New Orleans
June 26-30, 2026 • Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
June 26-30, 2026
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
Program
General Sessions
Concurrent Events
Social Events
Lunches
6:00 – 10:00 PM Opening Reception
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Opening Reception
Meet and mingle with fellow attendees at the official opening of OCON 2026! This event is smart casual. Your fee includes two drinks, and a cash bar is available. The opening reception and dinner are included in all in-person week passes.
8:00 – 9:00 PM Yaron Brook Opening Keynote
8:00 – 9:00 PM
Yaron Brook
Opening Keynote
TBA
7:30 – 8:30 AM First-Timer Breakfast (Invitation Only)
7:30 – 8:30 AM
First-Timer Breakfast (Invitation Only)
TBA
8:30 –10:00 AM Onkar Ghate
8:30 –10:00 AM
Onkar Ghate
TBA
10:30 –11:30 AM Blake Scholl Build Supersonic
10:30 –11:30 AM
Blake Scholl
Build Supersonic
Blake Scholl founded Boom Supersonic in 2014 with the audacious goal of making supersonic flight commercially feasible. He spoke at OCON 2017 with a talk—“Who Killed Speed?”—describing the decades-long stagnation in aviation and the prospects for a renaissance. This year, we’re excited to welcome Blake back to the OCON stage to tell us about the significant milestones that Boom has recently achieved—and about the political and philosophical lessons he’s learned building a jet and changing the laws around supersonic flight.
11:45 AM –1:30 PM Lunch: Incubator Info Session (Paid Event)
11:45 AM –1:30 PM
Lunch: Incubator Info Session (Paid Event)
TBA
1:30 – 3:00 PM Panel A Conversation with Steven Pinker
1:30 – 3:00 PM
Panel
A Conversation with Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker is one of the world’s top public intellectuals, a cognitive scientist who has been named by TIME as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of such bestselling works as Rationality, Enlightenment Now, and When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . ..
Join us for a panel discussion in which leading Objectivist intellectuals will converse with Pinker about such topics as the Enlightenment and human progress, Objectivism, freedom of speech, and the battle for Western civilization.
4:00 – 5:00 PM Tal Tsfany Spreading Objectivism: A Vision for ARI’s Future
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Tal Tsfany
Spreading Objectivism: A Vision for ARI’s Future
Tal Tsfany, ARI’s president and CEO, will review ARI’s mission to spread Objectivism and the progress made during 2025–26.
5:00 – 6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
6:00 –10:00 PM ARI’s Annual Gala
6:00 –10:00 PM
ARI’s Annual Gala
TBA
8:00 –10:00 PM Movie Night
8:00 –10:00 PM
Movie Night
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM Tara Smith Aging Selfishly
8:40 – 9:40 AM
Tara Smith
Aging Selfishly
Later stages of life naturally pose emotional challenges for which people often feel ill-prepared. While physical longevity has received increasing attention in recent years, less thought has been given to psychological terrain. This lecture addresses that gap. What are the distinct emotional challenges of older age, and how might Objectivist resources be brought to bear on them?
First, Dr. Smith describes the special circumstances of old age in two particular areas: a person’s relationships with others and his conception of himself. Next, she explains how the virtue of independence and the value of self-esteem (somewhat surprisingly, in this context) can help.
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
10:00 –11:30 AM Harry Binswanger, Shoshana Milgram (MC) Ayn Rand’s New Orleans Trip: A Companion’s Memoir
10:00 –11:30 AM
Harry Binswanger, Shoshana Milgram (MC)
Ayn Rand’s New Orleans Trip: A Companion’s Memoir
The offer: payment in gold and transportation in a private rail car. Ayn Rand accepted. Thus, her 1981 trip to New Orleans to give “The Sanction of the Victims,” her last public speech, to an audience of 3,000. Harry Binswanger, a member of her travel party, relates his perspective on this event-filled journey and reveals the pivotal role played by Ayn Rand’s discovery of the actor she wanted to play Francisco in an Atlas Shrugged mini-series.
11:45 AM –1:30 PM ARC Donor Lunch (Invitation Only)
11:45 AM –1:30 PM
ARC Donor Lunch (Invitation Only)
TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM Shoshana Milgram Ayn Rand and the Meaning of Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
3:45 – 4:45 PM
Shoshana Milgram
Ayn Rand and the Meaning of Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
After the sudden death of Marilyn Monroe, Ayn Rand paid tribute in a newspaper column with two main themes: the courage of Marilyn Monroe as an artist and the evil of the envious attacks on her. She quoted from Marilyn Monroe’s last interview: about the secrets she shared in her performances, and the secrets she withheld from public view. Ayn Rand, moreover, was drawing on secrets of her own: her friendship with a journalist who knew Marilyn well and her association with a pro-capitalist screenwriter/director who had featured Marilyn in a film (Ayn Rand offered advice and attended the preview). This talk will explore Rand’s view of Marilyn Monroe, and her tribute to her, which was at once ethical, esthetic, and personal.
