Summer Discussion Groups

At last you’ve finished a busy year of school! Aside from relaxing, why not use your extra time to deepen your understanding of Objectivism? Here are some ideas for how you or the members of your club still in town can solidify the intellectual basis of your club.

1. During the school year, group study of long texts can be beneficial, but challenging, given most students’ necessary preoccupation with their studies. Use the summer break to start a reading group focused on analyzing longer works.
   • Consider beginning an Atlas Shrugged reading group. Diana Hsieh has created a web page with reading schedules, an extensive list of discussion questions, and podcasts analyzing each chapter of the book. Details here.
     The deadline for the Ayn Rand Institute’s Atlas Shrugged essay contest is September 17, 2010. See contest details. Discussing the novel is great preparation for submitting an entry into the contest.
   • Consider beginning a reading group based on Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The book is an integrated survey of the total system of Objectivist philosophy, and requires sustained, long-term study to digest. The Ayn Rand Bookstore offers a study guide that can effectively structure discussion group meetings.
2. Form a group to discuss relatively short but essential books (such as The Virtue of Selfishness or The Romantic Manifesto). Read a chapter out loud each week, with attendees taking turns reading sections. Reading out loud enables attendees to stop and ask questions during the reading of the text and to carefully digest the meaning of various passages.
3. Finally, consider forming a group to listen to a recorded lecture series. As with reading books out loud, listening to a lecture with others gives students the chance to stop the recording and ask questions about the material as they arise. Here are some ideal courses (all by Leonard Peikoff) for deepening your understanding of Objectivism and improving your general thinking skills:
   • Understanding Objectivism
   • Objectivism Through Induction
   • The Art of Thinking
   All are available via the Ayn Rand Bookstore. The first two courses are available both in audio CD format and as an internet course (which is less expensive). Note: Depending upon the size of your group, playing these tapes may count as a public performance, in which case you may need to receive permission from the Ayn Rand Bookstore for this purpose. But ARI-affiliated campus clubs may be able to borrow copies: inquire at clubs@aynrand.org.

This article is based on ideas and feedback shared by Ben B., a former president of the University of Illinois Objectivist Club and of the Lawrence University Students of Objectivism. He is currently a philosophy professor.