Founders

The Fox Valley Objectivist Club was founded by Steve Hathway, Ryan Winkel and Rodney Schroeter out of a need to explore and share ideas. They found that social discourse and political analysis too often was filled with bromides used as mental crutches. Their shared enthusiasm for Objectivism spurred them on to create this group as an outlet for reasoned discussion. Reading each of their backgrounds, it is easy to see that they bring a diverse set of experiences to the group.


Steve Hathway, RF Engineer
Steve has studied Objectivism since 1993. Like many, he was introduced to the philosophy through Ms. Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. He soon found other non-fictional works like the Virtue of Selfishness, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal and other writings which cemented his belief that this was morality worth following.

Ryan Winkel, Finance
Ryan encountered Ms. Rand's philosophy through his studies of economics. Economics, one of the last sciences rooted in reality, has provided the empirical evidence that Capitalism is the best system for bringing a population out of poverty. Since Rand provides the moral justification for Capitalism, it is easy to see how an economist would stumble upon her writings.

Rodney Schroeter, Writer
Rodney has studied Objectivism since the 1970's. He provides a wealth of knowledge and background to the group.

The Four Pillars

Objectivism can be distilled into four basic tenants.

Objective Reality - The world exists and a reasoning mind can grasp how to live in it.

Reason - Man's sole means of survival is a reasoning mind. Unlike other animals, man must develop his cognitive faculties in order to survive and enjoy life.