Mike Renzulli Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Hello Everyone, Some local Objectivists and I are going to start a new think tank dedicated to Objectivist philosophy. I am concerned about the lack of scholarly work and activity on our side of the movement and think that by forming a new organization we can help revive the momentum that has been lost in recent years. The name of our organization will be the Rational Mind Institute (aka RMI). We have 3 people who are members of the Board of Directors (myself included). A little under a month ago we enacted our bylaws, just last week our incorporation was approved by the state of Arizona and within weeks I expect we will be submitting the paperwork for 501 © 3 status. The group will be based out of Phoenix and (fortunately) Arizona has a decent sized Objectivist/libertarian community. I think and hope it is that talent we can initially tap to help our group take off. It is also my hope that RMI will branch out to include and work with other individuals and like-minded organizations as well. Including people from ARI who maybe turned off by the events surrounding the purges of people such as John McClaskey and Robert Tracinski. Arizona has the Goldwater Institute which is an excellent public policy think tank. RMI can be the philosophical transmitter of ideas that is very much needed not only in Arizona but around the country. Simultaneously, we can also coordinate events and other activities with like-minded groups including (but not limited to) The Atlas Society and the people behind the Free Minds conferences. I would like to see RMI host its own conferences in addition to helping to further scholarly work in the field of philosophy. If any of you would like to participate/help it would be appreciated. You can reach our group in which it will come directly to me at rationalmindinst (at) gmail.com. We have reserved domains for a website and will have that up soon. You can also contact me through messaging on these boards as well. I am enthused about this endeavor and ask you all be a part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaalChatzaf Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Hello Everyone, Some local Objectivists and I are going to start a new think tank dedicated to Objectivist philosophy. I am concerned about the lack of scholarly work and activity on our side of the movement and think that by forming a new organization we can help revive the momentum that has been lost in recent years. The name of our organization will be the Rational Mind Institute (aka RMI). We have 3 people who are members of the Board of Directors (myself included). A little under a month ago we enacted our bylaws, just last week our incorporation was approved by the state of Arizona and within weeks I expect we will be submitting the paperwork for 501 © 3 status. The group will be based out of Phoenix and (fortunately) Arizona has a decent sized Objectivist/libertarian community. I think and hope it is that talent we can initially tap to help our group take off. It is also my hope that RMI will branch out to include and work with other individuals and like-minded organizations as well. Including people from ARI who maybe turned off by the events surrounding the purges of people such as John McClaskey and Robert Tracinski. Arizona has the Goldwater Institute which is an excellent public policy think tank. RMI can be the philosophical transmitter of ideas that is very much needed not only in Arizona but around the country. Simultaneously, we can also coordinate events and other activities with like-minded groups including (but not limited to) The Atlas Society and the people behind the Free Minds conferences. I would like to see RMI host its own conferences in addition to helping to further scholarly work in the field of philosophy. If any of you would like to participate/help it would be appreciated. You can reach our group in which it will come directly to me at rationalmindinst (at) gmail.com. We have reserved domains for a website and will have that up soon. You can also contact me through messaging on these boards as well. I am enthused about this endeavor and ask you all be a part of it.How funded?Ba'al Chatzaf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Heaps-Nelson Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Hello Everyone, Some local Objectivists and I are going to start a new think tank dedicated to Objectivist philosophy. I am concerned about the lack of scholarly work and activity on our side of the movement and think that by forming a new organization we can help revive the momentum that has been lost in recent years. The name of our organization will be the Rational Mind Institute (aka RMI). We have 3 people who are members of the Board of Directors (myself included). A little under a month ago we enacted our bylaws, just last week our incorporation was approved by the state of Arizona and within weeks I expect we will be submitting the paperwork for 501 © 3 status. The group will be based out of Phoenix and (fortunately) Arizona has a decent sized Objectivist/libertarian community. I think and hope it is that talent we can initially tap to help our group take off. It is also my hope that RMI will branch out to include and work with other individuals and like-minded organizations as well. Including people from ARI who maybe turned off by the events surrounding the purges of people such as John McClaskey and Robert Tracinski. Arizona has the Goldwater Institute which is an excellent public policy think tank. RMI can be the philosophical transmitter of ideas that is very much needed not only in Arizona but around the country. Simultaneously, we can also coordinate events and other activities with like-minded groups including (but not limited to) The Atlas Society and the people behind the Free Minds conferences. I would like to see RMI host its own conferences in addition to helping to further scholarly work in the field of philosophy. If any of you would like to participate/help it would be appreciated. You can reach our group in which it will come directly to me at rationalmindinst (at) gmail.com. We have reserved domains for a website and will have that up soon. You can also contact me through messaging on these boards as well. I am enthused about this endeavor and ask you all be a part of it.Mike,Congrats on getting this off the ground! