Ed Hudgins's tribute to "Atlas" in "The Washington Times"

[Bidinotto]

The latest installment of The Atlas Society's October media tsunami on behalf of Atlas Shrugged: executive director Ed Hudgins has published his own tribute, "'Atlas Shrugged' at 50," in today's (October 11, 2007) issue of the Washington Times.

It's another very fine piece from TAS honoring Rand's great novel -- added to David Kelley's Wall Street Journal column yesterday, the big "Atlas 50th" bash in D.C. last Saturday, the C-SPAN 2 broadcast (this coming Saturday), and other media interviews, articles, and citations.

[Wolf DeVoon]

The latest installment of The Atlas Society's October media tsunami on behalf of Atlas Shrugged: executive director Ed Hudgins has published his own tribute, "'Atlas Shrugged' at 50," in today's (October 11, 2007) issue of the Washington Times.

a much-needed culture of principled individualism

Excellent stuff. I see what you mean about C-SPAN, articles, and citations. Very well done. Congrats and thanks.

Wolf

[Ed Hudgins]

[Here's the article for those of you too busy to click through. Enjoy!]

Atlas Shrugged at 50

Edward Hudgins

The Washington Times -- October 11, 2007

Two important events occurred in October 1957. First, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, named Sputnik, into orbit, causing many to speculate the West was losing to the superior technology and, possibly, inevitable ideology of communism. Second, the novel "Atlas Shrugged" was published. Its author, Ayn Rand, had fled the tyranny of Soviet communism in 1926 for freedom in the West.

Today communism in Russia and its satellite countries is dead. "Atlas" and Miss Rand's other works continue to sell millions of copies. A 1992 Library of Congress survey found it to be the most influential book in the country after the Bible. It helped launch the modern free market and libertarian movement.

Miss Rand's ideas, which provided an effective counter to Marxist collectivism, are needed even more today to provide the philosophical basis for a much- needed culture of principled individualism.

Miss Rand's life was as heroic as her characters. She came to America not speaking English but mastered the language to achieve her goal of becoming a writer. In the following decades she wrote plays, scripts for Hollywood movies and her first two great novels.

In "We the Living," published in 1936, Miss Rand offered a damning indictment of communism. The book stood in stark contrast to the self-blinded romance that the political left and Tinsel Town had with the 1930s evil-of-the-day: Josef Stalin's concentration-camp-of-a-country. Nothing much has changed.

In her 1943 best-seller "The Fountainhead," which was made into a major Hollywood movie, Miss Rand showed the soul of a true individualist, architect Howard Roark, who held to his own ideas and ideals, in stark contrast to those who surrender their dreams simply for the empty approval of others. When one acquaintance asserted it was Miss Rand's duty to expound upon the ideas in that book, she provocatively asked what would happen if she went on strike, if she refused to serve others. That was the spark that ignited "Atlas Shrugged."

In "Atlas," Miss Rand presented her ideas in a story, not in a philosophical treatise. We confront a mystery: Industrial America is collapsing and the most competent and productive individuals who can save the world seem to be disappearing. When Miss Rand was writing - this is still true - it was safe for novelists, media, moviemakers, politicians and preachers to bash businessmen and -women.

But in "Atlas," the heroes were in business. Miss Rand showed us characters like railroad vice president Dagny Taggart and super-steel producer Hank Rearden who loved their work; who created innovative products and services by exercising their reason, honesty, integrity and independence; who traded their products with voluntary customers; who became rich through their own efforts; and who took pride in their profits and achievements. She contrasted these heroes with pseudo-businessmen, looters who were more interested in appearance than products; who used government to extort wealth from others; and who were guilty and ashamed of their prosperity.

"Atlas" was an exciting story of the consequences of such suicidal ethics and, even more important, an outline of a true ethics of life.

Miss Rand's revolution in "Atlas" was to define the standard of all value as man's life; the means of our survival as the exercise of our rational minds, not our adrenal glands; and our proper goal as individuals as our own lives, joy, happiness.

Miss Rand taught that it is because we must be free to think and act in order to survive and flourish that we should deal with one another based on mutual consent and never through the initiation of force - such a social system is called capitalism. And for these reasons governments should be limited to protecting the rights of individuals to life, liberty and property.

