Unofficial Index to Dr. Leonard Peikoff's Podcasts

Although Dr. Peikoff does read and respond to the questions listed below in this index, he has not reviewed this index. Nor has Dr. Yaron Brook.

The title for each episode is a link to the full episode page for that podcast on Dr. Peikoff's website. The time marks, with a few exceptions, link to the single question pages on Dr. Peikoff's website. If a time mark is not a link, then the question to its right is inside brackets and has been transcribed or paraphrased from the podcasts - the response can be found in the full episode of the podcast at that time mark.

Also inside brackets are key words, phrases, comments or questions, added to aid in searching this index. With minor editing for minor errors, all of the questions not in brackets have been copied from Dr. Peikoff's site.

Episode 006 - January 07, 2008
		Group discussion at the Ayn Rand Institutein California
01:22		I am a student. If I become a fiction writer, won’t Ihave to surrender the possibility of ever being number one inmy field?
04:04		Is a non-interventionist, isolationist foreign policy the rational solution to America’s problem with the Middle-East and Islamic fundamentalism?
07:32		Is it possible for a person to act in the absence of any emotional impetus to take that action? [Role of Emotions.]
08:54		What is your opinion of Objectivist clubs and advocacygroups on the internet?
13:24		[Yaron Brook gives his views on the above question.]

Episode 007 - January 22, 2008
		Group discussion at the Ayn Rand Institutein California
01:10		How can Objectivism be objective when it says the primary purpose of any man’s life is productive work? What aboutMother Teresa? [Primary purpose of life.]
04:52		Is it a moral crime to purchase the work of artists whooppose your core values?
08:12		[What is the distinction between the previous response and pragmatism.]
10:12		What is the difference between “hate” and “despise,” and when is it proper to experience either?
12:14		What is Objectivism’s view on road ownership andmandatory auto insurance?
14:26		When you refer to a dictionary for word definitions, which published edition of a dictionary do you rely on?

Episode 008 - January 28, 2008
		Group discussion at the Ayn Rand Institute in California
01:12		A discussion of the Objectivist view of the primacy of existence. [Metaphysics]
04:52		Who is the musician that you play at the beginning of your podcasts?
06:40		Can music be classified as Objectivist music?
10:22		A discussion of Ayn Rand’s definition of plot.
12:48		Is it better to put creative work aside when one is confronting a serious emotional upheaval?

Episode 009 - February 25, 2008
		Group discussion at the Ayn Rand Institute in California
01:26		My parents don’t know that I am an atheist. Am I being hypocritical if I pray at the dinner table and go to church so that they don’t know?
05:18		I have the idea in my mind that as one grows old they become super weak, fragile, sick and depressing. How do you do it? Give me details.
07:24		What is the difference between love and rational sex?
11:44		Is there a difference between embracing and integrating Objectivist ideas or concepts and getting rid of the pragmatic way of looking?concepts and getting rid of the pragmatic way of looking?'

Episode 010 - March 10, 2008
		Group discussion at the Ayn Rand Institutein California
02:04		How would you reply to someone who grants that the economy should be free and individual rights absolute, but doubts whether men of flesh, blood, cunning, and force could ever practically create and sustain such a system?
05:14		What is existence?
07:00		Do great works of art, such as those of Homer, Hugo or Atlas Shrugged, tend to inspire philosophical movements or is it the reverse?
09:46		Why is Ayn Rand not taken seriously in many modernintellectual circles?
11:54		[How would you account though for the growing respect that she is getting among some philosophers and some scholars like Dr. Tara Smith, the increased interest in the ideas and the respect they are getting?]
14:00		Do you think that the surrender of property to the socialist government with no recourse to the court is better than having to tolerate religious babble of politicians that will not translate into law or hold up when finally put to trial in court? [Democrats and Republicans.]

Episode 011 - March 24, 2008
00:54		Does a John Galt exists in the real world?
02:40		How is Objectivism not considered hedonistic when happiness is just a state of emotional pleasure?
04:46		A response to Bill Gates recent statement about capitalism: “A kinder, gentler capitalism.”
05:54		To what extent is there such a thing as a fully evil genius, someone who’s fully committed to using his mind for evil?
08:02		[In relation to the previous response, what about Kant?]
09:28		What is art to an intellectual but non-academic person who doesn’t have values that he needs to see concretized in reality?
13:10		[Is sense of life forming from the moment of birth, and can it be changed as an adult? Where would you begin?]
15:30		[Moral but miserable.]

Episode 012 - April 07, 2008
00:54		How would an Objectivist look at pursuing a job slightly less fulfilling but with higher monetary reward? Would that be a sacrifice of values or just the recognition that one requiresmoney to lead a decent life?
05:24		[What is the point of the work ethics anymore? Is it really advisable to be ambitious anymore?]
07:48		[Induction by simple enumeration vs. Mill's method of agreement and difference.]
12:36		[Ethical correctness of concierge medicine.]

Episode 013 - April 21, 2008
		One on one conversation with KevinDelaney.
00:54		What is the purpose of philosophy?
02:10		Is part of the purpose of philosophy or the study of philosophy to make you a deeper thinker?
02:52		How would you characterize a philosophically minded person?
04:06		Is a study of at least the fundamentals of philosophy necessary for everybody?
05:42		Is there any particular level of intelligence required in order to understand Objectivism?
07:20		Can a person be properly called an Objectivist if he agrees with the philosophy but fails to apply to his life?
08:46		What if anything does a person owe his parents?
10:36		In Galt’s speech, why did Miss Rand choose to write, “higher than reality,” vs. “lower than reality”?
12:54		Can it ever be appropriate for a human being to feel emotions of love or compassion toward an animal?

Episode 014 - May 05, 2008
00:54		Is it immoral for a single, professional soldier to seek sex as a release for momentary pleasure considering that long-range relationship isn’t possible and early death is possible? [Dr. Peikoff comments about sex in emergency contexts such as in the bomb shelters in London during WWII.]
04:30		Can a gay person be a true Objectivist? [Homosexuality and Choice]
08:22		How does Objectivism accommodate the human desire for transcendence?
10:18		What is the basis for the rights of children, and how do these rights follow from an ethics of egoism?
12:34		Is it a crime for a parent not to care for her child?
14:00		Do you enjoy the works of author Frederic Brown?

Episode 015 - May 19, 2008
00:54		What is the root cause of the business practice of mediocrity?
04:32		Should an Objectivist pursue a serious romantic relationship with a Christian?
09:52		If each parent holds the right to raise their child as they see fit, who’s rights prevail when the two parents of the child disagree?
13:06		To what extent can an individual voluntarily relinquish his rights?
14:48		[Follow-up question: How would you evaluate mixed martial arts?]
15:50		[Dr. Peikoff continues: You might say, "Well, is suicide then wrong because you're voluntarily relinquishing your rights?"]
16:20		Is there a difference between the principle of self-ownership and the principle of individual rights?

Episode 016 - May 26, 2008
00:54		If five people are in an emergency room dying, and one healthy person in the waiting room could save them all if we used his organs, is it morally permissible to do this even though he’ll die?
04:06		Is Ayn Rand’s love for the music of composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, in any way diminished or compromised by virtue of insecurities he harbored over his music? [Esthetics]
06:40		If a person holds the right standard of self-esteem is it still possible to feel a lack of self-esteem as a result of psychological or psycho-epistemological thinking problems?
08:40		[Nadia Comaneci and Tom Brady]
10:40		Do you see any philosophical reason why artificial intelligence must be impossible, or is it purely a technical question?
12:38		Did determinism hold true on this planet until humans obtained their volitional capacity? [Animals and Free Will]

Episode 017 - June 02, 2008
00:54		What do you think about treason?
04:08		[Follow-up question on treason in relation to war.]
05:42		When if ever is it moral for a government to torture itsenemy?
07:24		If it is moral to use torture at all, how could you limit the government to only using this power in an emergencysituation?
09:10		What would you recommend as the best way for a post-college man to retrain himself to a conceptual, principled way of thinking?
09:58		How would an Objectivist justify pursuing a career as a soldier, police officer, etc.?
10:54		Did Ayn Rand ever regret using the kind of provocative tone that may have made it harder for some people to warm up to her philosophy?
13:16		Isn’t reproduction a source of values in its own rightjust as your individual life?
15:00		If two people are engaged in physical activity such as sex, and one person has a heart attack during the activity, is the healthy person violating the injured person’s rights by not seeking help for the injured person?

Episode 018 - June 16, 2008
01:12		A discussion about the military and how it’s currently being run.
05:18		What did Ayn Rand mean when she used the term “heroic being” in describing her concept of man?
08:28		How can Objectivists claim to know that there is no afterlife?
11:46		Is the ability as a human being to think in abstract principles the single most powerful attribute one could everpossess?
13:04		Did Ayn Rand ever comment on or use any psychotropic substances such as marijuana or LSD?
15:26		What would Ayn Rand say about immigration for Mexicans?

Episode 019 - June 30, 2008
00:54		Would it be morally acceptable, according to Objectivism, to purchase stock in tobacco companies?
03:38		Does divorce traumatize and scar children to the extent to being a valid argument against divorce?
06:12		How can existence have primacy over consciousness if existence is everything that exists and therefore includes consciousness?
08:14		What is the definition of “Objectivist” as a noun referring to a person?
12:08		Does Objectivism say anything about the immortality of the soul?
14:30		What are your recommended translations of Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ Antigone?

Episode 020 - July 07, 2008
00:54		To what degree should a men let the woman he is romantically interested in know of his interest?
04:10		What is the rational basis for the laws against compelling a person to incriminate himself?
06:38		Does the usage of the phrase, “drink the kool-aid,” trivialize mass suicide?
07:42		Is there a proper government role in regard to a minor marrying, even assuming the parents consent?
10:50		How far does the right of self-defense go?
13:54		From time to time I reach a point where I can’t take the state of the world anymore. I listen to your tapes and feel better. What do you listen to?

Episode 021 - July 14, 2008
00:54		Is government intervention in business ever justifiable for environmental purposes?
04:32		Is it possible to learn to desire someone, to create a desire from love when it does not come spontaneously?
10:32		Can reading Ayn Rand ever be escapism rather than legitimate refueling? [Sex in bomb shelters.]
12:54		Is it immoral to not help a complete stranger in a matter of life and death if you don’t think it’s a valuable investment of your time and effort?

Episode 022 - July 21, 2008
		Excerpt from a Q&A session held by Dr. Peikoff on July 2 of the Objectivist summer conference in New Port Beach, California.
05:42		With regard to people who, acting on Ragnar’s imperative, fail to file their personal income tax return, do they help or hurt Objectivism?
07:20		What kind of fiction are you reading these days, Dr. Peikoff?
08:40		Why have Objectivists not established a program to challenge current government practices? [The Constitution andPhilosophy]
11:28		Do you think that any attempt to do a DIM analysis in the field of music would first require the development of what Miss Rand had described in “Art and Cognition” as the appropriate esthetic principles which would serve as the base of the objective validation of esthetic judgment within music?
12:50		Is environmentalism turning America more towards the society depicted in Anthem?
14:20		What should be done to bring about change in the culture?
15:18		What is the significance of John Galt saying to Dagny Taggart at the end of Atlas Shrugged, “Don’t lookdown”?
16:34		Why do Objectivists not mention Ayn Rand in social situations?

Episode 023 - July 28, 2008
00:54		Why did Ayn Rand give Howard Roark orange-red hair?
01:58		What kind of commitment does it take to master Objectivism as a tool for living a just and happy life? [Philosophy for Rearden vs. philosophy for Akston]
06:46		Where can a child desperate over the state of the world and with no heroes find hope and solace?
11:52		If the modern scientific consensus says there is a beginning point to the universe, doesn’t this put our understanding of the axiom of existence into a contradiction with the widely accepted big bang theory?

Episode 024 - August 04, 2008
00:54		Can someone who is inherently non-conceptual correct this as an adult?
03:40		What’s wrong with a government ban on smoking?
07:14		To understand something you need to rely on your own experience and culture. Does this mean that it is impossible to have objective knowledge?
09:14		A discussion on treason during non-wartime. [Dr. Peikoff defined treason in the context of war in Episode 017.]
12:10		What is a contextual absolute?
14:20		In Ayn Rand’s definition of capitalism, she says that all property is privately owned. Is that really true?

Episode 025 - August 11, 2008
		Excerpt from a Q&A session held by Dr. Peikoff on July 2 of the Objectivist summer conference in New Port Beach, California.
00:54		Why are there fewer women Objectivists than men?
04:06		Can one have a happy retirement past the age of 70 while existing off past productivity with no attempt at new productivity?
06:32		What is the role of philosophy in history and its influencenow?
08:40		How does Objectivism approach the arguably collective problem of polluting externalities of industries and governments of multi-national corporations as an attempt to promote development and innovation at the same time
11:06		What do you hope to achieve with your podcasts, and where do you see it going in the future?
12:54		Should theoretical, scientific research be guided byapplication?
14:14		Dr. Peikoff identifies his favorites in each of the following genres: novel, play, painting, sculpture and song.
15:40		Are gays over-represented in Objectivism?

Episode 026 - August 18, 2008
00:54		Do you disagree with Aristotle’s ‘Doctrine of the Mean’?
04:06		Should we, who are alive as a consequence of evil, wish not to have been born because of the evil that made our birth possible?
08:06		What moral incentive does a terminally ill patient have to continue to respect the rights of other individuals?
11:26		What do you think of the campaign to add “None of the above” as one of the choices on the ballot, with the idea that if more than 50 percent of the voters choose it, then the candidates are not allowed to run?
12:34		You’ve said that philosophy deals with fundamental issues which can be answered by men at anytime and any state of knowledge’ yet Ayn Rand said herself that her idea, that man’s means of survival is reason, could not have been reached prior to the Industrial Revolution. How do you reconcile this?’”

Episode 027 - August 25, 2008
		Excerpt from a Q&A session held by Dr. Peikoff on July 2 of the Objectivist summer conference in New Port Beach, California.
01:10		Is part of Ayn Rand’s validation of Objectivist ethics in conflict with modern biology?
04:16		How is Dr. Peikoff’s book, DIM, going?
08:10		What is there still to study within Objectivism, within philosophy?
09:54		[A questioner asks about what he thinks to be an asymmetry in the categories in Dr. Peikoff's DIM hypothesis.]
11:16		Is there anything that you would write differently if you were writing Ominous Parallels today?
13:22		What you think the goal of education is, and also, how does that goal connect to the intrinsic or extrinsic motivation of children?

Episode 028 - September 01, 2008
00:54		Is purchasing sex from prostitutes wrong if your motive is just to get physical pleasure, and perhaps some degree of intellectual pleasure from conversation?
02:24		Is it possible for a whore to develop and have a heart of gold, meaning a selfishly idealistic and loving spirit?
03:42		Is or is not the absence of evidence an evidence of absence?
06:00		Can someone be the kind of man that Howard Roark or John Galt was and still believe in God?
08:10		Why does Howard Roark say on the yacht that he would sacrifice his life for that of Gail Wynand?
09:20		There is strong evidence that there is a correlation between religious faith and health. So, can it be argued it’s within our selfish interest to hold religious faith for better health?
13:00		Why does Howard Roark say on the yacht that he would sacrifice his life for that of Gail Wynand?
14:06		Are people who first read Ayn Rand’s non-fiction work more likely to become lasting intellectuals vs. reading her fiction work first?

