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Episode 155 - March 14, 2011



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01:10: Is it immoral for me to feel envious of women who are more beautiful and more intelligent?

04:04: Is it rational to choose a career that one likes or loves if it is productive yet dangerous work?

06:04: Given the misery and the immense psychological and practical difficulties caused by living by today‚'s philosophies, why do so many cling to them?

09:08: I‚'m not sure if I should be pursuing the career I am pursuing. In that case should I take studying in college and class tests seriously?

09:58: In captivity did Galt ask to speak to Robert Stadler because he knew it would put Stadler in danger?

11:18: [Followup question: Why does Ayn Rand always have her characters decide what they'll do when they grow up at a young age, such as nine? Is it because they chose the correct philosophical premise at a young age?]

13:20: Are Guy Francon and Eddie Willers moral equals since Francon achieved his wealth by honest means? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 156 - March 21, 2011



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01:08: What would the world be like if every person was an Objectivist? Is this possible?

04:16: Is the increasing vulgarity of our culture a result of an increasing sentiment for liberty or of an increasing desperation?

06:38: Do you think the reason why citizens in New York and the like vote for Democrats is that they reject the GOP‚'s religiosity, that they‚'d rather be taxed to death than see in power something so contrary to the skyscrapers?

08:22: Is an Objectivist morally obligated to uphold a promise made to a dying person once that person has passed away, assuming no one living will be affected?

11:10: When I admire greatness, such as the virtues and achievements of others, I usually do so without thinking first of how I myself might benefit from it. But if I am an egoist shouldn't I always think of myself first?

13:10: Do you think the fashionable liberal conformists really believe they are a minority? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 157 - March 28, 2011



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01:08: I am self-absorbed. Is that bad?

04:28: Pointing out an opponent‚'s hypocrisy is not a valid argument but it is often persuasive. Isn't it a form of ad hominem? Should one then ignore hypocrisy?

06:06: Can a rational person have regrets? If so, how do you get past such regrets?

09:30: Since I don‚'t have the time to study philosophy, how can I rationally believe, and not merely have faith, in objectivism, since I know that I don‚'t really know it‚'s true?

11:22: What should an individual Objectivist do with respect to certain individuals who call themselves Objectivists, while you yourself, Dr. Peikoff, identify these people as being potentially harmful to the future objectivism. What if anything is morally required? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 158 - April 04, 2011



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01:08: What advice would you give in the case of two people who are deeply in love, but one happens to be married, engaged, or in a difficult situation to escape?

03:26: Is it moral to take a high school teaching position that would pay less if I view the work as more rewarding?

05:28: Suppose a perfect Objectivist awoke one day to find that he is the last human on earth. What would be his course of action?

07:04: Which of the 50 states do you live in, and did Objectivism lead you to choose that one?

08:30: Would it be immoral to sell a prized possession of a deceased relative that had been willed to me, if I knew that the purchaser would use this possession in a way that would not have pleased my relative? Do you owe anything to the wishes of the dead?

10:28: How do I know that the man in my life cares about me as I do about him? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 159 - April 11, 2011



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01:10: Can thoughts be immoral?

04:00: Why did you stop doing your radio show?

05:38: In an earlier podcast you describe a closed system as, among other things, a whole which cannot tolerate any contradiction. Does this mean that Objectivism is the only closed philosophical system, because all other philosophies I know of contain many contradictions?

07:42: Is it a waste of money to buy a pen for $1,000 that is made of ivory and warship steel, if there is a stainless pen for $100 with the same quality and performance?

09:10: I've never enjoyed parties, but all of my friends are attending the prom this year and I might be regarded as strange if I choose not to attend. What should I do?

10:50: Does the prospect of death not terrify you at all? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 160 - April 18, 2011



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01:08: What do you think of the Amsterdam trial, for "hate speech," of Dutch MP Geert Wilders?

10:12: What do you think of the Florida preacher‚'s burning of the Koran? Was this valid? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 161 - April 25, 2011



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01:08: Is It possible to have a friendship with someone you are in love with, but who is not in love with you?

05:00: Do you think the legal guardians of a male child have the right to circumcise him before he is old enough to refuse?

07:38: How would you evaluate a person who says that he loves The Fountainhead but loathes Atlas Shrugged?

