{"id":22618,"date":"2023-06-12T12:59:27","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T12:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basqueluxury.com\/?p=22618"},"modified":"2023-06-13T14:14:33","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T14:14:33","slug":"dr-keith-lockitch-the-most-important-philosophical-challenge-today-is-to-fight-that-anti-enlightenment-trend-by-advancing-objectivism-which-provides-a-firm-foundation-for-the-reintroductio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basqueluxury.com\/en\/dr-keith-lockitch-the-most-important-philosophical-challenge-today-is-to-fight-that-anti-enlightenment-trend-by-advancing-objectivism-which-provides-a-firm-foundation-for-the-reintroductio\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Keith Lockitch: \u201cThe most important philosophical challenge today is to fight that anti-Enlightenment trend by advancing Objectivism, which provides a firm foundation for the reintroduction of Enlightenment ideals.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

We traveled to Greece to attend the AynRandCon23 conference and interview Dr. Keith Lockitch, Vice President of Education and Senior Fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI). This nonprofit organization aims to promote Objectivism, a philosophical system developed by the Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982). During the five days of the conference, renowned individuals such as Dr. Onkar Ghate<\/a> (Chief Philosophy Officer and Senior Fellow, Ayn Rand institute), Dr. Tara Smith (Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin), Dr. Gregory Salmieri (Senior Scholar of Philosophy, Salem Center), and Dr. Robert Mayhew (Professor of Philosophy, Seton Hall University), among many other experts, tackled important issues such as altruism, egoism, capitalism, reason, and justice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ayn Rand Institute organizes two face-to-face conferences per year, one in the USA and another in Europe. Why have you chosen Greece as the host for this year’s event? Was it because of the link between Objectivism and some of the philosophical ideas from Ancient Greece?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, exactly. We\u2019ve been hosting an annual weekend conference in Europe for about four years now, and we choose a different city each year for variety. Athens was suggested as an option for the 2023 event, and we immediately loved the idea because Ancient Greece was the birthplace of philosophy. There are deep connections between Ayn Rand\u2019s philosophy, Objectivism, and Aristotelianism and we thought this would be the perfect setting to highlight those connections.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The talks have taken place in settings as symbolic as the Zappeion (where the accession of Greece into the European Union was signed), the Lyceum of Aristotle, and the Dora Stratou Theater. The choice of settings was not by chance…<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, it wasn\u2019t by chance. We decided early on in the planning of the event to take advantage of the unique setting that Athens affords. Ayn Rand was a great admirer of Aristotle, and some of our speakers are world experts on both of these thinkers. So, it was especially fitting to be able to hold a session at the archeological site of Aristotle\u2019s Lyceum and hear talks comparing and contrasting the views of Rand and Aristotle. We also wanted to have a session in an outdoor amphitheater and see an Ancient Greek drama performed in that setting, which proved to be a wonderful experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The conference intermixed presentations, Q&A sessions, and roundtable discussions in which attendees (coming from all over Europe) had the opportunity to interact with the speakers and ask questions about current issues (such as transsexuality, artificial intelligence, and the reform of French pensions). What answers does ARI propose to questions that did not exist in Ayn Rand’s time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A philosophy is a system of ideas about the most fundamental questions that we face: What\u2019s the nature of reality? How do we acquire knowledge? What is the right way to live? And the answers it provides at that level of fundamentality are timeless and universal\u2014they\u2019re just as applicable today as they were in Rand\u2019s day\u2014or in Ancient Greece.<\/p>\n

Where new questions come up is in applying<\/em> philosophy to more concrete, specific issues\u2014issues that arise for an individual trying to live his life or issues that come up as a result of new developments in culture or politics. And it\u2019s not always obvious how to correctly apply the fundamental guidance that philosophy offers. That takes a great deal of thoughtful consideration.<\/p>\n

