The Atlas Summit, the premiere conference of open Objectivism, is featuring a "Symposium on Success in Business."
Ayn Rand was one of the few moral philosophers in history who regarded business as a noble activity, on a par with all other forms of creative achievement, and she celebrated business achievers as heroes in Atlas Shrugged.
The moral code of her philosophy, Objectivism, provides a strong and motivating foundation for the traits needed for business success: rationality, productiveness, integrity, and independence. At the same time, the skills and methods that successful businesses employ can be adapted to other areas of life. They can give us insights about how to apply the abstract principles to day-to-day life.
The Success in Business Symposium will explore this two-way traffic in a series of three talks and a concluding panel session. The speakers are accomplished entrepreneurs, consultants, and educators; and all of them have a deep grounding in Objectivism.
Join them to depend your own understanding of how to be an entrepreneur in your own life.
Robert L. Bradley, Jr. is the CEO & Founder of the Institute for Energy Research. He is the author of seven books, most recently Edison to Enron: Energy Markets and Political Strategies.
Dr. Patrick Gentempo is the founder and CEO of Action Potential Holdings, Inc. He is often referred to as the “Philosopher-Entrepreneur.” He is a well-known and respected star in the world of health, wellness and business.
Kim Sawyer is a serial entrepreneur who has been a committed Objectivist since age 15, with over 20 years of business experience. Today he coaches key business people and teams to create greater wealth for their organizations and themselves.
Heather Wagenhals is an adjunct professor, distinguished speaker, author/columnist and broadcast professional on brain-based financial literacy, identity theft, and fraud.
Jay Lapeyre (Panel moderator) is chair of The Atlas Society board. His is the CEO of Laitrim, a manufacturing firm in New Orleans and industry leader in its field.
Sessions
Robert Bradley, Success in Business Symposium: Ayn Rand and Best Business Practices
The heroes in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are successful businessmen. All readers of the novels can agree that the heroes behave heroically. But do they behave in ways that characterize successful businessmen?
This lecture will compare the behavior of Rand’s heroes with the insights of four authors in the classical-liberal tradition whose works identify key aspects of free-market business success: Samuel Smiles, Joseph Schumpeter, Ronald Coase, and Friedrich Hayek. Along the way, it will demonstrate that the classical liberal capitalist Charles Koch has adopted and updated all of these insights. It will then argue that Rand thoroughly understood the insights of two of these authors but slighted the insights of two others. And it will suggest that her moral and aesthetic philosophy may have been responsible for her oversights.
Patrick Gentempo, Success in Business Symposium: Unleashing the Power of Philosophy in Business
The most important word in the world, is probably the most misunderstood word in the world. What's the word? Philosophy. What comes to mind when you hear the word "philosophy"? Old guys in robes walking around in ancient Greece? Academics having abstract conversations that have no practical entrepreneurial use?
In "Unleashing the Power of Philosophy in Business," serial entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Gentempo will make a passionate argument about the VERY practical use of philosophy in business and life.
In this very unique presentation, Dr. Gentempo will share:
Whether you are a business owner, C-level executive, or an employee, understanding the practical use of philosophy in business can truly change your life. Don't miss it!
Kim Sawyer, Success in Business Symposium: Wealth is More Than Money
Life, Liberty and the Creation of Wealth: Aren't these what a going human concern in the Business of Life requires?
Life and liberty? Sure. But what about Wealth? What is it, really? Is wealth money? Is it Stocks or Bonds? Think again!
What is success in life, really? Your title? Your bank account? Your portfolio? Your toys? Think again!
Every moment of your life is an investment decision. Come and explore the idea of building success in every area of your life using the same principles and techniques we use for building financial success
Success in Business Symposium: Panel Session and Summit Closing
The experts from our symposium on business success meet in a panel discussion to discuss the key philosophical principles that underlie success in business. Has Robert Bradley identified the key principles? Has Patrick Gentempo or Kim Sawyer done so? Heather Wagenhals adds her insights and Jay Lapeyre leads the discussion.