09:26: I am applying to a prestigious university and have inside information about the admissions evaluation process. Is it moral to use this information to my advantage?

10:06: Is it wrong to put off college work, such as writing essays, until the last minute? Is that avoiding reality?

12:30: In Ayn Rand‚'s Donahue appearance, Phil Donahue asks her if she is not tempted to believe in heaven so that she can see Frank O'Connor again. She answered, "I've asked myself that very question." Since she is an atheist, why wasn't she more emphatic and dismissive?

13:45: You said that you have no plans to designate an intellectual heir, as Miss Rand designated you as hers. You said it is up for grabs. Why do you take this attitude? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 162 - May 02, 2011



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01:08: Did Ayn Rand express a desire for Objectivism to advance after her death? [More on the statement, "I will not die; it's the world that will end."]

03:50: As a restaurant manager I often, out of self-interest, give employees praise when they do a good job. However, some young employees take my praise as a license to slack off work. How can I avoid this?

05:58: You have stated that the principle "Reason is man‚'s basic means of survival" could only be discovered after the Industrial Revolution. So was the discovery of the Objectivist ethics also possible only after that Revolution?

08:18: Is it immoral to profit from promoting mysticism?

10:56: Are "lovers" also "friends," or does "friend" belong to a very different category?

12:28: Is there is a good Ayn Rand biography? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 163 - May 09, 2011



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01:08: I've always been attracted to self-confidence, innocence, and popularity. Are these true values? I‚'m not popular myself since I‚'m an Objectivist. So how can I admire that in another person?

04:06: Why is every person who is anti-Israel also anti-American?

05:10: Is it true that Ayn Rand detested facial hair on men?

07:38: Do you feel any sympathy for any country, especially a Western country, that was not formed during the Enlightenment or has abandoned its ideas, and knows nothing about Objectivism?

08:58: In The Fountainhead Roark wants to create in order to create. Does he care what happens to his work after that?

11:36: In her early writing years, how did Ayn Rand manage having a job unrelated to her career to support herself, while still pursuing her writing? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 166 - May 30, 2011



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01:08: Is it moral to lie in order to expose the truth?

04:50: What are my responsibilities to my spouse as an Objectivist?

10:04: If the United States government decided that Ayn Rand‚'s ideas were good for the future of this country, and decided to donate one billion dollars every year to the Ayn Rand Institute, would Ayn Rand, the Institute, or you, take this money?

10:50: Developing my art is my most important value, but I do not have the money to pursue it on my own; but I do have a "sugar daddy," much older, very generous, very wealthy, but I do not like, let alone love him. Am I being irrational or immoral by pretending to like him? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 167 - June 06, 2011



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01:08: Since conservatives agree with so much of what you say in politics, why do you condemn them? Isn't that a help in the battle?

04:38: If a person claims not to believe in the sanctity of private property, is it okay to steal from them?

05:10: [What do you think about limits on the number of terms a politician can run? Do you think this is useful?]

06:20: If a couple has a handicapped child and a non-handicapped child, is it immoral to show favoritism toward the handicapped child?

08:08: I hear people described as conspiracy theorists. What does that mean?

10:48: If you think of a new idea independently while employed by someone else, and the idea is related to the work you do for them, is it wrong to conceal your discovery, then use it as a competitor when you leave?

12:44: If to love is to value, isn't the idea of unconditional love a fallacy? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 168 - June 13, 2011



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01:08: Is it self-sacrificial for a wife to stay with an abusive husband because they have children?

02:34: Is networking in order to get the upper hand in landing a job a second-hand activity?

05:44: I am passionate about traveling and exploring new places and have an adventurous spirit, it is for these reasons, and not because of altruism, that I am interested in joining the Peace Corps. Is this proper for me as an Objectivist?

07:28: Despite the fact that she had loving relationships, did Ayn Rand ever feel lonely because of her intelligence?

09:22: What is the single most important revelation that you yourself, Peikoff, learned from your master teacher?

10:58: If Michael Moore were a character in Atlas Shrugged, which one would he be?

11:42: My high school girlfriend and I were very in love with each other; however, after leaving for college we grew distant and broke up. But we are still in love with each other. Is it rational to resume a romance now in the hope that we will work out as a couple in the future?

