Program
General Sessions
Group Sessions
Meals
3:00 â 7:00 PMRegistration
Event check-in desk open
7:00 â 9:00 PMWelcome Reception and Opening Remarks
Meet and mingle with fellow attendees at the official opening of AynRandCon-Europe 2025! Includes light fare.
9:00 â10:00 AM Onkar GhateOpening Keynote
TBA
10:00 â10:30am Break
10:30 AM â12:00 PM Onkar Ghate, Tara Smith, Nikos SotirakopoulosSmall-Group Discussions and Q&A About Objectivism
This session is a fun, fast-paced icebreaker designed for attendees to meet each other and talk philosophy. In the first portion of this session, you will break into small groups to talk with your fellow attendees on the topic: âWhat questions do you have about Objectivism?â Youâll discuss each otherâs questions and vote up one or two that your group will raise with our panel of speakers. In the second portion of the session, a representative from each group will ask their groupâs top questions, bringing the perspective of our experts into the conversation.
12:00 â1:30 PMLunch
1:30 â 2:15 PM Tara SmithWhat Does It Mean to Be Selfish? Ayn Randâs Vision of Rational Egoism
âGive back,â âServe something higher than yourself,â âPut others firstââthis is the wisdom of the ages. Raised on these platitudes from religious and secular quarters alike, most people assume that to be moral simply is to be selfless. Ayn Rand rejects this assumption. She champions the virtue of selfishness. But what does that mean? This lecture highlights some of the key elements of rational egoism to illuminate what it is and is not. By refuting common misconceptions as well as indicating what genuine self-interest demands, it paves the way for the healthy exercise of selfishness and the happiness that it makes possible.
2:15 â 3:00 PM Break
3:00 â 4:30 PM Onkar Ghate, Tara SmithReading Discussion Group: âThe âConflictsâ of Menâs Interestsâ
Experience what itâs like to receive feedback on your own work from ARU faculty. Read the assigned reading and complete a homework assignment. If you submit your work by the listed deadline, your assignment might be selected for discussion during the conference!
Note: Click here to download the homework for this session.
7:00 â10:00 PMSocial Event
9:00 â 9:45 AM Nikos SotirakopoulosWhat Have the Capitalists Ever Done for Us?
Can you imagine your life without your smartphone, without cars, and without your local supermarket? Probably not. Yet, we spend very little time understanding what made these things possible. Even more, the great creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs who built the world we live in are often met with scorn. For many, the term âcapitalistâ evokes emotions of moral suspiciousness, if not outright hostility. In this lecture, we will try to understand the great producers. What are their essential characteristics, and how should we evaluate them?
9:45 â10:30 AM Tara SmithReason and Faith: Their Methods, Their Consequences, Their Relationship
This lecture explains the fundamental alternative between reason and faith. After clarifying the basic nature of each, it demonstrates the superiority of reason by highlighting reasonâs role in the acquisition of knowledge and the advance of human progress. Its final segment considers the common suggestion that what is best is a balance, accepting faith as appropriate for certain questions, while using reason for all others. In fact, the lecture argues, such a reconciliation is untenable; attempts to partner the two serve only to destroy the benefits of reason.
10:30 â11:00 am Break
11:00 â11:45 AM Tal TsfanyPursuing Your Happiness
Objectivism is a philosophy for living on earth . . . happily! In this talk, Tal Tsfany, ARIâs CEO, will share concepts and actionable practices for leveraging Objectivism toward achieving the state of consciousness we call âhappiness.â Weâll cover tools and techniques for answering questions such as âWho am I?â âWhat do I love?â What do I want?â âHow do I get it?â and âWhatâs the point?â
11:45 am â1:30 pm Lunch and Group Photo
1:30 â 2:30 PM Nikos Sotirakopoulos, TIKhistoryUnderstanding Nazism and Communism: A Discussion with TIKhistory
Germany has been the center of two lethal totalitarianisms: Marxism and national socialism. In this session, Nikos and TIK, the popular YouTuber behind the channel TIKhistory, will discuss the issue of socialismâMarxist and national. They will examine the allure of these collectivist movements and how Objectivism can help shed light on their evil.
2:30 â 3:15 pm Break
3:15 â 4:45 PMOnkar Ghate, Tara Smith, Nikos SotirakopoulosQ&A Panel
Students will get the opportunity to ask questions of faculty about any issues that have sparked their interest over the course of the conference.
4:45 â 5:15 PMTal TsfanyClosing Remarks
Together weâll conclude AynRandCon-Europe 2025 and reflect on key insights and takeaways from the conference.
5:15 pm onwardExplore Berlin on Your Own
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