Sharpen your mind.
Fuel your soul.
Excel in life.
Fight for liberty.
Freedom and flourishing are not givens. They are consequences of certain ideas that were developed
over
thousands of years and are still being refined today.
TOS-Con is for people who want to
understand and act on these ideas, to thrive in their ventures and relationships, and to support
liberty on solid ground. If these are your goals, this conference is for you.
Join us July 29—August 1 for an intense, challenging, and life-changing examination of the principles and
practices on
which freedom and flourishing depend.
In the meantime, check out the soul-fueling presentations from last year to get a taste of what's in store!
Active-Mind Scholarships for Students & Young Adults
Students and young adults aged 18 to 29 are eligible to apply for an Active-Mind Scholarship (worth $1,075) to attend TOS-Con 2020: Philosophy for Freedom and Flourishing. Scholarships include:
- Travel expenses (up to $600)
- Hotel accommodations (4 nights)
- Admission to the opening and closing banquets & dance
You pay only the conference registration fee, which is $90 for students and $190 for young adults (29 or under).
Applying for an Active-Mind Scholarship is quick and easy:
Simply answer these two questions—either in writing or in a short video:
- Why do you want to attend TOS-Con 2020?
- Which presentations are you most excited to attend, and why?
Written submissions should be no longer than 500 words total. Video submissions should be no longer than three minutes in length. The deadline to apply is June 10, 2020.
Email your submission to [email protected] with the subject line "Active-Mind Scholarship."
Pricing
* Student, Young Adult, and Adult registration include access to all lectures, workshops, and performances. (Children younger than 13 attend free with a parent.) Tickets to the opening and closing banquets are offered separately.
** Atlas registration includes access to all lectures, workshops, and performances—as well as the opening and closing banquets. Atlases are also invited to a special luncheon with Craig Biddle and other TOS-Con speakers on Saturday, August 1 to discuss ideas for advancing rational philosophy in the culture. If you are unable to attend the conference, you can register as a non-attending Atlas. To select this option, proceed through registration as an Atlas and enter the code JohnGalt in the “Non-Attending Atlas” field. The code will reduce the price from $2,900 to $2,330 and register you as a non-attending Atlas. (Please note: All Atlases, attending and non-attending, will be listed and thanked on TOS-Con’s website unless anonymity is requested.)
Program: Main Stage Talks
Do Process: A Strategy for Thriving
Craig Biddle
When considering principles and practices for thriving, do you find the countless alternatives overwhelming, even confusing? If so, you’re not alone.
Advice regarding success abounds. And much of it seems contradictory:
- Focus on goals
- Forget goals—focus on systems
- Become a specialist
- Become a generalist
- Always say “yes” to opportunities for growth, and many doors will open
- Say “no” to practically everything—say “yes” only to relatively few opportunities
- Choose your future, design your life
- Renounce the illusion of free will—only then can you find your bliss
And so on.
How to thrive is not obvious. And few people truly do thrive in the full sense of the term. This is because few have a reality-based, non-contradictory system for assessing, integrating, and applying ideas toward that end.
Do Process is such a system. Based on Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, and incorporating powerful ideas from various personal-development thinkers, Do Process will help you declutter your mind, focus your efforts, build good habits, and transform your life.
Edmond Rostand: Soul of a Romantic, Smuggler of the Ideal
Lisa VanDamme
Edmond Rostand is best known for Cyrano de Bergerac, his immortal play about the swashbuckling romantic with an extreme devotion to principle and an exaggerated nose. Rostand had grand ambitions for this masterwork. He hoped that with its heroic spirit and lyrical French verse, it would reintroduce beauty and idealism to the French stage, and more broadly, to French culture—and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
In this talk, Lisa VanDamme will describe how this play inspired her to take a journey that included the discovery of lesser-known and equally beautiful plays and poems, a pilgrimage to Rostand’s exquisite home in the Basque country of France, and a renewed commitment to carrying Rostand’s torch of idealism forward and into our world today.
Ins and Outs of Start-Ups
Isaac Morehouse
One of the most powerful ways to manifest your beliefs in the world is by starting a company. But it’s no easy task. The major hurdles aren’t lack of money or ideas, but doubts and fears.
