Why These Speakers at TOS-Con? (Part 1)

TOS-Con’s speakers will help you to think more clearly and live more richly. Here’s why.

TOS-Con is all about practical, life-serving philosophy. So when I invite people to speak at the conference, I select speakers who not only “preach” ideas about good living, but also practice what they preach.

I invite people of action.

For instance, I invited Alex Epstein to speak because he has put his human-flourishing philosophy into practice and has been wildly successful in the process. In addition to writing his bestselling book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, which shows why the production and use of such fuels are good for human life, Alex founded the Center for Industrial Progress, regularly advises businesses in the energy industry, and speaks at industry events. Through his work, he has substantially improved the way that people think about fossil fuels and about those who produce them. Alex also hosts podcasts, including “The Human Flourishing Project,” where he discusses how to gain and apply the knowledge we need in order to thrive.

Alex doesn’t merely talk about philosophy. He walks his talk. And his TOS-Con presentation, “The Human-Flourishing Framework: A Powerful Tool for Clear Thinking,” will help you to sharpen your mind and improve your life.

Likewise, I invited Lisa VanDamme to speak at the conference because she applies her revolutionary philosophy of education, her knowledge of literature, and her understanding of poetry in ways that enrich people’s lives deeply. In addition to creating VanDamme Academy—the only K–8 school explicitly dedicated to teaching in accordance with the hierarchical nature of knowledge—Lisa offers “Read with Me” courses that help adults to enjoy classic literature. When my wife, Sarah, attended one of Lisa’s poetry sessions, the readings were so powerful that they brought Sarah to a torrent of tears—good tears, the kind that flow when you grasp profound beauty. When I mentioned to Lisa that my reaction to her TOS-Con session, “Enrich Your Life with Poetry,” could make Sarah’s reaction look like a drought, Lisa replied, “I look forward to devastating you.”

I’m now in the odd position of looking forward to being devastated.

I invited Isaac Morehouse to speak because he applies his philosophy in ways that help people create careers that make them come alive. Isaac has helped young adults this way for several years through his first startup, Praxis, and he’s just launched a new venture called Crash, which is dedicated to helping anyone who wants to create a fulfilling career. Whether you are just starting to think about a career, decades into one, or anywhere in-between, Isaac’s TOS-Con presentation, “How to Create a Career that Makes You Come Alive,” is for you. It will help you to launch such a career, or transition into one, or enliven the one you have.

Given that you spend the vast majority of your waking hours working, what could be more life-enhancing than doing work you love?

I invited Tim Chermak to speak because, in addition to creating Platform Marketing—a booming company that helps realtors and small businesses dominate their markets and multiply their profits—Tim is an eloquent and outspoken advocate of capitalism. He understands and trumpets the morality of making money and the heroic nature of wealth producers. And he sees enormous value in the largely unsung industry of advertising.

Tim’s TOS-Con talk, “The Morality of More,” will enlighten you about the history and vital nature of advertising—including the myriad ways in which it enables us to be more productive, make more money, and achieve more happiness. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of the life-serving value of advertising, the many ways in which we all benefit from it, and how to advertise your own goods or services more effectively.

All of the speakers at TOS-Con were selected because they are thinkers and doers, intellectuals and producers, idea people who have put their principles into practice and who will help you to think more clearly and live more richly.

I’ll discuss specific virtues of other TOS-Con speakers in Part 2 of this post. In the meantime, be sure to register for the most life-enhancing conference of the year.

I look forward to engaging with you there! —Craig Biddle

About Craig Biddle

Craig is cofounder and editor of The Objective Standard, cofounder and director of education at Objective Standard Institute, and executive director of Prometheus Foundation. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. He is currently working on his fourth book, “Thinking in Principles.”

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