Schedule
THURSDAY,July27th
● 5:30–7:30PM–Kicko Reception&Registration
○ WillincludeashortaddressfromAbbiew/logisticaldetails,speednetworking,andmingling/cocktails
FRIDAY,July28th
● 7:30–9:00AM:BREAKFAST&EventRegistration
● 8:00–8:40AM:TheNobilityofBusiness:Purpose&Principles–JamesLapeyre
○ Exploringthepivotalroleofbusinessinadvancinghumanprogress&examininghowObjectivistprinciples helpfosterbusinessgrowthandcultivatemutuallybene cialrelationships.
● 9:00–10:00AM:WhoNeedsPhilosophy?–StephenHicksPhD
○ Themeaning,in uence,andimportanceofphilosophyforone’slifeandthelifeofanation.
● 10:15–11:15AM:TheVirtueofSelfishness&TheSelfishnessOfVirtue–RobTracinski
○ AynRand’scaseforamoralityofrationalself-interest
● 11:30AM–12:45PM:CampusControversies:MockDebates–w/Scholars&Students
○ 1.AmericaProsperedduetoslavery&remainssystemicallyracist:JenniferGrossman/ StephenHicks,Ph.D.
○ 2.CapitalismIsUnjustBecauseResultsAreUnequal:RichardSalsman/DavidKelley,Ph.D.
○ 3 RealSocialismHasn’tBeenTried:IsidoraKolar/RobTracinski
● 12:45–2:00PM: LUNCH
○ 1:15–1:45PM:**SpecialLunchEvent**
● 2:00–2:45PM:Israel:HowAynRandCanClarify&Help–MichaelKau man
○ APracticalReviewofthesituationinIsraelwithRandianapplications
● 3:15–4:15PM:Values&VirtuesAsSpiritualCurrencies–MartinHooss
● 4:15–5:30PM:BreakBeforeDinner
● 5:30–8:30PM:DINNER&EveningProgram
○ Cocktailreceptionwithdrinksandmingling
○ GuestswillhearfromCEOJenniferGrossmanandProducerPatrickReasonover
○ DebutscreeningofouroriginalAtlasShruggedbooktrailervideoproject
○ SpecialKeynoteSpeaker:JamesO'Keefe
○ Specialperformance“Objectivismin3Country&WesternSongs”
○ AfterpartyKaraoke
SATURDAY,July29th
● 8:00–9:00AM:BREAKFAST
● 9:00–10:00AM:Capitalism:ThePremierHabitatForHumanity–RichardSalsman
○ Capitalismistheonlysocialsystem tforthe ourishingofrationalhumanbeings
● 10:15–11:15AM:ObjectivismAbroad–Panel–MartinHooss,IsidoraKolar,IrakliIagorashvili
○ HowObjectivismisperceivedabroadandthebestpracticesforengagingnewaudienceswithRand’s literatureandphilosophy
● 11:30AM–12:30PM:GetReal:Objectivity&Objectivism–DavidKelleyPh.D./StephenHicks,Ph.D.
○ Thenecessityofobjectivityinthinkingandvaluingandwhyit’stheessenceofRand’sObjectivism.
● 12:30PM–1:00PM:–Finalremarks &studentdeparture
● 2:00PM–5:00PM:AfternoondonoreventatBoldPatriotBrewingCompany
SESSIONI
(Friday,40minutes*duringbreakfast*)
TheNobilityofBusiness:Purpose&Principles
- JamesLapeyre,Chairman-TheAtlasSociety
Description: Exploring the pivotal role of business in advancing human progress &examininghowObjectivistprinciples helpfosterbusinessgrowthandcultivatemutuallybene cialrelationships
Biography: James M.Lapeyre,Jr.(Jay)ispresidentofLaitram,LLC.Laitramisadiversi edglobalmanufacturerofplastic conveyorbelting,highspeedpackagesorting,shrimpprocessingequipmentandspace-savingstairs.Lapeyreservesasboard chairoftheCatoInstituteandisalsoboardchairofTheAtlasSociety.HeisapastchairoftheboardofTulaneUniversity, The Business Council of New Orleans, The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, The New Orleans Crime CoalitionandtheIsidoreNewmanSchoolBoardofGovernors. Post-Katrina,Lapeyrehasbeenactivelyengagedine ortsto reform and improve local and state government to improve ood safety, Orleans assessors, Orleans Sewerage and Water governance, charter schools, criminal justice, andtheOrleansInspectorGeneralandIndependentPoliceMonitor Lapeyre earnedhisBAfromtheUniversityofTexasandhisMBAandJDfromTulaneUniversity.HeandSallyhavethreemarried childrenandsevengrandchildren.