Isaac Morehouse has done it a few times and has the scars to prove it. He’ll share an inside look into what it takes to go from idea to reality and growth, who should and shouldn’t try a startup, the best first steps, and pitfalls to avoid. Whether you’re interested in launching a startup, already are involved in one, or might be interested in investing in one, this will be a fascinating peek into the reality behind the hype and the great potential and challenges in this sphere of life.
Heroes of Philosophy
Andrew Bernstein
Thinkers such as Thales, Socrates, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and Ayn Rand advanced our knowledge of fundamental issues. For example, Thales reasoned that the teeming diversity of nature could be explained by a small number of principles. Socrates recognized the importance of rigorously defining key moral concepts. Aristotle invented the sciences of logic and biology. Thomas Aquinas re-introduced Aristotle’s rational philosophy in a medieval culture dominated by religion. John Locke emphasized that all knowledge originates in observation and taught that individuals have an unalienable right to their own lives and property. Ayn Rand created a complete philosophic system glorifying man’s mind and validating the objectivity of knowledge.
These great thinkers are towering heroes of philosophy. But what is a hero? What’s the value of understanding the characteristics of a hero? And how can we emulate heroes? In this talk, Andrew Bernstein will address such questions.
A Brush with John Singer Sargent
Timothy Sandefur
At the dawn of the 20th century, John Singer Sargent was among the world’s most admired painters. The most sought-after portraitist in Europe and America, he painted such renowned figures as Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry James and set a new standard for elegance.
Yet he was also a cutting-edge innovator whose painting Madame X sparked a national scandal when it was displayed in Paris. Within a few years of his death, however, leading intellectuals had come to view Sargent as a contemptible relic of an unsophisticated age.
In this presentation, Timothy Sandefur will take a new look at Sargent’s art and discuss why Sargent came to be despised for his virtues—and why his art is experiencing a long-overdue revival today.
History: Who Needs It
Jon Hersey
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” wrote the philosopher George Santayana. Today, though, history—the story of the past—is widely regarded as a means of inducing sleep. Among those few who enjoy history, many regard it as a mere pastime with little or no power to impact their lives.
That’s unfortunate because, with the proper approach, history can be a fountain of spiritual fuel, a guide for achieving the good life, and a means to continue the upward trajectory of mankind.
History is the laboratory of humanity, and in this talk, Jon Hersey will discuss how to use it to promote personal flourishing and defend political freedom.
Music and Life
David Crawford
Like romantic love, music is something many people value, yet fail to pursue in a thoughtful, intentional way. In this talk, David Crawford will home in on how music affects our souls and how we can approach it in ways that add greater meaning and joy to our lives.
When you better understand how music affects your soul, and thus your life, you can make better decisions about how to invest your time and energy in music and the musical arts. You can explore music more effectively, listen more actively, notice more aspects, and gain more each time you listen. You can engage more knowledgeably, and thus more enjoyably, in playing an instrument, singing, or dancing—whether as a newbie or a seasoned artist.
Come expand your understanding of the nature and role of music in life. You’ll enjoy richer emotions, stronger memories, and closer connections with people you love.
Designing Your Life around a Central Purpose
Rajshree Agarwal
A healthy, successful life, like a healthy, successful business, requires a central purpose—a central aim that animates and motivates you, a productive purpose that pays the bills and helps you to profit and thrive.
In this session, Rajshree Agarwal will present an approach to your work-life called My Enterprise (ME) Inc. Using methods and tools of successful business leaders, ME Inc. positions you as the CEO of your life, helps you discover or further develop your “why”—or the central purpose in life—and helps you leverage your core skills and capabilities, the “how.”
Come and learn or deepen your understanding of the importance of a central purpose and how to leverage it to enhance your life. You’ll expand your knowledge of how to pursue such a purpose creatively by marshaling your assets and developing win-win relationships.
The Role of Science in the Industrial Revolution
Jason Crawford
Did deep ideas in science and philosophy create the modern world, or were they merely incidental? Nassim Taleb argues that the Industrial Revolution was created by tinkerers, not scientists; and famously it has been said that “thermodynamics owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to thermodynamics.”
What was the true role of science—and by implication, of the mind—in the birth of the industrial age?
In this talk, Jason Crawford will explore the links between science and invention through historical examples, from the steam engine to the conquest of infectious diseases, showing the influence of the Scientific Revolution in creating our modern standard of living. His discussion will bolster your understanding of the roles of science and industry in human flourishing.
