Steve Ditko – Part 1 (Show 071)

Last week Javier Hernandez, a long time listener, talked about an Objectivist comic book artist named Steve Ditko. I am going to refer you to Javier’s blog for show notes about this show. He wrote a really good story of how he found TalkObjectivism. Everything in the post we covered on the show.

I emailed him to tell him all this, and asked him if he was aware of Steve Ditko. I gave him some background on Ditko’s work on Spider-Man and his own Objectivist heroes like The Question and Mr. A. Mosley was quite interested in all of this, and soon we are talking about me appearing on his show to talk about Steve Ditko! I was happy to do it, of course.

Read more @ javiersblog.blogspot.com!

Javier has is own podcast and you can find more information about it at Planet Comic Book Radio.

Shows 069 & 070

OCON ‘08 & Trip to Israel (Show 069)
This week Arthur returns and relays his experiences from the 2008 Objectivist Conference (OCON), as well as from his recent trip to Israel. He tells us that OCON’s theme this year was cultural change and included various lectures on this as well as other topics. After reviewing some of these lectures, Arthur explains the basic structure of OCON: there is a general session and a number of optional courses that can also be taken. This year there were various special events such as the opening and closing banquet, the State of ARI presentation, Independence Day celebration, and dance workshop. The largest donation to ARI made in history was also made at the Conference! It’s a great time and you get to meet other people who share some similar values. Next year it will be in Boston, MA. Be sure to try and make it!

Arthur then discusses some interesting things about his trip to Israel: the flight security, a bomb scare, his visit to the city of Petra, and someone who he met that shared some of his views on foreign policy. Check it out!

Ideas Behind the Dark Knight & Other Movies (Show 070)
This show consisted of a philosophic look at the ideas behind the Dark Knight and other movies. Warning: there are potential spoilers.

Mosley and Arthur discuss how the Dark Knight was an enjoyable movie, but like most, if not all movies today, it has philosophical flaws. I won’t try to rehash the arguments here, but there are various points made regarding what the good ideas and bad ideas are in the movie. It’s definitely worth checking out.

There is also a discussion on an Atlas Shrugged movie, as well as other topics, such as how our enjoyment from movies is not a meaningless and mindless self-indulgence that has no relation to life, but rather a reflection our values.

Iran & Foreign Policy (Show 068)

For this show, Mosley reads and discusses an ARI op-ed, With or Without Nukes, Iran Is a Moral Threat by Elan Journo. It argues that “if the mullahs got a nuke, Iran would not suddenly undergo a Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation from a friendly neighbor into a rabid enemy. Iran long ago proved itself a threat that must be stopped; a nuclear arsenal would only make it a far worse threat.” Mosley then expresses his views, how he doesn’t necessarily agree, and has a conversation with the members of the chat room on their views as well.

Arthur should be returning next week. The show will either consist of a discussion with Arthur on the recent OCON (and maybe his trip to Israel) and/or a discussion on the anti-smoking political movement.

Independence Day (Show 067)

This show focuses on the significance of Independence Day, July 4th, which was just a few days ago. Mosley reads an excellent op-ed by ARI’s Dr. Michael S. Berliner, Put the “Independence” Back in Independence Day (which can also be viewed as a video narrated by Dr. Berliner himself). Afterward, he discusses the op-ed and gives his own observations and views on the topic of Independence Day. He explains how the Day has lost its much of its meaning to many of us today. Instead of “Independence Day” it is often just called “the Fourth of July,” while forgetting what it stands for — which is not fireworks and cookouts — but of “the moral right of an individual to live his own life as he sees fit.”

Discussion with Caller (Show 066)

This week Arthur is attending and working at the Objectivist Conference in Newport Beach, California and Brandon was in New York City for the weekend, so they could not attend. (Brandon visited a few sites relevant to Ayn Rand in New York, so there may be a write-up on his trip soon.) However, Mosley was able to host the show!

The show mainly consisted of a conversation between Mosley and a caller, but first Mosley discussed a few different topics. First of all, he mentioned the Ayn Rand Institute’s new website design at http://aynrand.org/ which he finds to be much more user-friendly and easier on the eyes. Check it out!

Then Mosley had a brief discussion on video games, which he was playing before the show, and explained how they don’t have to be mindless time wasters like some people think. They can be a form of recreation like any other. In order to stay productive, one sometimes needs to take time to rest and enjoy the fruits of labor. Video games can be one way to do this — they often exercise the mind and are a good reason to get together with friends and have fun, which can promote a more benevolent view of life.

Mosley also discussed how he discovered Objectivism and gave some suggestions on where to start for newcomers. He suggests that Ms. Rand’s fiction such as Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged are great places to start and a good next step would be to move onto some of her other works such as For the New Intellectual, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Philosophy: Who Needs It.

Afterward, there was a caller who explained how he stumbled into talkObjectivism a few months ago and found it interesting. Being familiar with Objectivist ideas through reading Ayn Rand’s works (such as Atlas Shrugged many times over), he and Mosley carried on a discussion about how Objectivist ideas are in the minority and how this can be changed. The caller suggested an experiment: ask around and see how many people have heard of Objectivism and Atlas Shrugged. Other may wish to do this as well. If you do, let us know what your findings are. Also, don’t forget to recommend Ayn Rand’s works if they haven’t read them!