Episode 029 - September 08, 2008
		Excerpt from a Q&A session held by Dr.Peikoff on July 2 of the Objectivist summer conference in NewPort Beach, California.
00:54		Did Ayn Rand ever talk to you about why she admired Carmine’s music so much?
03:10		How does one recognize altruism and pragmatism?
05:26		Dr. Peikoff tells of his favorite episode of the Twilight Zone.
07:08		What did Ayn Rand think about the theory of evolution, and is the Objectivist ethics based on it?
07:44		Why was there an Aristotelian revival in the Latin church but rejected in the Greek church?
08:14		Is it proper to ask for a reason why one should live, for something that is motivating this choice?
09:32		What kinds of lies are appropriate to protect one’s privacy?
11:56		Can you share the most memorable and pleasant moments that you had with Ayn Rand?
12:40		What is your opinion on the recent decision about immunities for the telecom companies?

Episode 030 - September 15, 2008
		Excerpt from a Q&A session held by Dr. Peikoff on July 2 of the Objectivist summer conference in New Port Beach, California.
01:06		In the title, Atlas Shrugged, is the word “shrugged” a verb or an adjective?
01:54		Once a mind is in focus, is the choice to remain that way motivated?
02:56		Who are the ‘low-lying fruit’ in accepting Objectivism, and what’s the best way to reach them?
04:46		Have your observations about the transitional periods between D's and M's in history, been characterized by the rise of false defenders, like capitalism?
07:42		How did Ayn Rand approach mind-altering pharmaceuticals, narcotics, and psychedelics?
08:52		What do you think about a woman who makes more money than her man but still expects him to support her?
10:08		Is it morally permissible to approvingly quote the work of a person one knows to be immoral and dishonest, or would that constitute a sanction of that evil?

Episode 031 - September 29, 2008
00:54		I’m experiencing a conflict between what I want and what is practical. I want to write fiction and I also don’t want to worry about money. What should I do? [Career Choice]
05:00		Would Howard Roark look back on his decision to build the Cordlandt Homes and say to himself, I made an error in judgment?
06:16		At the end of The Fountainhead, Gail says that he is building the last skyscraper ever to be built. He was a smart man; how did he not realize that the world still had hope when Roark won the case?
07:40		After examining personal paintings from Keating, Roark informs Keating that it is too late, and Keating assents. Why does Roark say it’s too late?’ [The questioner goes on to say that Dr. Peikoff said in some lecture that even if one is 80 or 90 one has the chance to rethink one's errors and startagain.]
10:30		The Fountainhead… Gus Webb tells Toohey that he’s an incurable specimen of the intelligentsia, that’s all he is, that he’s not the man of the future. Does this contradict Ayn Rand’s notes where she says, with regard to communism, that it “places among single individuals, Toohey at the top of the human pyramid”?
11:50		Is there no present tense? [Augustine]
13:44		What do you think of debates where students are preassigned to argue for or against an issue regardless of it’s meritsand their beliefs?

Episode 032 - October 13, 2008
00:54		How can the average laymen, who doesn’t have time for hours of research, be sure they are being objective in what they believe they know about history from reading history books today?
03:40		Is Kant a criminal or not? Could he have been prosecuted for fraud for advocating, saying he is for reason when he is really for irrationalism and destruction?
07:02		In a proper society should it be illegal merely to advocate the initiation of the use of force?
08:50		[Could Kant have foreseen or intended the harmful consequences of his ideas?]
10:32		Once you are in focus and aware of the value of grasping reality, might that not be an antecedent factor motivating one to remain in focus? [Choice to Focus]
12:46		If I knew that I only had one week to live and I decided to steal some money so that I could live it up for one week, would it be moral? [Morality and emergency or life-boat situations.]

Episode 033 - October 20, 2008
00:54		Dr. Peikoff, for whom will you vote for the presidentialelection this November 2008, and why?
04:14		At what moment does the mass of cells, the fetus, go from having no right to human rights? [Abortion]
06:20		Is it morally wrong to quote approvingly a theoretical work from a person one knows to be dishonest and immoral?
09:22		In regard to Bill Gates… how far should the morality of a businessman affect your transactions with him?
10:56		Should Canadian doctor’s spend more time examining patients vs. spending 3-5 minutes on symptoms and then prescribing medication?
14:06		What would be the ethical way to decide ownership of property on newly discovered land? [The Homestead Act in 19th century United States]

Episode 034 - October 27, 2008
00:54		Did Ayn Rand ever act irrationally?
02:46		Should parents be obligated to provide an education for their children?
05:16		What right does a parent have to alter a child’s body?
07:30		Do Objectivists believe that unless a child is dying, a parent has the right to raise him without government intervention?
09:26		if a man sacrifices an animal to a supposed god, is he not sacrificing a lesser value, the animal, for the acceptance of a greater value, which is the approval of the god? [Motivated does not equal non-sacrificial.]
11:28		If Objectivism holds that we live in a predictable, clock-work, reality, and rejects dualism, does this mean that our material brains comprise our entire consciousness?
13:16		Would a properly delimited government have allies, in the sense of other countries?

Episode 035 - November 03, 2008
00:54		Dr. Peikoff, what are some of your favorite movies and why?
03:34		What should be considered when choosing a country to live in?
05:00		Is lying okay to protect your privacy?
06:28		How do you evaluate the action of a woman who knows that tests show her fetus has a high probability of downs syndrome, yet carries it to full term?
09:12		Should choosing a sperm donor that will make your child deaf be criminalized?
10:24		Can one be a true Objectivist and be a good parent, or isn’t good parenting really altruistic?
11:22		If sexual orientation is not a choice then why isn’t itan instinct?
13:00		Is there a legal responsibility or moral obligation for the owner of an animal in it’s treatment? What role can the government take, if any, to ensure that these despicable acts do not take place?
14:18		How would Objectivists answer the phrase, “What would John Galt do”?

Episode 037 - November 24, 2008
00:44		Man has been defined as the rational animal, but how about the higher primates, like chimps and gorillas, who have demonstrated the capacity to reason?
03:12		What are your thoughts on California Proposition 8 which states that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized?
05:00		Not a question, but an interesting clipping that shows what happens when skeptics crusade for a cause.
07:34		How can you say the universe is eternal?
08:44		Does giving away your own wealth, as long as no sacrifice to yourself, break any tenets of Objectivism or ofcapitalism?
10:50		A linguistic question: Are humanism and individualism incompatible?
12:22		[Does Dr. Peikoff offer any help for organizing discussion groups for any of his lectures?]
13:00		Private, for-profit organizations, deliver superior products than do not-for-profit, amateur, government, or volunteer organizations, in virtually all aspects of life. For a top-notch, sexual experience, therefore, why shouldn’t someone engage a professional?

Episode 039 - December 08, 2008
00:44		Is it a rational attitude to like someone but not want to date this person because he does not make very much money?
02:20		How can Alan Greenspan go from writing “Gold and Economic Freedom” to being such a corrupt and intellectually dishonest statist?
06:58		Why do so many people who were once involved in Objectivism end up betraying everything the philosophy stands for?
08:52		Have you ever met anyone who describes himself as both an Objectivist and religious?
10:32		In one of Obama’s speeches, he makes the point that, “Some have made selfishness a virtue, and so I am a bad person for wanting to share my toys when I was in kindergarten”. Do you agree that this is a not-so-valid attack on Ayn Rand?
12:34		What is the difference between a wish and a whim?
13:54		Should the government be able to give private companies money for research and development, because without the government money we wouldn’t have all the technological wonders of the electronic age?

Episode 041 - December 22, 2008
00:44		Was McCain being stupid and self-sacrificial in refusing to be let go from his Vietnamese captors, on the grounds that he would be leaving others behind, and didn’t want special treatment for being the son of an admiral?
02:32		Is it easier to influence the culture today compared to 2000 years ago or 300 years ago?
06:20		Is it wrong to participate in acts of pure self-indulgence, be it drugs, alcohol, sex, or otherwise?
08:32		If I am a committed Objectivist, and other people know it, is it wrong to tell them that I am religious?
10:24		Is there a moral obligation to call for help if you see someone in a car accident or experiencing a heart attack?
11:42		Isn’t it a violation of property rights for the government to forbid the use and sale of drugs such as cocaine and marihuana?
12:46		Is it acceptable to say that morality is warranted by the law of causality?
13:40		Is the arbitrary a subset of the possible, or is it something separate?

Episode 046 - January 26, 2009
00:44		[The PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life poll found 92% of Americans believe in God, and this is in conspicuous contrast with the support of religion in Europe.]
02:12		[Why are Americans so much more religious than Europeans? Will this difference affect the political future of thetwo?]
03:22		What steps did you, Dr. Peikoff, take to overcome your early rationalist tendency?
08:30		What is the deeper source of “be good for goodness sake”?
11:42		When is sexual exclusivity in a romantic relationship a rational choice?

Episode 048 - February 09, 2009
00:44		Is it okay to take a job that goes against a product or campaign that you don’t support?
03:06		What is your opinion on Stoicism? [Failure of Nerve]
04:24		[Question about Epicurus and his claim that free will was the result of atoms that causelessly swerve.]
05:44		Is swearing on the Bible in court, despite non-belief, an appropriate lie?
06:44		Is it irrational for an actor or director to enter into pornography and if so, is it irrational to watch pornography?
10:58		Should binding arbitration services and private security companies be legal?
12:30		A hypothetical scenario: My wife is extremely sick. She is my greatest value, but she will die within 24 hours if I do not acquire a certain medicine for her. Is it moral to steal the medicine if need be?
15:48		If you were to write up a constitution, knowing all you know of the vulnerabilities of our current one, what would you change?

Episode 049 - February 16, 2009
00:44		[Announcement: 1) Objectively Speaking, edited by Marlene Podritske and Peter Schwartz, is now available, and 2) coming soon: podcast on why America is so much more religious than Europe.]
03:02		How far may the government go to protect minors from parent’s negligence?
08:48		Isn’t Dagny too strong a person to fall in love, because that would mean she is dependent on another person?
13:30		A correction to a previous podcast answer about Objective journalism.

Episode 051 - March 02, 2009
00:48		What is the moral value of masturbation?
04:40		What should one do if asked to be a bridesmaid in a wedding, but feels uncomfortable with the religious aspects ofthis honor?
06:46		Can a voluntarily, morbidly obese person consider himself or herself an Objectivist?
09:56		Can a person evade without knowing they are doing so?
11:22		What emotionally equivalent phrase can be used as an alternative to “You’re in my prayers”?
14:14		If smoking is an attempt on life and you have the right to protect your own life, should you also have the right to report smokers to the police even if in a public place?

Episode 053 - March 16, 2009
00:44		How should one deal with Christian parents who say unless you repent you are doomed to hell?
04:28		Was Hank Rearden’s extra-marital affair with Dagny Taggart a violation of Objectivism?
06:54		Can you explain Ayn Rand’s view on death? [Badger Clark's The Westerner.]
10:14		When I am watching beautiful women in a movie, I am enjoying myself; therefore, I need no other validation. On the other hand, I feel that I am envying something I do not have, and should instead go out and find an actual woman that fulfills the same desires. Which is right?
11:48		How can two different political parties look at the same facts but interpret them differently, and seemingly come up with two different opposing realities?
15:32		If the universe is eternal and infinity doesn’t exist, isn’t the universe actually infinite because there is not beginning and end?

Episode 054 - March 23, 2009
00:44		Elaborate on your statement that Plato and Aristotle may not have been possible without Homer and Sophocles.
04:46		Why does the onus of proof principle not apply equally to negatives?
08:22		If not the government, who should be responsible for infrastructure, like roads, traffic lights, bridges, etc.?
09:32		If government requires payment for its services, would those who choose freely not to pay for government services not have their inalienable rights protected?
12:32		What is the justification of voting?
14:52		[Are government grants for scientific researchhandouts?]

Episode 055 - March 30, 2009
00:45		Is a man acting immorally if he loves his girlfriend or wife, but masturbates to imagined sexual scenes with other women in his mind?
03:56		Is it appropriate for a free government to help its free citizens during an emergency?
05:24		If a being was so intelligent that the correct course of action was always clear, would that not be like a force too strong to resist, effectively negating its freewill?
07:46		Did Ayn Rand intend for her statement that life is a process of self-sustaining and self-generated action, to be a description or definition of the concept of life?
09:44		Is it okay for poets to do nothing if they want, no matter how the world is collapsing?
10:34		Can anger be a good response if it is a self-assertive emotional reaction to an injustice?
13:22		[Other than Ayn Rand's and his own, what are Dr. Peikoff's five "must-read" books?]
15:13		[What is the name of the virtue by which one acts to gain and or keep health, an objective value?]

Episode 056 - April 06, 2009
00:44		After Dominique comes to Roark for the first time, why does Roark tell Dominique that he wouldn’t want her if she didn’t want to destroy him?
01:50		In Ayn Rand’s theory, the meaning of a concept is what it refers to. In other words it’s denotation. What then about the connotation? How can a concept which is denoted, also have a connotation?
04:42		If you, Dr. Peikoff, were in Barack Obama’s shoes on January 20th 2009, what would be your first three actions as president?
05:56		My boyfriend has a professional job that I respect, but he is not furthering his career because he is comfortable. I’m not happy with this. What do you think?
10:16		To what extent can people be friends if they are very competitive with each other?
14:00		Is borrowing or lending books immoral since the author is then not paid for the book?
16:20		Would it be immoral to wear an Ayn Rand T-shirt or use her image?

Episode 058 - April 20, 2009
00:44		Why didn’t Ayn Rand like Senator McCarthy?
02:50		Marriage is a contract and every contract is enforced by the state. Is it therefore wrong to get married, since you would be using the power of the state against your loved one?
05:06		Why is “supply and demand” considered a law like the law of gravity? Doesn’t this imply that it is outside the realm of human control?
07:20		There seems to be a desire among Objectivists to pin the status of romanticism and heroics onto art which is not romantic, and onto people who are not heroic. What are your views on the subject of Objectivists being too free to describe movies that they like as romantic?
13:40		Are some rationalists repulsed by the human body and experience sex as a vice because of an evasion of facts?

Episode 059 - April 27, 2009
00:44		Is it true that there is a tendency among Objectivists to discount the importance of art and read non-fiction over fiction?
04:20		Is it ever proper for a person such as Richard Halley or Hank Rearden to pursue a “philosophy for Akston”?
06:40		Are all men equal? If not, is there any rational basis for believing that all men should adhere to the same code of morality?
08:42		Is your book, The DIM Hypothesis, a theory that needs a real technical knowledge, or can it be grasped by a general level of knowledge?
11:10		Is it possible to play and enjoy different pieces of music from different eras based on different senses of life?
14:12		What do you think about trade embargoes, and how do they fit in with the concept of free trade?

Episode 060 - May 04, 2009
00:50		How do you distinguish honest from dishonest people?
04:50		What is your take on learning about history or the social sciences in comparison with the hard sciences of physics and chemistry?
07:20		Ayn Rand, in Atlas Shrugged, said that courage is the virtue of being true to existence, and confidence is being true to one’s own consciousness. How do you justify this?
09:10		Is it true that one can only dismiss a statement as being arbitrary if its being true would involve a contradiction in reality?
11:20		What is your view today on socialized medicine?
15:05		Since Galt’s Gulch doesn’t actually exist, or I haven’t yet received my invitation, is it fair to say that Objectivism in practice is not absolute?

Episode 061 - May 11, 2009
00:50		How far does the word “sacrifice” go?
03:18		How can an Objectivists live ethically in the western world when paying taxes involuntarily is immoral, and avoiding taxes is illegal?
05:12		[California's Proposition 1A]
05:50		If possible for a state to secede from a corrupt United States, would it be right?
07:00		How does the growth of technology in the last sixty years correlate with the continued growth of evil philosophy and religion which has taken place at the same time?
09:50		Is there a rational basis for not being comfortable with public nudity?

