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Unofficial Index to Dr. Peikoff's Podcasts

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Episode 280 - August 05, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Given the United States' abuse of its financial system and economy, and the consequence of all that, is there general advice of what people should do with their retirement savings to better avoid the loss in buying power?

04:42: To YBrook: What advice would an Objectivist give to people in parts of the world that are Totalitarian, in constant war, or in social breakdown?

07:12: To YBrook: I am an 18 year old male in Israel. I am drafted for the military and have nothing to gain from three years of service. Is it moral to avoid conscription?

09:14: To YBrook: Does a nation's sovereignty take precedent over free market capitalism? Is it justified to restrict international trade?

11:52: [To YBrook: This question is about Vadimir Putin, the premier of...the president of Russia today, and the question is: what is his philosophical underpinning, where does he sit on the DIM chart, and would Ayn Rand have expected someone of his nature rising to power in post-Soviet Russia?]
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Episode 281 - August 12, 2013



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01:10: Suppose an acquaintance asks personal questions and you answer, in private, because you do not want to appear to be evading his questions. But then the person uses this information against you in public. I am sick of defending myself. What should I do?

06:12: I have been in my stepdaughter's life for eight years (she is now 12); she doesn't know her real father, and considers me her dad. I divorced her mother a year ago, but have remained close to the devastated girl and in almost daily contact - all this for her benefit, while it would be best for me to break all ties from the family. Is it wrong to abandon my stepdaughter?

10:52: The advocacy of gay and black pride is irrational. It confers a false sense of pride for nothing but membership in a group. What would better slogans for these group be like?
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Episode 282 - August 19, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: What is your assessment of the situation in Egypt?

07:30: To YBrook: Contrast the Arab Spring with the Turkish Spring?

10:06: To YBrook: Do you think Islamic forces are going to take over Syria? If so, should the United States avoid helping to remove Assad?

12:24: To YBrook: What is your opinion of boycotts? Specifically, how do you feel about paying to go on a tour of North Korea knowing that the fee will go toward funding the North Korean state?
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Episode 283 - August 23, 2013


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Is it moral for a person to expose secret government programs which violate citizens' individual rights, even if this may harm strategies which the government states are essential to national security? In other words, what is your estimate of the NSA now?

Duration: 25:58 Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 285 - September 02, 2013



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00:50: To YBrook: Why does the United States not allow India to do what is necessary to protect itself? Why does a country like Pakistan receive help and protection from America?

06:16: To YBrook: Why does the British government protect Muslims?

11:54: To YBrook: Why do people oppose Guantanamo Bay?
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Episode 286 - September 09, 2013


 
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01:18: To YBrook: Does Israel have the right to exist considering it was created through the use of force by confiscating private farmland that they believed was a gift from god to the Jewish people?
 
06:34: To YBrook: Why are Objectivists not enthusiastic about the United Nations?
 
08:36: To YBrook: Should Objectivists compromise for the greater good?
 
10:16: To YBrook: What is your view on the NSA?
 
12:50: To YBrook: What do you think about a person's right, if any, to their body after he dies?
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Episode 287 - September 16, 2013



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01:08: My girlfriend is a-sexual. She enjoys sex, but doesn't need it or actively pursue it. Is it possible to have a fulfilling relationship with such a person?

04:10: When you are gone, will your various philosophic papers be available for scholars?

05:00: If Kant had died before he could create his philosophy, how would the world look today?

06:28: My employers value length of service and friendliness more than productive output. Is it moral to give them less than my full effort if they are satisfied with my production?

08:12: When you have strong romantic feelings for someone, why is the awareness of her being with someone else so painful? It is not merely the fact that you don't have what you want, but that someone else does have it. Is this envy?

09:36: "‚"How beautiful!‚' said Lydia, looking at a stage setting. ‚"It‚'s almost real.‚' ‚"How beautiful!‚' said Kira, looking at a landscape. ‚"It‚'s almost artificial.‚'" How does this excerpt from We the Living reflect Objectivism as art?

11:08: Is it true that Ayn Rand didn't trust men with facial hair? Or maybe she just didn't like them?
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Episode 288 - September 23, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Should weapon manufacturers be controlled by the government?

03:02: To YBrook: Should Objectivists disassociate from Tea Party groups because they oppose immigration reform?

07:06: [To YBrook: The Federal Reserve is a privately owned bank. Why do you keep calling it a government entity?]

10:36: To YBrook: In a complete separation of state and economics, would there be domestic and foreign intelligence agencies?