Today "postmodernists" claim there are no standards, no right or wrong, and that everything is a matter of opinion and interpretation - except their own bizarre theories and leftist agendas. We see the results of that nonsense around us every day. But the antidote is not a moral code based on religions or traditions that are often arbitrary, contradict one other and set individuals at each others' throats.

What is needed is an unapologetic defense of the rational, responsible and principled individualism, as is found in "Atlas Shrugged."

We should each pursue the goals we love, whether nurturing a child to maturity or a business to profitability; whether writing a song, a poem or a business plan; whether laying the bricks to a building, designing the building or arranging its financing. The result would be a society in which we are each enriched, entertained, educated, enlightened and inspired by our fellows. That is the vision Miss Rand offers, the vision of a true Atlas society.

------------

Edward Hudgins is executive director of the Atlas Society (www.atlassociety.o rg), the center for Objectivism, which celebrates human achievement.

[James Heaps-Nelson]

[Here's the article for those of you too busy to click through. Enjoy!]

Atlas Shrugged at 50

Edward Hudgins

The Washington Times -- October 11, 2007

Two important events occurred in October 1957. First, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, named Sputnik, into orbit, causing many to speculate the West was losing to the superior technology and, possibly, inevitable ideology of communism. Second, the novel "Atlas Shrugged" was published. Its author, Ayn Rand, had fled the tyranny of Soviet communism in 1926 for freedom in the West.

Today communism in Russia and its satellite countries is dead. "Atlas" and Miss Rand's other works continue to sell millions of copies. A 1992 Library of Congress survey found it to be the most influential book in the country after the Bible. It helped launch the modern free market and libertarian movement.

Miss Rand's ideas, which provided an effective counter to Marxist collectivism, are needed even more today to provide the philosophical basis for a much- needed culture of principled individualism.

Miss Rand's life was as heroic as her characters. She came to America not speaking English but mastered the language to achieve her goal of becoming a writer. In the following decades she wrote plays, scripts for Hollywood movies and her first two great novels.

In "We the Living," published in 1936, Miss Rand offered a damning indictment of communism. The book stood in stark contrast to the self-blinded romance that the political left and Tinsel Town had with the 1930s evil-of-the-day: Josef Stalin's concentration-camp-of-a-country. Nothing much has changed.

In her 1943 best-seller "The Fountainhead," which was made into a major Hollywood movie, Miss Rand showed the soul of a true individualist, architect Howard Roark, who held to his own ideas and ideals, in stark contrast to those who surrender their dreams simply for the empty approval of others. When one acquaintance asserted it was Miss Rand's duty to expound upon the ideas in that book, she provocatively asked what would happen if she went on strike, if she refused to serve others. That was the spark that ignited "Atlas Shrugged."

In "Atlas," Miss Rand presented her ideas in a story, not in a philosophical treatise. We confront a mystery: Industrial America is collapsing and the most competent and productive individuals who can save the world seem to be disappearing. When Miss Rand was writing - this is still true - it was safe for novelists, media, moviemakers, politicians and preachers to bash businessmen and -women.

But in "Atlas," the heroes were in business. Miss Rand showed us characters like railroad vice president Dagny Taggart and super-steel producer Hank Rearden who loved their work; who created innovative products and services by exercising their reason, honesty, integrity and independence; who traded their products with voluntary customers; who became rich through their own efforts; and who took pride in their profits and achievements. She contrasted these heroes with pseudo-businessmen, looters who were more interested in appearance than products; who used government to extort wealth from others; and who were guilty and ashamed of their prosperity.

"Atlas" was an exciting story of the consequences of such suicidal ethics and, even more important, an outline of a true ethics of life.

Miss Rand's revolution in "Atlas" was to define the standard of all value as man's life; the means of our survival as the exercise of our rational minds, not our adrenal glands; and our proper goal as individuals as our own lives, joy, happiness.

Miss Rand taught that it is because we must be free to think and act in order to survive and flourish that we should deal with one another based on mutual consent and never through the initiation of force - such a social system is called capitalism. And for these reasons governments should be limited to protecting the rights of individuals to life, liberty and property.