Episode 062 - May 18, 2009
00:50		If one is living under a totalitarian dictatorship, which of the following is moral? [Multiple choice question.]
01:50		Is it wrong for a musician who is an atheist to accept money to play at a religious service?
03:48		What are your thoughts on tenure?
08:30		Why don’t you, Dr. Peikoff, describe on your website the content of each podcast and thereby make it more valuable?
10:30		Is it right to mold my girlfriend into believing what I believe so we can then get married?
13:16		Is the government’s power unconstitutional?
14:00		[Innocent until proven guilty. Fact versus law. Authority and fact.]

Episode 063 - May 25, 2009
00:46		If the U.S. has learned through intelligence that there is a chance a country in Africa will slaughter 250,000 of their own people, yet there is no military threat to the U.S. What should we do?
02:50		What will the United States and world be like in five, ten,fifty, a hundred, and a thousand years from now?
04:12		How is the principle of individual rights applied to those humans that are incapable of rational thought?
07:46		Is homosexuality immoral?
12:18		Is Atlas Shrugged coming true today?
14:40		What is your opinion on nihilism?

Episode 064 - June 01, 2009
00:45		Announcements on the resurgence of interest in Ayn Rand.
03:50		Is there value in having Objectivist churches?
06:54		How can an Objectivist survive ethically and honestly in a medical school when the professors are altruistic?
08:30		How can one agree with Objectivism, but never feel he can be John Galt?
11:40		Is having friends necessary to living happy?
14:48		If it is a legitimate role for the government to protect its citizens with police and armed forces, is it legitimate for the government to contract with private companies to buy the equipment from defense companies in order to perform its function?
15:40		Does morality require that you be in love with a person to have sex?

Episode 065 - June 08, 2009
00:46		How should I evaluate my teacher if she is nice sometimes, but then yells with no provocation?
04:00		Does Objectivism value goals over achievement?
07:38		Is it wrong to masturbate secretly in public if you are not caught?
09:00		Is it moral to collect old Soviet cameras and profit from their gradual increase in value, considering that they were manufactured under a totalitarian regime?
10:30		Is begging a form of stealing or earning?
11:36		In an Objectivist society, would advocating socialism be a crime?
13:40		Why have modern day socialist countries not degenerated into brutal totalitarian dictatorships?
15:10		Is religious proselytizing or missionary effort with an aim to gain converts to a religion immoral?

Episode 066 - June 15, 2009
00:45		How can I reconcile Objectivism but continue staying sober through the Alcoholics Anonymous program which promotes a higher power?
03:36		Is there a fundamental difference between sympathy and pity?
05:36		Is it immoral to make money trading the stocks of companies that the government has bailed out and is now running, such as GM?
07:50		Is there such a thing as a stupid question?
08:46		Without the ability of abstract thought, can an animal know that it will bear offspring
09:08		Can there be a revaluation of psychiatric practice in accordance with Objectivism?
09:30		Can someone be an implicit Objectivist without explicit knowledge of it?
10:10		What is the value of Shakespeare from an Objectivist standpoint?
11:16		Is Halloween anti-man? Is Objectivism opposed to it?
11:44		Is Santa Claus an altruist?
14:10		Can there be an evil genius?
16:33		In light of the current government spending spree, why is religion still a greater threat than socialism?

Episode 067 - June 22, 2009
00:44		Should the word “spiritual”, which suggests mysticism,be replaced by the word “consciousness”?
03:06		I went into medical school because I believed in altruism. I read Ayn Rand when I was almost finished and I’m anti-altruist now. What should I do?
05:10		Will a soldier continuing to serve in a Bush-Obama style war ever become counter-productive or a sanction on his own nation’s self destruction?
07:44		How should one handle professors that are out to destroy the rational mind?
12:02		Is there any moral distinction between a suicide who destroys himself only, and a genocidal killer who destroysothers
13:04		What is the difference between “existence” and “reality” as concepts?
15:04		Have you ever used mind-altering drugs?

Episode 068 - June 29, 2009
00:45		How do you explain the concepts of “religion” and “God” to pre-school-aged children?
04:02		People are highly uncomfortable with the idea of their teenage kids having sex. Is this irrational?
05:02		What is your opinion of sex education, and abstinence education in particular?
06:02		Am I behaving rationally by remaining married to a woman that I no longer love in order to keep my physical home?
07:34		Suppose biology led to immortality. Would that wipe out the Objectivist morality because we wouldn’t need values?
09:10		What was Ayn Rand’s opinion on profanity?
11:14		Is it rationally selfish for a man to voluntarily do his part to avert bad conditions in the future after he is dead for the sake of future generations if it means that his current standard of living will be affected negatively as aconsequence?
14:14		During job interviews, I am often asked, “What’s your greatest weakness?” How should I answer this question?

Episode 069 - July 06, 2009
00:46		What is the Objectivist view on gays in the military?
02:22		Is it irrational to be in an intimate relationship with a woman who has no formed values, yet might someday?
03:42		What do you think of the concept of “nation”?
03:56		What should an individual’s attitude be towards the nation he was born into?
04:10		Is America the only legitimate nation since it was founded on the concept of individual rights?
04:28		Is the existence of multiple nations worth preserving, or should we aim at universal assimilation?
05:08		If you find that you are unknowingly taking Ayn Rand on faith, how can you fix it?
05:54		Is being a far left Democrat, like Obama, grounds for impeachment?
06:48		Roark wants to achieve values so as to gain pleasure; Keating wants approval from others so as to gain pleasure. Is there any difference in their characters and motivation?
09:44		How important should physical attractiveness be vs. values?
14:00		What is the Objectivist position of medicating away concern for the world?
14:40		If the welfare system is abolished, will the impoverished revolt against the government and people who have rightfully earned their money? And couldn’t welfare then be justified by self-interest?

Episode 070 - July 13, 2009
00:44		Announcement: Sales of Atlas Shrugged have skyrocketed to an all-time high, 52 years after publication, triple over lastyear.
03:52		What is the proper response to the death of Michael Jackson?
09:20		Does an altruist have to advocate capitalism given his ethics because capitalism actually is what makes people happy, and that’s his professed goal?
11:46		What is the definition of “fact” when you talk about “facts of reality”?
14:00		If royalties must be paid for the use of a famous painting in a film, why shouldn’t the paint on the wall behind the painting be paid a royalty?

Episode 071 - July 20, 2009
00:44		Is there anything I can do to speed the transfer of the Objectivist works into the eReader format, such as the Kindle of Amazon?
01:40		Is religion more dangerous in America than socialism or collectivism?
06:00		[Part of the response to the above question: When is Dr. Peikoff's book, DIM Hypothesis, coming out?]
06:36		I was given a graduation gift to travel to Europe or take the money and put it in the bank. What should I do?
08:44		[Context, Objectivism and Independence.]
10:34		Do you see any ideological antecedent to multiculturalism? [Kant. Marxism and Fascism. Jesus and Christianity.]
12:52		Is collecting discarded property the desire to gain something for nothing, and therefore morally shameful? [Rationalism]

Episode 072 - July 27, 2009
00:44		Is Greek literature deterministic?
08:12		As a landlord, is it better to choose a renter who can pay more than the asking price with government subsidized housing, or a renter who offers $100 less than the asking price?
11:34		If a license from the government is required to watch TV, should I pay and thereby aid the government, or is it too much of a sacrifice? [Question from Britain]
13:10		If citizens do not rebel against a dictatorship, who will bring an end to the dictatorship?
15:00		Who bears responsibility for a dictator’s actions?
15:26		If evidence is found showing that social welfare is cheaper than the cost of crime resulting from its absence, is welfare still immoral?

Episode 073 - August 03, 2009
00:44		How do I stay happy in a miserable world?
07:12		It is professionally advantageous for me to take GM as a client, but I feel some guilt about being an instrument for mooching from the taxpayer. What should I do?
09:08		Is it proper to teach young children to believe in Santa?
11:02		Are you contradicting Ayn Rand when you state that the validity of the senses is an axiom and it is a corollary of consciousness? Ayn Rand states that identity is a corollary of existence.
14:26		Should Objectivists phrases be invented for already useful expressions like “Beg, borrow, or steal”?

Episode 074 - August 10, 2009
00:44		Why does it take months to deliver a podcast? Would you explain the process to listeners?
04:24		Does the UN do more harm than good for the interest of the United States?
08:52		Where do you place Obama on the ‘DIM’ scale?
09:12		If we advocate a return to principles, aren’t we also saying that it would be better for politicians to live by principles, and that is what Objectivists are opposed to, their principles?
11:38		Would Ayn Rand have called her philosophy “Existentialism” if the term had not already been appropriated by other philosophies?
12:50		Can you properly call Objectivism a philosophy of individualism?
13:14		Are animal cruelty laws objectively sound?

Episode 076 - August 24, 2009
00:44		In a recent podcast you mention that after the publication of your book you are leaving the field of philosophy. Are you retiring or entering a new field?
01:40		Do you approve of the intellectual battle waged by Jim Valliant and Diana Shaw?
02:20		Ayn Rand defines happiness as a state of non-contradictory joy, but Objectivism is the only non-contradictory philosophic system, so are Objectivists the only humans in the entire history of man who are capable of happiness?
05:36		In We The Living, is Andrei working to get Leo released as an act of altruism?
07:32		[The following four questions are about living in today's world.]
07:48		Is it rational to remain living in the United States given what is going on?
09:26		How do you stay strong in an environment such as a liberal university?
11:38		I’m disillusioned with mankind. Why aren’t you?
14:04		Will the economy get so bad that first world countries will make drastic changes?
15:44		What does it mean for something to be an “end in itself” like “man’s life”?

Episode 077 - August 31, 2009
00:44		A discussion on a health care and totalitarianism quote from an official White House site.
07:00		Is it only a matter of time before governments regulate the Internet?
08:12		Should professional societies, like the AMA, exist?
11:40		If an individual was once hostile and harmful to Objectivism, but has since changed his opinion, should he now be accepted by Objectivism as a friend and ally?

Episode 078 - September 07, 2009
00:44		What is the Objectivist view of Confucianism?
04:20		If love is the response of the values you hold and see in another one, why then didn’t you, fall in love with Ayn Rand? And why did Ayn Rand fall in love with Frank O’Connor?
09:32		You validate the three axioms of philosophy in the following order: existence, consciousness, identity. Can you explain why you chose to use this order?
13:04		Why does Ayn Rand refer to Howard Roark as a religious man and have him build a temple?
14:08		Wikipedia says that you are from Winnipeg, Canada. Is that true?
14:30		Do Objectivist ethics allow the health care professional to refuse to dispense contraceptives?

Episode 079 - September 14, 2009
00:44		What is the meaning of sarcasm?
02:20		Was Kant a nihilist because he made duty an end in itself?
02:54		If the proper function of a government is to secure the individual rights of its citizens, what would be the proper response of a government when the property of its citizens is expropriated or nationalized by a foreign government?
06:47		What was Ayn Rand’s favorite musical composition?
09:45		Is it true to say that Objectivists generally are happier and will live longer than other people because they hold rational values and life as the standard?

Episode 080 - September 20, 2009
00:44		What is the Objectivist view of government forcing drug companies to post labels on medication?
03:16		Is it possible for a socialist to have read every word that Ayn Rand wrote?
06:48		Is it proper for a child to accept a home from his father if the father can’t afford it?
08:28		Suppose that one Siamese twin commits a felony, and the other twin is absolutely innocent. How should the courtrule?
10:46		A discussion on a quote from George Bush’s administration about the auto industry.

Episode 081 - September 28, 2009
00:44		If a doctor suggested to a patient that she should commit suicide, should the doctor be prosecuted for a crime?
04:55		Is it acceptable for a released felon to profit from writing about his crimes?
06:55		How much should I attribute peoples’ bad state to a lack of knowledge, and how much should I assign moral guilt tothem?
10:09		What is your opinion of the publishing companies who continue to publish and reprint the writings of ImmanuelKant?
11:20		What is the best lecture or recording ever given by Ayn Rand? And by you?
13:27		[Did Ayn Rand ever get nervous before a public appearance or speech?]

Episode 082 - October 04, 2009
00:44		What is the Objectivist response, if any, to “bless you” after someone sneezes?
03:11		What is your view, Dr. Peikoff, on introversion and extroversion?
04:53		What is the moral status of an individual business owner, a woman, who seeks a legal minority status for being female?
07:03		If Objectivism holds that the federal government should take no position for or against any ideological movement, then how did Ayn Rand justify her support of McCarthy and his clear violation of this distinction?
08:57		Does a person have free will in regard to his or her sexual identity?
12:38		Is it morally acceptable for an elderly person denied medical treatment through Obama’s plan to kill the government health panel members so he can become a criminal with a legal right to medical care?
13:44		Which laws concerning stock trade are moral?
14:46		What should the government be allowed to do in the event of an epidemic?

Episode 083 - October 12, 2009
00:44		What is your view of police arresting teenagers under 18 who are texting naked pictures of themselves to eachother?
02:26		How does Objectivism account for the first conscious and living organism?
03:38		If man could determine the exact combination and condition where elements or atoms formed and produced the first conscious organism, is it possible then for man to create consciousness in a controlled setting?
05:28		An acknowledgment to listeners who sent in suggestions as to how to minimize animal cruelty.
06:00		Is it rationalism to conclude, simply based on the metaphysics of free will, that predicting human behavior isimpossible?
07:38		Does “existence exists” mean that the material world is and has always existed?
08:52		Ayn Rand says that pragmatists are short-ranged, seek power without purpose, and have no desire to change the whole country. If so, how can you account for Obama?
10:00		I disagree with Ayn Rand on architecture as an art form and on the nature of femininity and masculinity, but I accept objective reality, reason, self-interest, and capitalism. Am I still an Objectivist?
14:10		How can you be happy if you realize you are of average intelligence and are surrounded by others more intelligent?

Episode 084 - October 19, 2009
00:44		Is it ever moral for an artist to create a work that violates his own basic standards in order to keep from starving, but does not hurt others?
05:30		Is identifying with someone else, like a character, wrong according to Objectivism?
07:28		Why would people who held evil beliefs, such as Hume and Kant, or a false epistemology, such as Von Mises, defend capitalism, the only system that brings justice and wealth?
10:14		Is the Internet the real hope for the future?
14:04		When should you negotiate with terrorists?

Episode 086 - November 02, 2009
00:52		If a man creates a physical condition in nature, for instance, he does something that causes icebergs to start melting, is that fact, the iceberg melting, metaphysical or man-made?
02:45		Is there any value to statistics beyond describing the past?
06:30		To what degree should one support a totalitarian government to ensure one's own happiness?
10:29		Is it possible to have a terrible sense of life but a good philosophy?
14:20		Is a man raised since birth to hate blacks truly acting by choice when his entire family and community shares the same ideas?

Episode 087 - November 09, 2009
01:11		If children are taught to shoot infidels on sight, is it possible for them to choose to think and act contrary to their parents and society?
04:51		Is it rational to say that religion is only evil in a conceptual context, that it was, in fact, good during pre-conceptual times, even an invaluable necessity forsurvival?
07:38		Do you agree with legalizing baby euthanasia when the baby has an incurable illness?
08:51		If I apply for membership at a tennis club and later discover evidence that the only reason my application was rejected was because I am black, should I feel anger toward the club?
11:32		Is it possible for a dishonest person to turn good, or is it a fruitless pursuit to try to be moral?
16:04		Is there a common premise that all evil people hold that means they have already rejected reality?

Episode 088 - November 16, 2009
00:44		How does one develop a career passion?
08:17		What is the root of ambition and passion?
11:54		Are laws requiring buildings to be handicap accessible, right?

Episode 090 - November 30, 2009
00:47		Why is the word “think” often associated with uncertainty?
03:16		Is it the proper function of government to create laws for driving while intoxicated or using mobile phones in thecar?
04:27		Given the current political climate in the health care industry, should a young person be encouraged to become a doctor?
06:14		Should Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox General who conquered Africa under Hitler, be considered evil?
07:37		Could Aristotle have come up with the same system of ideas and conclusions without Plato?
10:11		Should a raped woman have any recourse if all health care professionals refuse to dispense emergency contraceptive?
11:40		Would a government have a role in the evacuation of a city in the path of a massive hurricane?

