I’m currently on a speaking tour in Europe, with my wife, Sarah, and our good friend and director of operations at Prometheus Foundation, Annie Vinther Sanz. We’re engaging with some of the brightest young minds I’ve ever encountered.
Our first stop was the New Intellectuals Conference (NICON) in Prague, Czech Republic. This was hosted by Isidora Kolar and her remarkable team at Ayn Rand Center Europe (ARCE), including Angelina Radović, Katarina Vasiljević, Đorđe Mančev, Danijela Mitrović, Mina Paunović, and Marija Živković!
There were about 120 invitation-only attendees who were selected based on their graduation from John Galt Schools and an essay on some aspect of Objectivism. The students were super bright and an absolute joy to engage with. There were too many to name, but suffice it to say that I now have ~120 new friends and potential colleagues, all of whom I think will do wonderful things in the years to come.
NICON speakers included Angel Walker-Werth, Thomas Walker-Werth, Isidora, Leopold Ajami, Eszter Nova, Martin Hooss, Đorđe, Matt Kibbe, Terry Kibbe, a panel of graduates from European Students For Liberty, a panel from the Atlas Network, and me.
Our next stop was Students For Liberty’s annual LibertyCon Europe, also in Prague. Wolf von Laer, his wonderful wife, Sophie, and their amazing team put on a fabulous event with more than 700 attendees from all over the world. Speakers included Wolf, Eszter, Matt and Terry, Stephan Livera, and me.
Next we headed to Budapest, Hungary, where I did a Free Market Road Show (FMRS) panel with Dan Mitchell, Alberto Mingardi, and John Fund. The topic was monetary policy, inflation, and spending; my contribution was to identify the underlying moral premises that cause governments and politicians, with support from their constituents, to constantly increase spending (i.e., altruism and collectivism)—and the moral premises we must understand and embrace if we want to solve this problem (egoism and individualism).
Then we flew to Zürich, Switzerland, where I spoke again at the FRMS, this time on “The Moral and Philosophic Foundations of Liberty.” Next we left for Warsaw, Poland, where I spoke on “The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It”; this event was held at the Freedom Lounge, which is in the center of what used to be communist headquarters in Warsaw. The Lounge had a copy of Atlas Shrugged displayed prominently among the liquor bottles behind the bar. It also had various drinks named after characters from Rand’s novels and free market ideals (e.g., “Gin Galt” and “Adios Socialist”).
Tonight, we head to Tbilisi, Georgia, where we’ll engage with several Objectivists including Dato Rogava and Irakli Iagorashvili, and where I’ll speak at Free University on “Ayn Rand’s Theory of Rights.”
Then we head to Tirana, Albania, where I’ll do another FRMS event (this one hosted by John Galt School alumnus, Bjorna Hoxhallari)—then Podgorica, Montenegro, where, I’ll speak on “Ayn Rand’s Morality for Loving Life and Supporting Liberty” (event hosted by JGS alumnus Violeta Zudic)—then Milan, Italy, where we’ll meet with Professor Alberto Mingardi (head of Bruno Leoni Institute), Professor Marco Bassani, and one of their top students, Lisa Kinspergher, whom I met at NICON; and we’ll attend a public screening of “We the Living.” Then we head to Ljubljana, Slovenia, for another FMRS event, and then to Zagreb, Croatia, for yet another.
Next, Sarah and I will take a much needed vacation on the Croatian island of Hvar, where we’ll celebrate our 20th anniversary—Woohoo! (a year late due to statist lockdowns).
After that we fly to London, where I’ll speak at the Adam Smith Institute on “Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Freedom and Flourishing.”
A huge thank-you to Annie for arranging this tour, making and fostering crucial connections with active-minded individuals and organizations all over Europe, handling the logistics, (keeping me out of traffic), and working to advance Objectivism across the globe. Annie, you rock!
I’ll write up a full report about the tour upon its conclusion. For now, suffice it to say that we are having a soul-fueling blast in Europe, and my optimism about the future grows with each passing day.
Toward the end of May, Sarah and I will head back to the States, where we’ll make final preparations for our largest TOS-Con to date, in Denver, CO. We’re expecting more than 500 attendees for a massive integration of Objectivism and other rational ideas on how to live beautifully and advance liberty. I hope to see you there!
