ATLOSCON 2011 CLASSES
KEYNOTE: 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.
ROMANTIC CHEMISTRY -- Dan Edge
What is “chemistry?” What is its psychological source? What can one do to improve his chances of experiencing chemistry with a greater number of prospective lovers? This lecture will address these questions and others. I will argue that the identification of complementary differences and complementary similarities with another person, along with a strong foundation of shared philosophical values, will produce positive mutual feelings of friendship and/or romantic attraction.
**NEW CLASS**
CREATING A VALUE DENSE HOME: APPLYING CONCEPTS FROM THE NOT SO BIG HOUSE SERIES -- Miranda Barzey
The trend in homes today is more square feet, more rooms, and higher ceilings. In a word, bigger. The effect is that many homes have unused rooms and lack a sense of coziness and intimacy. By exploring the concepts in The Not So Big House series by Sarah Susanka, you can learn how to maximize functionality of each room, alter areas to fit your personality and needs, and make living spaces more intimate and beautiful.
Note: This class replaces Earl Parson's DEVELOPING A HOUSE DESIGN FROM SCRATCH which had to be canceled.
FUNDAMENTALS OF OBJECTIVIST EPISTEMOLOGY -- Shea Levy
How do we come to know things? How do we gain certainty about what we know? What the heck is knowledge, anyway? And, most importantly: Why should we care? These are the questions addressed by the field of epistemology, and Rand had a LOT to say about it. This class will take you on a tour of some of the more interesting and relevant issues in epistemology and show how Rand's theories address them. A significant emphasis will be placed on how these questions and their answers can be relevant in real life.
POSITIVE DISCIPLINE FOR PARENTS OF KIDS UNDER 6 -- Jenn Casey & Kelly Elmore
This class will explore the principles and tools of Positive Discipline, focusing on children under the age of 6 years old. Even young children can begin to practice acting virtuously with kind and firm guidance from their parents, and even the parents of young children can act virtuously while dealing with sleep issues, tantrums, potty training, transitions to school, social interactions, and limit-testing. The class will be interactive and fun, and you will walk away with concrete ideas for dealing with current parenting challenges.
ATHEISM'S IMPLICATIONS: A GUIDED DISCUSSION -- David Elmore
This discussion group will center around the topic of atheism. Some questions we’ll discuss include: Has the term “atheism” always meant the same thing? Is atheism a belief system or only a starting point? Are all Objectivists atheists and are all athesits Objectivists? Come share your thoughts on these questions and others.
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!
THE MATH OF MUSIC -- Orin Jaworski
This will be a crash course in music from a mathematical perspective. The focus will not be calculation but rather a broad understanding of the many ways music and math are related. The talk will begin from basic definitions of music, intervals, timbre, etc. Then progress to a unified mathematical framework for understanding the connections between tuning, timbre, scales, and sensations of harmony or discord. Finally, as time permits we can cover topics on modern synthesis and composition techniques. By the end, a listener will be armed against the horror of standard music theory, and overwhelmed with opportunities for further research.
GLOBAL WARMING: MAN-MADE OR MOTHER NATURE-MADE? (IS THE SCIENCE SCIENTIFIC OR POLITICAL?) -- Ken Andrews
Is the earth in a long term warming pattern and is man the chief cause of that warming or is there a natural pattern of global warming and cooling? This discussion presents a layman's overview of the science of climate change and the politics of GLM (Global Warming) science.
MORAL PERFECTION -- David Elmore
To be perfectly happy, we must be perfectly moral. Ayn Rand said we should strive to be perfect – not for the sake of being perfect, but for the sake of living utterly rationally, with premium self-esteem, self-direction and happiness. Since being rational is being moral, I will discuss being rational – more specifically, I will discuss the aspects of rationality (independence, honesty, integrity, justice, pride and productivity) that constitute rationality, so that we may be more refined in our rational processes, be able to handle each moment and situation in our lives, and be pointedly conscious of our thoughts and actions and how they are fully integrated with our values for the short and long term of our lives.
