Friday, May 23, 2003 Super-DCMA, Super-Hanah By Diana Hsieh @ 1:57 PM Hanah Metchis' article on Super-DCMA laws just landed in my inbox thanks to CEI's "C:\SPIN." She writes: Despite the moniker, the super-DMCA bills are not much like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which became federal law in 1998. They do deal with the same issue--the protection of copyright in an age when digital devices make piracy an easy task--but the state bills use much broader language. (The state bills differ in their details, but are all based on the same model legislation.) They outlaw any "communications device" used "without the express consent or express authorization of the communication service provider." That means your phone company, cable company, and ISP get to decide what's legal and what's not. This is not a good idea for the future of tech competition. ... The problem of protecting copyrights is a real one, and it is difficult to solve. But the super-DMCA bills, in their attempt to counter vague threats with vague language, create more problems than they solve. Theft, fraud, and copyright violation are already illegal. Making every “communications device” suspect and every consumer a possible criminal is not the way to prevent piracy. Thankfully, Colorado's governor Bill Owens, who recently vetoed one of these stupid super-DCMA laws, seems to agree with Hanah. According to Linda Seebach of the Rocky Mountain News (via Instapundit), Bill Owens warned the legislature "to be more careful in drafting a bill that adds protections that are rightfully needed, but does not paint a broad brush stroke where only a tight line is needed." Link / Noodles / Trackback Tuesday, May 20, 2003 Funny Fiction By Diana Hsieh @ 3:56 PM Someone named "collinschubbwoolston" just posted this amusing bit of pure fiction on the Nathaniel Branden Forum: But just as politicians and religious leaders appeal to our narcissistic tendencies and our fears of being rejected by the herd, so Rand takes advantage of these weaknesses. In most of her works, she glorifies the human mind and tells the reader that he or she possess the magnificent power of reason, and that no-one is his or her intellectual superior. She uses the word "social mystic" to describe any person that believes in the existence of people with intelligence superior to one's own intelligence. This makes the reader feel excellent and worthy of existence. Those who read Rand's works often go to meetings called "objectivist workshops" where they are told what all of the correct opinions are on every political, ethical and philosophical issue. Once the person attending these meetings demonstrates that all of the correct opinions have been formed, membership to the "objectivist club" is offered. Strangely, thousands of people have been excommunicated from this club for erring ever so slightly in the formation of any particular opinion. It is difficult to understand how one can reconcile the desire to avoid being a "social mystic" with the requirement to form an official set of opinions. [Emphasis added.] I don't think there's a single true claim in that whole paragraph. (I didn't bother to read the rest of the post. This bit was quite enough for me!) Link / Noodles / Trackback Interesting Changes at TOC By Diana Hsieh @ 3:16 PM The much-hailed George de Feis has parted company with The Objectivist Center -- after only six months as chief operating officer. According to the announcement Paul and I (and other sponors) received, the staff reductions due to budget constraints this year "reduced the need for a fulltime manager at his level." More interestingly, the announcement notes that "it had also become clear that his particular skills and experience were not the best fit for our mission." I wonder what that means... and whether it has anything to do with the allegations that he seriously mismanaged the US Chess Federation as its executive director. TOC seems lost to me these days. From my (admittedly very much outside) perspective, they don't seem to be doing much except Navigator and the Summer Seminar. And that's just not enough. Link / Noodles / Trackback A Rather Interesting Tale By Diana Hsieh @ 11:23 AM Dave Jilk just alerted me to a rather interesting tale of his on the themes of sexual desire and fidelity. It's well-written, racy, and philosophically fascinating... which is an unusual combo! Link / Noodles / Trackback More Done! By Diana Hsieh @ 1:01 AM Whew! The abstract and outline of my six-lecture "Objectivism 101" course for TOC's summer seminar is done too! Given that I only just started revising these lectures, some of it is likely to be not-entirely-accurate by the time the seminar rolls around. But since the outline covers six hours of lecturing, it's pretty short on detail anyway. Objectivism 101 Abstract Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged offer a unique and inspiring moral vision, but translating those ideals into daily life can be a challenge. In these lectures, we will survey the basic principles of Objectivism, from metaphysics to aesthetics. We will focus on both the theory and practice of the philosophy, contrasting it with common religious and cultural views. Although no familiarity with the philosophy of Objectivism is presumed for this course, acquaintance with Ayn Rand's two major novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged will be helpful. Each session will draw upon ideas and themes from the earlier lectures, so attendance of all the lectures is recommended. Objectivism 101 Outline I. Ayn Rand and Philosophy Ayn Rand's life and work Philosophy The questions of philosophy Philosophy as universal, inescapable, and influential Philosophy in everyday life Objectivism in brief II. Reality and Reason Metaphysics Primacy of existence Primacy of consciousness Epistemology Perceptual and conceptual awareness Reason The data of the senses The method of logic The effort of volition Emotions God and the supernatural III. Life and Happiness Ethics The ethics of Western culture Why do we need ethics? Life and happiness Rational self-interest Moral principles Values and virtues Social ethics Sacrifice of self or others The Trader Principle Individualism Mind-body integration IV. The Virtues Virtue Rationality Productiveness Independence Honesty Justice Benevolence Integrity Pride The self-made soul V. Individual Rights and Capitalism Politics Individual rights Negative (and not positive) rights Coercion Government Economics Economic systems Capitalism The critiques of capitalism Defending capitalism VI. Art as Spiritual Fuel Aesthetics Art as