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Episode 180 - September 05, 2011



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01:08: Take me through a typical day in your life. Do you spend much of your day writing?

03:40: When Ayn Rand inscribed copies of her books for you, what did she write in them?

05:26: How would you advise going about reading authors like Kant, Hegel, Aristotle, etc., which for various reasons are difficult to read?

07:26: What is your opinion of vegetarianism?

10:40: When I was younger, age 19, I broke the glass on a school door. I want to make reparations for this vandalism, which still preys on my mind. Do you think I have to confess my crime to the police even though that would mean losing my job?

11:56: If my life is my moral purpose, how can it ever be moral to risk it to save another, such as my wife? Isn't that making the other a higher value than you yourself? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 181 - September 12, 2011



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01:08: What are your thoughts on changing one‚'s name? I want to be identified by what I choose to be called, not by the name given to me by my parents or heritage. Shouldn't a true individual change his name?

03:06: Though I am an atheist, often in particularly stressful situations I hear someone say, "God is looking out for us and will provide a way," and I find that a comforting affirmation. The best Objectivist alternative I can come up with is to tell people there is always a solution to any problem. Is that valid?

06:48: In an Objectivist society would it still be in poor taste to ask a woman her age or a man the amount of money he makes?

08:10: Should there be prescription drugs that only doctors can let you have as against over the counter drugs that anyone can have?

11:28: Why does Objectivism make such an issue over whether an action is short-range or long-range? For example, going to a movie is a short-range pursuit. What would long-range moviegoing consist of? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 182 - September 19, 2011



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01:08: Are there any circumstances under which it is rational to continue a romantic relationship with someone who has cheated on you?

04:02: I want to create my own films; however, if I am blatant about my philosophical outlook, I will be barred from any future work in the entertainment industry and my career will end. Is this cowardice?

06:00: I work with people who hold very different values. In social situations I repress myself because my philosophy will be unwelcome. This is causing severe psychological pain since I feel I cannot be myself at work. I have to pretend to be more like them. Should I quit my job?

07:56: I recently watched a big budget sci-fi movie that implies that certain people are enlightened beings, possibly aliens, versus humans, who are evil and destructive. I mentioned this to a fellow viewer who told me, "Oh it‚'s just a movie, you‚'re analyzing it too much." How should I have responded?

10:08: What is the proper term to identify a man committed to irrational self-interest?

12:12: Did Ayn Rand ever suffer from unrequited love? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 183 - September 26, 2011



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01:08: Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

02:44: My brother accepted a good sum of money from my mother, but never said thank you. Was this rude? Should he have felt gratitude even though my mother is an avowed egoist?

05:12: I have been overweight all my life. I have done everything to try and overcome this, but none of it works. Objectivist friends tell me that I am not a good person because of this. Is it wrong to be overweight?

08:14: My boyfriend, now ex, attempted to leave the house because he got angry while we were fighting, but I blocked the door to prevent him from leaving. Was he justified in using violence against me to force me out of the way? Did I initiate force by trapping him?

10:32: If there was a god, what attributes would he have, according to Objectivism?

11:42: What is the best compliment you personally could ever receive?

12:58: I have a company that sells software as an online service, and a chapter of the Immanuel Kant Society signed up to use it. Would it be irrational to turn them away? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 187 - October 24, 2011



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01:08: My parents are divorced and my 17-year-old old brother lives with my mother. I do not speak to my mother because she has asked me for money too many times; so she forbids me to communicate with my brother in any way. Is it immoral for me to maintain a relationship with my brother via the internet?

01:54: My main hobby is long-distance running. The training regimen is exhausting and time-consuming, but I get a great thrill from the competition of the marathons and a sense of accomplishment. I compete several times a year in different parts of the world. Is it advisable to have a hobby requiring so much time and effort for such concentrated fun?

04:10: Would time travel, as depicted in science-fiction, violate the fundamental?