So, that\u2019s what we try to do in answering those kinds of questions about current issues: We cannot speak for Rand or claim that we know how she would answer questions that didn\u2019t arise in her time, but what can do is apply our understanding of Rand\u2019s philosophy to those questions. And often that results in surprising perspectives and insights that cut through false alternatives and misguided ways of thinking about those issues.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are the main conclusions you have reached after the conference in Athens?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That the event was a great success in terms of its goals. We wanted to bring together people who are longtime fans of Ayn Rand\u2019s writings and ideas as well as young people who are fairly new to her work and give them the opportunity to learn from some of the top experts in the world. And I think we exceeded people\u2019s expectations about how meaningful that experience could be for them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What are, in your opinion, the most important philosophical challenges facing us in the twenty-first century?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the broadest level, the most significant trends in philosophy occur on timescales of decades and centuries, so the important philosophical challenges that face us now, in the twenty-first century, are the continuation of those we faced in the nineteenth and twentieth. I think the best answer I can give to this question is to quote from ARI\u2019s leading philosopher, Onkar Ghate, who once wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the extent the world has moved forward since the 18th century, it has done so by implementing, however imperfectly, the ideals of the Enlightenment: reason, science, individualism and a government limited by the principle of individual rights. To the extent the world has stagnated or retrogressed, it has done so because of the ascendency of opposite philosophic ideas: mysticism, dialectical \u2018logic\u2019 and other pseudoscientific approaches, collectivism\/tribalism, and unlimited government given the power to sacrifice the property and lives of individuals, when doing so is said to be in the \u2018public interest.\u2019 Philosophy and much of the wider intellectual world turned against the Enlightenment in the 19th century which is why the 20th century was not just a century of progress, but also one of widescale conflict, destruction and murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, I would say that the most important philosophical challenge today is to fight that anti-Enlightenment trend by advancing Ayn Rand\u2019s philosophy, Objectivism, which provides a firm foundation for the reintroduction of Enlightenment ideals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year’s conference in the USA will take place in Miami (from June 30 to July 5). What new things can those attending this event expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Miami conference is our annual event called \u201cOCON\u201d\u2014which is short for \u201cObjectivist Conference.\u201d It\u2019s an event that\u2019s aimed at people who are more familiar with Rand\u2019s philosophy and so the talks will be less introductory and more varied in terms of the topics discussed. We\u2019ll have talks on topics ranging from the philosophy of mathematics to moral judgment to education to how to live objectively. We\u2019ll also have a full day of mini-courses based on courses taught in our Ayn Rand University program. So attendees will be able to experience what it\u2019s like to take our full-length, online courses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Objectivism is a philosophy that is quite established in the USA, yet it still has a long way to go in Europe. What are the principles on which Objectivism is based?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are whole books written about the principles on which Objectivism is based, so it\u2019s hard to summarize in a brief answer. Ayn Rand was a highly original thinker with radical views on the most fundamental questions in philosophy. She held that reason<\/em> is our only means of knowledge, rejecting both faith and skepticism. She advanced a new conception of egoism<\/em>, according to which the highest purpose of an individual\u2019s life is the achievement of his own happiness; but she rejected the claim that selfishness necessarily involves harming or exploiting other people. And she was an advocate of total, laissez-faire capitalism<\/em>, in which the government\u2019s only role is the protection of individual rights.<\/p>\n

This is the best place to get a brief introduction to Objectivism: \u00a0https:\/\/courses.aynrand.org\/works\/introducing-objectivism\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ayn Rand Org is made up of different branches (Ayn Rand Institute, Ayn Rand University, etc.). How exactly is the organization structured and what are the tasks of each department? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The mission of the Ayn Rand Institute is to advance Rand\u2019s philosophy, Objectivism, by means of educational activities. So, all of our different programs are, in one way or another, aimed at educating people about Rand\u2019s works and ideas.<\/p>\n

Our core program is called Ayn Rand University, or ARU. We offer courses, conducted online via Zoom, about Ayn Rand\u2019s philosophy and its application to various fields such as literature, science, law, communication, etc. This program is meant to supplement a young person\u2019s university education, or to serve as a gap-year program before a student enters university, to give them a solid foundation in Objectivism as a philosophy that can guide their lives.<\/p>\n

To support ARU, we have a faculty of instructors and teaching assistants who also write and speak in other formats to advance ARI\u2019s mission. We have an online magazine, called New Ideal, and an associated podcast, New Ideal Live, where we write and speak about philosophical issues and current events.<\/p>\n

The students for ARU typically come to us out of programs aimed at introducing young people to Rand\u2019s ideas. We have online reading groups, in which small groups of people discuss Rand\u2019s philosophical essays. We give away thousands of copies of Rand\u2019s novels to students who want to read them and also to high school teachers who want to teach the novels in their literature classes. We have essay contests on Rand\u2019s novels for students who compete for cash prizes by writing essays that probe the philosophical aspects of the novels.<\/p>\n

Finally, we maintain the Ayn Rand Archives, which houses Rand\u2019s personal papers and artifacts. This is the most complete repository of primary source material for researchers studying Rand\u2019s life and works. Numerous scholarly books and papers have been written based on the materials housed in the archives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are the next steps that ARI plans to take in its internationalization?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I just mentioned, our program called Ayn Rand University, which is the core educational program that we offer. Because our courses are taught online via Zoom, we admit students from all over the world. So, the next steps for us are to grow the number of international students who are participating in Ayn Rand University. And the recent conference in Athens is part of that growth process, because students who attend our AynRandCon events are often inspired to apply to become students of ARU. Indeed, I interviewed a number of students who were attending the Athens event who had already applied to ARU, and a number of them have already begun taking our courses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The next AynRandCon in Europe will be held in March of 2024 in Amsterdam. Who would you say that edition is for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The target audience for AynRandCon-Europe is the same each year: It\u2019s primarily for young people throughout Europe who are interested in learning more about Rand\u2019s ideas. We haven\u2019t yet explored how we will take advantage of the location in Amsterdam, but anyone who wants to combine a weekend conference about Rand\u2019s philosophy with a visit to that vibrant and culturally rich city is welcome to join us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All of our interviews wrap up with the same question. What is luxury to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To me luxury is not about cost or ostentation, it\u2019s about value and personal significance. Luxury is treating myself to a high-value product or experience that brings me joy, for no reason other than that it brings me joy\u2014simply as an end in itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo Credit: Mark Da Cunha.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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