SESSIONII
(Friday,60minutes)
WhoNeedsPhilosophy?
- StephenHicks
Description:Themeaning,in uence,andimportanceofphilosophyforone’slifeandthelifeofanation.
Abstract: Philosophy rules the world. Or does it? …Vladimir Putin frequently quotes Russianphilosophers.Asastudent Osama bin Laden was inspired by Islamist philosopher Sayyid Qutb Adolf Hitler avidly read philosopher Schopenhauer during WW I and had a bust of philosopher Friedrich Nietzscheinhisstudy VladimirLeninandMaoZedongexplicitly applied the ideas of Karl Marx (Ph.D. in philosophy). The French Revolutionaries of the Reign ofTerror Robespierre, Marat, and Saint-Just were disciples of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And the American Founding Fathers, by contrast,weresaturatedwithJohnLocke’sphilosophy.SowhenAynRandsaid,“Ifyouunderstandthedominantphilosophy ofasociety,youcanpredictitscourse,”howaccuratewasshe?
Readings:
- Rand,“Philosophy:WhoNeedsIt?”(PWNI,1974)
- Kelley&Volkov,TASPocketGuidetoTerms
- ColganandHicks,TASPocketGuidetoPhilosophiesofEducation
Biography: Stephen R. C. Hicks is aProfessorofPhilosophyatRockfordUniversityandauthorofTheArtofReasoning: Readings for Logical Analysis, Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism andSocialismfromRousseautoFoucault,Nietzsche andtheNazis, EntrepreneurialLiving,Liberalism:ProandCon,andEightPhilosophiesofEducation.Hehaspublishedin Business EthicsQuarterly,ReviewofMetaphysics,andTheWallStreetJournal. HehasbeenVisitingProfessorofBusiness EthicsatGeorgetownUniversity(Washington,D.C.),VisitingFellowatHarrisManchesterCollege(OxfordUniversity),and VisitingProfessoratJagiellonianUniversity(Poland). In2010hewonhisuniversity’sExcellenceinTeachingaward.
SESSIONIII
(Friday,60minutes)
TheVirtueofSel shness&TheSel shnessofVirtue
- RobertTracinskiDescription:AynRand’scaseforamoralityofrationalself-interest.
Abstract: Ayn Rand’s most controversial idea was her advocacy of the “virtue of sel shness,” i.e., a morality of rational self-interest.Wewilldiscuss:AynRand’sgroundingofmoralityinthefactualbasisthatsupportsit;hercritiqueofaltruism and how altruism became accepted as synonymous with morality; the relationship of her views to the history of moral philosophy; heruniqueviewsonwhatsel shnessentailsandonthenatureoftheself;thecompatibilityofsel shnesswith cooperationandcompanionship;andwhatthismeansforyourviewofthemeaning,purpose,anddirectionofyourownlife.
Readings:
- Rand,"TheObjectivistEthics"(1961;VOS,1964)
- Rand,"CausalityVersusDuty"(PWNI,1970)
- Tracinski,TASPocketGuidetoSelfInterest(2023;forthcoming)
Biography:RobTracinskiisaseniorfellowatTheAtlasSocietyandawriterwhoseworkregularlyappearsinpublications likeQuillette,TheBulwark,andDiscourse.HewritesTheTracinskiLetteronSubstack,istheeditorofSymposium,ajournal ofpoliticalliberalism,andistheauthorofSoWhoIsJohnGaltAnyway?AReader’sGuidetoAynRand’sAtlasShrugged.
SESSIONIV (Friday,75minutes)
CampusControversies:MockDebates
- AmericaProsperedduetoslavery&remainssystemicallyracistw/JenniferGrossman&StephenHicks,PhD
- CapitalismIsUnjustBecauseResultsAreUnequalw/RichardSalsman,Ph.D.&DavidKelley,Ph.D.
- RealSocialismHasn’tBeenTriedw/IsidoraKolar&RobTracinski
Description: Atlas Society scholars participate in debates onthecommoncontroversiesunfoldingoncampusesacrossthe country.
