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Unofficial Index to Dr. Peikoff's Podcasts

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Episode 255 - February 11, 2013


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What, in your opinion, are the roots of the recent school shooting in Connecticut? Was it insanity or some form of nihilism? And is gun control an important part of the solution?

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Episode 256 - February 18, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Understanding the virtues of free trade, is it wrong to buy Chinese products that are made with slave labor? Should we as Objectivists encourage people not to have any dealings with China?

05:06: To YBrook: Is Israel a Theocracy because of its incomplete separation of church and state? What are the fundamental differences between the goals of Israeli Jews and the Islamic foes?

10:48: To YBrook: I've been studying Objectivism and topics of humanity for several years to help promote rational ideas. Now that the culture has turned for the worse, should I continue studying these topics and trying to change the culture? Is it hopeless?

13:06: To YBrook: Do honest, prominent liberals exist? Should we be focused more on bringing liberals over to the Objectivist cause?
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Episode 257 - February 25, 2013



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01:08: If you got away with cheating on a final exam, and got an A because of it, is it rational to turn yourself in, or should you enjoy your achievement?

03:16: Is it immoral to promote the reading of Ayn Rand's books to liberals by promoting them as a way of understanding her so they can defend themselves better against her ideas?

04:02: How crucial is silence for a mind to be able to concentrate? Can one learn to concentrate better in a relatively noisy environment?

06:26: Dr. Peikoff, will Objectivism die with you if you do not train a successor?

08:50: Is sex between a teacher and a student immoral if the student has achieved the age of consent?

12:02: If in the distant future a free, Objectivist society is established, and if time travel were possible, would Ayn Rand want to move to that future world?
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Episode 258 - March 04, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: If government officials come to your home to take your guns and property, do you have a right or obligation to stand against them? Or would it be immoral because it would be a guarantee of self-destruction?

02:10: To YBrook: Is it moral for the United States government to spend billions of dollars on relief for the victims of natural disasters?

05:54: To YBrook: Some economists are predicting the U.S. will have currency crisis in the near future. Do you believe they are correct?

10:50: To YBrook: Is it immoral to be friends with someone on food stamps?

12:56: To YBrook: A discussion about Ayn Rand and free markets.
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Episode 259 - March 11, 2013



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01:08: Should one endeavor to destroy religion or to live as if it never existed?

02:26: Dr. Peikoff, are you an expert in Objectivist philosophy?

07:18: Am I morally obligated to wait until a person has actually initiated physical force against me before I am morally allowed to defend myself?

09:34: Can the metaphysically given (i.e., reality itself, not anything man-made) prevent one from achieving rational happiness?

12:18: Why did you put all of the humorous remarks, particularly the self-deprecating ones, in The DIM Hypothesis preface?
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Episode 260 - March 18, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Did the concept of inalienable rights fail in America because it was given a mystical, Christian foundation?

03:40: To YBrook: If you felt compelled to expatriate, what are the top three countries you would consider and why?

07:00: To YBrook: If American descends into dictatorship, is there any where else in the world that has a chance? If so, why would American dictatorship spell doom for countries like New Zealand or Canada?

09:44: To YBrook: Did Ayn Rand ever discuss her views on the second amendment and gun control? What are your own views about what restrictions, if any, a proper government would place on ownership of handguns and other firearms?
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Episode 261 - March 25, 2013



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01:08: I've just finished reading Atlas Shrugged and I'm hanging on to Galt's advice to start, if necessary, from scratch. I'm 42 and have lived life as a second-hander. Is it too late to start over?

04:32: Is being spontaneous of any value to a rational man, or should he always follow a routine?

08:28: What are the moral implications of a family member discussing end-of-life decisions with a terminally ill relative, bringing up the inheritance and tax implications of his death?
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Episode 262 - April 01, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: What is the generic Objectivist reply to a big government liberal who uses the promote the general welfare clause of our constitution to justify things like welfare and Obamacare?

03:30: To YBrook: At the end of Atlas Shrugged the judge crossed out all of the contradictions in the ancient document and corrected it so that rights of the individual would not be violated. What contradictions was Ayn Rand referring to in the constitution? Why are they contradiction and what can we do to correct them in today's day and age?

10:22: To YBrook: A recent petition on the White House websites calls for the Westboro Baptist Church to be designated as a hate group. This is the church that planned to protest at the funeral for the Newtown victims. Would it be a violation of free speech to call in law enforcement to prevent further picketing by this church?

12:40: To YBrook: Is everything fair in love and war?
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Episode 263 - April 08, 2013



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01:08: Why did Cherryl Brooks commit suicide and was the act justified?

02:34: Who was the worst heckler you ever had to deal with during a lecture?

