Schedule of Events
All events take place in the Dolly Madison Ballroom unless otherwise specified
WEDNESDAY, 07/24
● 5:30 PM–8:00 PM: Event Registration, with Cocktails and Networking with Welcome Remarks from CEO Jennifer Grossman (JAG), Potomac Ballroom
THURSDAY, 07/25
● 9:00 –9:30 AM - Breakfast & Event Registration
● 9:30–9:35 AM - Abbie - Welcome
● 9:35–10:20 AM - Are We Doomed Or on the Edge of a New Golden Age? - State of the Culture panel w/ Stephen Hicks, Ph.D., Richard M. Salsman, Ph.D., & Robert Tracinski
○ A look at the state of our culture across multiple fronts, including our national economy, new developments in ‘right’ & ‘left’ politics, the threat of world war, and the impending sense of doom felt by many Americans today.
● 10:20–10:30 - Break
● 10:30–11:15 AM - The Rise of “Woke”: From Postmodernism and Critical Theory To Identity Politics - Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.
○ Identity politics dominates our public discussion: Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, Black Lives Matter, Privilege, victim versions of Feminism, Non-binary, Trans, etc. Learn how postmodernism and critical theory are being mobilized (and weaponized) today.
● 11:15–11:30 AM - Break
● 11:30 AM–12:15 PM - Breakout Sessions
○ Breakout #1: Who Is Ayn Rand? & What is Objectivism? - Rob Tracinski & David Kelley, Ph.D.
■ This session will explore Ayn Rand’s historical and cultural background, her life experiences such as escaping from Soviet Russia only to come to America during the Red Decade and how they are addressed in her novels and philosophy, as well as what the Philosophy of Objectivism is in Rand’s own words.
○ Breakout #2: 20th Century Moral Philosophers vs. Ayn Rand - Stephen Hicks, Ph.D. - Potomac Ballroom
■ Rand is famous (or notorious) for rejecting mainstream philosophy, and mainstream philosophers often returned the favor by dismissing Rand. But what was the state of moral philosophy in the 1950s and 1960s, the decades inwhichRandpublished Atlas Shrugged and“TheObjectivistEthics”?Was the antagonism only political and/or academic insiders versus outsiders sniping at each other or was the gulf in moral philosophy real and unbridgeable?
● 12:15–12:30 PM - Meet & Greet + Book Signing w/ scholars
● 12:30 PM–1:15 PM - Lunch, Potomac Ballroom
● 1:30–2:15 PM - Breakout Sessions
○ Breakout #3: 7 Habits Of Highly Objective People - David Kelley, Ph.D., & Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.
■ Objectivity is a virtue (a commitment to truth and reason) and a skill. We learn the basics of reasoning in school, but how can we avoid cognitive biases as we enter careers, form relationships, and deal with obstacles?
○ Breakout #4: The Need For Selfish Philanthropy - Richard M. Salsman, Ph.D.Potomac Ballroom
■ Philanthropy means love of humanity, which warrants not charity and duty but generosity and gratitude. Humans, at their best, are rationally selfish. That ethic should guide gift-giving as much as wealth-making.
● 2:15–2:30 PM - Break
● 2:30–3:15 PM - Breakout Sessions
○ Breakout #5: Art + Tech: Behind the Scenes of our AI Animation. - Jennifer Grossman & Patrick Reasonover
■ There's a revolution happening with artificial intelligence and film production and The Atlas Society is helping to lead it with our AIanimated book trailers of Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Anthem. Patrick Reasonover and Jennifer Grossman provide an exclusive tour of their process, from scripting to storyboarding to filming live action against green screens to post-production with AI and video game technology.
○ Breakout #6: The Arc of Life - David Kelley, Raymond Raad - Potomac Ballroom
■ Objectivist ethics includes values we should pursue and virtues we should practice. This ethic does not focus on the lifespan as a process over time: the life of an individual who is born at a time, will die at a time, and will move through stages in between as he matures through adolescence, flourishes as an adult, and approaches death. David Kelley and Ray Raad will discuss the changes in applying Objectivist ethics throughout these stages. They will also discuss one’s “sense of life” narrative and why it is important for a sense of identity.
● 3:15–3:30 PM - Break
● 3:30–4:00 PM - Speed Networking, Constitution Ballroom
● 4:00–6:00 PM - Break Before Gala Dinner
● 6:30–10:00 PM - Gala Reception, Dinner and Afterparty at The National Museum For Women In The Arts - Keynote: Abigail Shrier, Honoree: Gina Rinehart
○ Eligible for All-Access Pass Adults & Student/Young Adult Ticket Holders. Please contact Ana Freund at ana@atlassociety.org for more details about the dinner schedule.
○ Please meet in the Lobby at 6:15 pm to take shuttles to the Museum for Dinner, shuttles will circulate all evening until 10:30 pm to bring guests to and from.
FRIDAY, 07/26
● 9:00–9:30 AM - Breakfast
● 9:30–10:15 AM - How Ayn Rand Won The Culture War - Rob Tracinski
○ Today’s so-called “culture war” seems to focus on everything except actually creating culture whichis theonly way to win it.This talk will present Ayn Rand’s view of art, its role in human life, and how it precedes and supersedes politics.
● 10:15–10:30 AM - Break
● 10:30–11:15 AM - Populism Vs. Principles Debate - Richard M. Salsman, Ph.D., and Grover Norquist, with Jennifer Grossman as moderator
○ Javier Milei, Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, etc. political figures from across the globe have been praised and criticized as “populists” despite representing vastly different political platforms. So, what is populism? And how do we evaluate world leaders based on objectiveprinciples, separatingthe“popular” from the “populist”?
● 11:15–11:30 AM - Break
● 11:30 AM–12:15 PM - Capitalism Under Siege: Top 5 Assaults & How To Smash Them - Richard M. Salsman, Ph.D.
○ What is capitalism, precisely and why do so many people lie or apologize about it?Here, ProfessorSalsmanaddressesand refutes fivecommonavenues ofattack from inequality to imperialism while also fielding critiques presented by the audience.
● 12:15–1:15 PM - Lunch, Potomac Ballroom
● 1:15–2:00 PM - Mentorship Roundtables - Scholars & Special guests
● 2:00–2:15 PM - Break
● 2:15–3:00 PM - Life After Lockdowns: How To Prevent Medical Tyranny - Phil Kerpen, John Tamny, Dr. Marty Makary w/ Jennifer Grossman as Moderator
● 3:00–3:15 PM - Break
● 3:15–4:00 PM - Ask Me Anything - Atlas Society Scholars
● 4:00–4:30 PM - Closing Remarks - Jennifer Grossman
● 4:30–6:00 PM - Break Before Offsite Reception
● 6:00–10:00 PM - Offsite Closing Reception at The Players Club - DC
○ Please meet in the Hotel Lobby by 6pm and a Staff member will escort you to the venue.