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Unofficial Index to Dr. Peikoff's Podcasts

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Episode 080 - September 20, 2009



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00:44: What is the Objectivist view of government forcing drug companies to post labels on medication?

03:16: Is it possible for a socialist to have read every word that Ayn Rand wrote?

06:48: Is it proper for a child to accept a home from his father if the father can‚'t afford it?

08:28: Suppose that one Siamese twin commits a felony, and the other twin is absolutely innocent. How should the court rule?

10:46: A discussion on a quote from George Bush‚'s administration about the auto industry. Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 081 - September 28, 2009



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00:44: If a doctor suggested to a patient that she should commit suicide, should the doctor be prosecuted for a crime?

04:55: Is it acceptable for a released felon to profit from writing about his crimes?

06:55: How much should I attribute peoples‚' bad state to a lack of knowledge, and how much should I assign moral guilt to them?

10:09: What is your opinion of the publishing companies who continue to publish and reprint the writings of Immanuel Kant?

11:20: What is the best lecture or recording ever given by Ayn Rand? And by you?

13:27: [Did Ayn Rand ever get nervous before a public appearance or speech?] Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 082 - October 04, 2009



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00:44: What is the Objectivist response, if any, to "bless you" after someone sneezes?

03:11: What is your view, Dr. Peikoff, on introversion and extroversion?

04:53: What is the moral status of an individual business owner, a woman, who seeks a legal minority status for being female?

07:03: If Objectivism holds that the federal government should take no position for or against any ideological movement, then how did Ayn Rand justify her support of McCarthy and his clear violation of this distinction?

08:57: Does a person have free will in regard to his or her sexual identity?

12:38: Is it morally acceptable for an elderly person denied medical treatment through Obama‚'s plan to kill the government health panel members so he can become a criminal with a legal right to medical care?

13:44: Which laws concerning stock trade are moral?

14:46: What should the government be allowed to do in the event of an epidemic? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 083 - October 12, 2009



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00:44: What is your view of police arresting teenagers under 18 who are texting naked pictures of themselves to each other?

02:26: How does Objectivism account for the first conscious and living organism?

03:38: If man could determine the exact combination and condition where elements or atoms formed and produced the first conscious organism, is it possible then for man to create consciousness in a controlled setting?

05:28: An acknowledgment to listeners who sent in suggestions as to how to minimize animal cruelty.

06:00: Is it rationalism to conclude, simply based on the metaphysics of free will, that predicting human behavior is impossible?

07:38: Does "existence exists" mean that the material world is and has always existed?

08:52: Ayn Rand says that pragmatists are short-ranged, seek power without purpose, and have no desire to change the whole country. If so, how can you account for Obama?

10:00: I disagree with Ayn Rand on architecture as an art form and on the nature of femininity and masculinity, but I accept objective reality, reason, self-interest, and capitalism. Am I still an Objectivist?

14:10: How can you be happy if you realize you are of average intelligence and are surrounded by others more intelligent? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 084 - October 19, 2009



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00:44: Is it ever moral for an artist to create a work that violates his own basic standards in order to keep from starving, but does not hurt others?

05:30: Is identifying with someone else, like a character, wrong according to Objectivism?

07:28: Why would people who held evil beliefs, such as Hume and Kant, or a false epistemology, such as Von Mises, defend capitalism, the only system that brings justice and wealth?

10:14: Is the Internet the real hope for the future?

14:04: When should you negotiate with terrorists? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 086 - November 02, 2009



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00:52: If a man creates a physical condition in nature, for instance, he does something that causes icebergs to start melting, is that fact, the iceberg melting, metaphysical or manmade?

02:45: Is there any value to statistics beyond describing the past?

06:30: To what degree should one support a totalitarian government to ensure one's own happiness?

10:29: Is it possible to have a terrible sense of life but a good philosophy?

14:20: Is a man raised since birth to hate blacks truly acting by choice when his entire family and community shares the same ideas? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 087 - November 09, 2009



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01:11: If children are taught to shoot infidels on sight, is it possible for them to choose to think and act contrary to their parents and society?

04:51: Is it rational to say that religion is only evil in a conceptual context, that it was, in fact, good during pre-conceptual times, even an invaluable necessity for survival?

07:38: Do you agree with legalizing baby euthanasia when the baby has an incurable illness?