America’s Revolutionary Ideas: Their History and Future
C. Bradley Thompson and Timothy Sandefur
In his new book America’s Revolutionary Mind, C. Bradley Thompson examines the philosophical essentials of the American Revolution—looking at the founding of the nation not in terms of historical incidents but as the culmination of a series of insights about the nature of mankind and of the proper role of government.
This “new moral history” opens the door for a better grasp of the nation’s constitutional system—and a better refutation of those who argue that America was founded on the basis of slavery and inequality.
In this session, Thompson sits down with Timothy Sandefur, author of The Conscience of the Constitution, for a conversation about America’s fundamental principles and how they may—or may not—impact the future.
Secular Spirituality: The Nature and Nurture of Your Mind and Soul
Craig Biddle
We are beings of body and mind, matter and spirit. To live a fully integrated, wonderful life, we must attend to our physical and psychological needs. But whereas information regarding the care of our bodies abounds, information about how to care for our minds and souls is harder to come by—and often harmfully wrong.
Religion, for instance, calls for faith in a higher power and for letting that higher power somehow guide us in life. But faith is not a means of knowledge, and there’s no evidence for such a higher power. Secular philosophies often are equally problematic—rejecting key features on which spirituality depends, such as consciousness, free will, or the self.
In this presentation, Craig Biddle will survey traditional views of spirituality, highlight ways in which they are problematic or detrimental, and offer a secular approach to this crucial aspect of human flourishing.
Come gain a deeper understanding of the nature of your mind and soul, how to care for them, and how to live a spiritually rich and meaningful life.
The Romantics, a play by Edmond Rostand
Directed by Lisa VanDamme
When Edmond Rostand’s The Romantics begins, it has all the markings of a dramatic cliché: two young lovers—children of feuding fathers—whispering their forbidden love across a wall. But by scene two, Rostand has turned this trite scenario on its head, as he does again and again in this romping romantic comedy. Beneath the delightful twists of plot and the lighthearted humor is a very serious question: What does it mean to be a romantic?
Program: Breakout Sessions
Beginner Lindy Hop Workshop
David Crawford
Lindy hop is one of the most popular social dances in the world today. It’s also one of the most energetic, athletic, and unabashedly joyful dances ever devised.
In this workshop, David Crawford will teach the basics of Lindy hop for absolute beginners. You don’t need to know anything about dancing, and you don’t need to bring a partner. Just bring your feet—even if you have two lefties—and your willingness to try something new.
David will have you dancing in no time. As he puts it, “I’ll take you from no dance experience to being able to dance to a three-minute song while smiling at your partner the whole time.” Then you’ll be all set to Lindy hop the night away at the TOS-Con dance on Saturday.
The Tortoise and the Hare: The Case for Slowing Down Your Exercise
Chad Morris
Exercise should enhance your life. This session will explore the case for one seemingly small adjustment to your workouts that can yield loads of benefits: slowing down your movements during weight training. This is especially relevant for maximizing your long-range benefits, whether you are currently in your twenties or your eighties.
In what situations can slowing down benefit you? What trade-offs are involved? What difficulties might you encounter when you try to slow down? What are the solutions to these difficulties?
Drawing on more than twenty years of one-on-one work with clients, Morris will discuss proven principles and techniques for getting more benefit from exercise along with common pitfalls to avoid. You’ll leave with valuable knowledge and new exercise techniques that can begin benefitting you immediately—whether you are young or old, male or female, experienced in fitness training or completely new to the gym.
Freelancing Your Way to Felicity and Financial Freedom
Tim White
The ideal job is one that you love doing, that challenges you to advance your skills, and that adds real value to the world. Finding such a job can be enormously difficult, especially in today’s market, where seemingly 99 percent of résumés and applications disappear into digital black holes and are never seen by human eyes. Fortunately, finding a great job isn't your only option—you can create one for yourself.
In this workshop, White will discuss the pros and cons of freelancing, how to determine whether it’s for you, and actionable strategies for carving out your own career, on your own terms.
Realizing Romanticism
Jon Wos
Optimism is fuel for the soul. It can even be medicine for the soul. And one of the best ways to achieve and maintain it is by consuming or creating romantic art. Few know this as well as artist Jon Wos.
Born with a genetic bone disorder known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Wos began drawing and painting as a child, and his art often reflected the futility he felt due to his condition. In time, though, he discovered Objectivism—along with romantic art—and he soon realized their power to transform his life.