Today "postmodernists" claim there are no standards, no right or wrong, and that everything is a matter of opinion and interpretation - except their own bizarre theories and leftist agendas. We see the results of that nonsense around us every day. But the antidote is not a moral code based on religions or traditions that are often arbitrary, contradict one other and set individuals at each others' throats.

What is needed is an unapologetic defense of the rational, responsible and principled individualism, as is found in "Atlas Shrugged."

We should each pursue the goals we love, whether nurturing a child to maturity or a business to profitability; whether writing a song, a poem or a business plan; whether laying the bricks to a building, designing the building or arranging its financing. The result would be a society in which we are each enriched, entertained, educated, enlightened and inspired by our fellows. That is the vision Miss Rand offers, the vision of a true Atlas society.

------------

Edward Hudgins is executive director of the Atlas Society (www.atlassociety.o rg), the center for Objectivism, which celebrates human achievement.

Terrific piece, Ed. The only time I can remember being this excited about the state and promise of Objectivism was after David Kelley's Benevolence talk at the 1995 Summer Seminar. TAS is really firing on all cylinders. Congrats and best wishes to all.

Jim

[Bidinotto]

I'll thank you on behalf of Ed and the rest of the staff, Jim.

It's been quite the year for us at The Atlas Society:

* Helping to nudge forward the "Atlas" movie project

* Blitzing 5,000 Conservative Political Action Conference attendees by giving all of them our challenging anti-conservative March issue of The New Individualist, plus our blistering little book, The Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party -- along with our related media appearances on "Air America," KMOX, in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and elsewhere

* TNI winning the magazine's industry's prestigious gold Folio "Eddie" Award for editorial excellence

* The Atlas 50th Celebration, which brought together hundreds of Rand admirers to a high-profile tribute to her masterwork, right in the belly of the beast, Washington, DC

* Our attendant media blitz, including (to date) the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times (twice in one week), the Washington Examiner, C-SPAN, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and others

As the Chairman of the Board used to sing, "It was a very good year."

And it ain't even over. Stay tuned.

[James Heaps-Nelson]

I'll thank you on behalf of Ed and the rest of the staff, Jim.

It's been quite the year for us at The Atlas Society:

* Helping to nudge forward the "Atlas" movie project

* Blitzing 5,000 Conservative Political Action Conference attendees by giving all of them our challenging anti-conservative March issue of The New Individualist, plus our blistering little book, The Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party -- along with our related media appearances on "Air America," KMOX, in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and elsewhere

* TNI winning the magazine's industry's prestigious gold Folio "Eddie" Award for editorial excellence

* The Atlas 50th Celebration, which brought together hundreds of Rand admirers to a high-profile tribute to her masterwork, right in the belly of the beast, Washington, DC

* Our attendant media blitz, including (to date) the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times (twice in one week), the Washington Examiner, C-SPAN, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and others

As the Chairman of the Board used to sing, "It was a very good year."

And it ain't even over. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the reply, Robert! I didn't know about the size and scope of the CPAC effort and the Battle for the Soul booklets were very well done.

Jim

[Bidinotto]

Jim,

The full report of our CPAC blitz (with photos) can be found in this entry on my blog:

http://bidinotto.journalspace.com/?entryid=509

We had a blast, and we really got a lot of attention for Rand and Objectivism among hard-core conservative leaders and activists.

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Jim,

The full report of our CPAC blitz (with photos) can be found in this entry on my blog:

http://bidinotto.journalspace.com/?entryid=509

We had a blast, and we really got a lot of attention for Rand and Objectivism among hard-core conservative leaders and activists.

Wow! Thanks, Robert. I don't know what I was doing in February that I either missed or skimmed over that update. My work schedule ebbs and flows and that was probably a particularly busy period.

Jim

Edit: I DO know what I was doing. Knee deep in INS bureaucracy helping to get my wife's citizenship through.

Edited October 11, 2007 by James Heaps-Nelson

[Chris Grieb]

Robert; Ed's article is great! This is going to be an exciting time to be an Objectivist!

[Bidinotto]

Jim -- you put your WIFE ahead of reading MY BLOG?

Clearly, you have a morally bankrupt hierarchy of values!

;^)