SessionV
(Friday,45-minutes)
Israel:HowAynRandCanHelp&Clarify
MichaelKau man-
Description:APracticalreviewofthesituationinIsraelwithRandianapplications
Abstract:MichaelcurrentlysplitshistimebetweenTelAviv,Israel,MiamiandBoston. Hehaswitnessedtherecentpolitical developmentsandsocietalchangesinIsraelincludingtheriseofthe“farRight”religious(mystics)andmilitants(muscle) A long time supporter of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist Philosophy, Michael sees many parallels between theissuesraisedinAtlas Shrugged and the current struggles in Israel. The talk, "Israel: How Ayn Rand Can Clarify and Help” will take a philosophical which I believe is foundational view of the movements in Israel and consider how a de nitiv, rm responsetothecurrentunsustainablemovementsarerequiredifIsraelistocontinueasa ourishingdemocracy.
Biography: Michael Kau man MD PhD has spent the last 28 years in the pharmaceutical industry. He played major leadership roles in the development and approval of three cancer drugs: Velcade®, Kyprolis® and Xpovio® He is lead director or chairman of theboardsofVerastemOncology,BiVictriXandParthenonTherapeutics,andaboardmemberat Kezar Life Sciences and Adicet Bio. Dr. Kau man previously served as Co-Founder and Chief Executive O cer of Karyopharm, where he guided the Company’s transition from a discovery stage biotechnology company to a commercial stage organisation with the global approvals ofXPOVIO®,andthenservedasSeniorMedicalAdvisor.Dr.Kau manwas previousChiefMedicalO cerofOnyxPharmaceuticalsInc.whereheleadthedevelopmentandapprovalofKyprolis®and was previously President and Chief Executive O cer of EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (previously Predix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). Dr. Kau man received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins Medical School, trained at Beth Israel and MassachusettsGeneralHospitalsinBostonandisboardcerti edinInternalMedicine
SESSIONVI
(Friday,60minutes)
Values&VirtuesAsSpiritualCurrencies
- MartinHoossDescription:Inhistalk,Martinwilldefend,andelaborateonAynRand’stheorythatlove,romanticandnon-romanticalike, issel shandneedstobeearned.
Abstract: In the rst part of his talk, Martin willarguethatahealthyrelationshiprequiresthattheloverandthebeloved embody and share the same values and virtues. Martin will then clear up several misconceptions about sel sh love, highlightingthategoisticloveisneitherinstrumentalnorazero-sumgame Lastly,Martinwillstartdevelopinganeconomic approachtolove,discusshealthyrelationshipsbyrelyingonthemodelofsupplyanddemand,andrevealthedangerofrisk andthepotentialoftradeencounteredinthemarketplaceforloveandfriendship.
Biography: Martin Hooss is a German Objectivist scholar currently based in Prague. Martin holds a master’s degree in English Literature and Classical Philology from Trier University, Trier, and a master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics,and Economics from CEVRO Institute, Prague. In addition to promoting the New Frontiers of Objectivism campaign as Students For Liberty’s Educational Content Creator and Teacher,MartinpresentlyworksonaPh.D.thesisonAynRand and mentors his top students in his weekly study group, “Conversations in Atlantis,”whichhecohostswithAristotelian scholar Dr Carrie-Ann Biondi In addition to Objectivism, Martin’s research interests include (utopian and) dystopian ction, virtue ethics, studies of transition, and microeconomics. Martin considers Aristotle, Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt,andAynRandasthefourthinkerswhohavein uencedhimthemost.
SESSIONVII
(Saturday,60minutes)
Capitalism:ThePremierHabitatforHumanity
- RichardM Salsman
Description:Capitalismistheonlysocialsystem tforthe ourishingofrationalhumanbeings.
Abstract: Capitalismisthepremierhabitatforhumanity,thesocialsystemmostconsonantwithhumannature,whichbest preserves and protects genuine individual rights, including private property rights. Capitalism has a comprehensive philosophical-political-economicdefense;contrarytotheclaimsofitsmanycritics,it’ssustainablebecausepractical,practical because moral, and moral because grounded in rational egoism.Capitalismisn’t“cronyism”or“corporatism”butisbeing erodedbyeachduetoanunstablehybrid:themixed-economywelfarestate
Readings:
- Rand,“WhatIsCapitalism?”(CUI,1967)
- Salsman,TASPocketGuidetoCapitalism(2022)
- Salsman,“TheMind-BasedEtymologyofCapitalism,”inWhereHaveAlltheCapitalistsGone?(2021)
Biography:Dr.RichardM.SalsmanisanassistantresearchprofessorofpoliticaleconomyatDukeUniversity,founderand president of InterMarket Forecasting, Inc, a senior fellow at the American InstituteforEconomicResearch,andasenior scholar at The Atlas Society In the 1980s and 1990s, he was a banker at the Bank of New York and Citibank and an economistatWainwrightEconomics,Inc.Dr.Salsmanhasauthored vebooks.