08:51: If I apply for membership at a tennis club and later discover evidence that the only reason my application was rejected was because I am black, should I feel anger toward the club?

11:32: Is it possible for a dishonest person to turn good, or is it a fruitless pursuit to try to be moral?

16:04: Is there a common premise that all evil people hold that means they have already rejected reality? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 088 - November 16, 2009



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00:44: How does one develop a career passion?

08:17: What is the root of ambition and passion?

11:54: Are laws requiring buildings to be handicap accessible, right? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 089 - November 23, 2009



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00:44: Objectivists are too gloomy. Why should we not focus essentially on the good, on all the values and joy that is still possible?

07:10: Is it right for Objectivists to have a glass is half empty attitude to non-Objectivists?

12:28: Why is that when disaster strikes, like 9/11, people tend to draw together? [Question from a 14-year-old.] Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 090 - November 30, 2009



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00:47: Why is the word "think" often associated with uncertainty?

03:16: Is it the proper function of government to create laws for driving while intoxicated or using mobile phones in the car?

04:27: Given the current political climate in the health care industry, should a young person be encouraged to become a doctor?

06:14: Should Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox General who conquered Africa under Hitler, be considered evil?

07:37: Could Aristotle have come up with the same system of ideas and conclusions without Plato?

10:11: Should a raped woman have any recourse if all healthcare professionals refuse to dispense emergency contraceptive?

11:40: Would a government have a role in the evacuation of a city in the path of a massive hurricane? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 091 - December 07, 2009



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00:44: What do you, as a philosopher, have to say about a female who responds negatively to premature ejaculation? [Love is not just love of the soul.]

03:24: Should I tell my ex girlfriend, who I‚'m still friends with, that I was unfaithful when we were together?

07:30: Do you plan to read either of the new Ayn Rand biographies?

09:58: What is the moral status of quarantine?

13:36: How does Ayn Rand‚'s definition of capitalism differ from the conventional one? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 092 - December 14, 2009



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00:44: Where is Aristotle‚'s reference to the law of identity?

01:44: Is it possible to hold the malevolent universe premise as one‚'s basic view of existence, but in a particularly important area, hold the opposite?

04:08: If a good person with a wrong moral idea violates that idea by doing the right thing, should he be condemned for contradicting his wrong moral idea?

06:52: If a compromise between good and evil leads all the way to evil, is it foolish to try and end a bad habit gradually?

09:48: Why did Ayn Rand change the story line in the movie version of The Fountainhead? [Gail Wynand's suicide in the movie.]

10:36: How is revenge or vengeance distinguished from justice?

13:58: Is it an Objectivists position that the U.S. was right to be involved in WWII? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 093 - January 04, 2010



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00:52: Is stealing information that exposes climate research as fraud, like the hackers that hit the University of East Anglia‚'s climate research unit, moral?

04:30: Ayn Rand said that a rational man is motivated by a desire to achieve, and does not compare himself to others. Can having a hero or rival inspire men to greater heights of achievement than without one?

13:55: Is there a way to demonstrate objectivity in a discussion and thereby convince subjectivists, who say "It‚'s true for you, but it‚'s all a matter of opinion" that it‚'s not just true, but that this is objective? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 094 - January 11, 2010



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00:48: Is it a mistake to entertain a strong desire for something that is impossible, or to fantasize about what one would do in life if circumstances were different?

04:11: Is it right for parents to compel their children?

06:20: Is it wrong to take advantage of government programs like Cash for Clunkers?

07:15: Is it possible for a mystic leader to be morally guilty of murder?

11:40: Is gambling a legitimate form of entertainment?

13:17: Why was a great mind like Ayn Rand unable to catch the evil characters among her onetime associates in the act? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 095 - January 18, 2010



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00:50: What is the proper U.S. policy in regard to Muslims, in light of recent events, such as the massacre at Fort Hood and the attempted Detroit bound airplane bombing?

10:00: What types of submitted questions by listeners do you not answer? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 096 - January 25, 2010



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00:44: Can secondary knowledge ever be real knowledge?

06:01: Is government morally involved in medicine in regard to the military?

10:09: How much license to romanticize people and events does a writer of a novel or film have when dealing with a historical event or individual?

11:46: [is the use of voice-over narration in a film a violation of the medium?]

14:34: Did Ayn Rand travel? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 097 - february 01, 2010



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01:01: Is it morally acceptable to watch Michael Moore‚'s films?