04:54: A year ago I got a job by lying, not about my qualifications but about my age, to conceal the number of years I was unemployed. I feel guilty about it. How immoral am I and should I come clean to my boss?

08:52: If Obama were to list his politics, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics, as Ayn Rand and other philosophers have done, would he still receive as much wide spread support?
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Episode 264 - April 15, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: At what point is it pertinent to start a revolution against a corrupt form of governance?

02:50: To YBrook: What would have happened if Barry Goldwater had won the 1964 presidential election against Lyndon Johnson?

05:12: To YBrook: In an Objectivist society, would other countries be able to pay us to protect them, as another source of income to the country?

06:10: To YBrook: Is it possible to be both an Objectivist and an anti-Zionist?

11:06: To YBrook: How should Benjamin Netanyahu deal with the following adversaries: Iran, Palestine, the Arab world of Barack Obama?
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Episode 265 - April 22, 2013


 
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01:08: Why did Ayn Rand not use profanity in her writing? What do you think of profanity?
 
02:40: When you taught philosophy courses at college what did you do when presenting ideas you rejected?
 
05:04: If one is raised religious and then comes to atheism, does he suffer any long-lasting harm that those raised atheist from childhood do not?
 
08:40: Is it possible to test a love-interest's metaphysics and epistemology before moving forward in a relationship?
 
12:18: After we broke up, my girlfriend told me that she had never found me sexually attractive. If this is true, did she ever really love me?
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Episode 266 - April 29, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: Why has there been a resurgence in Keynesianism?

04:08: To YBrook: In a free society the police, military and law courts are a legitimate form of government. How would salaries be determined in a free society?

07:10: To YBrook: Should we worry about the fact that other countries are subsidizing their imports?

10:54: To YBrook: As a Democrat who recently read Ayn Rand's fiction, how do I reconcile my philosophic ideas after being inspired by Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead?
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Episode 267 - May 06, 2013



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01:08: Is it irrational to value the looks or aesthetic attractiveness of a potential romantic partner more than his or her character and personal qualities?

06:10: What do you think of the saying, "wishing won‚'t make it so, but there is no harm in wishing"?

08:44: If you are an intellectual, is it immoral to be in a relationship with someone who is not an intellectual?
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Episode 268 - May 13, 2013



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00:40: To YBrook: I am being taught the standard historical story of The Great Depression in high school. Was FDR's New Deal bad for the economy? Are his policies still impacting us today?

05:38: To YBrook: Should discrimination laws be banned in business?

10:26: YBrook: Despite the Tea Party‚'s stance on economics in the world of government, how is it possible for Objectivists to support the Tea Party movement with all of its other flaws?

14:16: To YBrook: What is the most likely economic outcome for the United States?
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Episode 269 - May 20, 2013



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01:08: If Kant believed the stuff he wrote, why did he bother to write it? Why did he bother to breathe air, eat food, wear clothing, sleep, or move about?

04:24: My father, though a generous man, is irrational in his personal life and I do not respect him. Is it immoral to rely on his financial support?

08:00: By what criteria should the father of a teenage daughter determine whether to approve of her boyfriend?
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Episode 270 - May 27, 2013



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00:38: To YBrook: Should the government, in a free society, be prohibited from the purchase of a corporation if the owners of said corporation voluntarily agree to said purchase?

01:58: To YBrook: You've said that you are against animal rights. What if somebody decides to make an animal extinct, and as a result it destroys our ecosystem and all humans suffer or die? Is this a violation of our rights?

04:54: To YBrook: Based on the facts of our debt, isn't an imminent collapse of the U.S. economy inevitable?

09:14: To YBrook: How should an Objectivist react when being called a neoliberal?

10:20: To YBrook: Where does the government get its money from to keep running an ever increasing Leviathan?

11:52: To YBrook: Many free market capitalists are frustrated by inflation when the government prints more money. Do they fear deflation if the government prints too little?
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Episode 271 - June 03, 2013



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01:08: Does a rational man hold on to anger? How did Ayn Rand handle anger?

04:12: A girl I was dating broke up with me, but did it in a way to let me down gently and avoid hurting my feelings. Can this action be classified as a form of pity? If so, is my reaction of disgust with her morally justified?

07:06: What would the Dr. Peikoff of today tell the Dr. Peikoff of the 1980′s?

08:52: Is it rational for a man to stay with a woman who holds similar values to him, but who dislikes sex — not what it stands for, but the physical act itself?

11:26: What exactly is Dagny and Francisco‚'s relationship at the end of Atlas Shrugged? Is such a relationship realistically possible?
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Episode 272 - June 10, 2013


 
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00:40: To YBrook: Some Objectivists have strict adherence to gold. Disregarding money that isn't accepted by choice, or fiat money, is what constitutes money as a concept part of the Objectivist philosophy?
 