SESSIONVIII
(Saturday,60minutes)
ObjectivismAbroad:Panel
- IsidoraKolar,MartinHooss,IrakliIagorashviliw/AntonellaMartyasmoderator
Description:ScholarsfromacrosstheglobewilljoinusinNashvilletodiscusshowObjectivismisperceivedabroadandthe bestpracticesforengagingnewaudienceswithRand’sliteratureandphilosophy.
Biographies:
- Isidora Kolar is the Chief Executive O cer at ARCE She holds an LLB degree in Law and an MA degree in Terrorism, Organized Crime, and Security. She has been involved with the libertarian movement in Serbia and Europe since 2013,participatinginnumerousprograms,events,andrallies.ShejoinedARCEin2018asaProject Manager,fromwhichshewentontobecome,ChiefOperatingO cer,and,fromFebruary2021,CEO.
- Irakli Iagorashvili is the co-founder and CEO of the Ayn Rand Center Georgia (ARCG).Heholdsabachelor's degree in Political Science. Irakli has been actively promoting Objectivism inGeorgiasince2020.Hise ortshave reached and enlightened numerous young individuals abouttheideasofAynRand.Irakliengageswiththeyouth throughpersonalinteractionsandengaginglectures
- MartinHoossisaGermanObjectivistscholarcurrentlybasedinPrague Martinholdsamaster’sdegreeinEnglish Literature and Classical Philology from Trier University, Trier, and a master’s degree in Philosophy, Politics,and EconomicsfromCEVROInstitute,Prague.InadditiontopromotingtheNewFrontiersofObjectivismcampaignas StudentsForLiberty’sEducationalContentCreatorandTeacher,MartinpresentlyworksonaPh.D.thesisonAyn Rand andmentorshistopstudentsinhisweeklystudygroup,“ConversationsinAtlantis,”whichhecohostswith AristotelianscholarDr.Carrie-AnnBiondi.InadditiontoObjectivism,Martin’sresearchinterestsinclude(utopian and)dystopian ction,virtueethics,studiesoftransition,andmicroeconomics.MartinconsidersAristotle,Ludwig vonMises,HenryHazlitt,andAynRandasthefourthinkerswhohavein uencedhimthemost
(Saturday60-min)
GetReal:ObjectivityandObjectivism
- DavidKelley,StephenHicks
Description: The nature of objectivity as a skill andavirtue,andrepliestotheargumentsthatobjectiveknowledgeisnot possible.
Abstract: Isobjectivityimportant?Isitpossible?Yesandyes.Inthissession,KelleyandHickswillsummarizetheObjectivist viewofknowledge,fromperceptiontoconceptstothestructureofourknowledgeoftheworld.Theywilldiscussthenature of objectivityasastandardtoguideourthinking,andreviewandanswerthemajorcritiquesofobjectivitybypostmodern andothercritics Therewillbeampletimeforparticipantstoraisequestionsaboutthiscrucialissue
Readings:
- Kelley,“The7HabitsofObjectivePeople”(TAS)
- Rand,“IntroducingObjectivism”(1962;VOR,1989)
- Kelley,“RandandObjectivity”(RP,1998)
- Kelley&Grossman,TASPocketGuidetoObjectivism(2019)
- “ObjectiveReality,”a30-minutelectureinaseriesonReason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYgOT2DZ-J82
Biographies:
- DavidKelleyistheFounderofTheAtlasSocietyandaseniorscholar.Aprofessionalphilosopher,hehaswritten and spoken extensively on theoretical aspectsofObjectivismaswellasapplicationstopoliticalissuesandpersonal life.
- StephenHicksisaProfessorofPhilosophyatRockfordUniversityandauthorofTheArtofReasoning:Readings forLogicalAnalysis,ExplainingPostmodernism:SkepticismandSocialismfromRousseautoFoucault,Nietzscheand theNazis, EntrepreneurialLiving,Liberalism:ProandCon,andEightPhilosophiesofEducation.Hehaspublished inBusinessEthicsQuarterly,ReviewofMetaphysics,andTheWallStreetJournal HehasbeenVisitingProfessorof BusinessEthicsatGeorgetownUniversity(Washington,DC),VisitingFellowatHarrisManchesterCollege(Oxford University),andVisitingProfessoratJagiellonianUniversity(Poland). In2010hewonhisuniversity’sExcellencein Teachingaward.