Last week in Prague, two phenomenal events demonstrated the synergy OSI is fostering and the value our partner organizations are creating. OSI co-founder Craig Biddle, fellow Thomas Walker-Werth, and I engaged with hundreds of active-minded young people, who had excellent questions and took home more than four hundred booklets on ideas including Ayn Rand’s theory of rights, individualism, heroes of philosophy, and more. The events were:

New Intellectuals Conference (NICON)

Ayn Rand Center Europe hosted this week-long event for their John Galt School alumni and partners. Nearly one hundred students of Objectivism attended. We gave three talks:

• I spoke on “Howard Roark as an Exemplar of Independence in the Social Media Age”
• Thomas spoke on “Promoting Objectivism as a Philosophy for Self-Development”
• Craig spoke on “Objectivism and Independence”

Other speakers included Leopold Ajami (Novel Philosophy Academy), Eszter Nova (Cevro Institute), Matt and Terry Kibbe (Free the People), and Isidora Kolar (Ayn Rand Center Europe). Topics included justice, career development, self-made soul, value hierarchies, and public speaking. OSI also had a table, where we handed out booklets and discussed myriad topics with curious and intelligent young people, including advancing Objectivism in Europe, rights, morality, TOS-Con 2022, and OSI’s courses.

LibertyCon Europe

Students For Liberty hosted this two-day event, which was attended by more than seven hundred people. Liberty lovers from all over Europe and across the world gathered to hear about Bitcoin, Objectivism, the Russo-Ukrainian war, technological innovation, free speech, the role of art in winning freedom, and more. Here, Craig spoke about “Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Freedom and Flourishing.” Once again, we had a table with reading materials and spoke to liberty-minded individuals about Objectivism and OSI’s activities.

It was truly inspiring to engage with so many active-minded young people and hear the other valuable presentations at these events. We appreciate the support of the Prometheus Foundation (a major sponsor of both events) and the other generous donors for making these conferences possible. If you’d like to support OSI’s presence at these events, you can make a tax-deductible donation here. And be sure to follow Objective Standard Institute, Students For Liberty, and Ayn Rand Center Europe if you’re interested in joining us at similar events in the future!