A 15-minute discussion of Ayn Rand's philosophy, posted every other Monday on www.Peikoff.com. Leonard Peikoff is a PhD in philosophy and a longtime teacher and writer; he was designated by Ayn Rand as her legal and intellectual heir. In the show, Peikoff reads a batch of philosophical questions emailed to him and methodically answers them.
The material includes a large range of topics. Some recent ones were: Why do you reject Republicans? Is it proper for teenagers to have sex when they are not in love? Why did Ayn Rand smoke? If physical reality is independent of our mind, how come our mind can move our body? What is your position on tattoos? Why should ethics consist of anything besides the injunction not to initiate force? If we trade with China, are we helping it to become capitalist or entrenching its Communist leadership? Isn't the "Green Movement" more dangerous to freedom than Christianity? What did Ayn Rand think of our dropping of the atomic bombs in 1945? What rights if any do children have? If one takes atheism seriously, can he still be happily married to a Christian who takes her religion just as seriously? Was Ayn Rand's love of Rachmaninoff's music diminished by her knowledge of his neurosis? Would Mother Theresa have been happier if she had stopped being a missionary and become instead an Ayn Rand-type CEO? If I am only 17 is it proper to lie about my ideas to my wrong-headed and vindictive parents?
As the above indicates, Peikoff for the most part selects fresh questions, ones that have not been extensively discussed before in the Objectivist literature.
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