13:26: Have you ever been summoned to jury duty and if so what was your experience like? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 169 - June 20, 2011



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01:08: How is life not meaningless?

03:04: [How can someone who turns out to be morally corrupt produce beautiful work?]

06:32: Our criminal justice system treats men as innocent until proven guilty. If I suspect someone is guilty of some moral offense but I can‚'t be sure, should I abstain from passing moral judgment?

08:32: Is genetic engineering immoral? Should it be made illegal?

11:40: In a previous podcast you said that it is wrong to go against nature by undergoing a sex-change operation‚ that the metaphysically given is an absolute. But by this definition gender is not metaphysically given because we can now change it if we so chose. Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 170 - June 27, 2011



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01:08: I interviewed my daughter, Kira Peikoff, on her new novel.

04:08: Why do none of the heroes in Atlas Shrugged have children?

05:26: [Would Dagny and Galt ever have children, in your opinion?]

05:32: Does Objectivism hold that having children is an immoral self-sacrifice?

08:20: I love my partner, we are a great match, but he has no desire to have sex because of a medical problem for which he refuses to seek medical help. Is it a realistic pursuit for me, given my age of 50, to leave my partner and look for someone new? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 171 - July 04, 2011



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01:08: Are some professions, like being a ghost writer, inherently immoral?

03:08: I have what might be termed a size issue in regard to my penis. Is it immoral to allow it to affect my confidence and motivation?

07:20: Should every new American strive to assimilate?

09:10: If a person disobeyed Kant consistently in all matters would he then be an Objectivist?

10:24: Science fiction based on the scientifically possible is okay, but what about science fantasy presenting the impossible? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 172 - July 11, 2011



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01:08: Is it insulting to a person to defend him against an unjust attack? In the past you have chosen not to defend Ayn Rand at various times against unfair smears, but what if you had thought at those times that decent people might be taken in by these smears?

05:00: Do you speak any foreign languages?

06:00: Does Gail Wynand represent Nietzsche‚'s philosophy? Is he a Nietzschean hero?

07:56: Given the fact the Republican party, being the religious party, is the greatest political threat to America, as you have stated, what is the reason Ayn Rand chose a secular, collectivist, nihilist, political leadership as against a theocracy as the political evil establishment in her
novel?

10:46: It is common on Halloween for people to dress as soulless life-destroying monsters? Would it be immoral to attend a costume party dressed as Immanuel Kant ?

12:34: If you had one more day to live, what would you do? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 173 - July 18, 2011



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01:08: I am dating a woman who believes I am open to marriage and that she can marry me within a short time; she is essentially auditioning, trying to make that happen. In reality I am opposed to marrying anyone ever and I know she would leave me if she knew this. Does Objectivism call for me to tell her?

02:56: If one becomes fully happy, what is the point of continuing to live since the ultimate end, happiness, has been satisfied?

04:40: If man‚'s life is the standard of value, to what extent is it morally imperative to stay as healthy as possible through diet and exercise? Must an Objectivist work out to stay fit and eat only foods that are optimally nutritious?

11:16: Is there any case where public interest exceeds personal?

12:50: My daughter‚'s school has a no nuts policy. I am not allowed to send any nuts in her lunch. Is this ban morally justified? Should the rare problems of a small minority outweigh a normal life for all the other kids? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 174 - July 25, 2011



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01:08: Was my partner immoral for not refraining from sexual activities prior to meeting me, since these acts did not involve love?

04:28: My parents have made me an heir to a small fortune. But my father is a religious mystic and my mother an altruist. What should be my attitude as an Objectivist considering I have the opportunity to gain a lot of money if we stay on good terms?

06:34: Is it rational for an atheist to have feelings of awe for life, the earth and universe?

10:48: Is is rational to cheer for a particular sports team, usually one‚'s home team? Shouldn't an Objectivist cheer for the winning team because that is the one that possesses the values and skills to be successful?

12:26: If John Galt‚'s motor was a reality, and someone from the Obama administration discovered a working Galt‚'s motor, what do you think they would do with it?

13:30: How would an Objectivist respond to the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 175 - August 01, 2011



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01:08: What is the reason that Ayn Rand, who came from a Communist country, knew better how to construct a capitalist world than most of our famous American capitalists?

