The second edition of the John Galt School Poland is behind us – an online project of the school of Objectivism, which the Freedom and Entrepreneurship Foundation has been implementing over the past few months in collaboration with the Ayn Rand Center Europe and the Prometheus Foundation.
Twenty-five participants selected from over forty applications from all over Poland took part in the program. Among them were individuals who had previously been involved in the freedom movement, as well as those for whom this was a completely new but exciting challenge. Although participation in the event was paid, thanks to the generosity of our partners, we were able to sponsor the participation in the program for several of the best candidates.
For eight weeks, experienced lecturers from various parts of the world assisted participants in delving into the thoughts of Ayn Rand, which are manifested in her developed philosophy of Objectivism. Participants familiarized themselves with Rand’s biographical aspects, understanding what influenced her creativity, as well as delving into issues related to economics, politics, and ethics, both from an Objectivist perspective and in the broader context of libertarianism.
Angel Walker-Werth – “Introduction to Objectivism”
Mateusz BÅ‚aszczyk – “Objectivist Ethics”
Dr. SÅ‚awomir Drelich – “Objectivist Politics”
Thomas Walker-Werth – “How to Define and Achieve Your Goals”
Dr. Marcin Chmielowski – “Heroes in Ayn Rand’s Novels”
Martin Hooss – “Metaphysics in the Perspective of Objectivism”
Aleksandra Jelesijević – Book Club – “Anthem”
Justyna PiÄ…tek-PawÅ‚owska – “Discussion – Religion and Objectivism”
”The man who accepts the primacy of existence uses his mind to the best of his ability in order to successfully deal with reality. He knows that the metaphysical is unalterable and needs to be accepted. The man-made, however, is never to be accepted uncritically because it is the product of volition
Martin Hooss
During the breaks from lectures, participants completed various homework assignments to ultimately confront a summarizing essay encompassing the entire course. One of the innovations in this year’s edition was an educational platform, providing participants with access to dozens of professional recordings, books, and articles to assist them in task execution. Furthermore, they could connect with other project participants from different countries through a discussion forum.
In the end, twenty of the top participants successfully completed the program, thereby securing the opportunity to apply for events, conferences, courses, scholarships, and internships organized by our partners. One of such options includes fully funded participation in the New Intellectuals Conference – an event organized by the Ayn Rand Center Europe, where each year, the top graduates of the John Galt School program from around the world come together!
”Ayn Rand became a millionaire thanks to her novels. She never hid the fact that she was wealthy because she earned everything completely honestly. She immigrated to the United States practically with one suitcase, and she ended up as one of the most influential people of her generation.
Marcin Chmielowski