The Success in Business symposium can only be found at the 2016 Atlas Summit, July 11-13, at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Register now.
David Kelley es el fundador de The Atlas Society. Filósofo profesional, profesor y autor de best-sellers, ha sido uno de los principales defensores del Objetivismo durante más de 25 años.
David Kelley fundou a The Atlas Society (TAS) em 1990 e atuou como diretor executivo até 2016. Além disso, como Diretor Intelectual, ele era responsável por supervisionar o conteúdo produzido pela organização: artigos, vídeos, palestras em conferências, etc. Aposentado do TAS em 2018, ele permanece ativo nos projetos do TAS e continua atuando no Conselho de Curadores.
Kelley é filósofa, professora e escritora profissional. Depois de obter um Ph.D. em filosofia pela Universidade de Princeton em 1975, ele ingressou no departamento de filosofia do Vassar College, onde ministrou uma grande variedade de cursos em todos os níveis. Ele também ensinou filosofia na Universidade Brandeis e lecionou com frequência em outros campi.
Os escritos filosóficos de Kelley incluem trabalhos originais em ética, epistemologia e política, muitos deles desenvolvendo ideias objetivistas em novas profundidades e novas direções. Ele é o autor de A evidência dos sentidos, um tratado de epistemologia; Verdade e tolerância no objetivismo, sobre questões do movimento objetivista; Individualismo inabalável: a base egoísta da benevolência; e A arte do raciocínio, um livro didático amplamente usado para lógica introdutória, agora em sua 5ª edição.
Kelley lecionou e publicou sobre uma ampla variedade de tópicos políticos e culturais. Seus artigos sobre questões sociais e políticas públicas foram publicados em Harpers, The Sciences, Reason, Harvard Business Review, The Freeman, On Principle, e em outros lugares. Durante a década de 1980, ele escreveu frequentemente para Revista Financeira e Empresarial Barrons sobre questões como igualitarismo, imigração, leis de salário mínimo e Previdência Social.
Seu livro Vida própria: direitos individuais e o estado de bem-estar é uma crítica das premissas morais do estado de bem-estar social e da defesa de alternativas privadas que preservem a autonomia, responsabilidade e dignidade individuais. Sua aparição no especial “Greed”, da ABC/TV, de John Stossel, em 1998, provocou um debate nacional sobre a ética do capitalismo.
Especialista reconhecido internacionalmente em Objetivismo, ele deu muitas palestras sobre Ayn Rand, suas ideias e seus trabalhos. Ele foi consultor da adaptação cinematográfica de Atlas Shrugged, e editor de Atlas Shrugged: o romance, os filmes, a filosofia.
”Conceitos e naturezas: um comentário sobre A virada realista (de Douglas B. Rasmussen e Douglas J. Den Uyl),” Reason Papers 42, no. 1, (verão de 2021); Esta resenha de um livro recente inclui um mergulho profundo na ontologia e epistemologia dos conceitos.
Os fundamentos do conhecimento. Seis palestras sobre a epistemologia objetivista.
”A primazia da existência” e”A Epistemologia da Percepção”, The Jefferson School, San Diego, julho de 1985
”Universais e indução”, duas palestras nas conferências do GKRH, Dallas e Ann Arbor, março de 1989
”Ceticismo”, Universidade de York, Toronto, 1987
”A natureza do livre arbítrio”, duas palestras no Instituto de Portland, outubro de 1986
”O Partido da Modernidade”, Relatório de política da Cato, maio/junho de 2003; e Navegador, novembro de 2003; Um artigo amplamente citado sobre as divisões culturais entre as visões pré-moderna, moderna (iluminista) e pós-moderna.
“Eu não preciso“(Diário do IOS, volume 6, número 1, abril de 1996) e”Eu posso e eu vou” (O novo individualista, Outono/Inverno 2011); Artigos complementares sobre como tornar real o controle que temos sobre nossas vidas como indivíduos.