06:44: If a person invents something by means of their own independent work and thought, and later discovers that such a creation has already been made, copyrighted and marketed by another individual, does the person who came in second place still have rights to the profits of that product?

08:40: I dislike my school and professors and need advice on what to do. Should I: 1) Persuade my antagonistic professors, 2) Sit quietly and accept what they teach, 3) Talk to my antagonistic classmates, or 4) Drop the class?

10:04: Is a person immoral if he learns to work through easy means? Would that person‚'s life be less happy or of less value?

11:56: In a hypothetical emergency situation, a man must choose between saving the woman he loves or the most brilliant physicist in the world. He is selfish if he chooses to save the woman he loves. But isn't he then being illogical by sacrificing someone who is so important to the progression of humanity? If so, does Objectivism advocate that he be selfish and illogical?

13:22: I went to Saint Petersburg, Russia to see the home and school of Ayn Rand in the setting of We The Living. I felt a little guilt because I was so eager to visit where Ayn Rand was so desperate to leave. I too hate Russian culture. So would fidelity to my values require that I avoid travel to Russia? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 188 - October 31, 2011



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01:08: In the Fountainhead Kent Lansing says, "If I were asked to choose a symbol for humanity as we know it, I wouldn't choose a cross nor an eagle nor a lion and unicorn. I‚'d choose three gilded balls." Is this a reference to a pawn shop, and if so is it a positive or negative evaluation of mankind?

02:50: Is narcissism contrary to Objectivism?

06:38: [My boyfriend does not believe in love at all, but everything else in the relationship is fantastic. Is it better to end the relationship and hope to find somebody else who loves me back, or hang on as long as it lasts though I know, obviously, it won't last forever?]

08:38: I have always pursued values passionately. My goal is to prove to myself my own efficacy in as many realms as possible. Is it self-destructive to pursue many different disciplines in this way?

11:32: A man I know had a brief secret affair, which gave him a better sexual attitude toward his wife, who now enjoys sex with him more. The other woman is not completely out of the picture. Is it moral not to tell his wife what happened?

13:24: Is a child‚'s bond to his parents as strong or deep as a parent‚'s to his child? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 189 - November 07, 2011



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01:08: After over 10 years I've finally figured out what I want to do with my life. Would it be smarter to jump in now taking out a loan to finance the schooling I need, — or to wait and save up?

04:48: I read recently about an 84 year old widow who had a problem with a leaky toilet. She signed a contract with an unscrupulous plumber who offered to repair it for $60,000. A bank teller reported the facts to the authorities, who canceled the transaction. Was it right for them to do so?

08:00: I am a 32-year-old male and feel obligated to myself, my family and society to have children. Isn't it man‚'s purpose on earth to participate in continuing the human race?

10:46: Is it irrational to be interested in tracing your family lineage?

12:28: Would winning the Nobel Prize for literature have meant anything to Ayn Rand?

14:14: Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Doesn't love require cognitive appraisal across time of the mind and values of the object of one‚'s love? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 190 - November 14, 2011



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01:08: Ayn Rand‚'s style and works are what I enjoy the most, yet I still love fiction in general. How do you yourself choose non-Objectivist fiction to read?

05:38: If you could ask Aristotle one question, what would it be?

07:10: Is it rational for a man and woman to play hard to get? Is it a good way to test each other‚'s love?

10:42: Did Ayn Rand deliberately retain her accent in order to force people to work to understand her?

13:08: Can the destruction of evil be rationally pursued as one‚'s primary creative work? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 191 - November 21, 2011



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01:08: After one of your past answers you apologized because your words sounded boastful to you. Are you implying that you monitor your own mental process?

04:16: I admire people for their virtues, but to truly love them I believe they must show some kind of vulnerability. Why did Ayn Rand choose to write books about invulnerable heroes?

06:44: Is it moral for a person to hide the fact that he was gay at one time — during his childhood for instance — and then later turned straight as an adult?