Episode 091 - December 07, 2009
00:44		What do you, as a philosopher, have to say about a female who responds negatively to premature ejaculation? [Love is not just love of the soul.]
03:24		Should I tell my ex girlfriend, who I’m still friends with, that I was unfaithful when we were together?
07:30		Do you plan to read either of the new Ayn Rand biographies?
09:58		What is the moral status of quarantine?
13:36		How does Ayn Rand’s definition of capitalism differ from the conventional one?

Episode 092 - December 14, 2009
00:44		Where is Aristotle’s reference to the law of identity?
01:44		Is it possible to hold the malevolent universe premise as one’s basic view of existence, but in a particularly important area, hold the opposite?
04:08		If a good person with a wrong moral idea violates that idea by doing the right thing, should he be condemned for contradicting his wrong moral idea?
06:52		If a compromise between good and evil leads all the way to evil, is it foolish to try and end a bad habit gradually?
09:48		Why did Ayn Rand change the story line in the movie version of The Fountainhead? [Gail Wynand's suicide in the movie.]
10:36		How is revenge or vengeance distinguished from justice?
13:58		Is it an Objectivists position that the U.S. was right to be involved in WWII?

Episode 093 - January 04, 2010
00:52		Is stealing information that exposes climate research as fraud, like the hackers that hit the University of East Anglia’s climate research unit, moral?
04:30		Ayn Rand said that a rational man is motivated by a desire to achieve, and does not compare himself to others. Can having a hero or rival inspire men to greater heights of achievement than without one?
13:55		Is there a way to demonstrate objectivity in a discussion and thereby convince subjectivists, who say “It’s true for you, but it’s all a matter of opinion” that it’s not just true, but that this is objective?

Episode 094 - January 11, 2010
00:48		Is it a mistake to entertain a strong desire for something that is impossible, or to fantasize about what one would do in life if circumstances were different?
04:11		Is it right for parents to compel their children?
06:20		Is it wrong to take advantage of government programs like Cash for Clunkers?
07:15		Is it possible for a mystic leader to be morally guilty of murder?
11:40		Is gambling a legitimate form of entertainment?
13:17		Why was a great mind like Ayn Rand unable to catch the evil characters among her onetime associates in the act?

Episode 097 - February 01, 2010
01:01		Is it morally acceptable to watch Michael Moore’s films?
04:09		Is it immoral to buy a cheap concert ticket, then move to an empty but better seat at intermission?
06:58		Is there life after death, or is this simply an unanswerable question?
08:41		With the vast scope of the universe, with billions of stars and billions of galaxies, and countless eons of existence, doesn’t it seem completely valid to question whether any higher purpose exists?
10:10		What is a good approach for Objectivists to take in order to build consensus among themselves on any particular issue or topic?
12:28		Does a free market require rational actors in order to function properly?

Episode 098 - February 08, 2010
00:46		Suppose you are circumcised and this adversely affects your life. Is it proper to seek retribution from your parents for making that decision, or from the doctor for performing the procedure?
03:19		Should I feel ashamed for taking an acting role that requires bodily exposure?
06:37		Is grade inflation wrong?
12:35		Is it moral for the state to restrict access to antibiotics if misuse of these drugs can create a public health hazard by creating antibiotic-resistant pathogens?
14:48		Did Ayn Rand donate to charity or do volunteer work?
15:01		Who was the best United States President and why?

Episode 099 - February 15, 2010
00:44		Is it immoral for a handicapped person to use a handicapped parking spot or ask for job accommodations?
04:07		What should a small business owner do if his customers promote his business in a way that he doesn’t want to be associated with?
07:35		If the opportunity arose to assassinate Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, would it be a moral action?
09:28		Have you ever seen a person who was uninterested in ideas become interested?
10:59		Can a man that is very interested in ideas be fulfilled romantically by a woman who is not?
13:01		If Ayn Rand were held up at gunpoint on live national television and ordered to renounce every tenets of her philosophy or be killed, what would she do?
15:19		Do I provide a legitimate and valuable service if I continue to be a tax accountant?

Episode 100 - February 22, 2010
00:44		A nation’s goal in war must be, at a minimum, to end the foreign threat. But beyond that, is punishment ever a proper goal in war?
02:31		I’ve always wondered how a philosophy like altruism, with its morality based on pain and suffering, took such a hold on humanity. Why is it so hard to “sell” Objectivism in this regard?
06:16		Ayn Rand denies instinct. What about the “fight or flight” response for evading your captors?
08:01		I can’t call myself an atheist because it stunts my mind’s ability to consider other people objective. I know a majority of people believe in God, and therefore would have to think of them as non-thinking entities, which would cause me to feel terror. If I call myself an agnostic, then I can consider other people objectively because I can see what they do and say without being afraid. Am I destroying myself?
10:13		Can a tragic work in which a mostly-good protagonist ends up destroying himself by some tragic flaw still be considered romantic?
13:00		As a telemarketer, is offering a free product with the caveat that you must purchase another product, fraudulent?
14:59		Is secession rational?
15:48		What do you think of the idea that only so much scientific progress is good?

Episode 102 - March 08, 2010
00:50		Is jealousy or envy a proper emotional response even when you trust your spouse?
07:21		What does the common saying, “It’s easy for people to agree,” but, “the devil is in the details” mean and why is it so common?
11:56		At 21 I’ve taken love for granted in my life. I’ve been spoon-fed and given things by my family. I feel like I haven’t really earned anything in my life. Is it right for me to suffer now and put up with hardships for myself in order to become more independent?

Episode 104 - March 22, 2010
00:48		Is it proper for the government to conduct a national census?
01:49		Did Ayn Rand often refer back to her written notes on a novel while working on them?
04:21		How can Objectivism separate altruism from selfishness?
09:11		Is governmental compulsion warranted in airport security because of the potential of the force by terrorists?
13:55		Should the government assume foreign travelers to America have no rights when it comes to allegations of terrorists?

Episode 106 - April 05, 2010
00:44		I’ve been fascinated by the stories on a cassette tape that I found years ago and I’ve wanted to turn them into a play. But, if I were to adapt parts of the interview as dialogue, is that moral?
02:14		Are children’s stories exempt from your concerns, which you expressed in earlier shows about indoctrinatingchildren?
04:20		Are you, Dr. Peikoff, an interventionist or an isolationist in regard to foreign policy?
08:48		What about the unavoidable choice of having to settle for less in romantic relationships in terms of finding someone that has everything you want, that also wants you?
13:00		Is bringing up incidents from the past a proper way to argue?

Episode 109 - April 26, 2010
00:50		I carry a permitted weapon. When invited to someone’s home, do I have an ethical obligation to disclose that I am carrying a gun?
02:34		Does a woman have a right to refuse medical treatment during pregnancy or abuse her body?
04:33		What do you think about people from other countries celebrating their country of origins Independence Day here in America?
07:24		What are the rights of the dead in regards to their body?
09:12		Makeup. Women generally wear it and men don’t. Is this an arbitrary social convention or does it have an objective basis?
12:00		What was the philosophy question posed by the three students in Atlas Shrugged at the end of their first classroom meeting with Dr. Axton?
12:51		I attend a public high school that requires a senior year government class. The grade requires community service hours. Is it irrational to refuse to do these hours in an attempt to stand up for my rights?
14:17		Do you have any advice for young people who love Atlas Shrugged but are bombarded with questions they can’t answer?

Episode 110 - May 03, 2010
00:47		Is Ayn Rand’s philosophy a “closed system”?
03:50		If someone invested money with Bernie Madoff and made a large profit before Madoff was caught, is it immoral for the person to keep the money?
09:50		Did Ayn Rand like driving or did she prefer to have others drive her? What kind of cars did she own?
12:46		A situation discussed in the New York Times: A man checked in to a hotel and ate the $6 box of Oreos in the mini bar. Later that day he replenished the Oreos in the mini bar with store bought Oreos before the mini bar was restocked. Is this proper?
14:27		Should I challenge my left wing professor on her assertions in economics even though I am young and lack the knowledge and experience that she has in economics?

Episode 111 - May 10, 2010
00:49		I am in love with my ex girlfriend who is now seeing someone else. Is my feeling of jealousy inconsistent with loving?
06:05		Does Objectivist philosophy offer any source of comfort in times of tragedy and distress like God does?
08:58		Why didn’t Ayn Rand participate in public debates?
12:05		[Doesn't a layman have to give some credence to experts in a field simply because they're experts and he isn't? This is asked in the context of climate scientists with all their data allegedly proving global warming.]

Episode 112 - May 17, 2010
00:49		In the Fountainhead Gail Wynand gives in to the demands of the strikers. In Atlas Shrugged Rearden signs away his property rights. Both actions were the results of the character’s faulty premises and yet Ayn Rand allows redemption to Rearden.Why?
02:30		Is Gail Wynand a second-hander?
04:15		Why did Wynand choose to keep The Banner, his newspaper, running knowing it would end his life?
05:35		How should I respond to an honest, well-meaning person who assumes everyone is religious?
08:52		Given the Obama administration and your stand on Republicans, will you support or vote for a Republican inNovember?

Episode 113 - May 24, 2010
00:44		Is providing accurate information to an extorting government objective and rational?
06:17		Are most people today second-hand?
08:50		I am having a hard time completing my first novel. I categorize my problem as weariness from years of struggling. Is forcing myself to sit down and work capitulating to duty?
13:38		In Anthem Ayn Rand writes, “I need no warrant for being” and “No word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction”- what is the difference?

Episode 114 - May 31, 2010
00:44		Is it moral to refuse to pay a “health care fee” added to your restaurant bill?
02:09		Due to the number of immoral laws, government lawyers occasionally must prosecute innocent people. Is this proper if the lawyer knows that the law in question is wrong?
07:31		If man is a rational being, are severely retarded humans men?
08:56		When you were a college professor did you mention Ayn Rand to your students or did you just teach from an Objectivist perspective?
12:21		Is Atlas Shrugged the most philosophically ambitious novel an artwork ever created?

Episode 115 - May 31, 2010
00:44		Animals don’t have rights. Does a moral man then have to stand idly by and allow a dog to be tortured by its owner?
02:45		Ayn Rand accepts the right of the state in the Administration of Justice to subpoena witnesses, but this depends on the use of force and coercion of witnesses to testify. Why is this justified?
04:52		Would an alien race comprised of individuals who are mortal, and survived via their rational faculty, qualify as human despite their very different DNA?
08:05		To what extent is it proper for a government to outsource its legitimate function to private contract?
09:25		Is there any type of philosophical question that can be legitimately answered with an “I don’t know”?
11:24		How can we know the facts of history are true if the events were in the past and are only known to us through records? Is there a difference between an atheist and a religious person in this issue?

Episode 116 - June 16, 2010
00:44		What would be the effect on morality if human nature changes, for example by continual evolution?
02:56		Can free will be used to detach bad memories from the subconscious?
05:45		Should businesses be allowed to sell tobacco and alcohol products to people of any age they wish?
06:50		What if anything would prevent a proper government, if we ever establish one, from sliding toward socialism as the United States has done?
11:19		What is wrong with “swinging” at parties? Isn’t this an expansion of sexual activities and the pursuit of pleasure that sex brings?

Episode 117 - June 21, 2010
00:44		Would an Objectivist consider it immoral to take a job helping someone write a book which attempts to present rational arguments for the existence of a god?
01:59		Is it immoral to vandalize or use force in retaliation against legislators who initiate force by voting for immoral laws? For example, the allegation that Tea Party protestors threw bricks through the windows of the offices of representatives that voted for the health care bill.
03:58		How do you distinguish between patriotism and neoconservatism?
05:03		Why did Ayn Rand never lose her thick accent?
06:47		A passage written about The Fountainhead reads, “…Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately but married his worst enemy…” I’ve always had the impression that Toohey was Roark’s worst enemy. Was the passage written a mistake by the publisher?
09:15		My wife doesn’t enjoy seafood. Every time she declines to eat it, she is bombarded with suggestions of different types that she would enjoy if she just tried it. Is telling people she has a mild allergy morally okay?
11:03		In the context of a fetus not being self-sustaining, you said rights belong only to self-sustaining living organisms, so what about people taking medication to maintain their bodily functions? Do they still have rights?
12:48		What does it mean to be an intellectual heir, which is what Ayn Rand called you? Is it important that there is always an intellectual heir for her work?

Episode 120 - July 12, 2010
00:44		Do you think psychological problems can hinder or prevent someone from living according to Objectivism?
02:20		[Follow-up to previous question: Is there a way to get around this obstacle other than solving your psychological problems?]
02:51		You say a fetus has no rights, but what about a child born with a deformity that can be directly traced to the mother’s choices during pregnancy? Can the mother be charged with child endangerment?
05:07		If someone threatened force against me would I be justified in firing first or must I wait until force is actually usedagainst me?
06:40		Why is the taste of meat more valuable than the animal’s freedom in life?
10:22		Is it in a rational soldier’s interest to enjoy the act of killing the enemy?
11:57		You’ve said that foreigners have no civil rights in another country. What are civil rights and what rights do you think foreigners do have?

Episode 121 - July 19, 2010
00:52		If an emotionally abusive person is aware of her tendencies and has decided to change after a particularly abusive event, do you think this person can be dealt with?
02:42		If I pay partial — but not full — attention to something, is that an evasion of reality?
04:46		The creators of South Park have been threatened by radical Muslims for depicting Muhammad in a bear costume on their show. In response, some people are exhibiting a similar picture in protest to show solidarity with the South Park creators and as a way to reaffirm their right to free speech. Is this wise?
08:20		Should jury duty be compulsory as it is in the U.S. today?
10:29		Is simply living a moral life now enough to negate your previous wrongdoings, or is it necessary to take steps to make up for your past mistakes?
12:30		Is it possible for an Objectivist and someone who is merely a fellow-traveler of Objectivism, but who accepts a lot of it along with mystical ideas, to align in working to achieve a perfect society?

Episode 122 - July 26, 2010
00:44		Is environmentalism the new communism? What are the similarities and differences?
01:44		Is it permissible or moral to date a non-Objectivist?
04:42		I am a homosexual who only finds romantic value in full masculinity. However, in my opinion a fully masculine mind is possible only in heterosexual men, and I am therefore only attracted to such men. How should I deal with this painful situation?
05:56		Around what time would you say that you became a full-fledged philosopher as opposed to a philosophy student? When would you say that you became an Objectivist as opposed to a student of Objectivism?
07:16		We disregard ESP and the like because we accept the five senses as the only base of knowledge. Would it therefore be rational for a man who was blind from birth to disregard claims about reality based on the sense of sight?
09:20		Can irrational philosophers still be called philosophers?
10:18		Spoiler Alert: What made Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged give Cheryl Taggart such an unfair ending?
12:00		How much should you expect to love what you do for a living? Can you settle for non-love, but find ways to like what you get paid to do? Or Is settling like that selling yourself short?

Episode 123 - August 02, 2010
00:44		As a student of Ayn Rand did you realize that your understanding of Objectivism to some extent had been in your views even before you read her?
02:14		Why aren’t Christians the most outspoken opponents of multiculturalism since they claim absolute truth, believe sinners are going to go to hell, and have a huge moral gulf between the godly and the unchristian?
03:56		Ayn Rand said that there are certain philosophical questions that are improper, namely questions that contradict philosophical axioms. Why did she say these in particular?
05:06		If after years of consistent good parenting a child turns out bad, can a parent still feel pride in their accomplishment in raising him to adulthood?
06:16		Have you considered cryogenically freezing yourself in the hopes that future technology will be able to restore you?
07:50		I am an Objectivist. Why should I make a detailed study of the epistemological ideas that Ayn Rand originated?
09:10		Imagine you are at your funeral at 80 years old. All of your friends, family, and colleagues come to honor you. Now think about what you would want them to say about you. Most people want to hear how great they were in their relationships, not how great they were in their business or career. What aboutyou?
11:32		According to Objectivism, is it okay to have sex with anyone who is the highest and best partner that I can find at this time?
12:56		Did Ayn Rand ever worry that the KGB might try to do her harm?

