In my novelĀ Atlas Hugged, a worldwide transformation takes place in one hundred days. The New Objectivist movement (to distinguish itself from the old Objectivist movement of Ayn Rant) is represented by a column of symbols: a dot, underneath a circle, underneath the American flag, underneath the planet Earth.
The dot represents the individual person. The circle represents people working in groups. The American Flag represents our existing social identities and institutions, such as our nations, religions, ethnicities, and so on. The Earth represents the highest good, whose welfare must be kept in mind in the organization of everything that takes place at smaller scales.
Atlas HuggedĀ is a fictional portrayal of what I and many others are trying to bring about in the real world. While a transformation within 100 days is a stretch of the imagination, I do think it is possible to accomplish in a matter of years what would otherwise require decades or not take place at all. My nonfiction bookĀ This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian EvolutionĀ is the twin ofĀ Atlas Huggedāso much that I made their covers look similar.
How can you get involved, beyond the solo activity of reading books? One portal is the nonprofit organizationĀ Prosocial WorldĀ (PW), which IĀ helped to create with many others, including a new support and engagement group called theĀ Prosocial CommonsĀ (PC). When you join the PC, you can immediately start learning more about āThis View of Lifeā with others and putting your knowledge into action in ways that are most relevant to your interests.
The PC can help you make the critical transition from individuals to groupsāfrom the dot to the circle in the symbology ofĀ Atlas Hugged. Working effectively with others on matters of importance is an optimal human social experience. When you join the PC, you become part of a worldwide community that is developing a shared worldview, interacts on a digital home and weekly online cafes, and works effectively on co-created projects in 12-week āgenerationsā of activity. The first generation begins in mid-April so there is still time for you to take part.
Joining the PC requires making a financial donation, which can be anything you choose, with exemptions for those who truly cannot afford to pay anything. This rule exists not just to fund our activities, but also to cultivate the right psychological orientation. Members of the PC should be wanting to help out with their money, time, effort, and talents, to a degree that they can decide upon, based on what else is going on in their busy lives. A financial donation in any amount is an expression of this more general prosocial orientation.
To learn more about the PC, goĀ here.
To join by making a financial donation, goĀ here.
You will immediately receive information on joining our digital home and our weekly online cafes. I or other members will help to align your interests with the activities that are taking place and you can quickly take part in the creation of new projects.
You will be joining a group that is itself a bold experiment in prosocial cultural evolution.