Summer Seminar Brings 'Academical Village' to Life

During the school year, no doubt, the usual twentieth-century outlooks rule at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. But for one week this past July, the eighth annual IOS Summer Seminar brought to life an "Academical Village" such as Thomas Jefferson envisioned for his university. From July 5 to 12, more than 240 people gathered in lecture halls, dormitories, and a common room to discuss the power of reason, the pursuit of happiness, and the sanctity of individual rights. No wonder the presence of America's greatest Enlightenment figure hung over the seminar like a benediction.

What brought these 240 people to Charlottesville? The common thread was Objectivism, of course. But, being individualists, each participant had an individual answer to the question as well. In the perspective of one attendee: "This is the best vacation available on earth." For another, the purpose was summed up in a single word: "Learning." And one young man admitted candidly that the attractions were: "Location, meet new friends (especially females), intellectual conversations." All three participants gave the week a top rating of 5 points. Kristian Helde, who trekked in from Sweden, rated the experience 5-plus and called it "one of the best weeks of my life." It is responses like these, spreading through the Objectivist and libertarian communities, that is fueling an annual growth rate in summer seminar attendance of nearly 50 percent.

On Saturday, July 5, the seminar opened with an evening cookout that recalled IOS to its Aristotelian roots by being held in a Greek amphitheatre. Following the feast, many headed for the seminar's common room in the student center at Newcomb Hall, which was to become the scene of a nightly symposium.

The next morning, IOS executive director David Kelley delivered the week's keynote address, "The State of the Culture," which called on Objectivists to provide intellectual leadership for that 30 to 40 percent of the U.S. population still dominated by "the American sense of life." Over the next five mornings, Kelley delivered his course, "The Logical Structure of Objectivism," which was described in the June 1997 IOS Journal under the title "Teaching the Teachers."

An outstanding afternoon series on "Creating Freedom" saw Scott G. Bullock, a staff attorney with the Institute of Justice, lecture on "Litigating for Liberty"; Ed Hudgins of the Cato Institute discuss "Capitalism vs. Pragmatism"; and Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation recount a critical bit of history: "The Role of Think Tanks in the Battle for Liberty." "What Objectivists Must Learn from Religion," contributed by IOS's Robert Bidinotto, won a standing ovation.

On Sunday, Gordon Stubley's "Professional Heroes" —part of the "Current Issues" sequence—demonstrated the ways in which engineers embody (or fail to embody) the virtues of rationality and integrity. In a special moment for Objectivists, he recalled the scene in We The Living where Kira dreams of building an aluminum bridge, at a time when that material was considered wholly unsuitable for such a structure; Stubley then showed a slide of the world's first aluminum bridge. After the talk, audience members spoke to others about what they had experienced, and Stubley was brought back by popular demand to give his talk a second time.

On Monday, Susanna Fessler initiated the "History and Culture" program by raising and answering a question that has surely occurred to many Objectivists: If the East Asian states are developing dynamic capitalist economies, will their populations become more receptive to Objectivism? According to Fessler, prospects are dim, owing to the region's tradition of Buddhism, a religion that holds egoism is the source of suffering. Nevertheless, Fessler said, some hope is offered by a sect known as Pure Land Buddhism and certain developments within that sect that encourage a focus on materialism. Regarding Fessler's lecture, Jan Austin exclaimed: "What a pleasure to learn from a professor who has honed her craft to this degree—substance, entertainment, humor, truth."

On Monday night, the staff of IOS faced questions from seminar participants concerning the future of the institute. Among many other topics, the general contours of this newsletter were revealed for the first time. Jens Peter Hube commented: "I hope you continue to have such a 'state of the institute' type session. It was very successful."

On Wednesday, lectures were scheduled only for the morning, but quality compensated for quantity. Susan Dawn Wake's "Objectivism in the Classroom" drew on her experiences in teaching philosophy to provide the audience with a glimpse of life in contemporary higher education: One member of the audience suggested having Wake back next year for a series of lectures. But Kim Davis went that proposal one better: "Can we have a conference that is all Wake?"

On Thursday, it all began again. Ken Livingston launched his two-lecture discussion of artificial intelligence and the Objectivist epistemology. Jim Robbins finished his two classes on "Plato, Aristotle, and the Renaissance." Nathaniel Branden spoke on "Objectivism in Daily Life." And Linda Abrams taught an audience "How to Fight City Hall."

For many, though, the high point of Thursday came after school. At the summer seminar's revue, "In Performance," eighteen courageous participants sang, played instruments, told humorous stories, performed skits, and otherwise strutted their stuff. Drawing special applause were Charles Tomlinson's dog stories and a rhythm piece called "The Salt Shaker Game," composed by Johnathan Reale and performed by him and his wife Rebecca.

"I can't believe it's ending." That was the leitmotif of Friday. Fortunately, those who planned the seminar permitted no let-up in quality. In the morning, David Mayer spoke on "The Declaration of Independence as a Literary and Philosophical Work." Lindsay Perigo, delightful as always, drily disabused audience members of any illusions they might have acquired from Liberty magazine concerning the state of free-market reform in New Zealand. And Nathaniel Branden brought the "Creating Freedom" series to a sound close by reminding participants that, however cordially believers in freedom may work together under the libertarian banner, certain philosophical and psychological foundations are necessary for a free society.

Lastly, in a scene worthy of Cyrano de Bergerac, David Kelley took on all comers by offering to respond to questions about any aspect of Objectivism. For over an hour, his challenge was eagerly taken up: What is the proper genus of "honesty"? What would be wrong with competing governments if they all had libertarian constitutions? What would Howard Roark have thought of Jefferson's architecture? "He is calm, fearless, and dignified," Peter Bouman said of Kelley in action, "a wonderful spokesman for the philosophy."

Finally, it was time to party. Participants made their way to the Glenmore Country Club for cocktails, dinner, and dancing— dancing into the wee hours. Lilting melodies alternated with driving beats; romantic twosomes made way for high-spirited conga lines; and partners who had long practiced together shared the floor with strangers who were "just shakin' it." Those desiring respite could step outside onto the patio, where men and women engaged in personal and philosophical conversations while enjoying the warm and starry evening.

On Saturday, it was over. Morning meant packing and shopping at the IOS bookstore. Not to be missed was the seminar T-shirt: Jefferson's architectural sketch for the Rotunda's facade, drawn in white on a background of forest green. (See page 13.) As people donned this symbol of their time together, cameras clicked and vows were exchanged to meet next year.

But meet where? One participant suggested—Charlottesville, Charlottesville forever. It was easy to sympathize: Every year, for one week in July, the intellectual fog of the twentieth century would lift, and Jefferson's Academical Village, like an Enlightenment Brigadoon, would be restored to its rightful place on earth.

But of course that is what happens wherever the IOS Summer Seminar is held. It does not depend, essentially, on Charlottesville. It depends, essentially, on those whose generosity makes it possible. And to them, on behalf of all who participated in the 1997 summer seminar, the staff of IOS offers a heartfelt "Thank you."