Episode 124 - August 09, 2010
00:44		Should elected representatives in a republic vote for or against laws based on their own objective judgment, or should they only vote based on how their constituents want them to?
02:04		What is the purpose of clothing besides shielding against the elements?
03:36		Is it wrong to enjoy horror films? Didn’t Ayn Rand denounce horror movies?
05:16		If I had a time machine and went back before Kant and before the Critique to show him what his philosophy led to, and as a result he changed his mind and quit writing, would he still be considered evil?
06:18		Did Ayn Rand listen to music when she wrote?
07:14		What does it mean to know a person? What does it mean to know yourself? Does my knowledge of another person have a different epistemological status than of non-human?
10:16		What is the thinking error in the following: “Good is completely intolerant of evil. Evil requires only the slightest compromise of principles to take over. It follows, therefore, that if we had a perfect civilization but the slightest lapse of mental focus took place, that lapse would threaten the whole civilization.”
13:44		Is it better for someone to integrate their ideas by an incorrect philosophy or merely hold a disparate assortment of ideas?

Episode 125 - August 16, 2010
00:44		Is there any validity to the popular term “sociopath”?
02:30		In an earlier lecture you decided that the age of 18 is what qualifies a person as an adult. However, this seems arbitrary. Since man is a rational animal, why not say a person becomes an adult when he has developed reason to the level of a grown-up?
07:24		Can a vigilante murder ever be morally acceptable?
10:06		How does Objectivism increase one’s confidence?
12:46		Can one say that to be born with brains is an issue of luck?

Episode 126 - August 23, 2010
00:44		Is it ever rational to get upset about insults from strangers if the thing you are being insulted about isn’t actually a deficiency or is completely non-essential?
04:14		Should one engage in recreational activities only as a reward for achievement, or is it morally permissible to pursue recreational activities for their own sake?
06:08		I have a friend who regulates the photos she puts up on Facebook, worrying that other people will deem her unprofessional. By creating a selective reality isn’t she really distorting her picture?
08:10		Why do you say that humor is a destructive element?
11:16		Is it morally okay for me to hide my former Christianity from friends that are still Christian so as not to hurt them? And to do so even lying about my viewpoint and participating in prayer with them?
13:38		Is it moral for an Objectivist to be a member of a union?

Episode 127 - August 30, 2010
00:44		I would feel better in having total disconnect from my parents because interacting with them brings a drastically different sense of life in to my mind and changes the way I feel about life the rest of the time. Is this a normal and reasonable response?
04:02		Would it be inconsistent in one’s philosophy to engage in video games that put one into a different world or reality?
06:34		Love and art are both an expression of a man’s sense of life, which suggests that love and art can serve similar purposes. Can art be a semi-substitute for sex?
13:10		Is there a person like Ellsworth Toohey, from The Fountainhead, out there in the real world?

Episode 128 - September 06, 2010
00:44		I recently read a news article about a blackmailer sentenced to jail for threatening to expose that he had a gay sexual relationship with a religious university piano instructor. Is such a blackmailer immoral? And, if so, should his action also be illegal?
04:06		What is the significance of joyful crying? Is it bad if someone cries at a joyous occasion?
06:45		How would an Objectivist combat jealousy in a relationship?
10:46		Why did Aristotle believe that slavery is natural?
13:22		Would it be moral for a man who knowingly committed a crime to attempt to avoid a conviction, if the law under which he would be convicted is unjust?

Episode 129 - September 13, 2010
00:44		If you find self-interest in helping others, is it still considered an Objectivist act?
02:22		[Is it immoral to steal an election so that an Objectivist candidate wins?]
03:24		You said that if a country had laissez-faire it should not control immigration. What if New Zealand, with a population of 4.5 million people, had laissez-faire? Would it be obligated to accept all immigrants, even if that resulted in its becoming Muslim and having Sharia imposed?
08:10		Should I be happy that Ayn Rand found no lover in Russia and therefore had no reason to remain there?
09:58		Where does assisted suicide stand in regard to a dying patient who is suffering with a 6 month prognosis? Does quality supersede quantity?

Episode 130 - September 20, 2010
00:44		Did you say that philosophy cannot make everything better? If so, why study it?
03:08		What was Ayn Rand’s stance on George Orwell’s famous novel 1984?
06:22		Is it normal to associate real people with Ayn Rand’s characters?
07:46		Should a person love their spouse more than their own children, or the other way around?
10:48		If sex is an act of ultimate appreciation of value, and beauty is harmony (a great value), then can you have sex with a woman who is beautiful, but whom you do not necessarily even know?
12:48		What is the difference between Objectivism, sanity, and reason?

Episode 131 - September 27, 2010
00:44		Does responding to a sad song on a happy occasion go against Objectivism? Or looking at the painting The Scream, by Edvard Munch?
04:00		If the definition of self-sacrifice is to give away everything, but a value is a thing that you act to gain or keep, how can you both give away and keep something at the same time?
05:16		How can you support Israel, a nation whose essence is founded on a religion?
06:24		SPOILER ALERT: Discusses the last event of The Fountainhead. At the end of The Fountainhead, is Roark counting on the rational judgment of the jury? Is a person always justified in believing that some rational remnant remains among men so as to stake one’s life on it?
08:18		In response to your claim that thinking is all that is needed to save the world, Nazi scientists used reason and thinking to almost develop the atomic bomb before the United States. What is your response to this?
09:40		[Follow-up to previous question: You say we should go by reason first and then emotion, think and then feel and act accordingly, but without emotion what will you base your reason on?]
11:48		I don’t feel comfortable in my own skin and this leads to low self-esteem. I want to be found desirable. What should I do?

Episode 132 - October 04, 2010
00:44		Is loneliness ever experienced by a rational egoist?
04:22		What would an Objectivist do in regard to a yappy dog keeping neighbors awake, assuming that the owner is indifferent and ignores all requests and complaints?
06:22		What is the purpose of profanity in sex?
09:10		Can two Objectivists disagree about a particular point without one of them being cast out of Objectivist society?
10:58		What was the name of Ayn Rand’s cat? Did she talk to it?
12:04		How do you keep up with current events? What do you read?

Episode 133 - October 11, 2010
01:10		I love working with children and have considered becoming a preschool teacher, but my friends and classmates say that this occupation would be disproportionate to my intelligence. Should I aim higher?
03:10		You said in OPAR that it is moral for a doctor to lie to a patient if the patient’s capability to obtain health diminishes if he is told the truth. Does this mean that there could be other situations where it is justified to lie to a person with a temporary incapacity for the truth?
06:00		What would Objectivism advise with regard to dealing with guilt and pity for a spouse who regularly uses threats of harming herself or suicide whenever the topic of divorce is suggested. I care for my wife’s welfare, but can no longer love her romantically?
08:42		Why are girls attracted to bad boys?
10:26		Were Ayn Rand’s instant emotional responses to events consistent with her philosophy?
13:16		Is it rational to take steroids to improve one’s appearance and physical ability if one values strength and physical appearance as in Greek sculpture?
14:58		Was Ayn Rand angry about the theft of her work by the Italian producers of the movie We the Living?

Episode 134 - October 18, 2010
01:10		In Atlas Shrugged, Dagny mentions to Hank while traveling that she hates people who hate signs. I support the right of businesses to put up signs, but why should I have to like them?
03:16		Why haven’t you written more books on Objectivism?
05:12		Do you believe that thousands of years from now man might look back at our time and say men back then lacked so much understanding due to their dependence on reason?
06:30		If Roark lived in the universe of Atlas Shrugged, would he continue to pursue his goals or join Galt’s strike?
08:48		Ayn Rand gives none of her characters small children or pets. Did she ever say why?
11:30		Miss Rand said racism is the worst species of collectivism. What quality gives it that rank?
13:06		[What facts of reality, including facts of consciousness, gave rise to the concept of god or deity?]

Episode 135 - October 25, 2010
01:10		If injustice rules a society, is it proper to be a vigilante?
03:48		If a political party, such as Communism, advocates a program of force, can it properly be outlawed?
08:08		What should Eddie Willers’s sex life be? He is a rational man without the ambition or drive needed to rise very far. If he matches up with a woman of similar values is that enough?
10:44		Am I being irrational when I refuse to eat veal because the animal was treated horribly before it died?
13:20		If you could put your life’s greatest achievement in one short sentence, what would it be?

Episode 136 - November 01, 2010
01:10		Do Tea Party protests help Capitalism or hurt it through their lack of principle?
03:45		At the beginning of The Fountainhead Guy Francon seems to be a second-hander. In your opinion is he a redeemed character by the end of the book?
05:45		Please expand on your comment, “I would not trust today’s society even with my corpse”?
06:42		What is the difference between one’s “central purpose” and his “highest value”?
08:16		You say that religion is the biggest threat in America, and you also say that you never expected this in the 80′s. When did you change your mind and why?
10:18		SPOILER ALERT: Did the passengers riding though the tunnel in Atlas Shrugged deserve what they
12:10		Is it wrong to use pornographic videos - the non-violent, consensual variety - to help with masturbation?

Episode 137 - November 08, 2010
01:10		Can you list off as many objective truths as possible?
02:26		A friend and I agreed on a financial transaction after listing the relevant factors. Years later he discovered that both of us had forgotten a relevant factor, and he is right about that. He was actually owed more money from me and now he wants it. Do I have to pay it?
05:24		If you have concluded that America will be a dictatorship in not too long of a time, why did you choose to have a child who will presumably have to deal with this disaster?
07:28		How would you handle a situation in which your daughter wants to marry a man who is not right for her?
09:24		[Follow-up question: Does her husband have to be Jewish?]
10:22		Do you regularly listen to any talk radio or watch any of the opinion shows such as FOX, CNN, or MSNBC, and if so which shows?
12:08		[Is having children a form of slavery, because after all the child doesn't choose to be born?]

Episode 138 - November 15, 2010
01:10		SPOILER ALERT: Why did Ayn Rand leave Eddie Willers as she did at the end of the novel?
03:10		Is it moral for me as a parent to break ties with my adult child who refuses to behave respectfully and ultimately maintains an opposite philosophy to my own, resulting in ongoing, extreme conflict?
05:20		Is it immoral to enjoy watching boxing?
07:56		What should an Objectivist make of the French banning of burqas?
11:04		What is the rational way to deal with negative, age-caused physical changes in one’s capacity for performing and enjoying sex?
11:54		Do you think there would be a net loss to humanity if someone in lieu of toilet paper were to use a Jackson Pollock painting?
12:44		I am a young adult, age 14, and lately I’ve been feeling depressed because I don’t know what I want to do with my life. Is there a reason I feel this only at night? How can I find what I want to do and change my life to fit that?

Episode 139 - November 22, 2010
01:08		If it was not for your fateful encounter with Ayn Rand, what beliefs do you think you would hold today and what profession would you have?
03:36		Does free will include the ability to change one’s self-image?
06:00		Why is it right for you to record these podcasts and give them away for free? If you do it, as you say, in the pursuit of your own enjoyment, why would you enjoy answering the questions of strangers?
08:12		Is mental capacity primarily determined by volition? Did Aristotle, Newton, or Rand have bigger brains than their contemporaries, or rather did they choose to use their minds more consistently?
11:28		I want a career in music, specifically song writing, but I can’t say why this is better for me than other fields. Am I being irrational, i.e., going only by my emotion?

Episode 141 - December 06, 2010
01:08		Our town has had an influx of gourmet food trucks. Local restaurants have pressured the police to monitor and essentially harass the food trucks to keep them from parking anywhere near the restaurants. The restaurants’ property taxes lead to higher costs and difficulty competing. How can the food trucks and restaurants peacefully coexist?
03:32		Is it ever proper to penalize a man for honest disagreement with your ideas?
07:40		What era or decade did you live through as your most favorite and why?
07:26		Do you think that Objectivist philosophy will become lost as the younger generations become less willing to read due to our love for technology?
11:54		What is the proper stance to take on pity? Should one be opposed to it in all instances or are there situations where it is a proper emotion

Episode 143 - December 20, 2010
01:08		Suppose a scientist is able to synthesize in a lab setting a human being with the faculty of reason. Would that scientist have full ownership over the entity for the rest of its life?
03:20		Do religionists have a right to influence the government?
07:42		Will your book The DIM Hypothesis revolutionize the world?
09:34		I am an Objectivist, but I still have relapses of whim-worship that have caused me great sadness. Most times I am unconscious of it happening. Do you have any words of advice?
12:34		Do you disagree with Ayn Rand on pornography?

Episode 144 - December 27, 2010
01:08		Is it wrong to compromise one’s beliefs in order to keep a romantic partner who wants to break up?
02:48		If the State in its administration of justice can subpoena witnesses, why not allow conscription of soldiers to maintain domestic tranquility against a hostile foreign power?
06:04		I have friends that share my atheism and friends who are devoutly religious. Both share my great value: the pursuit of moral perfection. Is this consistent with Objectivism?
08:02		Is it possible fully to understand Objectivism, yet still be unable to live by it?
09:58		Who would you like to fill your shoes when you are gone? Do you think it is necessary to have someone like you for Objectivism in these times?
13:08		Are Robert Stadler and Gail Wynand similar in their mistaken basic premises? Whose guilt is greater?

Episode 145 - January 03, 2011
01:10		Is the TSA at airports overstepping its bounds?
05:44		Would an Objectivist flirt?
07:04		Isn’t it true that we should follow our heart whenever it tells us to do something, because our mind determines what our heart feels, so whatever our heart feels must be moral?
08:34		All doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, committing them to never refuse medical treatment to a person in need. Can doctors morally ignore criminals and those that deliberately inflict injury upon themselves, and therefore discard the Hippocratic Oath?
10:02		Are you a happy person?
11:38		Who in your opinion was the greatest philosopher in the history of philosophy?
13:10		Why did Ayn Rand call Objectivism “a philosophy for living on earth” and not “the philosophy for living on earth”?
14:06		When Dagny and John Galt stop at Francisco’s house in the Valley while Francisco was away, why is the door locked? Wouldn’t locks be unnecessary among men who took Galt’s oath as a precondition of living in the Valley?

Episode 146 - January 10, 2011
01:10		How was Ayn Rand able to depict so convincingly the inner life of evil people such as Jim Taggart? How was she able to understand the mental state of the chronically out of focus and evasive?
07:50		Why don’t you charge something, like $20, to have a question answered by you?
09:58		If saving the culture is so important why does the Ayn Rand bookstore not offer its material for free?
13:00		My last name is rather unique. Is it rational to worry about it being last to history if I marry and take my husband’s name?

Episode 147 - January 17, 2011
01:10		Is it inappropriate to approach celebrities for autographs or pictures? How would Ayn Rand have reacted to such a request?
03:26		I understand that Ayn Rand wrote her fiction in long hand. Would she have used a word processor to write if she were alive when the technology existed?
06:18		Ayn Rand said that a man without a purpose is the most depraved kind of man. But what about a man with a nefarious purpose, like Immanuel Kant? Isn’t he worse?
08:06		Why is it that the works and philosophy of Ayn Rand have appeared at the forefront of the media recently? Why is it that now rather than previously more books and even video games are being created as responses to Objectivism?
10:00		Would you rather read a book with a positive sense of life which is bad politically, or vice versa?
12:12		If some imaginary development show us that it is impossible to save the United States from totalitarianism, what would you do?