In this session, Wos will share his story, show his artwork, and discuss the philosophic and aesthetic principles that helped him carve a successful career and fulfilling life from an inauspicious start.
More sessions will be added soon. The program is subject to change.
Reception, Banquets, and Dance
Opening Reception & Banquet (evening of 7/29)
The opening reception and banquet will be a blast. Meet other attendees, catch up with friends, and enjoy the first evening of the most life-enhancing conference of the year.
Closing Banquet & Dance (evening of 8/1)
Celebrate new friendships, brainstorm new ventures, have fun on the dance floor, and enjoy the final hours of TOS-Con with fellow lovers of life and liberty.
Speakers & Performers
Rajshree Agarwal
Rajshree Agarwal is the Rudolph Lamone Professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the University of Maryland and the Director of the Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets. Professor Agarwal conducts research on the evolution of industries, firms and individual careers, as fostered by the twin engines of innovation and enterprise.
Andrew Bernstein
Andrew Bernstein holds a PhD in philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York and taught philosophy for many years at SUNY Purchase. He is the author of (most recently) Capitalism Unbound: The Incontestable Moral Case for Individual Rights (2010) and Capitalist Solutions (2011). His book in progress is “Heroes and Hero Worship.”
Craig Biddle
Craig Biddle is editor-in-chief of The Objective Standard and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. His books include Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Forbidden Fruit for Teens: Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. His book in progress is “Thinking in Principles.”
David Crawford
David Crawford works in the tech industry in San Francisco, and fuels his career with a passion for music. He has been swing dancing for eighteen years, singing for twenty, and playing jazz trumpet for twenty one.
Jason Crawford
Jason is the author of The Roots of Progress, where he writes about the history of technology and industry. Previously, he worked for eighteen years in the tech industry, including as co-founder and CEO of the startup Fieldbook and as a software engineering manager at Amazon, Flexport, and Groupon.
Jon Hersey
Jon Hersey is associate editor of The Objective Standard. His work focuses on intellectual history, specifically, the ideas on which freedom and flourishing depend. He’s published in-depth articles on John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Stark, William Wilberforce, Rosa Parks, and more.
Isaac Morehouse
Isaac Morehouse is the CEO of Crash, the career launch platform, and the founder of Praxis, a startup apprenticeship program. He’s the author of several books, including 11 Lessons from Bootstrapping a Non-Tech Startup and Forward Tilt: An Almanac for Personal Growth. He also hosts (or co-hosts) several podcasts, including Career Crashers, Office Hours, and Forward Tilt. Isaac is dedicated to the relentless pursuit of freedom, and is always experimenting with self-directed living and learning.
Chad Morris
Chad is the founder of Myogenics Fitness and an expert in maximizing workout quality and efficiency. He’s worked with Mike Mentzer and Dr. Doug McGuff (“Body By Science”). He’s delivered fitness presentations to top corporations and has privately consulted with many executives and celebrities.
Timothy Sandefur
Timothy Sandefur holds the Duncan Chair in Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute, and is the author of several books including The Right to Earn a Living: Economic Freedom and the Law (2010), The Conscience of The Constitution (2014), The Permission Society (2016), and Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man (2018). He is the author of The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski: The Life and Ideas of a Popular Science Icon.
C. Bradley Thompson
C. Bradley Thompson is the BB&T Research Professor in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University and the Executive Director of the Clemson Institute for the Study Capitalism. He received his Ph.D. at Brown University, and he has also been a visiting scholar at Princeton and Harvard universities and at the University of London.
Lisa VanDamme
Lisa VanDamme is the founder of VanDamme Academy, a private K–8 school where she teaches literature to junior high students. After decades inspiring children with a love of reading, she recently embarked on a project to do the same for adults, creating a book club app called “Read With Me” that is dedicated to helping readers connect emotionally with the classics.
Tim White
Tim is the assistant editor of The Objective Standard, as well as a freelance writer, editor, and English tutor. He launched his freelance career in 2008 and started two succesful small businesses in 2012 and 2015. His in-progress books are “The Beggar's Key” (a novel) and “Personal Finance Made Simple: Everything Your Teachers Failed to Teach You.”
Jon Wos
Jon Wos is an artist who works primarily with oil paint and stained glass. He began drawing and painting in childhood, and despite being born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a congenital condition causing weak bones, he pursued his passion and has created a rewarding career and a fulfilling life.
More Coming Soon!
