What we’re about
To many people, philosophy is an esoteric, abstract subject that is of interest only to professors and other academic types who speak and write in obscure, impenetrable language, disconnected from real life. Who needs it?
Ayn Rand’s answer is: Everyone.
In her novels "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged", Ayn Rand dramatically illustrates the crucial importance of philosophy in man’s life. Her characters demonstrate the consequences of accepting and acting on various philosophic premises, whether held consciously and explicitly or accepted unconsciously. Her heroes portray an ideal vision of man's life as it could be and ought to be.
To create these heroic characters in the face of over two thousand years of western civilization’s philosophic errors, she developed a radical new philosophy that she called Objectivism. In the years following the publication of "Atlas Shrugged", Rand created an extensive body of non-fiction writings to more explicitly develop this philosophy.
Objectivism is a comprehensive, consistent, integrated philosophic system that serves as a guide to living and flourishing on Earth. It is based on the existence of objective reality independent of consciousness, recognizes reason as man's only means of cognition, and advocates egoism, individual rights, and capitalism.
The purpose of the North Idaho Objectivism Society is to facilitate wider exposure to and deeper understanding and acceptance of Ayn Rand's philosophy. It provides a venue for people who are interested in the writings and ideas of Ayn Rand to meet, study, and discuss her philosophy and its applications. We hope to facilitate friendships among people committed to Reason, Individualism, and Capitalism, to broaden and deepen our own understanding of Objectivism, and to increase the awareness and understanding of Ayn Rand and Objectivism in the community.
We use the writings of Ayn Rand and other Objectivist intellectuals as well as other resources as the basis for our discussions and activities, in order better to understand the philosophy of Objectivism and how to apply it to help us flourish in our own lives.
Our Statement of Purpose is here: NIOS Statement of Purpose
Whether you have read all of Ayn Rand’s works or none of them, whether you are a beginner or already have an advanced understanding, if you are interested in the impact of ideas on our culture and in your own life, we encourage you to come join us to learn more!
The North Idaho Objectivism Society uses Meetup.com to coordinate our activities. Please join the society on Meetup.com both to be kept informed of future events.
We also have a Dropbox that contains discussion outlines from past events as well as additional resources for learning about Objectivism: Dropbox Link
For further information, please email me at bjfcda@gmail.com.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- We the LivingCoeur d'Alene Public Library, Coeur d'Alene, ID
Join us in Coeur d'Alene to discuss Ayn Rand's novel We the Living and its relation to her philosophy of Objectivism - a philosophy for living on Earth.
This month we will turn back to Ayn Rand's fiction and begin a discussion of her first novel, We the Living. Set in Soviet Russia and published in 1936, it is the nearest to an autobiography that Rand would ever write. Although it pre-dates the explicit formulation of her philosophy that appeared 21 years later in Atlas Shrugged, the essentials of her worldview and sense of life are evident throughout. The web link above leads to some commentary as well as a further link to purchase the book.
This first discussion is likely to be one of several about this often under-appreciated novel. It has no table of contents nor chapter titles, but does have a Part One and a Part Two. I suggest reading at least through Part One for this first discussion, and we'll see where we go from there.
Optional supplementary reading: Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living, edited by Robert Mayhew, contains extensive analysis and commentary on the historical, literary, and philosophic aspects of the novel.
Whether you have read all of Ayn Rand’s works or none of them, whether you are a beginner or already have an advanced understanding, if you are interested in the impact of ideas on our culture and in your own life, you are welcome to take part in the discussion.
In case you cannot make it to the library, the meeting will also be accessible via Zoom. If you plan to attend via Zoom, please join the meeting a little early so we can make sure everything is working for you.
Zoom Link for September 21st Meeting
The North Idaho Objectivism Society meets monthly in Coeur d'Alene to discuss the works and ideas of Ayn Rand and other Objectivist thinkers. Please connect with us on Meetup.com to be kept informed of future events. Further information may be found here: https://www.meetup.com/north-idaho-objectivism/
