Free individuals. Free markets.
Limited government. Rule of law.

Freedom Academy 1 - 3 May 2009, Penang, Malaysia

1 – 3 May 2009 (Friday - Sunday)
The Virtues of Entrepreneurship and The Morality of Capitalism: Lessons from Ayn rand’s novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’
Venue: Bayview Hotel, Penang, Malaysia (website: http://www.bayviewhotels.com/georgetown/)

About Freedom Academy May 2009

Ayn Rand is not yet a well known name in Malaysia. The same could be said about her famous book Atlas Shrugged. But according to America’s Library of Congress, Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible.

The Economist magazine recently reported that in mid January 2009, more copies of Atlas Shrugged was sold than Barrack Obama’s Audacity of Hope.

Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus. First published in 1957, the book tells the story of a near-future America. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists. The theme is: “the role of the mind in man’s existence and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.” The book talks about the virtues of entrepreneurship.

This is the third Freedom Academy organised by the Malaysia Think Tank. This time participants will analyse ideas around entrepreneurship and free market capitalism presented in Atlas Shrugged, to explore their relevance to the current economic situation.

This Freedom Academy is made possible by the support from BB&T, as well as the Freidrich Naumann Foundation, Atlas Economic Research Foundationand Atlas Global Initiative for Free Trade, Peace and Prosperity.

Who should attend?

We are particularly looking for those sympathetic to, or are curious about, libertarian and classical liberal ideas.
Come and enjoy the Freedom Academy! You will be challenged intellectually and you will get an invaluable opportunity to network with like-minded friends.

Click here for application form

Content

In this Freedom Academy, thought leaders from America and Turkey will lead discussions based on ideas in Atlas Shrugged including on:

The meaning and morality of capitalism and the free market
The virtues of entrepreneurship
The role of government
The necessary conditions for wealth creation
Does the free market threaten religion and identity?

This Freedom Academy will be conducted in English

Scholarships

The Malaysia Think Tank offers scholarships on competitive basis to enable as many people as possible to participate in the Freedom Academy. We encourage everyone to apply for the scholarship to pay for attendance fee and accommodation costs. The Malaysia Think Tank reserves the right to determine the value of scholarship to be awarded. We do not pay for travel expenses.

Attendance fee and accommodation costs

Participants will be provided a copy of Atlas Shrugged.

Before 13 April 2009

RM285 (only RM195 for Kelab Wau Bebas members, i.e. participants of previous Freedom Academy) - which will cover all meals from Friday dinner to lunch on Sunday, lectures, books, delegates pack, and accommodation (shared twin room) at Bayview Hotel.

RM185 (only RM125 for Kelab Wau Bebas members) – without accommodation

After 13 April 2009

RM370.00 (only RM295 for Kelab Wau Bebas members) - which will cover all meals from Friday dinner to lunch on Sunday, lectures, books, delegates pack, and accommodation (shared twin room) at Bayview Hotel.

RM270.00 (only RM185 for Kelab Wau Bebas members) – without accommodation

Click here for application form

Further information

For further information, please contact Noor Amin bin Ahmad via email amin@malaysiathinktank.org

Lecturers

Mustafa Akyol is a Turkish Muslim writer and columnist based in Istanbul. He graduated from Istanbul Nisantasi British High School and from the International Relations Department of the Bosphorus University. He had his master thesis on the Kurdish question at the History Department of the same university. He has given seminars in several universities in the U.S. and the U.K. on issues relating to Islam and modernity. Since 2002, he has been working as a columnist and editor in the Turkish press. He is currently the opinion editor and a columnist for Turkish Daily News, Turkey's foremost English-language daily. He is currently working on a book in English on the future of Islam and the Islamic world.

Dr Tom G Palmer is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and director of Cato University, the Institute’s educational arm. Palmer is also the vice president for International Programs at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and the general director of the Atlas Global Initiative for Free Trade, Peace, and Prosperity, which operates programs in 13 languages. He has published articles and reviews on politics and morality in scholarly journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Ethics, and Critical Review, as well as in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Slate, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. He received his Ph.D. in politics from Oxford University. Palmer is also an International Advisort at the Malaysia Think Tank.

Dr Doug Den Uyl is Vice President for Educational Programs at Liberty Fund Inc. He graduated from Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Michigan in 1972 with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy. He received an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 1974, and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Marquette University in 1979. Doug was previously Professor of Philosophy at Bellarmine University.