Randsday Weekend Conference Program

8:30 to 10:00 AM

Stephen Plafker    Appreciating Greatness: The Accomplishments of Thomas Edison

An episode of the situation comedy The Big Bang Theory contained the following line: “Question: How many Edisons does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: It doesn't matter; he didn't invent it, he stole it.” True, Edison did not invent the light bulb, but he stole nothing. That dialogue takes one small truth and expands it into a slander. This lecture sets the record straight, summarizing Edison's actual accomplishments, his inventions, and his improvements on the innovations of others. It shows why he deserves his esteemed reputation; by implication, it can be the basis of a defense of other captains of industry.

10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Don Watkins    God Is Dead ... But Which One?

When leading New Atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali announced that she had converted to Christianity, she became one of a growing number of intellectuals arguing that modern nihilism is the product of “the death of God” and that only religion can save us. In this talk, Don Watkins contrasts the religious narrative with Ayn Rand's very different account of nihilism—and he discusses the practical implications for changing the culture.

2:00 to 3:30 PM

Jean Moroney    The Role of Emotions in Human Life

Emotions play a different role for for humans than for animals. In this talk, we will discuss the role of emotions in the life of a conceptual being, including:
What emotions are and what they aren't,
What causes emotions and what they cause,
Why volition changes the role of emotions in humans as opposed to other mammals,
Why we need to understand our own emotions,
Three helpful categorizations of emotions to memorize.

4:00 to 5:30 PM

Yaron Brook      The Future of the Objectivist Movement

Yaron Brook discusses how Ayn Rand's philosophy will likely shape the cultural and intellectual landscape, in the U.S. and globally, in the years to come. Brook analyzes the impact of Objectivism on the current culture, its challenges, and opportunities for growth. This talk is a call to action for advocates of Objectivism to engage more deeply with the world and help lead the movement into a new era of influence and progress.

8:00 to 9:30 PM

Pouya Nikmand and Dusia Voronkina      Two Journeys to Freedom

Pouya Nikmand, now age 26, grew up under Iran's dictatorship; Dusia Voronkina, now age 19, grew up under Russia's dictatorship. Each managed to escape relatively recently, in defiance of their governments and their families. They each have inspiring stories: what it was like to exist without freedom, how each discovered Objectivism and the path each took to flee to America.

9:00 to 10:30 AM

Panel Discussion on Value Orientation with Jean Moroney, Ellen Kenner, and Lin Zinser

Ayn Rand introduced the distinction between “Motivation by Love” and “Motivation by Fear” in Galt's Speech. The importance of activating love-based motivation, as opposed to fear-based motivation, is critical to success and happiness; it is a principle of rational action. In this talk, the panelists will discuss what it means to activate love-based motivation and why it is never automatic. After a brief discussion of how the ideas apply to work and goal-setting, there will be a deeper dive into how they apply to relationships and recreation and result in important spiritual values.

11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Peter Schwartz   How to Explain Egoism and Altruism to The Public

In communicating the Objectivist view of egoism and altruism, one must undo numerous, deeply ingrained errors held by most people. What does that logically require? That is the basic question Mr. Schwartz had to address in writing his book The Tyranny of Need. In this talk he explains how he determined the book's structure: What points have to be made and, more importantly, in what hierarchical order must they be presented? What are the most effective examples by which to concretize the abstract ideas? Which of the readers' mistakes have to be named and refuted? These, and more, are the questions Mr. Schwartz answers here in describing his attempt to show the typical reader the evil of self-sacrifice and the virtue of rational selfishness.

2:30 to 4:00 PM

Harry Binswanger    Recollections of Ayn Rand

Stories from my 17 years of personal contact with Ayn Rand. Most of these stories are new. I will attempt the impossible: to give you a concrete sense of what it was like to be in the presence of, interact with, and try to have a simple human relationship with a world-historical figure.

6:30 to 10:00 PM

Celebratory Dinner and Trivia Contest

Details TBA.