spiritual fuel Art and philosophy Sense of life Standards in art Objectivism Objectivism as a system Studying Objectivism The future of Objectivism Now I have a week to revise and complete my Advanced Seminar paper on philosophy of mind. Oy. Link / Noodles / Trackback Monday, May 19, 2003 Life Is Good By Diana Hsieh @ 7:44 PM I just turned in my last set of lessons for Camp Indecon. Hooray! For those of you who have no idea what that means, last summer I took on the task of developing the curriculum for Camp Indecon's 17 year olds. (The camp was expanded to include that age group this year.) I'll also be teaching my curriculum at camp this summer. As a bit of background, Camp Indecon is a week-long summer camp (held from July 19th to July 26th in Woodland Park, Colorado) that teaches kids practical, rational philosophy and life skills using the Montessori method. Here's what the web site says about its philosophy: If we don't formally teach our children how to think, society will teach them not to. The staff of Camp Indecon has created a curriculum to formally teach children how to think for themselves and be responsible for their decisions based on their nature as human beings. Our campers learn the skills of independent thinking through the Montessori Method of Education, which stresses following life's natural path of development and maintains that (i) anything presented to a child should meet his/her developmental needs at the time, (ii) each child's own pace and style of learning should be followed, and (iii) the child should be free to choose his/her own work within the limits and structure of the program. Montessori's emphasis is the child's preparation for life, not just the exam. By considering the whole child's development and individual interests and personality, it fosters independence, self-direction, self-discipline and self-motivation while providing superior preparation in academic areas. For our campers, increased self-confidence is the natural outcome of recognizing that they are capable of creating their own life plans. Through hands-on activities, they learn about the nature of the world, especially their own nature as human beings. Through working examples, they discover the consequences of listening to peers with incorrect thinking habits and witness the positive results of healthy ones. I was only able to attend Camp Indecon for two days last summer, but I got to witness each of the sections (9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 15-16 year olds) in at least one of their two daily hour-long lessons. There's not much that's cooler than watching 9 and 10 year olds understanding what a self-fulfilling prophecy is, 11 and 12 year olds learning why its important to have a plan in life, 13 and 14 year olds constructing an ideal society, and 15 and 16 year olds struggling to develop definitions and learning about logical fallacies. My lessons for the 17 year olds are: Speak Your Mind: The basic skills of public speaking. We're All Philosophers: The nature and importance of philosophy to everyday life. Two Methods: How to effectively use the methods of evaluation and integration to judge ideas. Uncommon Sense: The ways in which glittering generalities and confirmation bias distort our reasoning. Influence I: The ways in which the principles of reciprocation, consistency, and social proof can influence our actions. Influence II: The ways in which the principles of liking, authority, and scarcity can influence our actions. Mining Philosophy: The various sources of philosophical ideas, including culture, art, and religion. Motivating Action: The practical differences between a duty-driven and goal-directed approach to life. Guiding Action: The role of rules and principles in everyday decisions. Second Nature Virtue: The importance of making virtue second nature through moral habits. Defining Your Politics: Using The World's Smallest Political Quiz to define (and then defend) political views. There's also a lesson on money management... rightfully taught by a professional rather than a philosopher! Last I heard, there was still space in my section. So if you know of any intellectually-minded high school seniors, send them to http://www.campindecon.org! I'm not sure how full the other sections of the camp are, but you can always inquire! Link / Noodles / Trackback The Perfunctory Post About the Atlas Movie By Diana Hsieh @ 8:53 AM Many fans of Rand are thrilled at the prospect of an movie of Atlas Shrugged. Frankly, I've heard such announcements so often (about both Atlas and The Fountainhead) over the past ten years that it's hard to get excited. But Ari Armstrong gives us actual reason to worry in this post to OWL: Terrible, terrible news... "The Objectivist Center is pleased to announce that a new project to film Atlas Shrugged has just been launched [by] Crusader Entertainment... The company also announced that it has signed veteran screenwriter James V. Hart, whose film credits include the ambitious adaptation of Carl Sagan's science fiction novel Contact, to write the screenplay... James V. Hart's writing/producing credits include: Hook, directed by Steven Spielberg; Bram Stocker's Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh as producer with Coppola and John Veitch; Jack and The Beanstalk: The Real Story, directed by Brian Henson, a Jim Henson/CBS mini-series; and Tuck Everlasting, directed by Jay Russell for Disney." Hart managed to turn a great pro-reason, pro-science book by Sagan into an apology of faith. (See my earlier review.) Contact is a good movie because it is based on a good book, because Zemeckis has a lot of talent, and because the cast does a good job. Hart, though, turned the theme on its head. Obviously, ideas are all-important in Atlas Shrugged, and I fear Hart will similarly screw it up. The rest of Hart's resume does little to ease my anxiety. Hook and Dracula were fun but intellectually vacuous. And Frankenstein, shall we say, was an apt title for that particular movie. The mere fact that Hart ended up as the screenwriter indicates to me the studio lacks either an understanding of the subject material or money (or perhaps both). I will breath a sigh of relief when, once again, an announced filming of Atlas Shrugged falls through. -Ari Armstrong Given the emegence of big screen miniseries with Lord of the Rings and The Matrix (as opposed to self-contained sequels), I do wonder whether either Atlas Shugged or The Fountainhead could be made into say, a two or three movie movie. That would be cool. Link / Noodles / Trackback

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