Washington Metro Objectivism Discussion (WMOD)

                  September 23, 1998 Meeting

            "Richard Rorty and Post Modern Politics"

                    by Will Wilkinson

At this summer's IOS seminar, Prof. Stephen Hicks presented a fascinating
dissection of post modernism and its relation to leftist political
ideology. Will Wilkinson will pick up the thread of professor Hicks's
lectures with a devastating (not to say entertaining) analysis of Richard
Rorty's brand-new statement of post modern leftism, _Achieving our
Country_.

Will Wilkinson is a Ph.D. student in Philosophy at the University of
Maryland, College Park, where he is specializing in the foundations of
ethics and the philosophy of mind and language. He has an M.A. in
philosophy from Northern Illinois University.

Excerpts from some recent reviews 

    _Achieving Our Country : Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America_
            by Richard Rorty, Hardcover - 144 pages (April 1998) 

   George Will in Newsweek:
"...But Rorty's book radiates contempt for the country. He seems to
despise most Americans. At least 16 times in 100 pages of text he uses the
words "sadistic" or "sadism" to describe American mores or social policies.
This professor, whose profession involves the careful use of words, thinks 
America is awash with people taking pleasure from the deliberate infliction
of cruelty..."
...5/25/98 Departments/The Last Word: Still Waiting For Lefty

   Scott Stossel review in Atlantic Unbound:
"...Richard Rorty, one of the most famous living philosophers in the United
States, would seem an unlikely person to be exhorting the American Left
to "kick the philosophy habit." And yet in his new book...that is exactly
what Rorty does..."

...from

  Peter Berkowitz in Commentary:
"...despite his hectoring about the primacy of the practical, nowhere
in this book does Rorty put forward a single concrete suggestion for
a new political initiative or public policy. More serious, and striking
at the very heart of his claim to be a pragmatist, is his refusal to
acknowledge that the agenda pursued over the course of six decades
by the "reformist" Left has been, in important respects, a practical
failure..."
...from 

                    August WMOD Meeting

The August WMOD meeting featured a lecture on tape from the July
1998 IOS Summer Seminar by Susan McCloskey entitled "Odysseus, Jesus,
and Dagny".  Approximately 30 folks attended the meeting.

                When and Where is the WMOD Meeting?

Join us on Wednesday, September 23.  Note that this is NOT our usual
3rd Wednesday of the month meeting date.  Anyone who is
interested in rational discussion of Ayn Rand's ideas is welcome.
Note that our meeting location is Metro accessible.  You can
either join us for drinks at 6:30 with dinner at 7 pm and/or for
the talk (free) at 8:15 pm at the Hunan Palace in Rosslyn, VA
just across the Key Bridge from Georgetown.  The street address is
1812 North Moore Street. If you come by Metro, get off at the
Rosslyn Metro Exit and the Hunan Palace is only a few feet away.
Take the street exit on N Moore Street (across street from Roy
Rogers/Burger King), go out of Metro and take a left, and the
Palace is a few feet down N Moore street. If you drive, there is
a parking garage next door to the Palace that is free after 6:00 pm
if you get your ticket validated at the Palace. There will be NO
fixed price dinner this time, so you should plan to order from
the menu.  There will be a NEW $1 fee for the talk.
Please RSVP to WMOD at (703) 820-7696 before noon on
Wednesday 9/23 so that we can tell the restaurant how
many tables to set up and how many to expect for dinner.  For more
information on the restaurant, call the Palace at
(703) 528-8188, or call David Saum at(703)820-7696 (W) or (703)
671-5119 (H).  
     
               Future Meetings

WMOD meetings are generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of each
month. We are always looking for new stimulating meeting topics
related to Objectivism.  Please contact WMOD if you have suggestions
for meeting topics and locations, or if you can volunteer some time to
arrange meetings.

                 DC Metro Calendar

    Washington Philosophic Discussion Group
The group meets every Thursday at 6:30 pm in the Borders Book Store Cafe
which is located in DC at the corner and L and 18th street NW
For more information, contact Jan Helfeld: (202) 833-3634 or JanHelfeld@aol.com.
The group welcomes anyone who enjoys rational discussion of philosophic issues.

    Washington Public Policy Discussion Group
The group meets every Tuesday at 6:30pm in the Borders Book Store Cafe
which is located in DC at the corner and L and 18th street NW.
For more information, contact Jan Helfeld: (202) 833-3634 or JanHelfeld@aol.com.
The group welcomes anyone who enjoys rational discussion of public policy issues.

        Cato Institute Events
http://www.cato.org/events/calendar.html

        Free-Market.Net Calendar
http://www.free-market.org/directory/events/

       Future of Freedom Foundation Events
http://www.fff.org/events/events.htm
         
       Institute for Humane Studies
http://osf1.gmu.edu/~ihs/index.html
   
(please let WMOD know about other events we should list) 

                
               WMOD Contact Information

The WMOD newsletter is $10/yr,  email newsletter is free.

Contact:
  Dave Saum
  WMOD
  PO Box 8007
  Falls Church, VA 22041
    Email: DSaum at infiltec.com
    Phone: (703) 820-7696
    Fax: (703) 671-9350
    Web: http://www.infiltec.com/wmod.htm

----------- "Sapere aude" (dare to know) -------------------