The four of them sat together in Mallory's shack.... Mallory stood at the cast-iron stove, fixing hot dogs and coffee. Mike sat on the model's stand, smoking a pipe. Roark lay stretched out on the floor, propped up on his elbows. Dominique sat on a kitchen stool....
They were simply four people who liked being there together.
SSO is a social organization for Objectivists living in Western Washington. Its events include quarterly potlucks and monthly happy hours. Events are organized via a private Google group.
If you are looking for Vancouver, BC Objectivists, you can contact them at vancouver@nw-objectivists.org.
If you are interested in joining, the procedure to join is a two-step process. First, send us an e-mail indicating your interest and containing a brief introduction of yourself. Next, attend a happy hour event or have a brief meeting with one of us. Because some of the events are held in members' homes, we insist on meeting new people before inviting them to these events.
To be a member of the SSO, you must be an Objectivist or a serious student of Objectivism,* which means that you must
If you are unsure whether you meet these criteria, please contact us.
SSO is a family-friendly group. Children are welcome at all events. We ask only that children, to the best of their ability, be respectful of people and property.
Spouses and partners who are not SSO members may be eligible to attend events. They will be considered on an individual basis. At minimum, they must meet the last two requirements and be comfortable in an Objectivist social setting.
* Actions which indicate serious study of Objectivism include: having read non-fiction books by Ayn Rand, having read Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, having attended or listened to Objectivist lectures, or being involved in a campus Objectivist club.
† Full agreement with Objectivism is not a requirement; however, prospective participants who are not in full agreement should be so because they are still learning about the philosophy and reaching their own conclusions about its ideas, not because their ideas are set and are known to be at variance with Objectivism. In other words, being 80% in agreement with what you know and 20% uncertain is okay, but being 80% in agreement and 20% in disagreement is not.
‡ Those disqualified from participation include: moral agnostics or “tolerationists”; advocates of revising Objectivism; those whom Ayn Rand condemned morally or who have published attacks against Ayn Rand; and anarchists, libertarians, Democrats, and Republicans.