Either-Or: Atlas Shrugged and the Future of Individualism

THEME: "Either-Or: Atlas Shrugged and the Future of Individualism."

 "Either-Or" was Ayn Rand's title for Part 2 of her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged. A special feature of the 2012 Summer Seminar will be an early look at elements of the movie Atlas Shrugged Part 2, which will start filming soon. We expect the filmmakers to attend in force for a celebration of the new movie, Saturday, June 30. Details will be forthcoming.

  These are a few highlights of this year's truly unique program. Click here to view entire program.

• TAS's Ed Hudgins will kick off the seminar by explaining how true Atlas Shrugged has become as a prophecy of today's crises. Today, our society faces a stark choice: Either individualism and freedom will lead to prosperity; Or collectivism and big government will bring us further and further down.
  
  
  
• Television news star John Stossel will host a special Summer Seminar dinner event, Friday, June 29, where leaders in the political fight for freedom will discuss the seminal role Atlas Shrugged has played in inspiring their fight. There are more announcements to come on what we expect to be a news-making panel.
  
   
• Philosophers Stephen Hicks (on "Ethics, Entrepreneurship, and Policy"), David Kelley (on "The Experience of Free Will"), and Fred Seddon (on Plato's Meno).
  
   
• Psychotherapist and author Joel Wade will speak on "Self-Acceptance." Wade is the author of Mastering Happiness. Click here to read Joel's article, "The Social Power of Integrity." 
  
   
• Educator, psychologist, and author Marsha Enright on "The Problem of 'Selfishness'."  Enright is the president of the Reason, Individualism, Freedom Institute, and leads development of the College of the United States and its wholly independent scholarship fund. 
  
   
• Steve Davis, director of advanced projects at SpaceX, the leading providers of private innovation in spaceflight, will speak on "SpaceX and the Future of Private Spaceflight."

• Financier Ziad Abdelnour will speak on "Economic Warfare." He is the president and CEO of Blackhawk Partners, and the author of Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics. Abdelnour is also the founder and president of the United States Committee for a Free Lebanon (USCFL), founder and chairman of the Financial Policy Council, member of the Board of Governors of the Middle East Forum, and former president of the Arab Bankers Association of North America. He is a regular panelist and speaker on private equity and venture capital topics at industry conferences nationwide.
  
   
• The Atlas Society's William R Thomas will speak on career, goodwill, and trust as values in Atlas Shrugged. Thomas is the editor of The Literary Art of Ayn Rand (2005), author of Radical for Capitalism, and is the co-author of the survey The Logical Structure of Objectivism.
  
  
  
• Atlas Society COO Aaron Day will argue that "Atlas Should Shrug Now!" Day, a serial entrepreneur, also sits on the advisory committee for the X-Prize Foundation.
  
  
  
• Alexander R. Cohen, managing editor of The Atlas Society's Business Rights Center, will speak on why insider trading is ethical and should be legal. Click here to read Cohen's article, "The Morality of Insider Trading."
  
  
  
• Sociology professor Anne Wortham will discuss "Sociology in The Fountainhead." Wortham specializes in

  sociological theory, sociology of culture, and race and ethnic relations. "Ayn Rand helped me to understand human liberation in a deeper-than-political sense," Wortham has written. Click here to read her article, "Honoring Ayn Rand: My Freedom March." 

• Donald Luskin, author of I am John Galt: Today's Heroic Innovators Building the World and the Parasites Destroying It. Luskin is the Chief Investment Officer of Trend Macrolytics LLC. He appears regularly regularly on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company" and on Bloomberg TV, CNN and Fox News. Luskin will speak on "I am John Galt: The Dangerous Fight for Freedom Today." 
  
  
  
• Law professor David N. Mayer will speak on "Restoring the Constitutional Presidency." Mayer is the author of The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson and Liberty of Contract: Discovering a Lost Constitutional Right. Click here to read David's article on "Completing the American Revolution."
  
  
  
• Roger Donway, director of the Atlas Society's Business Rights Center will speak on "The Backdated Options Rich-Hunt." Donway will be joined by Greg Reyes, the former Brocade Communications CEO who was convicted of fraud and served prison time. Donway's research has revealed how spurious the charges and conviction were. Reyes will present his personal perspective on his experience. 
  
  
   
  

> VIEW  PROGRAM  (Additions are in process.)
To access on your mobile phone, enter www.either-or.sched.org

> REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER SEMINAR 2012

Hotel Reservations

We have reserved a block of luxurious rooms at the Renaissance at a special rate. You can make your hotel reservations online now. Most Summer Seminar participants should plan to check in June 28 and check out July 2.

Students at the Seminar

The Summer Seminar is a great place for students to learn about Objectivism and the values Ayn Rand promoted. We offer a discounted student registration rate. And students may apply for tuition waivers and room and board scholarships, too. Apply by May 18.

For students and a few others who care to brave discomfort to save money, we have reserved double dorm rooms at Catholic University (not far on the Metro). Students have first dibs on these rooms (we will refund by May 28 any dorm registrations that we cannot honor).

Cancellation and Refunds

If you cancel your Summer Seminar registration ticket before May 29, you will receive a full refund. Between May 29 and June 22, refunds will be pro-rated based on costs we have incured. There will be no refunds after June 22.

Renaissance Hotel reservations are usually refundable up until the check in day (see the details when you register for your room). Catholic University dormitory accommodations are not refundable after May 29.