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Coates Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 (edited) Mike, do you have specific projects or papers you want to write? Is there a way in which you plan to do things differently from both ARI and TAS and from the Oist-leaning publications like "The New Individualist" and from the Oist summer conferences?Will your domain be largely theory (the five branches of philosophy, psychology, the humanities, etc.) or appplication (as in applying Objectivism to a range of issues)?Do you have a written 'mission statement' outlining this that those who might be interested in participating, writing, funding, organizing can read?.....PS, Two areas where I see a gap in the work of ARI and TAS:1. Do you have any detailed plan, for example, to fill the need (or provide support) for Objectivists to do creative work or write more on topics -other- than current political and economic events?2. What about -educating and developing- those who might become fully Objectivists but are now only "Rand fans." Edited February 14, 2011 by Philip Coates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) Mike,About working with people from ARI who [are] maybe turned off by the events surrounding the purges of people such as John McCaskey and Robert Tracinski.The case of John McCaskey and that of George Reisman and his wife Edith Packer differs from Robert Tracinskis in that Tracinski left ARI on his own initiative. At least thats how he tells it, see Whos Who - Robert TracinskiYou might say his reputation was purged, after the fact, by ARI tagging his archived Op-Eds with a harsh note saying that hes no longer associated with them. The note was probably a reaction to his later writings about the relation of philosophy to cultural change, which contradicted Peikoffs ideas.While he was there Tracinski was a pea in the ARI pod. Especially, he participated in all the crazy propaganda coming out of ARI from 2001 to 2003: pro-war (The Case for Destabilization etc) and Israel worshipping (We Are All Israelis Now etc). He left not because of any difference with ARI on political issues. He promotes the same today, with Iran substituted for Iraq.Who cares what happens to such a person in ARIs little squabbles? If the Rational Mind Institute seeks to attract people who care about Tracinski then I think its off to a bad start.To change the subject a bit, if your new Institute does address current events, heres what Id like to see it write about: government corruption beyond the corruption that inheres in the welfare state. I mean a criminal, gangster kind of corruption. The work of former federal agent Rodney Stich is a good place to begin learning about this subject. Edited February 15, 2011 by Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Renzulli Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) Phil, Thanks for your feedback. In the interim our focus will be on conducting seminars or lectures. We will start off small but if we grow (which I and the other board members will be working very hard to ensure) I would be open to doing what you describe below. The details will, of course, have to be worked out. First we have to begin the process of building the organization and I would like to build it to include what you describe. In response to Mark's comments it isn't so much appealing to people like Robert Tracinski as much as it is about being able to rebuild what, in my view, has been lost in the past few years in terms of the scholarship and activism that came out of IOS/TAS. I don't want RMI to become a clone of either ARI or TAS yet both groups conduct activities that I think are very good and can be used to help revive an independent Objectivist movement. I think it needs a good, active, well-funded organization with dedicated people that can help provide resources in order to make this happen.PS, Two areas where I see a gap in the work of ARI and TAS:1. Do you have any detailed plan, for example, to fill the need (or provide support) for Objectivists to do creative work or write more on topics -other- than current political and economic events?2. What about -educating and developing- those who might become fully Objectivists but are now only "Rand fans." Edited February 15, 2011 by Mike Renzulli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Renzulli Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 I thought you all might like to know that I sent the forms to give RMI 501©3 status to the IRS today. I expect within the next few months we will obtain it. Once we do I would like for us to be able to raise money in order to hold a conference in Phoenix. I will keep you all informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I thought you all might like to know that I sent the forms to give RMI 501©3 status to the IRS today. I expect within the next few months we will obtain it. Once we do I would like for us to be able to raise money in order to hold a conference in Phoenix. I will keep you all informed.Mike:God speed...May the force be with you...Good luck.Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Renzulli Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thanks, Adam and everyone else on this thread that has wished me well.Mike:God speed...May the force be with you...Good luck.Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 It's late, but let me chime in with best wishes for your venture.Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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