New ARU Course: Foundations of Physical Science

At OCON 2022, ARI CEO Tal Tsfany gave an update on the growth of the Ayn Rand University. As part of that presentation, he announced a large expansion in ARU’s course offerings for the 2022-23 academic year. Join Keith Lockitch and Mike Mazza as they discuss the new ARU course catalogue and, in particular, talk about a new course that Lockitch will be teaching on the Foundations of Physical Science. The course will trace the development of man’s understanding of motion and gravitation, starting with the earliest astronomical observations of pre-Greek civilizations, and culminating in the achievements of Isaac Newton.

Among the topics covered:

• The Ayn Rand University’s vision of providing a foundation for life;
• How the new ARU courses align with that vision;
• Whether ARU is aimed at a specific age group;
• Whether ARU courses will be offered more than once;
• An overview of Lockitch’s Foundations of Physical Science course;
• How the course fits with ARU’s broader vision;
• Why a strong math background is not required for Lockitch’s course;
• The textbooks and workload students can expect;
• The value of learning ancient astronomy and techniques of observational astronomy;
• The importance of astronomy in prehistoric times;
• How mobile apps are going to be used in the course;
• A brief description of the course outline and its philosophic framework;
• What people with a degree in physics or astronomy can gain from the course;
• Other courses that may be available in ARU in the future.

Mentioned in the discussion is Leonard Peikoff’s course History of Philosophy.

To register for Lockitch’s Foundations of Physical Science course or any other course at ARU, go to university.aynrand.org to see the course catalog.

This episode was recorded on August 4, 2022

0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:45 ARU: a foundation for life
0:04:16 New ARU courses
0:10:49 Age groups
0:13:42 Repeat offerings
0:17:14 Overview of the course
0:19:54 Fit with ARU's broader vision
0:24:20 Strong math not required
0:27:50 Textbooks and workload
0:31:50 Ancient/observational astronomy
0:40:43 Astronomy in prehistoric times
0:46:36 Mobile apps
0:52:00 Outline, philosophic framework
0:58:38 Students with degrees
1:00:35 future courses

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