; the terrorists are motivated by their principled embrace of Islam. By considering the religion's central tenets--understood as the vast majority of Muslims understand and practice them--we can see how faith in Islam leads many Muslims to initiate aggression against the "infidel" West. This truth--however unpleasant it may be to some--has crucial implications for which regimes to target in the war and how properly to defeat the enemy. Islam's Role in the Terror War on America by Elan Journo Mon, Feb. 12 7:30 PM SGM -123: A Lecture Event at University of Southern California presented by The USC Objectivist Club. Directions: http://www.usc.edu/about/visit/upc/driving_directions/ .Flyer: http://psuobjectivism.com/IslamPoster2.pdfLecture NY: Unborrowed Vision: The Virtue of Independence
Howard Roark's independence has inspired millions. Inspiration without understanding is of limited value, however. The more fully we appreciate the precise meaning and value of independence, the more fully we can practice it—and reap its rewards. This lecture seeks to clarify several dimensions of the virtue of independence. Dr. Leonard Peikoff has described independence as a primary orientation to reality rather than to other men. Among the questions we will probe: What does this fundamental orientation consist of? What sorts of actions or policies does the exercise of this virtue demand in everyday practice? And why is it important? What elevates independence to the ranks of the moral virtues? In the course of answering, we will also clarify what independence is not by distinguishing it from subjectivist pseudo-independence, by explaining the independent person's proper relationships with others and by dissecting modern man's widely alleged "interdependence," identifying the ways in which man is and is not a "social animal."Tara Smith is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas , where she currently holds the Anthem Foundation Fellowship. She is the author of Moral Rights & Political Freedom, Viable Values and, most recently, Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics—The Virtuous Egoist, as well as numerous articles. Who: Dr. Tara Smith; Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin; What: A lecture that will explore the fundamental meaning and practical applications of the virtue of independence; Where: Kimmel Center, Room 400-series, New York University 60 Washington Square South, NY, NY 10012; When: THIS Tuesday, February 6th 2007 , at 7:00 PM; Registration: Non-NYU guests must register by e-mailing nyu@objectivistclubs.org. Admission is FREE.India Should Protect Pharmaceutical Patents
Irvine, CA--The pharmaceutical company Novartis is appealing a decision by an Indian court not to grant it a patent on a modified form of its leukemia drug, Gleevac. If Novartis prevails, Indian companies could be banned from manufacturing a cheaper, generic version of the drug used widely in the developing world. In response, some groups have accused Novartis of attempting to "deny access" by poor people to life-saving drugs."If Novartis has created something deserving of a patent, the Indian government should uphold and protect Novartis's patent rights," said Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. "No one has the right to expropriate Novartis's intellectual property. Morally, it is Novartis' creation and it alone should decide the terms of the drug's manufacture and sale and how the company will obtain maximum benefit from its invention.
"The fact that people are sick and need a drug does not entitle them to it. They must pay for it or rely on charity not plunder the very companies their lives depend on--note that Novartis itself has been donating drugs. While no one wants to see patients go without life-saving treatments, it is a gross injustice to turn their saviors into serfs. Further, a rational, long-range assessment of their own interests would tell patients that it is destructive to demand that patent rights be trampled on.
"Discovering new medicines is a risky and cost-intensive process. The companies that succeed in creating new drugs should be thanked and paid for their inventions--not stripped of their rights and accused of 'denying access' to the products their efforts make possible."