Ayn Rand Institute

06/24/2026

Just ahead of our annual Objectivist Summer Conference, we're excited to share highlights from this year's European Student Conference, which we hosted in Porto. Read them here: https://hubs.la/Q04mx-2C0
📷: Nick Brundle Photography / Moment / via Getty Images

Learn how we inspired thoughtful students to explore Objectivism and consider an intellectual career

06/24/2026

The Atlas Prize challenges exceptional young minds to engage deeply with the ideas of Atlas Shrugged and demonstrate the power of their reasoning before a global audience for the chance to win up to $100,000. Get the details at https://hubs.la/Q04mqjyX0.

06/23/2026

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 Steven Pinker about such topics as the Enlightenment and human progress, Objectivism, freedom of speech, and the battle for Western civilization.

This session will only be available to OCON attendees; the recording will not be publicly released.

Reserve your seat today » https://hubs.la/Q04mf7hx0

06/22/2026

Dr. Gena Gorlin’s forthcoming book, The Builder’s Mindset, elaborates the “method of using his consciousness” that Ayn Rand says is distinctive of “the Producer.” Dr. Gorlin’s talk at OCON 2026 will preview 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.

Register today » https://hubs.la/Q04m5Yz50

06/21/2026

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 Ayn Rand’s philosophy. In this talk at OCON 2026, Greg Salmieri will elucidate 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.

Register today » https://hubs.la/Q04m4BPG0

06/20/2026

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.

In this two-part lecture at OCON 2026, Dr. Tara Smith will survey contemporary culture to showcase the disturbing indicators of our cognitive erosion. Then, she will expose the damage that this inflicts, focusing on the impact in three areas: curiosity, personal relationships, and the individual’s relationship to his own values.

Register today » https://hubs.la/Q04m3yJf0

06/19/2026

Once known as a deadly “necropolis,” New Orleans faced yearly yellow-fever death tolls approaching ten percent. In this talk at OCON 2026, Dr. Amesh Adalja will trace 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 such feats as the Panama Canal possible. Dr. Adalja’s talk will also explore yellow fever’s unexpected influence on the abolitionist movement—revealing a profound story of human productivity and progress.

Register today » https://hubs.la/Q04l-_230

06/18/2026

From Sanders to the Trump White House: The Crusade to Control AI

In this episode of The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast, Robertas Bakula and Mike Mazza discuss two major developments in the AI industry: Bernie Sanders’ proposal for an AI wealth fund and the White House’s order to block access to Anthropic’s newest models.

06/18/2026

Contrary to Donald Trump’s critics calling to “depoliticize” antitrust enforcement, arbitrary antitrust laws have never been objectively enforced. Read Robertas Bakula's analysis: https://hubs.la/Q04lVV9L0
📷: Cemile Bingol / DigitalVision Vectors / via Getty Images

06/18/2026

Who changes the world? Is it innovators, the producers of wealth, and giants of industry? And what does that have to do with you and your happiness? In this presentation, Tal Tsfany will review the forces that shape the world at large and our own individual lives.

Register today » https://hubs.la/Q04lPMhq0