Reflections on Rat Fest ’25
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Science writer John Horgan wrote his own article about his experience at Rat Fest:
My Weekend at “Rat Fest” — John Horgan (The Science Writer)
HOBOKEN, OCTOBER 4, 2025. “It feels a little cult-y.” That’s how I respond when Logan Chipkin asks what I think of “Rat Fest.” Let me back up a bit: Last summer, I get an email from someone named Logan Chipkin, who founded something called the Conjecture Institute . He wants my permission to use
Criticized14*
Dennis HackethalOP·#2044··Criticism
Over three days Rat Festers give more than 30 talks, most just 15 minutes long, on [several topics including] objectivism (Ayn Rand’s schtick)…
My macOS Dictionary app says for schtick: “a gimmick, comic routine, style of performance, etc. associated with a particular person…”
Calling Objectivism, a serious philosophy developed over decades that has influenced millions to live a life guided by reason, a “schtick”, as if Rand had never had any serious intentions with it, is dismissive and insulting.
But if Horgan has any legitimate criticisms of Objectivism, I want to know. (I have some, too!)