ART APPRECIATION -- Luc Travers
Most people find that literature and movies provide a more accessible and more emotionally satisfying esthetic experience than the visual arts. However, the visual arts do have the capacity to provide the same kind of experience as other genres.In his presentation, Mr. Travers will describe a fundamentally different approach to engaging the visual arts--one that treats an artwork as art and not as an historical artifact.
In taking you through a few powerful pieces he will demonstrate principles and techniques that you can use to help you go beyond the mild emotional response most experience--to immerse yourself into the "story" and to grasp the deeper, personal meaning that so often remains untapped in great art.
THE GREAT RECESSION: A PRIMER AND DISCUSSION -- Brendan Casey
The class will start with a very short (10 minute) macroeconomic primer, including a brief history of the US government's economic policy changes. This will lead into a general group discussion about the causes and effects of the Great Recession, and ideas for protecting and hopefully growing our individual wealth in the coming years.
BRAIN AND MIND: SOME NEUROSCIENCE TIDBITS -- Shea Levy
Building on knowledge from physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, computer science, electrical engineering, and more, modern neuroscience is a fascinating field that aims to explain what our brains do, how they do what they do, what happens when they stop doing what they're supposed to do, and just maybe figure out the physical basis of our conscious minds. Since it would be impossible to do even a brief overview of the entire subject in a single lecture, the goal of this class is to share some of the more interesting aspects of neuroscience that I've encountered in my studies and work. Topics from both the physical and behavioural sides of the issues will be discussed. These are the facts and explanations that had the greatest effect on my continued interest in the field.
GROWING UP OBJECTIVIST -- Antonio Barzey and Miranda Barzey
What would it be like growing up with an Objectivist parent? Miranda and her father Antionio share stories about atheism, teaching ideas without preaching Objectivism, and what role Ayn Rand played in growing up. The class includes a lengthy Q&A portion.
INTRODUCTION TO CROSSFIT -- Martin Cade
CrossFit is a physical fitness program that does not concentrate on any specific sport or activity. Instead, it develops general fitness which can be applied to any necessary physical demand. CrossFit's popularity has exploded across the country in recent years, and it is especially popular with police, firefighters, and elite military units. Many Objectivists have also embraced CrossFit. In his presentation, "Introduction to CrossFit," Martin Cade will describe what he has learned in 3 years of workouts. This will include a demonstration workout, so come dressed for activity!
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY -- Travis Pew
Is religion an evolutionary adaptation? Does the human brain contain an evolved "rape module"? Such Evolutionary Psychology discussions are now found in major newspapers, magazines, websites, and books. Is there anything to these Darwinian explanations of human behavior? Can a case be made to defend it as a legitimate field and reconcile it with volition or should the whole thing be dismissed?
INTERPRETING AMBIGUOUS LAWS -- Hanah Volokh
Very often, the laws on the books are not written clearly and precisely. When this happens, how can we figure out what behavior is forbidden, permitted, or required? How can judges make decisions in cases where the laws do not provide an obvious answer? How can Objectivist epistemology and political philosophy help us answer these questions? This session will begin with a guided participatory exercise to bring out major questions of legal interpretation. We will then discuss the different schools of thought among lawyers and judges who address these problems.
THE ROLE OF IDEAS IN ARCHITECTURE: VIOLLET-LE-DUC, LOUIS SULLIVAN, AND FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT -- Earl Parson
The events of any given period of history are the result of the thinking of the preceding period." -Ayn Rand, "For the New Intellectual".
Join architect Earl Parson as he discusses an architectural application of this observation, regarding the relationship of ideas to history.
Architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright was a superlative genius. As a young man, his creativity was channeled and focused by his close relationship to Louis Sullivan, who was perhaps the greatest architectural thinker of all time. Sullivan's early theories of modern architecture were themselves heavily influenced by the writings of French architect and theoretician, Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. By examining primary source documents, including writings, drawings, and photographs of existing buildings, we will examine the emergence of modernist ideals in mid-19th Century architectural thinking, and their practical results, a generation later.
HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DOCTOR VISITS -- Colleen Smith
In this talk I plan to discuss how doctors think, as well as concrete methods that you, as a patient, can use in a visit to your doctor to get the most out of your appointment. We will review some of the varying contexts and thought processes that doctors have in regard to new and return patient visits. Then I will provide some concrete approaches that you can take as a patient to make the most out of the time you spend with your doctor. Finally we will have time to discuss personal or hypothetical scenarios and consider application of the techniques discussed in the class to these specific situations.
SEXUAL ETHICS AND OBJECTIVISM -- Jason Stotts
In this lecture, I am going to elaborate the framework of the Objectivist position on sexual ethics and expand it into a richer theory. I will start with the theory of emotions, continue through sexual attraction, and into relationships and love. At each stage I will show the relevant principles, how they build upon one another into a full account of sexual ethics, and how this can handle questions and problems that Ayn Rand never addressed. I will conclude the lecture by applying the theory to a number of topics, followed by a question and answer period.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: HOW OBJECTIVISTS CAN USE POSITIVE DISCIPLINE TOOLS IN THEIR ADULT RELATIONSHIPS -- Kelly Elmore and Jenn Casey
In our talk, we will present a set of parenting principles called Positive Discipline that is compatible with teaching our children to use the Objectivist virtues while behaving virtuously ourselves. Positive Discipline techniques include respectful communication, problem-solving skills, and limit-setting that is both kind and firm. Positive Discipline techniques do not include reward systems, praise, punishments, behavior modification techniques, emotional manipulation, shaming, or logical consequences.
The focus of the talk will be on the communication and problem-solving tools used in Positive Discipline, tools that are essential not only to parenting but to all healthy relationships, at work, at home, with friends, with romantic partners, and on the phone with the customer service representative at your credit card company. The talk will be dynamic and interactive, and you will walk out with at least one new skill to try the next time you are in a difficult situation with your spouse, your coworker, or your child.
A HISTORY OF BAD SCIENCE -- Aaron Bilger
This session explores instances where scientists went astray from proper scientific methods, such as jumping to conclusions based on scant evidence or personal bias. This is different from outright hoaxes or religious or other pseudoscience, which are not the focus. Instead, this session investigates examples of legitimate scientists who still went awry - such as the high profile 'cold fusion' - and aims to explore their mistakes and how to avoid them.
THE CHOICE: CHOOSING LIFE OR NOT -- Steve Butterbaugh
Being a student of Objectivism, we all know that at the bottom of everything that makes THE difference in our lives, is the choice to live. But what does this choice look like – really? What does it entail? Is it something that a person reads in Rand, thinks it makes sense and then one day in the shower says, “I choose life” and that’s it? The rest all takes care of itself? This talk looks at the essence of what you are choosing when you choose life. How does vital life operate and how do you maintain your vitality? How can you come to own your choice and expand your power in choosing life. How do moral principles support you?
A DISCUSSION OF MARKET SOLUTIONS TO GOVERNMENT SERVICES -- Aaron Bilger
While the proper role of government is confined to defending individual rights, all existing governments have a much broader scope, and regulate, legislate, and control various industries. The answer to many such interferences is simple elimination. However, the matter becomes more complex where government makes itself the illegitimate provider of legitimate goods and services - for example, roads, education, and money. A brief introduction and overview of such services is given, including why people accustomed to government involvement consider them difficult or impossible for private industry to provide. The greater part of this session is then a group discussion of these concerns and possible approaches to solving them.
CONCEPTS AND THE APPLE IPOD -- Mike Vitale
Man is a rational animal possessing a consciousness capable of holding a limited set of units in focus at any given time. In order to escape this limitation, man requires a tool for describing, organizing, storing, expanding and recalling knowledge of the universe. This tool is the theory of concepts – a critical component in the epistemological branch of philosophy. This discussion introduces the Objectivist Theory of Concepts and describes an application of concepts in the design of Apple’s Ipod user interface.