02:22: To YBrook: Would it be moral and rational for the U.S. to default on its debt as to not force future generations to repay it?
 
04:18: To YBrook: What is the explanation for the grotesque amount of anti-Semitism today?
 
09:02: To YBrook: What does Objectivism have to say about charging usury or interest?
 
10:28: To YBrook: What do you think about Australia as an alternative to America?
 
12:00: YBrook: Do you believe Totalitarianism is a sustainable model, or will it eventually collapse into laissez-faire capitalism?
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Episode 273 - June 17, 2013



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01:48: Is it wrong of me to want my girlfriend not to wear certain articles of clothing in public when I'm not present?

05:50: Why did Kira in We the Living kiss statues in the park?

06:30: A teenage son of a billionaire has taken to posting pictures of himself doing incredibly wasteful things with his parents' money. Is this immoral?

08:22: Why does a Toohey or an Iago do what he does? What spiritual reward does he get from his actions?

11:40: In The Fountainhead, Roark says that a yes once given to a value can never be revoked. But what if what was once a value ceases to be one?
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Episode 274 - June 24, 2013



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00:42: To YBrook: Is capitalism a form of mixed economy? Or is this definition false?

04:10: To YBrook: Would it be right to designate America a financier of terrorism because it aids Arab countries in terms of giving them actual dollars or giving the military hardware?

06:18: To YBrook: How long should the duration of copyright last?

07:52: To YBrook: Do you think there is a link between anti-Semitism and nihilism?

11:06: To YBrook: Why does paper money have any value?
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Episode 275 - July 01, 2013



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01:10: What's the difference between telling a lie and keeping a secret?

05:32: Is it necessary to know sadness in order to know happiness? Can one exist without the other?

08:22: In order to assess the moral character of others, talk show host Dennis Prager asks the question, "If you come across your dog and a stranger hanging off a cliff, which would you save?" Who would the Objectivist save?

10:42: An author I never knew in person, but deeply admired, passed away. The news hit me harder than even the death of some of my relatives. Is there something wrong with me?

13:00: Why did Ayn Rand include children among the dead in the Taggart tunnel disaster? Is it moral for children to be punished because of the belief of their parents?
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Episode 276 - July 08, 2013


 
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00:42: To YBrook: Do new corporations, like LLC and LLP, contradict Objectivism because the limited liability they offer to their shareholders is granted to them by state action?
 
03:50: To YBrook: What do you think about the theory of Mathematically Perfected Economy?
 
07:00: To YBrook: What is the proper moral perspective on prison farms?
 
08:00: To YBrook: What are the intellectual or financial payoffs for conspiracy theories?
 
11:38: To YBrook: Should doctors have a right to force Jehovah's Witnesses to accept blood transfusions?
 
12:54: To YBrook: If everyone was an Objectivist, who would do the intellectually unredeeming jobs, like cleaning toilets?
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Episode 277 - July 15, 2013



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01:08: If you have a boss who has a tendency to blame you for things that are his or someone else's fault, and you will need a reference from him in a future job search, how can you deal with this properly but not become blacklisted?

04:38: When you are in a committed relationship, how much flirting with people other than your spouse is healthy? Is it still okay to engage in sex talk or more than friendly emotional involvement?

07:18: What is your view of a new birthing trend called lotus birth?

09:22: I recently read a story about a college football player who gave up his final year and later career so he could be a bone marrow transplant donor for a complete stranger. What is your opinion of this?

11:56: If the existence of free will means that the future is uncertain, then does that imply I cannot be certain now of what my own future actions will be?
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Episode 278 - July 22, 2013



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00:42: To YBrook: What claim, if any, do beneficiaries have to assets which are left by a direct ancestor, but there is no will?

02:26: To YBrook: What are you thoughts about the late Margaret Thatcher?

06:20: To YBrook: What is your view on the fact that sex offenders, after released from prison, are put on a registry that is available to the public?

08:46: To YBrook: Is there any way to interpret the election results of last November in a way that doesn't indicate the almost-end of the American sense of life?

11:10: To YBrook: In a desperate situation, like an arms race, would it be morally justified to demand taxes?

12:12: To YBrook: I recently read an article that urged the United States to establish relationships with North Korea similar to the ones the US did with China under Nixon and Vietnam under Clinton. Was it a good idea then? Is it a good idea now?
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Episode 279 - July 29, 2013



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01:10: Is it immoral to have a sexual relationship with someone whom you've broken up with and no longer love?

03:30: Recently the CEO of a clothing retailer for high school age kids stated that his brand did not carry plus-size clothes, because he does not want overweight people to be associated with his brand. Is this attitude rational?

05:16: You seem to disapprove of boasting. Why?

09:40: Did Ayn Rand ever communicate ideas to you that you only later came fully to understand and apply?
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