04:28: Isn't politics important, and if so, why don‚'t you focus on current issues in the political realm?

05:54: In building up Home Depot, the founders, lacking money to fully stock the stores, filled them with empty boxes and paint cans to give the illusion that they had merchandise. Was this deception moral?

07:08: Do you think it is rational to be afraid of flying?

11:04: I am adopted. I do not love my family, even though they have taken on the responsibility of taking care of me. We are polar opposites and we disagree about virtually everything. Is it morally acceptable that I continue to depend on them even if I do not love them in return?

13:34: I retired early due to ill health and now I find it much more difficult to live by Objectivism. Is Objectivism compatible with living with a disability? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 176 - August 08, 2011



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01:08: Most liberals attack Christianity and defend Islam, even though they are atheist or agnostic. Why? What is it about Christianity that makes them antagonistic?

04:16: Is it my right to go out naked in the streets if I want to and masturbate? What about making a lot of noise in the middle of the night? Is that initiating force against my sleeping neighbors?

07:12: Why do men tell women what they want to hear? How does a woman discover when they are lying?

10:08: What do you think of bribery, and anti-bribery laws, in regard to government inspectors who otherwise hamper or stop productive work? For example, in the fields of construction or restaurants.

12:22: Would it be proper to give advice to an acquaintance if I knew that he would take it on faith instead of rationally validating it? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 177 - August 15, 2011



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01:08: A question from a man tortured by unrequited love: I don‚'t understand why it is important to me that this woman reciprocates my love. Her loving me would change none of the values that I love her for having. So why should her feelings matter to me?

03:34: A few years ago I acted very irrationally. As a consequence my reputation with certain people was destroyed. Is it second-handed to care about my reputation and work to rebuild it?

05:44: Is a career as a swimsuit model intellectually demanding? If not, is it immoral?

07:22: Are Ayn Rand‚'s views on female heads of state a part of Objectivism?

09:32: Can the use of drugs such as Benzedrine or caffeine ever be morally sanctioned? For example in the pursuit of extremely mentally taxing work requiring a high degree of long-term mental focus?

12:34: Dagny was the highest value for both Francisco and Rearden. Since she chose Galt over them, is there any possibility for them to find romantic love again? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 178 - August 22, 2011



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01:08: If there were a productive genius alive today who had found Objectivism early on, would his example have cultural power?

03:14: Since fortune tellers, card readers, spiritualists and other such people who claim to have power over the future, do not actually possess it, should they be prosecuted for fraud if they sell these select services?

04:52: Did Ayn Rand ever reread her own novels for enjoyment?

06:08: Why is life hard? Why does both thought and the achievement of values require effort? Is the need of effort inherent in the nature of values?

08:14: Why is it so hard to recognize irrational philosophy if your own ideas are rational? Is this part of human nature?

09:06: [if someone held all the same ideas as Ayn Rand, would he be able to be as great as her? Do you hold all of the same essential ideas as Ayn? If so, do you hold the same creative power as her, or is there an element of greatness that cannot be learned?]

12:58: New York Yankee Derek Jeter get his 3000th hit with a home run. The fan that caught the ball gave it back to Jeter instead of selling it for around $250,000. What does Objectivism have to say about this? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 179 - August 29, 2011



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01:08: If someone gave you a magical resurrection stone, and you could only use it once, who would you choose to bring back to life? If it were Ayn Rand, what would be the first thing you would say to her?

01:50: What attracts you personally to philosophy? Is your purpose simply to know?

04:48: Why was Ayn Rand buried in a cemetery? Isn't it more appropriate for an atheist to be cremated?

06:02: Under what circumstances, if any, does one have the right or obligation to stop someone from committing suicide?

08:14: Should blood be thicker than water?

09:48: I was a prosecution witness in a capital murder case. The man is now in jail for life and both CBS 48 Hours and Dateline NBC are calling for interviews, but some people view these TV news programs as media sensationalizing. What should I do?

11:20: According to Objectivism, happiness proceeds from the achievement of one‚'s values. Does this mean that any values will do it as long as they are rational?

12:58: Do you honestly believe that Isaac Asimov‚'s 400-plus books are worth more than the seminal ones you have written? Edited by Forum Publisher
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