TORT LAW: NECESSARY OR EVIL? -- Sasha Volokh
Free-market advocates have a love-hate relationship with the tort system, and for good reason. On the one hand, the tort system seems to respect property rights ("pay for what you damaged") and be a more individualistic and less heavy-handed approach than administrative regulation. On the other hand, especially in recent decades, the tort system has seemed to embody the same arbitrary, anti-market, and regulatory tendencies as the administrative state -- and in some ways, its arbitrariness might even make regulation seem like a lesser evil. This talk will give an overview of the tort system: the differences between tort law on the one hand, and contract law, criminal law, and administrative regulation on the other hand; how tort law has changed in recent decades; where tort law goes right and where it goes wrong; and what sorts of reforms have been proposed. The focus will be more on discussing issues and raising questions than on providing definitive answers.
CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK: PEABODY AND EMERSON AS ROMANTIC HEROES -- Jenn Casey
In 1975, author Elizabeth Peters published the first book in what was to become a very successful series: Crocodile on the Sandbank (warning: if you click this link, Jenn may earn a couple of cents). These light mysteries (perfect books for the beach!) feature protagonists Amelia Peabody and her husband Radcliffe Emerson, Victorian-era Egyptologists who have a passion for life, each other, and (in Peabody's case at least) solving crimes.
This discussion will focus on the many ways the characters Peabody and Emerson (and perhaps others) exhibit Objectivist virtues, using examples primarily from Crocodile on the Sandbank, though other books in the series might be briefly mentioned, too. We'll draw on some of Ayn Rand's thoughts from The Romantic Manifesto to guide the discussion. If you haven't read this book, you'll want to after this workshop! (Be aware that there may be some spoilers in the discussion, but that shouldn't be a detriment to your enjoyment of this wonderful series.)
POLITICS AND CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION -- John Cox
A wide ranging discussion of the political events of the day, broad topics will include: What is the proper role of the judiciary, specifically the Supreme Court, in the government? What type of actions, if any, should be taken in response to the current turmoil in the Middle East (specifically Libya)? What can we do to help to restore government to its proper functions (and what are those functions)? Audience participation is highly encouraged, as this will be a discussion forum for all attendees and not a lecture.
BEGINNER SWING DANCING LESSON -- Dan Edge
This class includes a fifteen to twenty minute introduction to swing dancing, followed by a free dance, all accompanied by super-swingin' classic music. More advanced instruction will be available by request after the intro class. Bring your dancing shoes and be ready to have a blast!
THE SELFISH SALESMAN -- Karl Meisenbach
Presentation of how the Objectivist Virtues of rationality, honesty, integrity, productiveness, independence, pride and justice are an advantage for the Objectivist in the world of business. Anybody dealing with prospects, customers, or vendors would benefit from attending and better understanding the virtues when "selling" for their company. Real world examples presented, and discussion with audience examples, on the advantages and benefits of being a Selfish Salesman.
Required reading - "The Objectivist Ethics" (you can find this essay here)
IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY -- Miranda Barzey
Learn the simple rules of light and composition in photography to improve your photos. The class will feature engaging hands-on activities and visual demonstrations. The focus will be on composition rather than technical aspects of photography. Bringing cameras to class is encouraged, but not required.
POETRY APPRECIATION FOR PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THEY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND OR DIDN'T LIKE POETRY (PART 2) -- Kelly Elmore
This class is designed for people who have learned (often from being taught poetry poorly in high school and college) that they can’t understand and don’t enjoy poetry. Kelly has chosen a second round of poems that she thinks Objectivists, in particular, will enjoy. She will be reading these poems aloud and sharing some additional tips for how to choose poems, how to read them, and how to get more enjoyment out of your reading. People who are already poetry lovers will enjoy this class, as well.
WHAT DOES GALT'S SPEECH TELL US ABOUT HOW TO BE HAPPY? -- John Keel
Ayn Rand wrote, “happiness is a state of consciousness proceeding from the accomplishment of one’s values”. In three pages of Galt’s Speech, Ayn Rand set forth the Objectivist values that happiness depends upon and the seven virtues to be employed to achieve the Objectivist values. My talk will discuss these values and virtues in detail. I will also cover the art of introspection and how to use it to remove unhealthy premises from the sub-conscious and a challenge presented by introspecting. I’ll relate my personal experiences, encountered in my own successful pursuit of happiness, to Objectivist principles. My talk will end with a discussion of the crucial importance the school of art known as romantic realism plays in the achievement of one’s happiness.