12:04: To YBrook: What effect did Ayn Rand have on the 20th century?
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Episode 289 - September 30, 2013



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01:08: I am a university professor and I intended to fail (deservedly) a certain student. But I was then informed by my Dean that the student‚'s father is a big donor to the university and if I wanted to keep my job I must pass his son. I obeyed, because I value my income more than academic honesty. Was my decision immoral?

04:28: You call the character of Iago an excellent literary presentation of the essence of a nihilist. Why Iago instead of James Taggart in Atlas Shrugged?

06:00: Who is more despicable, criminals who initiate acts of aggression or pacifists who condemn retaliatory violence?

08:14: Should the act of cutting off a man's penis be a capital offense?

09:04: I no longer love my wife, who is an easily upset woman, and I want a divorce. But I don't ask her for one because I'm afraid she'll act to harm me or herself. So is it rational for me to seek another sexual relationship without letting her know?>
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Episode 292 - October 21, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: After the Camp David Accord was broken, America, Israel and Egypt made peace across the Sinai Peninsula. Should we command Egypt for not violating peace? If we can have peace with Egypt, isn't it possible to have peace with the Palestinians?

09:30: To YBrook: What was the motivations for the Islamic attack on 9/11? Many vocal Libertarians are positive it was retaliation for decades of U.S. intervention in the Middle East. Is this true?
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Episode 293 - October 28, 2013



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01:08: What is the most important advice that Ayn Rand ever gave you?

02:40: What do you think of people who say they want to have children, but only boys?

04:58: How did your parents react when you decided not to finish medical school?

08:08: If love is based on common values, how can a new mother love her baby when it has not yet developed values?

09:38: I've read all of Ayn Rand's non-fiction and loved it, her ideas have changed my life dramatically, but I'm not able to get through Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead. What does this mean?

10:56: [i am single, in my early thirties, and currently have a decent job teaching at a junior college, but for a very long time I have wondered if I have what it takes to become a novelist (and then he goes into the difficulty that would be involved in getting an agent, getting published, becoming a successful sales, so it's almost impossible that I can make it as a novelist), should I abandon my dream because it probably won't happen, or should I venture down that road?]
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Episode 294 - November 04, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Should we all aim to be entrepreneurs?

02:58: To YBrook: Is there any realistic hope for America to embark on a better path when President Obama leaves office?

04:34: To YBrook: Is Walmart is engaged in cronyism?

08:28: To YBrook: Are age-of-consent laws moral?

11:00: To YBrook: Should encryption technologies be encouraged because in a sense it is standing up to the government?

12:40: [To YBrook: Is Detroit and other municipalities declaring bankruptcy merely a manifestation of Atlas Shrugged?]
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Episode 295 - November 11, 2013



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01:10: Have you ever considered, or would you ever consider, writing an autobiography?

02:42: Can someone who is a nihilist in politics be a good person in other areas of his life?

05:18: While partying at a bar with some friends, I chatted with a girl and ended up kissing her. I have a girlfriend whom I love very much. She does not know about this incident and if I tell her, our relationship will end. Is it moral not to tell her?

10:10: My girlfriend is twenty-four and a virgin. She says she is completely in love with me and does not want another man, but she won't have sex with me for various reasons. In light of this is it okay for me to leave her?
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Episode 296 - November 18, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Has freedom of speech been censored in America? Is it time for a revolution?

03:44: To YBrook: I read a statistic that says air pollution kills two million people per year. If that is true, what should the government's role be in dealing with this disaster?

06:48: To YBrook: I am a white South African male. Many of my friends wear t-shirts saying, "I benefit from apartheid." I am disgusted by the unearned guilt on my part that this implies. Is this disgust warranted?

08:36: To YBrook: Are naked credit default swaps ethical?

12:12: To YBrook: Is it immoral for me to deliver newspapers if I am horrified by their content?
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Episode 297 - November 25, 2013



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01:08: I am a mass communications specialist in the U.S. Navy, and my current assignment poses an ethical dilemma: I am asked to publicly laud many Navy policies, some of which I strongly oppose. What should I do?

08:28: In a previous podcast you said that most people stop thinking at 30. Why do you think this is and is it inevitable?

09:48: Is loneliness the most painful thing in life?

12:12: My boyfriend must move to another state in a few months for work. It's highly probable that we cannot make things work out long-distance. Is it self destructive for me to spend his last two months still dating, knowing that it will make it harder when he leaves?
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Episode 298 - December 02, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Why are healthcare costs rising?

05:46: To YBrook: If he cannot be described as "selfish," what word would you use to denote someone like Bernie Madoff who acts scrupulously to get money for himself?

