The Atlanta Objectivist Society’s weekend mini-conference — ATLOSCon — will be held over Memorial Day weekend, from May 26th to 30th. Paul and I will attend — and speak too! I’m giving two lectures on pride as the keynote speaker:

The Theory and Practice of Pride — Diana Hsieh

Objectivists often struggle to understand the nature and demands of the virtue of pride. These two lectures will survey the Objectivist virtue of pride, with the goal of gaining a better understanding of its theory and practice. The first lecture will focus on what pride is and is not, largely drawing on Ayn Rand’s characters of Hank Rearden, Cherryl Taggart, Robert Stadler, and James Taggart. The second lecture will examine the relationship between a person’s thinking, actions, and moral character — with the aim of better understanding the demands of pride. The ultimate purpose of these lectures will be practical: we want to more deeply understand and then more consistently practice the virtue of pride.

I’ll also be doing the Rationally Selfish Webcast with a live audience, just like at SnowCon. I’m looking forward to that!

Paul will speak on activism:

Activism 101 — Paul Hsieh

America faces numerous problems, including ever-increasing government control over the economy, a fiscal crisis that could bankrupt us in 30 years, and the rise of irrational ideologies such as religion and environmentalism. Our very existence as a free country is in peril. In her essay, “What Can One Do?”, Ayn Rand’s advice to anyone wishing to preserve America was to speak out and promote good ideas through intellectual and cultural activism, with the goal of reshaping our culture according to the values of reason, egoism, and capitalism. Anyone can engage in such activism — not just professional intellectuals in universities and think tanks.

This talk will cover what activism is, how to engage in principled, effective activism — and most importantly, how to do so in a self-interested way that promotes your life and your values. Ayn Rand once said, “Anyone who fights for the future lives in it today”. This talk will help you fight for that future — and enjoy yourself in the process!

I’m excited by the full schedule, except that I’m annoyed that I sent my time-turner sent off for repairs just last week, given that Travis Pew on “Evolutionary Psychology” is opposite Hanah Volokh on “Interpreting Ambiguous Laws.”

If you’d like to attend — and I hope that you do! — you can register here. Paul and I won’t be attending OCON this year for various reasons. So if you want to hang out with us, join us at ATLOSCon!