DC Objectivist Salon (DCOS)

About DC Objectivist Salon (DCOS)

Table of contents

Policies:

The DCOS is a proud supporter of (although neither sanctioned nor supported by) the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) under the direction of Dr. Yaron Brook, and its new public policy and outreach division in DC, the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. We welcome those who have not yet determined or who are otherwise reconsidering their position on these institutions, but we will not tolerate ad hominem attacks on Ayn Rand, ARI, or ARI-affiliated intellectuals including Leonard Peikoff. (For reference, see "The Many False Friends of Objectivism" and the latest of Rand's own journal entries recently released in The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics.)
The DCOS agrees with the position held by Rand and thus by ARI regarding libertarianism, rejecting it on philosophical grounds as incompatible with Objectivism as well as utterly ineffectual (if not destructive) to the cause of liberty. (For a good introduction to this position, see the online essay "The Fable of the Cardiac Surgeon...", or for a fuller explanation, the essay "Libertarianism: The Perversion of Liberty" in The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought.) We will permit libertarians seriously interested in studying Objectivism to participate in the DCOS if they agree not to advocate, defend, or try to debate regarding libertarianism at DCOS events and refrain from mentioning libertarianism in their DCOS Meetup group profile. (Since you have separate profiles for each Meetup group, this does not affect your ability to put whatever you want in your profiles for other groups.)
Fees: There is a yearly suggested donation of $10 per person strictly to cover expenses. (Costs associated with our web presence are a couple hundred dollars per year.) New members are welcome to attend several meetings before donating. There is also a $1/hour/person licensing fee for materials from the Ayn Rand Bookstore which is not included in the yearly suggested donation and which is sometimes required from attendees of meetings utilizing such materials.
RSVP: Please take the time to RSVP even if just to say that you won't be attending; including a brief sentence explaining why really helps us determine whether it is merely because of scheduling conflicts or if people aren't interested in a particular topic or speaker.
Inclement Weather: Objectivists don't fear nature--they conquer it. Meetings will be held unless the venue (when applicable; restaurant, college campus, movie theater, etc) closes. If discovered a notification will be sent out, otherwise you can check directly with the venue to make sure they're still open.

Calendar acronyms:

DCOS: Events held by the DC Objectivist Salon itself in a range of places from members' homes to public places such as restaurants and movie theaters.
ARC: Events (non-campus-club) hosted directly by the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights in places like the National Press Club.
College acronyms (e.g. UMD, AU, GMU, etc): Campus-club events usually hosted in cooperation with ARI/ARC. (These used to be labeled as "ARI:" but have been changed to be more descriptive as well as better reflecting that ARI does not actually run or control these events.)