John Lewis in Denver

[dianahsieh]

By Diana from NoodleFood,cross-posted by MetaBlog

John Lewis will be in Colorado toward the end of this upcoming week. He'll be a busy man! (John is an insightful and vivacious speaker; I highly recommend any of his lectures.)

Event #1

What: CU Boulder Campus Lecture "The Individualist Alternative to the Political Left and Right" by Dr. John Lewis

When: Thursday, January 25, 2007, 7:00 pm

Where: Wolf Law Building (WLFL 207)

Contact: Jim Manley, Club Leader, [email protected]

American politics is divided today, between the political left and the right-so goes the prevailing wisdom. But the wisdom is wrong: the conservatives' support for the welfare state at home and for "nation-building" overseas shows how close the traditional left and right really are. In this talk, Dr. Lewis will demonstrate how common principles of altruism and statism align both camps in opposition to the sovereign individual-and have offered Americans a false alternative between deadly socialist policies. A true alternative would understand the individual--ethically, politically, and economically--to be the starting point of a proper politics. It is only the individual which exists, and the protection of his rights is the only purpose of a proper government. This is because, ethically, life as a rational man is the only proper standard for a moral code, and individual happiness its only purpose.

Event #2

What: Young Aristotle Competition and Dinner Lecture "Early Greek Lawgivers: Solon of Athens and the Discovery of Freedom under Law" by John Lewis

When: Friday, January 26th, 2007, 5:30 pm

Where: Ridgeview Classical Schools, 1800 South Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525

Cost: $10 per ticket, reserve with Joe Collins, [email protected]

About the event:

You are cordially invited to the third annual Young Aristotle Competition, Friday January 26 at 5:30 p.m. at

Ridgeview Classical Schools, 1800 South Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525

. This year's event will feature a dinner talk by historian John Lewis Ph.D. of Ashland University. The title of the talk will be "Early Greek Lawgivers: Solon of Athens and the Discovery of Freedom under Law." Due to fundraising and a generous grant, we are able to offer the dinner and talk for $10.00. Tickets are expected to sell out and can be purchased from Joe Collins at Ridgeview. His contact is

[email protected]

. Please consider joining us for a night of ideas and scholarship and see why Ridgeview is, for the second year in a row, the top high school in the state of Colorado. Rational education is taking hold in northern Colorado.

About the lecture:

One of the great Greek discoveries is that of freedom: the right of each person to live his own life as he wishes, and to conduct his individual affairs free from the coercions of others. This discovery was incomplete, and limited to adult male citizens--yet it set the background for all later advancements in freedom. Part of this discovery was the need for laws: objective rules, justly created in open discussion, used to bring order to human life, and carved into stone for all to see. The men who brought these ideas, and these laws, to the Greeks were the lawgivers: men of wisdom and justice, who created just laws.

Greek lawgivers understood an important truth: that freedom requires law, and proper laws can be created only by free men. This talk will focus on the figures of the lawgivers, and their deeds: who were they? What did they do? Why should we care about them? What is the connection between freedom and law? Is there freedom without law?

If you can't make it up to Fort Collins by 5:30, you might still be able to attend the lecture, as that likely won't start until about 6:40. You can e-mail [email protected] about that.

Event #3

What: Seminar on Fighting Socialized Medicine with Dr. John Lewis

When: Saturday, January 27, 2007, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Where: Dixon's Restaurant, 16th and Wazee, Downtown Denver

Contact: For more information and to RSVP, please contact Lin Zinser, [email protected]

About John Lewis

John Lewis is assistant professor of history at Ashland University and contributing editor of The Objective Standard. He holds a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Cambridge, and is an Anthem Fellow for Objectivist Scholarship. His research interests are in ancient Greek and Roman thought, military history, and their connections to the modern day. He writes for The Objective Standard, and for Capitalism Magazine.

http://ObjectivismOnline.com/blog/archives/002229.html