Episode 148 - January 24, 2011
01:10		Is it fair for me to blame my family for my ugliness which they knew their child would have to inherit?
05:56		Why is Roark, in The Fountainhead, able to ignore his true love for Dominique? How could he be indifferent to her for so long? Wouldn’t the rational man want to have her by his side through the many years of his struggle?
08:22		In Atlas Shrugged, do you think that Francisco d’Anconia was sexually abstinent while he waited to be reunited with Dagny? If so was this a moral choice?
11:00		Ayn Rand said that we live in a benevolent universe. If that is true how do you explain suffering, negatives, bad things such as torture or even death?

Episode 149 - January 31, 2011
01:08		Do the acts you will directly result from what you view as important?
02:58		If we tell our soldiers to focus on doing the work they love, which is how Roark lives, wouldn’t winning a war become irrelevant because all that would matter to them is whether they love their jobs?
05:32		Is it moral to pay bribes? Bribery is so rife in my country it’s not possible even to get a professional license without paying a bribe.
08:30		Can raising my own children properly be my central purpose? I am a primary school teacher and take pride in my work; however I know that my own children are being short-changed in their lives.
10:54		Is it moral for a woman to have a child on her own through in vitro fertilization using donor sperm if one knows that fertility doesn’t last forever, one is reaching the age, no potential lover is known and yet the experience of motherhood and having a family is her most important value?
12:10		Do you think you could develop a friendship with Ellsworth Toohey if you were marooned on an uninhabited island with him?

Episode 150 - February 07, 2011
01:08		Would an Objectivist’s child be taught to share the last piece of cake with his brother?
02:46		Ayn Rand said that the Classical civilization did not have any real respect for the individual, that it was Christianity that introduced the sanctity of the individual. Do you disagree?
06:24		I noticed that your writing, as well as Ayn Rand’s, does not employ politically correct gender inclusive language. Why do you not conform to this convention?
09:42		If an Objectivist wins $100,000,000 in the lottery what should he do with the money?
11:54		What kind of computer games do you like and why?
13:06		Is it moral for an Objectivist to fall in love with someone online?

Episode 151 - February 14, 2011
01:08		In past decades you seemed to believe that getting Objectivist philosophy into colleges was the top priority. But In your DIM course you seem to be suggesting that the most important thing is to develop a wide variety of Objectivist products in other cultural areas, such as literature, physics and education. Is this a dramatic shift in your thinking?
04:34		Is there a character in Ayn Rand’s work to whom you have most related personally?
06:20		You said that since value judgments are the basis of emotion one cannot say that a negative emotion is right or wrong, but only that the underlying evaluation is so. What about envy?
09:08		If you berate someone for something you honestly think they did wrong, but later on you realize they didn’t actually do anything wrong, should you apologize, even if this would make you feel anxious?
12:34		What is an Objectivist take on euthanasia?

Episode 152 - February 21, 2011
01:08		If birth control were never invented would sex still be seen as one of the greatest values of the human experience, to be celebrated regularly?
03:48		You have said in a recent podcast that one of the most enjoyable decades of your life was the 50′s, the OPAR years, when you still had the drive of youth combined with the maturity of age, but you’ve also said that the DIM book is your best. How can the best not be the most enjoyable?
07:24		Do you want to live forever? [Life, values and immortality.]
10:10		One of my teachers gave me an A in a course when I knew I should have received a high B. I feel I hadn’t earned that A. Should I feel guilty about this grade?
13:44		Should I tell my friends to read The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged first?

Episode 153 - February 28, 2011
01:08		Socrates was a brilliant and rational man. Why would he decide to suffer for a crime he did not commit when he had the choice to escape?
02:40		If reason is man’s means of survival, but despite valiant efforts I cannot understand certain subjects, such as higher math or physics, doesn’t that mean that my reason is limited and to some extent impotent?
05:18		Is it moral for an artist to want to reach the widest audience possible?
09:02		In regard to the recent Arizona shooting, why do people on the news blame everyone but the guy with the gun?
12:46		I often hear and read the term “rational egoism,” but isn’t that term redundant? Is there such a thing as irrational egoism?

Episode 154 - March 07, 2011
01:08		Are all religions equally destructive? No matter how they start will they all go from no child left behind to no child’s behind left?
02:04		You say, “To save the world is the simplest thing in the world. All one has to do is think.” Why shouldn’t you say, all one has to do is think with a good method?
03:32		Would it be moral to steal the 2012 presidential election if that would give us individual rights?
05:04		What role should certain specific governments play in Objectivist government?
07:56		I have a friend who answers, “No, I listen to Peikoff on Monday, ” when asked, “Do you go to church on Sunday.” So do you think shifting the podcast release day from Monday to Sunday could decrease church attendance?
09:08		If sex is so crucial, would life be worth living if one’s sex has permanently disappeared?
12:40		When I produce at my job, don’t I have to start with philosophy every morning? As of now, when I wake up, I think, “While perceiving what is I must choose to conceptualize it to the highest abstraction and then produce the best for my life even by harmonious cooperation with rational men and I must follow this sentence with methodological precision.” Is there a better way to start my day?

Episode 155 - March 14, 2011
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		[Follow-up 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?

Episode 156 - March 21, 2011
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 increasingdesperation?
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?

Episode 157 - March 28, 2011
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?

Episode 158 - April 04, 2011
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?

Episode 159 - April 11, 2011
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?

Episode 161 - April 25, 2011
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?

Episode 162 - May 02, 2011
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?

Episode 163 - May 09, 2011
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?

Episode 166 - May 30, 2011
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?

Episode 167 - June 06, 2011
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?

Episode 168 - June 13, 2011
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?

Episode 169 - June 20, 2011
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.

Episode 170 - June 27, 2011
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?

Episode 171 - July 04, 2011
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 theimpossible?

Episode 172 - July 11, 2011
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?

Episode 173 - July 18, 2011
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?

Episode 174 - July 25, 2011
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?

Episode 175 - August 01, 2011
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?

Episode 176 - August 08, 2011
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?

Episode 177 - August 15, 2011
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?

Episode 178 - August 22, 2011
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?

Episode 179 - August 29, 2011
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?

Episode 180 - September 05, 2011
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?

Episode 181 - September 12, 2011
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 movie-going consist of?

Episode 182 - September 19, 2011
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 haveresponded?
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?

Episode 183 - September 26, 2011
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?

Episode 187 - October 24, 2011
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?

Episode 188 - October 31, 2011
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?

Episode 189 - November 07, 2011
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?

Episode 190 - November 14, 2011
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?

Episode 191 - November 21, 2011
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 it?

Episode 193 - December 05, 2011
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?

Episode 194 - December 12, 2011
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?

Episode 195 - December 19, 2011
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?

Episode 196 - December 26, 2011
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?

Episode 197 - January 02, 2012
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?

Episode 201 - January 30, 2012
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?

Episode 202 - February 06, 2012
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—philosophical or an experiential issue?

Episode 203 - February 13, 2012
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?

Episode 204 - February 20, 2012
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?

Episode 205 - February 27, 2012
01:08		Hypothetically, if Socialism were the only system that brought about prosperity, and Capitalism brought nothing but misery, would you then support Socialism, even though it violates individual rights?
02:44		What is your view of the emotion of contempt?
04:24		Would it be beneficial to give up masturbating to be a better composer?
05:40		What does it mean to “forgive,” and how does one do it?
08:10		What is wrong with the Golden Rule- do on to others as you would have them do on to you- when applied to persons who have not yet hurt you in any way?
09:12		Recently, the government removed several children from their home because the parents have named them after Hitler and the Aryan nation. Is it always immoral for the State to intervene in parental behavior unless there is demonstrated physical harm to the child?
10:18		Why is cannibalism a moral taboo?
11:42		No man has a claim on me. So do I have any duty to call the police and report a crime that I witnessed?

Episode 207 - March 12, 2012
01:08		Is there a good reason to like and follow sports?
03:40		Who is the most evil character in Atlas Shrugged and in The Fountainhead?
05:32		Was Frank O’Connor ever jealous of the love Ayn Rand had for her male characters?
07:06		Can it be just to feel bitter about being laid off from work irrationally, by a whim-worshiping boss, even when one understands he had the legal right to his decision?
09:36		I love my mother, but not my father. Is it immoral to tell him that I love him in order to spare his feelings?
12:02		In Atlas Shrugged Eddie Willers says to John Galt, “You look as if you’ve never known pain or fear or guilt.” Why does Ayn Rand include lack of pain as a fundamental attribute? Hasn’t Galt felt pain more than anyone in the book?

Episode 208 - March 19, 2012
01:08		Is it irrational to end a love relationship purely because of the other person’s looks?
04:28		Every time I suggest to my friends that I am in favor of egoism, the conversation turns into an argument. I don’t care if they become Objectivists, but I want to keep these friends and I’m not comfortable remaining silent when I’m attacked. What should I do?
08:10		My father is campaigning for a small political position and has asked me to help. His cause is diametrically opposed to Objectivist views, but I don’t want to betray my family. I am not 18 yet. What should I do?
11:14		My boyfriend of nearly four years suddenly decided he wanted to be on his own. We had no previous problems. He claims he wants time alone to figure out what he wants out of life. How should I deal with this situation?

Episode 209 - March 26, 2012
01:08		The captain in a recent cruise line case abandoned his ship before all of the passengers and crew had done so. He has been criticized for breaking the rule of the sea: that the captain will be the last to leave a ship in distress. Was he immoral, since all he did was to hold his life as his standard of value?
04:22		I am struggling to quit smoking. I can quit for 7 months on nicotine, but then I start again. Why do I do this again since I value my body much more than smoking?
07:26		If something is neither moral nor immoral is it amoral?
08:08		What are a man’s limits? Would it be rational to try to be a man like Leonardo Da Vinci?
10:02		In Galt’s speech why does he say, “The greatest of your philosophers” to refer to Aristotle. Why not “our” philosophers?
11:02		In your books you refer to Ayn Rand as Miss Rand. Why Miss rather than Ms. or Mrs.?

Episode 210 - April 02, 2012
01:08		An army officer describes the U.S. method of waging war in Afghanistan, and the morality it rests on.
03:46		Could you define your reasons for choosing Kira as your daughter’s name?
04:50		How quickly do you adapt to changing technology? Do you own a smartphone?
07:14		Should a racist comment made in the heat of battle about a sports pitch be treated any differently than that of any other derogative comment, any other verbal execration or swearing, that is directed at an individual player?

Episode 211 - April 09, 2012
01:08		Suppose I discover a previously unknown and brilliantly argued Platonic dialogue. If I were to publish it, it would probably revitalize his influence. Should I make it known or burn it?
02:00		Studies show that people who use bitter or painful placebos show better beneficial placebo effects, whereas easy, good-tasting placebos work less effectively. Why?
03:14		Did you find any value in teaching to non-Objectivist students in a university? In regard to your personal enjoyment, what were the pros and cons of teaching non-Objectivists vs. Objectivists?
05:52		Is it ever justified for a woman to slap a man?
07:50		[Was college teaching worth the years of torture required to get the PhD?]
09:48		If you were offered a million dollars to do a TV commercial stating that you use a certain brand of shampoo, would you do it if you in fact did not use that brand?
10:44		Is there a difference between the concept of individual rights and human rights?

Episode 212 - April 16, 2012
01:08		At the end of the 1953 movie Titanic there is enough room on the lifeboats only for the woman . In one touching scene, a woman prefers to die with her husband. Would Ayn Rand have done the same thing, even over Frank’s objection?
02:16		It is time-consuming and difficult work to get a solid grasp of Objectivism. Will this change if and when the culture improves, or will it always be difficult to learn?
06:06		Can love by the Objectivist definition be experienced deeply between friends, or is the concept reserved only for romantic partners?
08:18		Many Objectivists believe that as long as one agrees with the basic tenets of Objectivism, he ought to be supported by other Objectivists, no matter how wrong or even rotten his positions are on derivative intellectual topics. What is the proper way to evaluate such a person?

Episode 213 - April 23, 2012
01:08		Should I work on finding self-fulfillment and confidence before looking for a partner in life? If I have not yet reasoned out my goals, values, and morals is it wrong to pursue a relationship with a woman, considering that I don’t yet know what to look for in a woman?
04:44		Does it ever get any easier to see everyone working toward the destruction of this beautiful world?
08:48		Do you have any plans to release Ayn Rand’s work to the public domain before their copyright expires? It would be very helpful in the struggle for freedom.
13:02		What is the Objectivist moral stand on plastic surgery?

Episode 214 - April 30, 2012
01:08		What is the difference between an egoist and a braggart? Are all braggarts, egoists?
04:20		The great chess player, Bobby Fischer, was offered a million dollars to do a TV commercial stating that he used X shampoo. He replied that he couldn’t do it because he didn’t use this brand of shampoo. What would you do?
05:58		Instead of the Oscars, which are picked by only a few thousand members of the Academy, would there be a more objective way to select the best films of the year?
10:14		Is euthanasia immoral? Should it be illegal? Since it is my life, shouldn’t I be able to enter into a contract that allows someone to help me end it?
11:00		What is the significance of actors or even everyday people who cannot stand to watch themselves on film? Is this normal or a sign of something unhealthy?

Episode 215 - May 07, 2012
01:08		Peikoff reads a document titled, “No rational intellectual should ever have children” and identifies the invalid method of thought it exemplifies.
11:04		I was bullied severely in school. It was many years ago, but I’m still deeply disturbed. Is it the bully’s fault for traumatizing me for this long–or is it my fault for still being irrationally bothered by such long past events that I know will never happen again?

Episode 216 - May 14, 2012
01:08		My girlfriend of a year just dumped me. She was my first love and I adore her. She said that she grew to resent my Objectivist views. What should I do?
02:46		My company has asked me to send out a notification to our employees about our 401(k) matching program. The message states- falsely, in my view-that this is free money period. Is it okay to refuse my employer’s request?
04:20		Re prenuptial agreements. Isn’t it unromantic to make plans before marriage for what will happen in case the marriage fails? Isn’t it better just to figure things out if and when it fails?
08:24		Is defamation a form of free speech or a form of force that violates rights?
09:50		I like comic books and super heroes. Does Objectivism condemn these figures? Are comic books harmful to young readers?
11:46		In her introduction to Ominous Parallels, Ayn Rand says that the book taught her something about how ideas influence a culture. What did she learn, and were there other things she also learned from you?

Episode 217 - May 21, 2012
01:08		Why did Ayn Rand require proof that smoking is harmful before she stopped, instead of going with the safety principle, requiring positive proof of it being safe before starting?
04:52		In Rand’s 1980 Donahue appearance, right after her husband’s death, she said Frank was more of an atheist than she was if there could be degrees. What did she mean?
06:26		How should I judge a person who believes the global warming hysteria?
08:48		You suggested in a past podcast the real possibility of a child in the public schools in the early grades being subject to bullying. Why did you send your daughter there? Was there no alternative?

Episode 220 - June 11, 2012
01:08		Do you think Ayn Rand’s ideas can be communicated on Twitter? In other words, in the space of 140 or fewercharacters?
04:30		When you were in graduate school, how did you choose your supervisor? What qualities were important to you?
06:26		How did you get your start as a philosopher?
09:06		Objectivism says that human mortality is necessary to morality, since life can be the standard of value only because action–a certain kind of action–is required to protect it. Therefore, if we were immortal we wouldn’t need morality to guide us. Does it follow that, according to Objectivism, immortality is immoral or else impossible?
12:52		How is that some people can be happy even if they hold irrational ideas and values?

