You'll get no argument from me on the pricing. I specialize in finding and filling gaps in educational material. I have very strong opinions about objectivist materials. Many improvements have occurred under Yaron's directorship and the efforts to make ARB a great store. There is more to go, based on their closest competitor, the Teaching Company. I'd like to see lower prices on premium items, different means of delivery and sales affiliate programs for all of ARB's offerings, all of which the Teaching Company has. I'm sure that the pricing on some items does *not* come from ARB, given that nearly all of their items have reasonable prices. It still makes sense to sell 100 of an item at $200 each rather than selling a dozen over a year at $400 each. This program stands out in intellectual quality compared with its competitors, including one from a religious group that I just sold on ebay, but the times are changing and means of delivery have to be updated for this. Just like the movie industry, different medias create different sales niches. The sales could even be licensed to other organizations, or partnerships can be made. Capitalists are doing this succesfully in the media and book business today. Smart people can do it better. I'd even love to see this program delivered in an "ondemand" format in graded pieces, even on a short-term, lease basis. Maybe each section can have quizzes and a certification exam at the end. None of Dr. Peikoff's courses don't have educational accountability in them, which is important to ensure learning and eliminating the scourge of "rationalism" (abstract thoughts without concrete facts to back them) from Western culture. I'm saying this from the perspective of being a fully certified security expert who had to take very long, complex tests to prove that I know the material. The courses that I took cost up to $2000, by the way, and we had to pay $800 for a 4 month lease and the exam. I know Objectivists are serious about ideas, and the idea of being able to self-study to understanding objectivism with some sort of recognition can be very attractive.
Chris