3:45 – 4:45 PM TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM
TBA
TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM
TBA
TBA
5:00 – 6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
5:00 – 6:00 PM Introduction to Planned Giving—Happy Hour (Invitation Only)
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Introduction to Planned Giving—Happy Hour (Invitation Only)
TBA
6:30 – 8:30 PM OCON’s Got Talent
6:30 – 8:30 PM
OCON’s Got Talent
Showcasing the talents of OCON attendees, this fan-favorite event returns for another year! The night will feature a live band, cash bar, and an incredible lineup of performances. Whether you’re on stage or in the audience, expect an unforgettable evening of creativity and camaraderie.
8:40 – 9:40 AM Amesh Adalja Conquering the Necropolis: The Taming of Yellow Fever and the Making of a Productive American City
8:40 – 9:40 AM
Amesh Adalja
Conquering the Necropolis: The Taming of Yellow Fever and the Making of a Productive American City
Once known as a deadly “necropolis,” New Orleans faced yearly yellow-fever death tolls approaching ten percent. This lecture traces how scientists and physicians transformed that grim reality through reason, discovery, and heroic action. From Walter Reed’s decisive breakthroughs to William Gorgas’s implementation and Max Theiler’s vaccine, their achievements not only saved cities but made feats like the Panama Canal possible. The lecture will also explore yellow fever’s unexpected influence on the abolitionist movement—revealing a profound story of human productivity and progress.
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
10:00 –11:30 AM Greg Salmieri The Philosophy of the Producer
10:00 –11:30 AM
Greg Salmieri
The Philosophy of the Producer
In The Fountainhead, Howard Roark identifies “your work” as “the meaning of life.” This reflects the ideal of the producer and the distinctive conception of work essential to Rand’s philosophy. Dr. Salmieri elucidates this aspect of Objectivism, identifying its foundations in a view of reason and values, indicating the role it plays in Rand’s valorization of America, and drawing out its implications for how we can better value our lives, our work, and our civilization.
11:45 AM –1:30 PM Lunch Break
11:45 AM –1:30 PM
Lunch Break
Lunch on your own.
1:45 –3:15 PM Gena Gorlin The Psychology of the Producer
1:45 –3:15 PM
Gena Gorlin
The Psychology of the Producer
Dr. Gorlin’s forthcoming book, The Builder’s Mindset, elaborates the “method of using his consciousness” that Rand says is distinctive of “the Producer.” This talk previews the book, illuminating how the producer’s premises show up in one’s psychology and how to implement them in one’s life, work, and relationships. Topics include: building (rather than finding) one’s purpose; holding one’s fully lived life as the context for all of one’s judgments and decisions; the common failure modes into which would-be producers fall, and the tools for overcoming them.
3:45 – 4:45 PM TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM
TBA
TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM
TBA
TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM
TBA
TBA
5:00 – 6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
6:00 – 9:00 PM Benefactor’s Dinner (Invitation Only)
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Benefactor’s Dinner (Invitation Only)
TBA
9:00 PM –12:00 AM Sixth Annual OCON Texas Hold ’Em Poker Championship Tournament
9:00 PM –12:00 AM
Sixth Annual OCON Texas Hold ’Em Poker Championship Tournament
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM TBA
8:40 – 9:40 AM
TBA
TBA
10:00 –11:30 AM Tara Smith Intellectual Shrinkage – And Its Costs
10:00 –11:30 AM
Tara Smith
Intellectual Shrinkage – And Its Costs
Our society has been suffering from a sustained period of intellectual shrinkage—a subtle, steady decline in conceptual thinking. Many people’s intellectual capacities and inclinations to think conceptually are contracting in ways that bring destructive consequences.
The lecture is in two parts. First, it surveys contemporary culture to showcase the disturbing indicators of our cognitive erosion. Second, it exposes the damage that this inflicts, focusing on the impact in three areas: on curiosity, on personal relationships, and on an individual’s relationship to his own values.
11:45 AM –1:30 PM Atlantis Legacy Lunch (Invitation Only)
11:45 AM –1:30 PM
Atlantis Legacy Lunch (Invitation Only)
TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM
TBA
TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM
TBA
TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM TBA
1:45 – 3:15 PM
TBA
TBA
3:45 – 4:45 PM Alex Epstein How to Liberate America’s Producers
3:45 – 4:45 PM
Alex Epstein
How to Liberate America’s Producers
Over the last two centuries, America’s businessmen have liberated all of us economically, creating unprecedented wealth and opportunity. But tragically, businessmen themselves have often become increasingly shackled politically. Alex Epstein will share how he has succeeded in helping businessmen in the energy industry reverse that trend—by giving them a moral appreciation of their work and by giving politicians a blueprint for championing and implementing pro-freedom energy policies. He will draw lessons that can be applied to the liberation of all of America’s producers.
5:00 – 6:00 PM Cocktail Hour
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM –12:00 AM Closing Reception and Dinner
7:00 PM –12:00 AM
Closing Reception and Dinner
We’ll close OCON with a reception, seated dinner, and dance. Your fee includes two drinks, and a cash bar will be available. Come and enjoy the company of old and new friends and dance the night away!
This event is dressy; coats and ties for gentlemen, evening wear for ladies, please.
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