Episode 221 - June 18, 2012
01:08		I have recently fallen madly in love with a woman 14 years younger than me. I am too old for her and she would be out of my league even if I wasn’t. Isn’t the fact that I will never have sex with her proof of the malevolent universe?
02:34		If man is Tabula Rasa, then how does Objectivism evaluate the work of Sigmund Freud?
05:30		In my divorce, in a moment of weakness, I promised my now ex-wife not to share my atheist views with my children. But now I am wondering. She is proselytizing them for Christianity. Is my greatest responsibility to keep my word toward their mother, or should I raise my children in accordance with the ideas I myself regard as true?
07:28		If Kant is the worst man in history, is it impossible for someone to be more evil?
08:50		After a history of bullying in school, I moved to a new school where I was targeted by another individual. This time I responded by punching him in the face, and the bully stopped and left me alone. Was my use of force justified in this case?
10:32		What is the Objectivist view of housewives or stay-at-home moms?
12:16		Too many people say to me, “I went through the Ayn Rand phase when I too was in high school.” How should I take this?

Episode 222 - June 25, 2012
01:08		Recently I discovered that my boyfriend was cheating on me. I have since learned that he is also lying to his new girlfriend. I have the urge to tell her what is going on. What would you do?
03:14		My mother is Catholic and I am an Objectivist. She claims that I am closed-minded simply because I am 14 and call myself an atheist. How should I respond to her?
05:38		Ayn Rand said that Objectivism is a philosophy for living on earth. If moon or Martian colonies are created what happens to her description? Why not just say a philosophy for living?
07:30		A prominent Objectivist has stated that the evil is the mindless. How than can Kant, one of the most powerful minds in history, also be judged the most evil?
08:32		Is an eye for eye and a tooth for a tooth a moral principle?
10:16		What value should one attach to popularity and fame?
12:10		What if any is the rational basis for loyalty? Is loyalty a virtue?
13:48		Why is it that the older I get the better the past seems?

Episode 223 - July 02, 2012
01:08		Was your relationship with Ayn Rand like an apprenticeship where she instructed and mentored you in Objectivism?
02:38		Putting aside the obvious restrictions on parents, such as physically abusing their offspring, how does one determine whether a child’s consent is required for a parental action involving the child?
05:24		Did Ellsworth Toohey have low self-esteem?
06:46		The emotion of shame is said to come from violating social values, while guilt comes from violations to one’s internal values. Is this true?
08:14		A television program quotes Ayn Rand as writing that “we are all brothers under the skin and I for one would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.” Is this honest?
09:10		As I understand it, Dr. Peikoff, you endorsed Obama in the last election, but changed your mind in the face of the facts after Obama’s true nature was exposed by his actions in office. What error in your own thinking would you say made you draw the conclusion so late as you did?
10:40		Is there really a video of you acting as a cop in a skit? I heard about it on an Ayn Rand walking tour of New York City.
12:04		In regard to the trader principle, is it moral for me not to tell my trading partner what I think the real value of the article or service is, when I know I’m getting more value out of it than they are? In other words, is withholding information in this context fraud?
13:38		Do you consider the actions of Eduardo Saverin, cofounder of Facebook who renounced his citizenship for Singapore, moral and rational?

Episode 224 - July 09, 2012
01:08		Evaluate the slippery slope argument as a type of reasoning.
04:38		Is there an actual movement called Objectivism or is it just a philosophy? Or both?
05:28		Are there authorities qualified to issue statements on what ideas are or not consonant with Objectivism?
07:16		What is the danger of listening to amateurs in philosophy who pretend to be experts?
09:10		You and Ayn Rand have both lectured on difficult topics to people that were sometimes unreceptive. Do you have any general tips on public speaking?
12:50		Will you publish in book form your lectures on the History of Philosophy?
13:40		When you first met Ayn Rand at the age of 17 and were learning her philosophy, was it so revolutionary that you felt alienated from the world and other people?

Episode 225 - July 16, 2012
		[This podcast is devoted to several questions that have been raised on love and sex.]
01:16		I love a girl who says that she looks up to me more than anyone else in the world because I model the values she desires. But she doesn’t feel a “spark” with me and so she is unable to love me romantically. Is it possible to deal with this situation objectively?
03:36		I was in a relationship with a man who says he loves me for those values which I regard as my highest. When I first met him, I saw nothing of value in him, and I still don’t, but he loves me. How can he love a person who embodies a set of values which are in opposition to his own?
05:20		[In Atlas Shrugged Dagny expresses her "need" of Hank. Isn't this incompatible with the virtue of independence?]
07:04		If a person doesn’t like oral sex, is this a form of nihilism or just an arbitrary sexual preference?
10:12		Why does your new book study the effects of integration on cultures as a whole, whereas your podcasts focus on the problems of individuals, not of cultures?
11:56		Ayn Rand said that in any conflict between two groups who hold the same basic principles it is the more consistent one who will win. But the Communists in Soviet Russia were more consistent than the West in regard to altruism and statism, so why didn’t they win the Cold War?
13:36		When writing fiction, is there a proper way to choose the race of a character?

Episode 232 - September 03, 2012
01:08		If you hate writing, as you’ve said, can you nevertheless still be happy now that you wrote The DIM Hypothesis?
05:18		When The DIM Hypothesis is read in the future and your prediction is unfortunately proved correct, do you think that this could help people pay attention to ideas and become more rational?
06:42		Is the ultimate goal of the left to turn America into the Soviet Union or Sweden?
09:12		When one first meets a U.S. soldier, is it appropriate to thank him for his effort in protecting us without knowing the specifics of his military career and the kind of missions he was assigned?
10:56		Why hasn’t Anthem been made into a movie?

Episode 233 - September 10, 2012
01:08		I am trying to write a fiction novel, but every time I sit down to write, my first thoughts are that I musn’t make it like The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. And then I can’t write. What should I do?
04:56		Did Ayn Rand ever tell you what it was like to read her own novels?
06:42		I recently developed feelings for a female coworker who is better at our job than I am. As I result I feel emasculated and almost unworthy of her. Am I right to feel that I must be her creative equal or better to pursue her?
08:40		In Atlas Shrugged, when John is giving Dagny the tour of the valley, there is a character briefly introduced who is identified as a writer and who matches Ayn Rand’s physical description. Did Ayn Rand intend this character to be a representation of herself?
10:38		Why is the number of men interested in studying philosophy and attending lectures about Ayn Rand’s Objectivism, five times greater than women?
12:14		If Miss Rand was here today, what would be her first spoken sentence after learning that the Affordable Care Act had been signed into law as constitutional?

Episode 234 - September 17, 2012
01:08		Suppose two men apply for a job. Both are qualified, but one is clearly more so than the other. The less qualified man knows he is the lesser, but gets the job anyway. Is this unjust?
03:40		Do you think most people embrace religion and mysticism because they seek to escape death?
05:00		With all due respect, who do you recommend we direct our questions to when you are no longer available to answer them?
07:28		According to Facets of Ayn Rand, she quote, she “cried tears of splendor” upon seeing the New York skyline for the first time. Were these different from wedding tears, in other words, were they malevolent universe?
09:12		How much would you pay for an absolutely guaranteed 25 additional happy, healthy and successful years of your life?

Episode 235 - September 24, 2012
01:08		Is romantic love a requirement for a happy life?
03:52		Why do people choke under pressure?
06:36		Suppose one happens across a person who acts to destroy lives, like Hitler or a serial killer, who is himself in a life-threatening emergency. Would the Objectivist ethics hold it as immoral for one not to rescue such a person?
08:08		I am in a wind ensemble. While rehearsing the conductor demanded to know who was using vibrato in the trumpet section. He said that it sounded very nice, but since no one else was doing it, I shouldn’t either. Is he right?
09:10		If we are to decide our actions by reason and logic, why do we have emotion?
12:30		You said earlier that there is not likely to be a more evil person than the character Toohey. Since then you have called Obama a nihilist. Is he in any way less evil than Toohey?

Episode 236 - October 01, 2012
01:08		You are against capital punishment because of the possibility of error and thus of killing an innocent person. Watching the James Holmes case, the suspect in the Batman premiere shooting in Colorado, I’m curious if you would say there is ever a case conclusive enough to warrant the death penalty?
02:42		I met a woman 6 weeks ago and she has since been away for 4 weeks. I’ve tried to stay in touch, but after emailing her with my thoughts and interest in the relationship, I have not received a response. What is a reasonable amount of time to wait for a response?
04:18		Would a dictator be more or less immoral if he imposed Objectivism on a country?
06:06		I am pursuing a career in software which gives me both the physical things I want, such as money, and the spiritual things, like solving real-life problems. Although it’s challenging I know I can do more complex, difficult things with my time which would contribute to computer science. These achievements I know would lead me to happiness, but would also be very hard work and I don’t want to put in all that extra work. Am I wasting my life?
08:26		If you find one dollar on the street, is it moral to take it or is it theft? If you find one million dollars, does the same principle apply?
09:18		If Ayn Rand were still alive today, do you think she would be upset enough about the current state of things that she would move to Singapore like so many others have done?
11:06		Say that in the future humans invent sexbots that are robots you can sleep with and marry. What would Objectivism say about that?

Episode 237 - October 08, 2012
		Announcement: Dr. Peikoff will now be sharing his podcast, every other week, with Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. Dr. Peikoff will continue to deal with the same kinds of questions as he has in the past, but Dr. Brook will be dealing with other areas that have largely been ignored by Dr. Peikoff, such as current events in economics, foreign policy, military issues, etc. Dr. Peikoff invites his listeners to continue to send their questions, for either himself or for Dr. Brook, at peikoff dot com.
02:06		What is the origin of gender roles? Is it true, as some say, that gender is not an objective reality, but merely a product of social construction?
06:22		Because Paul Ryan is the presumptive successor of Romney, assuming Romney can win, and because it is well known that Ryan is influenced by Ayn Rand, could this be a significant inroad for the escape from dictatorship?
09:34		Is it proper to bribe one’s self with immediate rewards for performing rational but unpleasant tasks? Or should the fact that the tasks are in one’s long-term interest be motivation enough?
11:46		What is your opinion of beauty contests?
13:24		Why do people respond so vehemently to the idea that love is conditional?

Episode 238 - October 15, 2012
01:08		Does the offspring of a diabetic parent have a reasonable beef with his parent if he himself contracts diabetes?
04:10		I don’t believe in God but I don’t discount that an entity beyond our comprehension might exist. For instance, nuclear fusion would have been incomprehensible to a cave man. Could there be something else like that?
06:02		What do you think of an older man masturbating to pictures of much younger, but legal women? Is it psychologically destructive?
08:28		You have really great hair for a 78 year old. Is that genetic or have you done anything to enhance it?
09:10		Why do you differentiate D2 from M2? Aren’t they very similar?
12:16		Why was the concept of man-worship not covered in OPAR? Isn’t it central to Objectivism?

Episode 240 - October 29, 2012
01:08		A woman indicates to me that she likes me romantically, but later broke up with me without explanation. I then found out that her diary includes fantasies about breaking my heart. Is this a split personality? What is the matter with her?
04:52		When, if ever, is it appropriate to refer to Ayn Rand as “Ayn”?
06:54		In light of your new book, The DIM Hypothesis, and current trends, would you call religion evil?
08:30		Five years ago my girlfriend broke up with me because I was not educated and did not make much money. Today I am well-educated, successful, make good money, and am still obsessed and angry with this woman. Where should I go from here?

Episode 241 - November 05, 2012
01:08		Because I have average intelligence and below average looks, I experience terrible jealousy to others. I feel bad about myself, especially because it means I can’t date the women that I want. What should I do?
06:04		One of your listeners started her question with, “You truly are a hero of mine.” Is this a pleasure to you? Or do Objectivists think a hero shouldn’t be a real person but an ideal?
08:34		For single accidental mothers, how do you define living morally?
09:40		According to Objectivism, is a self-absorbed person an example of selfishness?
11:20		If romantic love and sex essentially involve shared values of the soul, why is physical attraction in this realm such a powerful factor?

Episode 242 - November 12, 2012
		Yaron Brook begins answering questions on alternate weeks with Dr. Peikoff
01:10		YBrook: If an individual acquires a monopoly in business, such as utilities or telecom, isn't the monopoly much the same as Collectivism and therefore preventing others from enjoying opportunities that a free society offers? Or am I misunderstanding the terms?
05:30		YBrook: What would be the likely effect of a major economic collapse, far beyond the severity of the 2008 crisis?
09:02		YBrook: A number of companies argue that Google is a monopolist and has urged the Federal Trade Commission to take Google to court. Is this an example of cronyism?
12:56		YBrook: A follow-up to Dr. Peikoff and Dr. Brook's joint podcast on libertarianism: A new term to replaceCapitalism?

Episode 243 - November 19, 2012
01:08		A follow-up to a previous podcast on the questions: is gender merely a social construct? The book (horrifying but excellent), I refer to is As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl, by John Colapinto.
02:54		What do you think of the 2012 presidential election results?
07:30		What should a minor in his mid-teens do if his parents, short of committing any crime, nevertheless act consistently on their oft-stated desire to make him continuously miserable?
10:18		What is the significance of age? Is it "just a number?"
13:06		How do D's survive? For example, many modern-day D's deny causality.

Episode 244 - November 26, 2012
01:06		To YBrook: If the current Supreme Court were to stay as conservative or more under a republican president, would abortion again be illegal? The Romney court took away private property rights in Massachusetts, will a liberal court under Obama preserve more property rights?
05:14		To YBrook: Dr. Peikoff previously said that Objectivism has to be accepted by consent, not imposed or forced on people. With that in mind, do you acknowledge that after WWII the American government forced the Japanese to accept a new conception of government?
09:50		To YBrook: How do you compare Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan vs. Turkey and Lebanon? How do they differ?
14:14		To YBrook: Is it moral to capitalize on a market distortion caused by government?

Episode 245 - December 03, 2012
01:08		Ayn Rand dealt with writing blocks by playing solitaire until she had a solution. Norman Mailer responded by typing any junk from his sub-conscious and throwing it away until he had a new idea. What is your advice?
03:28		I am a 29 year old guy and recently met a beautiful 18 year old girl who likes me. I care for and admire her, but she's not my equal, and I often find myself talking down to her as though I'm her father. I have decided against a long-term relationship, but is it proper to have sex with her if she understands the terms?
05:16		Is romantic love possible when one of the partners is disabled and cannot perform?
07:40		I enjoy dancing in private, but can't do so when anyone is watching because I'm too embarrassed. Is this second-handed?
10:52		Can an attractive person fall in love with an ugly person?

Episode 246 - December 10, 2012
01:08		To YBrook: There is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Phoenix and the owners want to demolish it. The community is outraged and the city is in the act of designating the building as a historical site. The owners in turn are threatening to sue the city. To me it's clear that the city intends to violate the owner's property rights, but I'm sad for myself and others that such a work be lost. For my emotions to align with reason, how should I feel if the owners prevail?
03:34		To YBrook: Assuming a European financial collapse, is it possible that the British Monarchy will take over Europe?
06:06		To YBrook: How would Objectivists defend against corruption within limited government, mainly the bribery of police military or law courts, to favor one individual over another?
07:52		To YBrook: What do you think of the slogan, "Economic patriotism"?
11:10		To YBrook: If a moral change in a culture is proceeded by change in the accepted epistemology, shouldn't the spearhead of Objectivism be focused on spreading epistemology?
13:32		To YBrook: Is it moral to take advantage of price-gouging after disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy?

Episode 247 - December 17, 2012
01:08		Which authors of popular fiction do you recommend?
06:42		What made it possible for Ayn Rand to be the genius of the ages, the first person in 5000 years to create a perfect philosophical system?
10:40		You mention that you thought you were not a good father because you did not set proper limits for your daughter; You had more the psychology of a grandfather than a father due to the fact that you had a child much later in life than is typical. What is it about aging that would cause a man todevelop a grandfather psychology despite his knowledge?

