The Atlas Society

Objectivist movement
Philosophy Objectivism Rational egoism Individualism Capitalism Romantic realism
Organizations Ayn Rand Institute Atlas Society Nathaniel Branden Institute Objectivist Party Libertarianz
Theorists Ayn Rand Andrew Bernstein Harry Binswanger Nathaniel Branden Yaron Brook Allan Gotthelf David Kelley Tibor R. Machan Leonard Peikoff George Reisman John Ridpath Richard Salsman Tara Smith
Literature Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal For the New Intellectual Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology The New Left Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand Philosophy: Who Needs It The Romantic Manifesto The Virtue of Selfishness The Voice of Reason Objectivist periodicals Journal of Ayn Rand Studies
Related topics Libertarianism and Objectivism Objectivism and homosexuality Objectivist movement in India Randian hero
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The Atlas Society (TAS)—of which The Objectivist Center (TOC) is a part—is an Objectivist research and advocacy organization promoting "a culture that affirms the core Objectivist values of reason, individualism, freedom, and achievement." It is part of the Objectivist movement that split off from the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) in 1990 due to disagreements over whether the philosophy of Ayn Rand's Objectivism was a "closed system" or an "open system."

Founder David Kelley espouses Objectivism as an open system, hence the organization has advocated what he terms "a policy of tolerant, open debate and free discussion" at its forums. It has also been willing to cooperate with certain libertarians on joint projects, and to carry works by individuals such as Nathaniel Branden, with whom Ayn Rand broke in the late 1960s.

The Atlas Society claims to be "the most respected independent source of information about Objectivism"; its mission is to offer a "perspective that transcends conventional 'left-right' cultural and political thinking."

TAS began as the Institute of Objectivist Studies (IOS) in 1990, and was renamed The Objectivist Center in 1999. That same year, the Center founded "The Atlas Society" as a "special part of our Web site [that was] meant to appeal to those who read Ayn Rand novels." On June 5, 2006, the organization announced that they "have decided to use The Atlas Society as our official name, which will help us promote our ideas to Rand readers as well as to the general public, while reserving The Objectivist Center name for our more academic and scholarly activities."

The Society continues to host conferences, including an annual Atlas Summit, conduct scholarly research and student training, issue pamphlets, recordings, op-eds, and monographs and provide speakers to the media and campus groups.

External links

• The Atlas Society
• TAS vs. ARI: A Question of Objectivity and Independence (the Atlas Society's argument against the Ayn Rand Institute)