tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post4003168870132108632..comments2024-03-27T05:47:21.295-07:00Comments on Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature: New Intellectual 'U': UpdateDaniel Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06359277853862225286noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-62437526620453894772012-04-06T04:14:19.134-07:002012-04-06T04:14:19.134-07:00"and irrelevent criticism of Founders"
..."and irrelevent criticism of Founders"<br /><br />Odd typo for a philosophy Prof to make.Constantijn Blondelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-1790265752420936312007-07-17T03:56:00.000-07:002007-07-17T03:56:00.000-07:00I am the philosopher hired by Founders to teach th...I am the philosopher hired by Founders to teach the introduction to philosophy courses, so I believe I have some standing to comment on this school.<BR/><BR/>As long as I am at the helm of the Founders philosophy department, students will be educated on the major ideas behind the Western tradition. ALL of the major ideas, not just Objectivism.<BR/><BR/>Before you assume that my personal aherence to Objectivism will lead Founders to a bias in favor of Objectivist ideas, please do me, and Founders, the honor of checking the readily-available evidence of my fairness as a professor and agrader. There are plenty of sources available out there (e.g., pickaprof.com, ratemyprofessor.com). You might also wish to check my statement of teaching philosophy, as outlined on Founders' site.<BR/><BR/>Founders College will not hold adherence to Objectivism as its standard of right and wrong, not as long as I am involved with this enterprise. Founders expects its students to be prepared to discuss all of the phliosophical tradition.<BR/><BR/>Those who want to read Founders as an "Objectivist college" are doing an enormous disservice to our students. That is not our stated goal, nor is it my goal as a professor.<BR/><BR/>To those who have raised bizarre and irrelevent criticism of Founders, based on nothing but their own bias against Ayn Rand's ideas, I would recommend that you study the fallacy of the Argument from Ignorance.Friscodoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05666116109274409293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-11714353228303556992007-07-12T14:10:00.000-07:002007-07-12T14:10:00.000-07:00What part of "land deal" got missed here? The new...What part of "land deal" got missed here? The new (7/13/07) CHE article mentions the numbers but again doesn't connect the dots. Fuller's got a well-recognized background in this area (Columbia, MD), and the folks in South Boston pretty much fell all over themselves when they assembled that acreage (see Gazette archives). Three legs on this stool: resort, school, planned community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-51179805987722296382007-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:002007-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00Anon:>As it happens, the founder of Founders Colle...Anon:<BR/>>As it happens, the founder of Founders College , Gary Hull, is no longer aassociated with FC. Strange turn of events...<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the information, Anon. I've checked back at their site and as yet there is no mention of him departing his position as Chief of Educational Research and Development. But I will take it that you've got some inside skinny, and will publish an update once verified. Strange turn of events indeed.<BR/><BR/>>Ayn Rand Institute has no relationship with FC..<BR/><BR/>I still find this claim suprising given the involvement of Eric Daniels and Gary Hull in its creation, and composition of the faculty etc. But at any ratel, whatever it did have appears to be diminishing daily...;-)Daniel Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06359277853862225286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-52081686006662871282007-07-08T21:48:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:48:00.000-07:00Greg:>It is easy guess what is going on here. Ther...Greg:<BR/>>It is easy guess what is going on here. There has been a realization, perhaps on the part of those forking out the money for this venture, that an Objectivist college simply well not do.<BR/><BR/>Yep. This is what I meant by "marketing realities." This results in the predictable awkwardnesses of trying to accomodate a radical ideology into the mainstream ie: even watered down, it will still be perceived as just that bit too weird by mom and pop on the one hand, while it will be viciously attacked on the other from the true-believers. It's a lose-lose. There was another ARI related fellow in at the start, Eric Daniels (http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_EricDaniels) but he has dropped out of the project for unspecified reasons. Hull's now in the very difficult position of running an Objectivist College without running an Objectivist College. Looks like a job for the Law of Identity to me...;-) This is going to take some deep pockets.Daniel Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06359277853862225286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-34298419696810893502007-07-08T21:26:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:26:00.000-07:00It is easy guess what is going on here. There has ...It is easy guess what is going on here. There has been a realization, perhaps on the part of those forking out the money for this venture, that an Objectivist college simply well not do. Whose going to hire someone who has attended what is essentially an Ayn Rand college? Parents are of course worried about stuff like this, so it is important that Founders college is not represented as an Ayn Rand college. Hence Gary Hull's statement about the Rand angle falling "by the wayside." No parent, even Objectivist parents, want to fork out huge sums of money to send their children to a college that may not be respected by prospective employers. In such situations, common sense nearly always trumps ideology.gregnyquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13653516868316854941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-52808158536461653992007-07-08T21:22:00.000-07:002007-07-08T21:22:00.000-07:00You are correct, in that some of the individuals a...You are correct, in that some of the individuals associated with Founders College are known Objectivists. Nonetheless, regardless of the implicataions of your assertion that "Anonymous" "strongly" objects, if you are interested in the simple truth, the Ayn Rand Institute has no relationship with FC, whatsoever. Why would you want to imply otherwise? As it happens, the founder of Founders College , Gary Hull, is no longer aassociated with FC. Strange turn of events. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. If you're interested in the truth and if that truth doesn't bother you too much. ~A.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-36737899443823325332007-07-08T04:28:00.000-07:002007-07-08T04:28:00.000-07:00Some of the earlier posts on FC clearly described ...Some of the earlier posts on FC clearly described it as a school based on Rand's ideas. The "founders" seemed to deemphasize it at some point.<BR/><BR/>Here is an interesting post on the school from one Noumenal Self (apparently a pro-ARI graduate student) who, in spite of his Objectivese, makes some good points.<BR/><BR/>http://www.noumenalself.com/archives/2006/08/founders_colleg_1.html<BR/><BR/>I get the impression that not everyone in ARI land likes Gary Hull.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com