Debi Ghate — VOICES for REASON

The other night, I attended a performance by actor Derek Van Leer, writer and producer of a one-man show on Frederick Douglass called “My Life in Bondage.” The show was advertised as a “heart-warming, heart-wrenching performance of the amazing life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass was an American abolitionist, editor, orator, author, statesman, and reformer and is one of the most prominent figures in United States history.” Naturally, I had therefore hoped to see a dramatization of Douglass’ heroic contributions to the abolitionist movement.

But disappointingly, the performance chose to focus on Douglass’s struggles and suffering in “chattelhood” rather than what was required to relentlessly pursue freedom and “manhood.” For example, the play included a scene where Douglass suffers a severe beating at the hands of a “slave breaker” named Covey. This brutal scene is described in Douglass’s autobiographies. But what the performance leaves out is Douglass’s response. He chose to fight back and defend himself regardless of the consequences. He successfully beat Covey back after a drawn-out fight. Douglass wrote that this was a turning point in his life as he had resolved that “however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact…I was a man now.” Covey thereafter let him be; the slave had broken the “slave breaker.”

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By his own best estimate, February marks the anniversary of Frederick Douglass’s birth. As is commonly known, Douglass was born a slave, into a system where he could at best hope for physical survival. Yet, by the end of his life, he had traveled from starvation to relative prosperity, from ignorance to intellectual achievement, and from chattelhood to manhood. He set a goal of seeing the centuries-old institution of slavery abolished. This was a goal that would require massive political, legal and social upheaval–and he worked relentlessly to contribute to its realization.

What is less commonly known and appreciated is Douglass’s intellectual contributions to the cause of abolition, and his role as a voice for reason in the years leading up to, during and after the Civil War. His thoughts on the meaning and nature of slavery, the role of government, the evils of racism and the appropriateness of political action are clear and refreshing, indicating a strong respect for the individual and his rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. His story is a source of inspiration for anyone who believes, as he did, that each individual is a sovereign being, and that the proper role of government is to protect individual rights.

A couple of years ago, I had an opportunity to give a lecture on Frederick Douglass in a series titled “Inspiring Heroes.” For a limited time, the audio of that lecture is available for free to registered users on the ARI website. If you’d like to read more, I recommend the most comprehensive of his autobiographies, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, written in 1881 after the Civil War.

Happy birthday, Mr. Douglass.

Here’s a story from the UT Daily Texan about Keith’s talk at UT Austin. It includes a good summary of the event along with quotes from the talk itself.

The headline is a little vague and possibly misleading; Keith’s not an “environmentalism speaker” as the title suggests (in fact, he is a vocal critic of the ideology behind environmentalism). His lecture tour on Darwin continues in Athens, GA, tonight and concludes tomorrow night in Charlotte, NC.

[Note: This post will remain pinned to the front page to welcome first time visitors during our launch week. Scroll down for our most recent posts.]

Hello, I’m Debi Ghate, Vice President of Academic Programs. The team of ARC writers and I are excited that our new blog, “Voices for Reason” is now up and running. Visit us often as we’ll be sharing our take on today’s most pressing questions, and bringing other items of potential interest to our readers. It’s our goal to make VFR the go-to source for anyone interested in promoting and protecting individual rights, and for getting ARI’s unique perspective on the state of our culture. Every week day, we’ll be posting new commentary–on topics such as the financial crisis, environmentalism, foreign policy, free speech and property rights–commentary informed by Ayn Rand’s distinctive philosophical system, Objectivism. We’ll also be exploring what principled solutions Objectivism offers for tackling today’s political, economic and cultural problems.

As Ayn Rand wrote in 1971, “If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows. Reason in epistemology leads to egoism in ethics, which leads to capitalism in politics.” The name of our blog was inspired by Ayn Rand’s statement; through this new medium, we will continue to be “voices for reason.”

Our writers are looking forward to getting your feedback. Enjoy your visit, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

As 2009 draws to a close, all of us at Voices for Reason wish you a festive and happy holiday season! Thank you for reading our commentary, and for sharing it with your friends, colleagues, or other contacts. We’ve appreciated all of your feedback and comments, and look forward to hearing more from you in 2010.

Our goal continues to be to bring you commentary informed by Ayn Rand’s distinctive philosophical system, Objectivism—and to analyze and explore the solutions these ideas offer to today’s political, economic and cultural debates. We strive to offer a unique perspective on what’s happening in the world, and why.

Our work is made possible by support from private sources, including individuals who share our vision of a future where individual rights, properly understood, are protected, leaving people free to pursue their lives and happiness. If you share our vision, please consider making a year-end contribution in support of the Voices for Reason blog. To make a contribution on-line, please visit the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights website.