09:46: It is impossible for me to find an apartment I can afford which doesn't ban dogs. I love my dog, but the only choices I see are to put the dog to sleep or give it someone else. I fear the kind of care that the new owner might give. What should I do?

12:00: I was once on an incredibly crowded subway in New York City. People were jammed up against each other. A gorgeous woman‚'s backside was lodged up against my back and there was nothing I could do to avoid this contact. In essence I was treated to an elaborate, free lap dance. Was it wrong to enjoy Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 192 - November 28, 2011



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This episode of The Leonard Peikoff Show, recorded March 21, 1996, challenges the audience to identify the philosophic principle that several different examples have in common.

Duration: 48:20 Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 193 - December 05, 2011



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01:08: I have two sons ages 19 and 17, and I am a recent Objectivist. I find it very challenging to guide them given their previous upbringing, where my own thinking was not consistently rational, and given today‚'s mainstream ideas. Whenever I try to guide them, they refuse to hear me out. What can I do?

02:54: What do you think of "secular humanism?"

05:16: What do you think of the Occupy Wall Street?

13:30: Should a father love equally a son with mental retardation and a normal one? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 194 - December 12, 2011



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01:08: I am in love with a woman who died 400 years ago. I fell in love with her based on her writings. I have now come to believe that I was meant to be with this woman and that our souls are connected. Is there something wrong with me?

03:06: I've heard that Ayn Rand was an unusually slow reader. Is this true and if so why?

04:52: What is the best response to, ‚"not everything is black or white‚'?

06:22: I am in love with a girl who has a steady boyfriend. She has told me that I should move on. Is it possible for me to transform my romantic feelings for her into loving her like a sister?

09:34: How would you respond to people who say that the worst atrocities were committed by atheists, like Hitler and Stalin, because if they accepted some type of religion they wouldn't have been so evil?

13:06: Did Ayn Rand ever speak of Ronald Reagan? What do you suppose she would have said about his time in office? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 195 - December 19, 2011



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01:08: Was it moral for Steven Mallory, in The Fountainhead, to try to shoot Ellsworth Toohey? If violence is not right, what is the moral way to stop him and get justice done?

04:10: What are some of the reasons why men are afraid to accept a system of philosophy?

06:10: I find it fascinating that you are pursuing jazz. What do you like most about it?

09:16: In regard to politics, is the advice: "Don‚'t let the perfect be the enemy of the good" consistent with Objectivism?

10:52: Do you have plans to go on a book tour when The DIM Hypothesis is released?

11:52: Why would Stadler‚'s attitude of contempt for other men lead him to support evil tyrants? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 196 - December 26, 2011



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01:08: Would you accept a Nobel Prize? Is it okay to accept an honor from an organization whose honors in the past have been based on irrational standards?

03:32: In The Fountainhead, Toohey says that he plays the stock market of the spirit and sells short. What do you think of a man who limits himself in the market to short-selling?

04:40: If kissing in public is legal between consenting adults, shouldn't intercourse in public be legal?

07:18: While I have supported myself as an artist for years, I am currently dependent on my wife‚'s income, which is adequate to meet all our needs. My wife wants to support my work, and is happy with the arrangement. Is it moral to accept her generosity?

09:12: If human lifespan was limited to a period of 20 years, what role could art play in such a short time as far as inspiring youth?

11:08: How is it that I can love someone but they don‚'t love me back? If love is the recognition of my values in another person, why does she not recognize the same values in me? Why isn't she in love with me? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 197 - January 02, 2012



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01:08: It seems possible that President Obama‚'s mind has been so twisted by his Ivy League education that he honestly believes the stuff he is spouting. If so, does that reduce his moral guilt?

03:38: Are certain careers by nature more second-handed than others?

04:50: I've noticed that when Ayn Rand, you and Yaron Brook answer questions, you always know what to answer instantly. How does one get such an ability?

09:26: Am I allowed to slap another person across the face for viciously denouncing values I hold in high esteem? After all, that is not force; it doesn't even leave a mark. Isn't the slap just an elevated form of freedom of expression?

