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This
magazine is for those who take ideas seriously — those
who realize that fundamental ideas shape our culture and change
the course of the world — those who believe that the
philosophical ideas we accept are a matter of life and death.
This
magazine is for those who agree that the job of a thinker
is not to play academic word games, but to address the crucial
issues of human life: what kind of government we should live
under; what we should seek in art, in love, in friendship;
what standards we should uphold in our thinking; where our
civilization stands in history and in contrast to the rest
of the world.
The Intellectual Activist examines and evaluates the
ideas that influence the whole spectrum of human action —
from the immediate practical realities of politics and economics
— to the vision of human potential offered by art —
to the vast achievements of science and the threats of ignorance
and superstition — to the grand-scale drama and powerful
lessons of history — to the way in which basic ideas
filter down to the smallest details of our lives, to our habits,
our pastimes, our entertainment.
This magazine is for those who want to change the world, not
through mindless street protests, but by changing the ideas
that shape our lives. It is for those who want to be activists,
not just in politics, but in the realm of the intellect.
The Intellectual Activist is especially dedicated to
understanding and promoting the revolutionary ideas of the
20th-century novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand — the
great champion of the power of reason, the supreme value of
the individual, and the unfettered liberty of a capitalist
society. TIA serves as a forum for those who are working
to gain a deeper understanding of Ayn Rand's fiction and philosophy
and applying her ideas to gain new insights in every field
of human knowledge.
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TIA
was founded as a fortnightly political newsletter by Peter Schwartz
in 1979, earning Ayn Rand's recommendation as "an antidote
to the cultural irrationality of our age."
In the 1980s, it began to expand beyond politics, becoming a
forum for applying Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy to art,
literature, and culture.
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jumped fully into that role in 1991, when it acquired
a new publisher, Bob Stubblefield, and a new subtitle:
"An Objectivist Review." |
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In
1996, Robert Tracinski joined TIA as its new editor,
and at the end of 2001, he became its owner and publisher,
launching an exciting new format, bringing TIA a more
visually stimulating style and a more ambitious intellectual
scope.
To
enjoy the intellectual journey offered in each issue of The
Intellectual Activist, subscribe
now. Welcome to a world where ideas matter.
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A
collection of unusual news items and sharp commentary from our
regular feature, "The News in Focus." Find out the
philosophic perspective that unites an anti-chip-frying ad campaign
in Britain and a crusade against free diapers at maternity wards;
discover what crucial epistemological failure tipped the scales
of the Elian Gonzalez controversy; see what a scan of a single
day's headlines in the New York Times reveals about the intellectual
connection between religion and murder; and learn why the "new
economy" is still dependent on old ideas. 
From
the author of "California's Green Brownout," the definitive
analysis of last year's power crisis, comes this systematic
demonstration of how the slogan of "alternative" or
"renewable" energy is used to promote a crusade against
all industrial power sources.
How
the seemingly superficial comic adventures penned by P.G. Wodehouse
actually reflect a profound assessment about the world we live
in.
In
a brilliant analysis of seemingly disparate phenomena —
a United Nations aid program, a little old ladies' investment
club, and a pianist's nationwide tour — TIA editor Robert
Tracinski reveals how the essence of a widely accepted moral
philosophy sanctions the perpetration of "well-intentioned"
frauds.
In
1998, after Osama bin Laden orchestrated the bombings of US
embassies in East Africa, politicians rushed to declare that
there was no fundamental conflict between Islamic culture and
the West. In a commentary that is even more timely today, Robert
Tracinski refutes that claim, exploring the nature and history
of the vast gulf in values between the Middle East and the West.
A thorough presentation of the case for a woman's right to her
own body — and how this argument hinges on a crucial metaphysical
issue.
For the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America,
Mike Berliner challenges the "politically correct"
attacks on Columbus' legacy and shows how the values Columbus
brought to the new world — the values of Western Civilization
— represent mankind's best ideals.
And there is much, much more: powerful coverage of the war against
Islamic fundamentalism; Richard Salsman's pithy debunking of
economic myths; the ominous intellectual trends emanating from
the ivory tower; our best experts reviewing the best in art,
literature, music, and architecture; an inside look at Ayn Rand's
early drafts for The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
From the Israeli "peace process" to the philosophy
of mathematics, each issue of TIA offers a wealth of new and
intriguing ideas. |
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