06:40: To YBrook: If there really is a holocaust in Syria, why should the United States not intervene to protect the victims?

09:34: To YBrook: In a free society, does the government need the people's consent before waging war against a dictator?

10:20: To YBrook: How should the government acquire nuclear weapons? Should it buy them from private business?

11:18: [To YBrook: Should government help in cases of natural disasters?]
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Episode 299 - December 09, 2013



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01:08: Is the emotion of worry a learned emotion?

06:20: I am in a happy relationship with my girlfriend. I am sure we will end up together, but I have an attraction to the male sex also. Rationally speaking that is not what I want at all. I have told her all this and she understands. But it often makes me feel depressed. How should I deal with this problem?

10:34: Is it rational to have children simply for the sake of having someone to take care of you when you reach old age?

11:44: Can a disease that is painful and debilitating, but not terminal, be justification for suicide?
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Episode 300 - December 16, 2013



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01:08: If you really hurt someone because of an honest error of yours, would it be of any value, once you see your error, to apologize? Or would it be better to let the issue be and continue on in life, content that you know.

04:30: I am considering becoming a secondary school teacher and am not clear about my motivation. On one hand I like the idea of teaching history from a rational perspective. On the other, I also imagine making myself popular with the kids. Is this a bad sign?

06:20: I am convinced I am my woman's highest value, but I know she has been in past relationships and she loved those men too. I am bothered that she has slept with someone else. I wish I was the only one who was that intimate with her. Is this foolish?

08:46: I recently saw an inspirational story about a man born with no arms or legs and just one small foot. Despite this, he has learned how to write, use a computer, make eggs, etc. He attributes his courage to religion. So, is religion valuable for some people?

11:02: Would it be moral for a virgin with a terminal illness to visit a brothel before he dies, if that was the only way for him to experience sex?
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Episode 301 - December 23, 2013



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00:40: To YB: Do you think that, with their great access to capital, the rich can control and regulate economics, politics, and culture to the detriment of the lower income groups?

04:52: To YB: Do consumers have a moral obligation to avoid purchasing goods and services that have depended on coerced labor at some point in the supply chain?

06:04: To YB: During the Cold War America supported the Islamist in their fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The result was the fall of the Soviet Union without any nuclear exchange, however it gave the Islamists the confidence to come after the United States. Was it worth it, given the 9/11 attack?

09:28: To YB: Conservatives who oppose Obamacare are criticized for failing to offer a viable alternative. What is the Objectivist response to this criticism?

11:08: To YB: What did the United States do immediately after the 9/11 attacks?
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Episode 302 - December 30, 2013



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01:08: My girlfriend recently had her 18th birthday and decided to spend the day with friends at a gay strip club. I feel jealous and insignificant. Why didn't she want to spend the day with me? Am I being petty?

03:40: In a recent podcast you said that you could never win an argument with Ayn Rand. Weren't there some cases where she disagreed with you on an intellectual question and then ended up with your position?

06:30: I had sex with a married girl. She is now pregnant with our child and is still married to her husband-who knows the whole story. Am I immoral for not being an active father?

07:54: Are Jewish people racist?

09:56: If you could nominate whomever you wanted for the Nobel Peace Prize, who would it be?

10:54: [What do you think about the celebration of Halloween? Did you allow your own daughter to celebrate the day?]

12:24: [What do you think of the claim that there are moderate Muslims? Are they really moderate?]
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Episode 303 - January 06, 2014



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00:40: To YB: In a true free market who would own historical landmarks?

04:20: To YB: When a will is not executed as written, whose rights are being violated?

07:28: To YB: A follow-up to the question: Why does the British government protect Muslims?

10:48: To YB: It is my understanding that after Israel had won its first Arab-Israeli War, 75 percent of the land previously partitioned by the U.N. was annexed by the Arab nation of Transjordan. Is that true?

12:30: To YB: You said totalitarians will always seek to control people and that Islam is just one manifestation they use to gain power. Is this a proper view?
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Episode 304 - January 13, 2014



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00:40: To YB: What is your opinion of Noam Chomsky?

02:56: To YB: What are the odds that socialized medicine will take hold in America?

07:40: To YB: Is it immoral to either purchase insurance under Obamacare or not to pay for it?

09:00: To YB: Should the government have the right to regulate or punish an enterprise or business that throws hazardous waste into the water?

11:26: To YB: If there were an outright power grab during the next presidential election, do you think Americans would stand for a dictator?

12:24: To YB: Is there anything improper in principle or practice about the amber alert system?

33:18: To YB: What is predatory lending? Should it be legal?
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