The Metro Detroit Objectivists is a local philosophical organization and club
dedicated to the study and advancement of Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand. We
are located in SE Michigan and welcome all those who are serious about learning and
applying Objectivism to current events and their daily lives.
The purpose of our group (MDO) is to promote Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand,
as "a philosophy for living on Earth." We strive to apply it to our lives so that we can
enjoy and pursue life, liberty, and the benevolent universe premise!
While we sometime engage in political activism, our organization is always mindful that
Objectivism is not primarily a political movement. We understand that to be happy we
must strive to apply Objectivism to all aspects of our lives. We maintain that
it is necessary and moral to hold ourselves in the highest reverence, and to
take life and ideas seriously. However, we do not hold that this should preclude
us from having fun and enjoying ourselves and others. In fact, we believe that to revere
life is to live it! As Ayn Rand wrote, "The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to
suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live."
In our pursuit, our club also hopes to attract others in the state of Michigan (and anywhere else)
who are as serious as we are in our commitment to Objectivism and to living happily. We
believe the best way to do this is to lead by example and to exchange ideas with others who
are serious about Objectivism so that we can each benefit from our knowledge of the
philosophy and how it is applied.
MDO firmly supports the
Ayn Rand
Institute and its activities. Accordingly, we do not support the Brandens or David Kelley.
Our organization recognizes that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is like thought
without action. Therefore we engage in both theory and practice rather than merely pedantic
discussions. And we understand that politics is merely one branch among many others in philosophy
(i.e., ethics, metaphysics, esthetics, and epistemology). So our club devotes time and energy
to all of these rather than focusing exclusively on matters of state. Furthermore,
we believe that an understanding of these other branches will lead to the discussion
and appreciation of many other interesting subjects such as history, art, and even sports,
travel, and other fun activities.
MDO meets regularly on the first and third Saturday of each month in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
We discuss a variety of topics and ideas in relation to Objectivism. The format varies from
studying a subject or essay, listening to a taped lecture, watching a video, or just winging it
about current events. To attend our meetings, contact us for the official password and the secret
handshake. (Yes, we have a sense of humor.)
For those of you who are interested in being part of our group, send an e-mail to Eric Lakits at
MDOWebMaster@yahoo.com. We gladly welcome anyone who is
interested in Ayn Rand and her ideas. Whether you are new to Objectivism or have been
a student of it for many years makes no difference. Whether you have read just one of
her books or all of them, the only criteria is that you take ideas seriously and that
you are interested in learning more about her wonderful philosophy for living life to
its fullest.