04:09: Is it immoral to buy a cheap concert ticket, then move to an empty but better seat at intermission?

06:58: Is there life after death, or is this simply an unanswerable question?

08:41: With the vast scope of the universe, with billions of stars and billions of galaxies, and countless eons of existence, doesn't it seem completely valid to question whether any higher purpose exists?

10:10: What is a good approach for Objectivists to take in order to build consensus among themselves on any particular issue or topic?

12:28: Does a free market require rational actors in order to function properly? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 098 - February 08, 2010



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00:46: Suppose you are circumcised and this adversely affects your life. Is it proper to seek retribution from your parents for making that decision, or from the doctor for performing the procedure?

03:19: Should I feel ashamed for taking an acting role that requires bodily exposure?

06:37: Is grade inflation wrong?

12:35: Is it moral for the state to restrict access to antibiotics if misuse of these drugs can create a public health hazard by creating antibiotic-resistant pathogens?

14:48: Did Ayn Rand donate to charity or do volunteer work?

15:01: Who was the best United States President and why? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 099 - February 15, 2010



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00:44: Is it immoral for a handicapped person to use a handicapped parking spot or ask for job accommodations?

04:07: What should a small business owner do if his customers promote his business in a way that he doesn't want to be associated with?

07:35: If the opportunity arose to assassinate Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would it be a moral action?

09:28: Have you ever seen a person who was uninterested in ideas become interested?

10:59: Can a man that is very interested in ideas be fulfilled romantically by a woman who is not?

13:01: If Ayn Rand were held up at gunpoint on live national television and ordered to renounce every tenets of her philosophy or be killed, what would she do?

15:19: Do I provide a legitimate and valuable service if I continue to be a tax accountant? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 100 - February 22, 2010



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00:44: A nation‚'s goal in war must be, at a minimum, to end the foreign threat. But beyond that, is punishment ever a proper goal in war?

02:31: I've always wondered how a philosophy like altruism, with its morality based on pain and suffering, took such a hold on humanity. Why is it so hard to "sell" Objectivism in this regard?

06:16: Ayn Rand denies instinct. What about the "fight or flight" response for evading your captors?

08:01: I can‚'t call myself an atheist because it stunts my mind‚'s ability to consider other people objective. I know a majority of people believe in God, and therefore would have to think of them as non-thinking entities, which would cause me to feel terror. If I call myself an agnostic, then I can consider other people objectively because I can see what they do and say without being afraid. Am I destroying myself?

10:13: Can a tragic work in which a mostly-good protagonist ends up destroying himself by some tragic flaw still be considered romantic?

13:00: As a telemarketer, is offering a free product with the caveat that you must purchase another product, fraudulent?

14:59: Is secession rational?

15:48: What do you think of the idea that only so much scientific progress is good? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 101 - March 01, 2010



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00:45: Is a person who commits an immoral act necessarily an immoral person?

03:54: Are there any philosophic implications to the fact that Eddie Willers felt romantic love for Dagny?

07:45: Do property rights apply on the Moon?

11:52: [Physical attraction and brains in the selection of a wife.] Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 102 - March 08, 2010



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00:50: Is jealousy or envy a proper emotional response even when you trust your spouse?

07:21: What does the common saying, "It‚'s easy for people to agree," but, "the devil is in the details" mean and why is it so common?

11:56: At 21 I've taken love for granted in my life. I've been spoon-fed and given things by my family. I feel like I haven‚'t really earned anything in my life. Is it right for me to suffer now and put up with hardships for myself in order to become more independent? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 103 - March 15, 2010



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00:50: How much concern for appearance, if any, is appropriate for a first-handed person?

07:01: What about intuition? You learn a lot from it, but it‚'s not mysticism and it‚'s not reason.

10:16: If you know the identity of a rapist that hasn't been caught by the police, is it moral to exact justice on your own, assuming you wouldn't be caught? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 104 - March 22, 2010



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00:48: Is it proper for the government to conduct a national census?

01:49: Did Ayn Rand often refer back to her written notes on a novel while working on them?

04:21: How can Objectivism separate altruism from selfishness?

09:11: Is governmental compulsion warranted in airport security because of the potential of the force by terrorists?

13:55: Should the government assume foreign travelers to America have no rights when it comes to allegations of terrorists? Edited by Forum Publisher
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