This is a two-quarter seminar exploring Objectivism as a philosophical system. Its goal is to help you learn how to better understand and “chew” various principles of Objectivism and philosophical issues more generally. We will focus on some of the key principles of Objectivism, especially in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. And we will consider a bit of what Objectivism teaches about proper philosophical methodology.
A goal of the course is to reach a better grasp of the meaning of and interrelationships among some of Objectivism’s key principles, which will enable one to better apply the philosophy in one’s thinking and life.
Prerequisites or Corequisites: 200-level courses require that students are enrolled in or have completed the “16-Week Objectivism Seminar” (which has the Fiction course as a prerequisite) or have completed the “Intensive Seminar on Objectivism”.
Course Start Date: October 22, 2024
Instructors: Onkar Ghate, Ben Bayer, Aaron Smith, Mike Mazza
TAs: Dan Schwartz, Mohamed Ali, Steven Warden, Tristan de Liege
Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Outline and Schedule: Course Outline and Schedule
Assignment to be Completed Before First Discussion Session:
- Group A and B students have a written assignment to be completed before the first live session.
- Group A students, Assignment Set 1 will be posted in the Q1 Week 1 module below on Sunday, October 13, at 7 pm UTC. The deadline for this assignment is Wednesday, October 16, by 7 pm UTC.
- Group B students, Assignment Set 2 will be posted in the Q1 Week 1 module below on Wednesday, October 16, at 7 pm UTC. The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, October 20, by 7 pm UTC.
Assignment Groups: Assignment Groups
Assignment Schedule: Assignment Schedule
Tutorial Schedule: TBD
Course Content
Course Includes
- 2 Lessons
- 8 Writing Assignments
Course Faculty
Onkar GhateDr. Ghate is senior fellow, chief philosophy officer, and a board member of the Ayn Rand Institute. He specializes in Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, and is ARI’s senior instructor and editor. He publishes and lectures on Rand’s philosophy and fiction, including application of Objectivism to cultural issues. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Calgary.
Ben BayerDr. Bayer is a fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute. He teaches at Ayn Rand University and gives talks and interviews for ARI. He writes and edits for ARI’s online publication, New Ideal. Dr. Bayer holds a PhD in philosophy and his writing focuses primarily on the application of philosophy to contemporary cultural and political controversies.
Aaron SmithDr. Smith is an instructor and fellow at ARI where he teaches and designs educational content for the Institute’s intellectual training and e-learning programs. He also writes, speaks, and gives interviews for the Institute. Dr. Smith received his PhD in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University where his research focused on Aristotle’s theory of knowledge.