More speakers will be added soon.
Speakers and performers are subject to change.
Schedule
2:00–6:00 PM
6:30–9:00 PM
9:00–9:15 AM
9:15–10:15 AM
10:15–10:30 AM
10:30–11:30 AM
11:30–1:15 PM
1:15–2:15 PM
2:15-2:30 PM
2:30–3:30 PM
3:30–4:00 PM
4:00–5:00 PM
5:00–7:30 PM
7:30–9:00 PM
9:00–9:15 AM
9:15–10:15 AM
10:15–10:30 AM
10:30–11:30 AM
11:30–1:15 PM
1:15–2:15 PM
2:15-2:30 PM
2:30–3:30 PM
3:30–4:00 PM
4:00–5:00 PM
5:00–7:30 PM
7:30–9:00 PM
9:00–9:15 AM
9:15–10:15 AM
10:15–10:30 AM
10:30–11:30 AM
11:30–1:15 PM
1:15–2:15 PM
2:15-2:30 PM
2:30–3:30 PM
3:30–4:00 PM
4:00–5:00 PM
5:00–6:30 PM
6:30–10:00 PM
Hotel & Area
TOS-Con 2020 will be held at the Boston Marriott in Newton, Massachusetts, where TOS-Con’s group rates on guest rooms start at $149 per night. The supply is limited, so please book your room soon using this special TOS-Con page or by calling 617-969-1000. Please let us know if you have any trouble—we’re here to help!
If you’d like to find a roommate, please post a note on TOS-Con 2020’s Facebook page, which is a great place to meet other attendees and make plans in general.
Frequently Asked Questions
TOS-Con is for anyone who wants to live free and flourish. The theme of the conference—the thread connecting all of the lectures—is that freedom and flourishing are consequences of certain ideas that were developed over thousands of years and are still being refined today. The conference will help you to better understand and act on these ideas, to thrive in your ventures and relationships, and to support liberty on solid ground. If those are your goals, this conference is for you.
A great way to meet other attendees is to join TOS-Con 2020 on Facebook. Simply click “Join,” say hi, and enjoy a warm welcome. You can meet other attendees, find roommates, ask questions, post suggestions, and discover fun things to do in the Boston area.
The conference will be held at the Boston Marriott Newton, where TOS-Con’s group rates on guest rooms start at $149 per night. We recommend staying at the Marriott, as that’s where all the action will be. The number of discounted rooms is limited, so book your room early. TOS-Con’s discounted rates apply for three days before and after the conference as well (based on availability), so if you’d like to arrive early or stay in the area for a few additional days, you can do so on the cheap.
Absolutely! Attendees are welcome to share rooms and split costs. If you’d like to find a roommate, we recommend posting a note on TOS-Con 2020’s Facebook page, where others will be looking for roomates as well.
The hotel is approximately 15 miles from Boston Logan International Airport. Shuttles are available from the airport to the hotel, and both Uber and Lyft provide transportation as well. If you’d like to share a ride with other conference attendees, post a note on TOS-Con 2020’s Facebook page, where others will be looking for shared rides, too. The hotel’s address is 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton Massachusetts, 02466.
Information about parking options at and near the hotel will be posted soon.
Dress comfortably! We recommend casual attire for the opening banquet and daily lectures, and cocktail attire for the closing banquet and dance.
Tickets for the opening and closing banquets (Wednesday and Saturday nights) can be purchased through TOS-Con’s registration page. There is a bar, a restaurant, and a Starbucks in the hotel, as well as several great places to eat within walking distance.
Internet access for conference attendees is free throughout the hotel.
Information about livestreams will be posted at a later date.
Lectures at TOS-Con will be professionally recorded and made available at a later date. No other audio or video recording of the lectures or performances is permitted. You are welcome to take photographs, but please refrain from using a flash during lectures and performances.
Registration will remain open until the conference sells out. We encourage you to register and book your hotel room early, as space is limited.
If for any reason TOS-Con 2020 is canceled—or if for any reason you personally are unable to attend—TOS-Con will refund your registration fees, including banquet tickets, in full through July 29, the day the conference begins.
In the event that the conference is cancelled, refunds will be issued automatically. In the event that you personally cannot attend, you need only email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Cancel TOS-Con Registration,” and we will refund your registration fees in full. It’s that simple.
By registering, you agree to TOS-Con’s Terms and Conditions. TOS-Con reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.