10:58: I am a member of my school‚'s student government at a Christian university. One student appealed for our support of a lesbian, gay and transgendered group. Currently, I am thinking of voting no, because transsexualism is immoral. What would be the moral vote?

12:40: I heard you say that your DIM theory has been confirmed and verified during the writing process. Why do you still insist on calling it The DIM Hypothesis?

13:20: How is it that the richest of people are often the most sympathetic to communist or socialist principles? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 198 - January 09, 2011



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This episode of The Leonard Peikoff Show, recorded April 18, 1996, challenges the audience to identify the philosophic principle that several different examples have in common.

Duration: 47:56 Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 201 - January 30, 2012



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01:08: What is the word on your latest book, The DIM Hypothesis?

02:00: Do you distinguish official Objectivist doctrine from Ayn Rand‚'s personal views?

04:30: Is the ending of the movie ET what Ayn Rand calls "malevolent universe?"

05:56: Sometimes I get angry with people because I concretize how their ideas are destroying other people‚'s lives. But I see you and other Objectivists dealing cordially with such destructive people. How do you do it?

10:08: How did you perform at college?

11:32: [What do you think of long-distance relationships? Is there any point at which it would be more rational to break up even if the two people still love each other?]

13:10: Was Dagny in love with Francisco and Rearden at the time when she was with them? Was she after she met Galt? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 202 - February 06, 2012



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01:08: What is more important: making money because of the material values you will be able to afford, even if it comes at the cost of doing something you don‚'t love‚ or just getting by financially while doing with your life something you do love?

03:28: I was interested to hear how you select fiction books to read. Can you indicate some of the authors whose books you find worth reading?

05:00: In regard to the Occupy Wall Street: when the police take action against passive protesters, isn't the State thereby initiating violence against the non-violent, which contradicts Ayn Rand‚'s definition of the role of the State?

07:28: A man jumps into a lake to save a boy and the man‚'s shoes and suit are ruined. If the man is willing to lose these possessions to save the boy, why should he not send money to starving children in Africa?

09:14: Is it rape if you obtain sex through fraudulent means? For example a man does not love a woman but tells her he does so that she will have sex with him. Is this the moral equivalent of rape?

11:58: Is the idea that the universe is benevolent‚ i.e., that men can achieve their values in this life‚Äîphilosophical or an experiential issue? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 203 - February 13, 2012



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01:08: Ayn Rand stated that one shouldn't expect the unearned. Does that mean someone who inherits wealth and never has to work a day in their life or earn anything should feel guilty?

03:52: Did you ask Ayn Rand‚'s opinion of your first book The Ominous Parallels before you published it? If so, why?

05:30: How does Objectivism view procrastination?

08:10: Is it wrong to wish, any time a new story about Hugo Chavez hits my news feed, that cancer would kill him ASAP?

09:22: For a while now I have been trying to write fiction, but somehow it always feels painful to sit down to write. I love fiction. Why is it so hard?

12:48: Where should one draw the line between trusting someone and taking something on faith? Edited by Forum Publisher
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Episode 204 - February 20, 2012



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01:08: Should one be concerned with what happens after one dies?

03:10: Since the morality of sacrifice is only attractive to those who have nothing to sacrifice, why does Galt present sacrifice as painful?

04:50: I personally like to play video games about one hour a day. Should I be spending that time doing productive work toward my long-term goal?

06:50: Is it rational to hold one‚'s romantic love-interest as more valuable to one‚'s self than one‚'s career?

08:12: Suppose that a candidate announces his ideas for next term. If people vote for that candidate are they morally responsible for what he does while in office?

10:26: Do you agree that 1984 by George Orwell is the first Objectivist novel?

12:12: Is it improper for an Objectivist to enjoy theme park rides, such as roller coasters, since the enjoyment occurs on a purely perceptual level? Edited by Forum Publisher
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