Episode 248 - December 24, 2012
01:08		To YBrook: In a mixed economy, how should I address my self-interest for wanting to keep a public school up and running if it requires having to vote for an increase in taxes?
03:52		To YBrook: Ayn Rand spoke of inalienable rights, above all man's right to his own life. If this right is inalienable, then how can it be delegated or contracted to any one or any group, be it government or otherwise?
07:48		To YBrook: What would happen in a free market in regard to insider trading?
09:58		To YBrook: I own an investment property, but the mortgage is worth more than the value of the property. The tenant has stopped paying rent and is squatting in the house. An eviction would cost thousands of dollars. Would it be moral to default on the property?
12:38		To YBrook: Dr. Brook, you have been encouraging people to visit Hong Kong once before they die. Does the fact that it is a dictatorship make it immoral, even though the dictator imposes free markets?

Episode 249 - December 31, 2012
01:08		"Why does Roark stay in the world to fight but Galt allows it to collapse? How can these two heros of Rand's fiction take such opposite paths?
04:34		I feel uncomfortable or even embarrassed when I receive a valid compliment. I know I should be happy for the recognition. What am I to make of this?
07:08		Is there a moral issue involved in Objectivist philosophers accepting gifts from admirers?
09:38		If you got away with murder, would it be rational to turn yourself in?
11:42		Is Gail Wynand an Objectivist? Does he understand the philosophy but fail to observe it?

Episode 250 - January 07, 2013
00:38		YBrook: A follow-up to a previous podcast [248] on the question: If a moral change in a culture is proceeded by change in the accepted epistemology, shouldn’t the spearhead of Objectivism be focused on spreading epistemology?
02:04		To YBrook: Under pure Capitalism, with complete private property rights and no public land, would prevent a citizen from seceding from the boundaries of the established social contract?
04:02		To YBrook: Why is Hillary Clinton being spared the spotlight on Benghazi? Was Rice a diversion so Hillary does not get scarred from her 2019 presidential bid?
06:20		To YBrook: What got the USA out of the Great Depression?
10:34		YBrook: In a previous lecture you spoke about the economic situation in the Unites States being similar to Greece twenty years ago because of its debt. How is this possible since the United States can issue its own currency?

Episode 251 - January 14, 2013
01:08		Is unconditional love for a child irrational? How can a small child have the virtues required to deserve love?
02:46		Is it a contradiction for atheists to reject mysticism but accept altruism?
04:10		An Objectivist group holds that there is a hierarchy of people who believe in Objectivism but at different stages of knowledge. The lowest has been named beginner, then comes novice, proficient, expert, maestro, and genius. Is this official Objectivist doctrine?
06:58		Assuming you will not be subjected to hazing, is there anything wrong with joining a social fraternity in college?
08:26		Why does The DIM Hypothesis not apply to non-Western culture? Does it pertain to the nature of the Hypothesis, or to the nature of non-Western culture?
09:22		Did Ayn Rand ever meet your parents? If so, what did she think of them?
10:16		Is it wrong to value a person's oratorical style and commanding presence when the content of his message is philosophically repugnant?
11:30		Is ambition a virtue in Objectivism?

Episode 252 - January 21, 2013
00:38		To YBrook: Are there any careers possible in this world where the right of way is not blocked? A career where my children can rise as far as their potential allows them?
03:34		To YBrook: What do you think about America having a second civil war? What should an Objectivist do in a crisis likethis?
05:16		To YBrook: I've seen a significant rise in conspiracy theories among the public lately. Is this a trend and how do we explain the prevalence?
07:24		To YBrook: Is there anything to be positive about in the wake of Obama's reelection?
09:26		To YBrook: Is there anything wrong with advertising and marketing Objectivism and Objectivist thought?
11:16		To YBrook: What do you make of the vast and growing number of people in the religious right who claim to be inspired by Ayn Rand's ideas, but clearly and vocally disagree with much of what Rand wrote beyond economics? Do you think this cherry picking is good or bad for the Objectivist movement?

Episode 253 - January 28, 2013
01:08		What should and can Republicans do to win their next battle with Obama, such as the debt-limit crisis?
04:22		Should a man pay for dinner on a date? How do gender roles play into this issue?
07:06		What is the most common misconception about Objectivism? [Dr. Peikoff gives one for each branch of philosophy.]
07:36		At work our boss provides us with free snacks. I usually take all of the best parts, including the muffin tops, leaving only the bottoms and such for the others. Am I immoral?
09:10		If John Galt could broadcast the same speech, modified for context, to the entire U.S., do you think Obama would try and recruit him as Thompson did?
11:20		If one is in a relationship, is it morally acceptable to seek out others as long as one does not engage in any relationship-type activities with them?

Episode 254 - February 04, 2013
00:40		To YBrook: In a recent podcast you refer to a worldwide division of labor. Would this require the free movement of labor of all kinds and the need to protect the rights involved? If so, are you advocating for a world government?
03:46		To YBrook: Why would a Collectivist, like Jimmy Carter, deregulate?
06:36		To YBrook: What are the fundamental differences between policemen and doctors when it comes to protecting individual rights?
09:24		To YBrook: Do we need a viable third party to survive?
11:36		To YBrook: What is the fiscal cliff? Is this an example of Obama's nihilism? What motivates both parties in thisrespect?

Episode 256 - February 18, 2013
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?

Episode 257 - February 25, 2013
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?

Episode 258 - March 04, 2013
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.

Episode 259 - March 11, 2013
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?

Episode 260 - March 18, 2013
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?

Episode 261 - March 25, 2013
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?

Episode 262 - April 01, 2013
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?

Episode 263 - April 08, 2013
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?

Episode 264 - April 15, 2013
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?

Episode 265 - April 22, 2013
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?

Episode 266 - April 29, 2013
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?

Episode 268 - May 13, 2013
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?

Episode 269 - May 20, 2013
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?

Episode 270 - May 27, 2013
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?

Episode 271 - June 03, 2013
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?

Episode 272 - June 10, 2013
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?

Episode 273 - June 17, 2013
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?

Episode 274 - June 24, 2013
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?

Episode 275 - July 01, 2013
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?

Episode 276 - July 08, 2013
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?

Episode 277 - July 15, 2013
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?

Episode 278 - July 22, 2013
00:42		To YBrook: What claim, if any, do beneficiaries have to assets which are left by a direct ancestor, but there is nowill?
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?

Episode 279 - July 29, 2013
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?

Episode 280 - August 05, 2013
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?]

Episode 281 - August 12, 2013
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?

Episode 282 - August 19, 2013
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?

Episode 286 - September 09, 2013
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?

Episode 287 - September 16, 2013
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?

Episode 288 - September 23, 2013
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?

Episode 289 - September 30, 2013
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?

Episode 292 - October 21, 2013
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?

Episode 293 - October 28, 2013
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?]

Episode 294 - November 04, 2013
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?]

Episode 295 - November 11, 2013
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?

Episode 296 - November 18, 2013
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?

Episode 297 - November 25, 2013
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?

Episode 298 - December 02, 2013
00:40		To YBrook: Why are health care 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 thevictims?
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?]

Episode 299 - December 09, 2013
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?

Episode 300 - December 16, 2013
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 badsign?
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?

Episode 301 - December 23, 2013
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?

Episode 302 - December 30, 2013
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?]

Episode 303 - January 06, 2014
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?

Episode 304 - January 13, 2014
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 wasteinto 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?

Episode 305 - January 20, 2014
01:08		Can I be truly moral in every sense if I reject Objectivism?
04:32		How should I react to a religious girlfriend who repeatedly says she must save me from atheism and therefore make me happier?
08:04		You said in a past podcast that it was not morally wrong for a teacher to give an unearned grade in a particular situation. How does that square with Ayn Rand’s statement that “any compromise with evil can only benefit evil”?

Episode 306 - January 27, 2014
00:40		To YB: Is Obama worse on foreign policy than Ron Paul?
03:22		To YB: What do you think about legalizing marijuana? Is it a step in the right direction?
05:08		To YB: Is it rational to want to purchase a firearm because the United States is collapsing, or is this just paranoid fear mongering?
08:24		To YB: Does the United Nations do anything good for the world?
09:34		To YB: Is there anything you do not like about the Tea Party?
11:36		To YB: If everyone were rational Objectivists, would we need government?
13:04		To YB: A follow-up discussion about the Palestinian people and Israel.

Episode 308 - February 10, 2014
01:08		Why did you choose to become an Objectivist teacher? What are some of the emotions you feel when teaching?
04:40		How might a book like The Ominous Parallels have been received if published in Weimar Germany?
07:04		Who is more admirable: a person who learned rational moral principles early in his life, or a person striving to be good but to whom such principles are completely novel?
09:16		I am dating a girl I really like, but mentally she is a bit slow because she is Special Ed. She treats me great, but I'm not sure if her mind-set is that of a youngster. Does she like me because she is immature and not because of my real virtues? Should I continue dating her?

Episode 309 - February 17, 2014
00:40		To YB: How should an Objectivist respond when a leftist uses the phrase “trickle-down economics” to attack capitalism. Is this a straw man?
05:00		To YB: If poor people don't live as long as wealthy people because they are more likely to live an unhealthy life, should the government intervene and close this gap?
07:14		To YB: What is a good response to the liberal argument that raising the minimum wage would get a lot of people off government programs such as food stamps?
10:30		To YB: Is it a virtue to work for the government and help the population live a healthier life?
12:20		To YB: What is your assessment of Nelson Mandela?

Episode 310 - February 24, 2014
01:08		Is hope a virtue or a vice?
03:02		My boyfriend of 8 months really likes me, but he has never stated his feelings for me. Am I being petty to be bothered by the fact that even though his actions show admiration, he has never spoken the words?
06:42		Since love is a response to values, does that make it possible to love a person rationally simply for being rich?
07:40		You claim Obama is a Nihilist, but isn’t “hope and change” a slogan of benevolence?
09:38		Advancement in science will probably give humans radical life extension within decades, and possibly even eliminate aging. If this happens, will changes in Objectivism be necessary to accommodate an unlimited lifespan?
11:24		[If a villain like Iago existed, who had perfected the technique of applying just enough psychological pressure to push someone to commit murder, what would the moral step be?]

Episode 311 - March 03, 2014
00:38		To YB: If China were to attack Japan, would you advocate for United States involvement on the side of the Japanese?
02:32		To YB: Why are suicide rates among soldiers so high today?
07:20		To YB: Would you agree that immigrants to America having advanced degrees are more advantageous to American than low skilled workers?
09:12		To YB: Do you think you are personally being taped by the NSA because of your activism?
11:04		To YB: Have you ever thought about running for congress?
13:10		[To YB: Should the US be a member of NATO? Should the US be a member of the United Nations? Should the United States be a part of WTO, the World Trade Organization?]

Episode 312 - March 10, 2014
01:08		Is it possible for two Objectivists not to like each other?
05:24		My mother, a millionaire, is 93 and has dementia. I have never liked her, and it so happens that I now have control over her money. Is it immoral not to spend it for her treatment so that I can save it for my inheritance?
08:26		What do you think of Western people giving their children non-traditional names like Rivers, Leaves, or naming them after an ancient figure like Aristotle? Is this non-conformity a virtue?
11:12		Was there ever a time when Ayn Rand annoyed you?

Episode 313 - March 17, 2014
00:38		To YB: Should voluntary donations be the only means of funding the government in a free society?
02:48		To YB: What would happen in an Objectivist country if another country engaged in economic war?
03:58		To YB: What is your view on Austrian economics?
07:48		To YB: It could be argued that the Islamic world was a leader in science and mathematics from the 8th to the 13th century. Today, this part of the world is among the most primitive. What happened?

Episode 314 - March 24, 2014
01:08		I did most of the work in getting my college degree (years ago). However, occasionally I violated the rules by submitting lab assignments that I copied from other people's work. Does morality require that I confess my behavior to the university?
05:12		I am dating a girl that is an internet cam girl, meaning she strips and masturbates via web chat for money. I like the fact that she fakes having a good time with other men, but is really attracted only to me. Is it wrong to fall for this girl?
09:50		What is your view of David Horowitz?
11:26		Is being a professional fitness trainer a rational and productive career?

Episode 316 - April 07, 2014
01:08		Should I feel guilty for having sex with a tenant of mine in exchange for lowering her rent?
03:54		A girl that is an irreplaceable value to me enjoys sharing her life experiences, and I enjoy listening to her. Sometimes she tells the same story several times and recently has begun asking me before she tells a story if I’ve heard it. Saying yes discourages her. Is it wrong to give a dishonest no—because I do like hearing the repeated stories?
08:44		Many individuals say that they like animals more than people. What does this sentiment imply philosophically?

Episode 317 - April 15, 2014

00:40		To YB: Do you believe anti-Semitism is prevalent and widespread throughout American culture, or is it primarily a European phenomenon?
03:46		To YB: What is your take on the Swiss? They seem to be more successful at doing many of the things that Objectivistsadvocate.
05:52		To YB: Should high-speed trading be illegal?
11:24		To YB: Could Bitcoin, or an equivalent digital currency, be put on the gold standard?

Episode 319 - April 28, 2014
00:40		To YB: What changes do you see happening if China's GDP passes the United States'?
02:50		To YB: What are your views on the abject cowardice that has taken hold of the West since the Salman Rushdie fatwa in 1989?
04:44		To YB: Is there such a thing as international law?
06:20		To YB: Would you support the idea of kicking Turkey out of NATO?
07:52		To YB: What should the United States do about Russia's aggression toward the Ukraine?
11:00		To YB: The government was heavily involved in developing GPS for military technology. Would it still have been created in a free market?

Episode 320 - May 05, 2014
01:08		What did Ayn Rand think of jazz?
03:02		How would the difficulties you experienced when writing The DIM Hypothesis have been different if you had written the book surrounded by a rational culture?
04:44		In which profession do you think an Objectivist today could have the greatest cultural impact?
08:38		Is it rational to claim loyalty to a sports franchise, for example an NFL football team?

Episode 036 - November 17, 2008
		Group discussion.
00:54		If you know that your philosophy cannot succeed in your lifetime, why should you fight for it?
11:14		Is it possible for an Objectivist to be friends with someone who does not like to discuss reality?

Episode 038 - December 01, 2008
		Excerpt from session held at Dr. Peikoff's home in October 2008.
00:54		Since anger is the result of a moral evaluation, is it unjustifiable to be angry at your dog?
07:34		Why are there very few blue-collar Objectivists?

Episode 040 - December 15, 2008
		Excerpt from session held at Dr. Peikoff's home in October 2008.
00:54		What is greed?
10:30		To what degree should somebody attempt to make amends for immoral actions they have taken in the past?
17:46		[Ayn Rand was asked once: “Suppose Hitler reformed completely, and he wanted to follow the Objectivist morality, what's the first thing he should do?”]

Episode 042 - December 29, 2008
		Excerpt from session held at Dr. Peikoff's home in October 2008.
00:54		If Ayn Rand was moral, and morality is practical, and her morality stood for life as an absolute, why did she die?
08:54		If the universe is finite, then couldn’t man travel to the boundary, and then, if he could do that, couldn’t he go through that boundary?

Episode 043 - January 05, 2009
		Excerpt from session held at Dr. Peikoff's home in October 2008.
00:54		What would you tell a fifteen year old boy who’s trying to figure out what his philosophy [should be]?
08:52		What books did Ayn Rand recommend to you?
09:42		What do you think of the morality of making money if you are the owner of a casino and profiting when people lose?

Episode 044 - January 12, 2009
		Excerpt from session held at Dr. Peikoff's home in October 2008.
00:54		Is it immoral to use “Green” in product advertising?
02:20		Is it immoral to let a fetus survive outside the womb (by choice) using medical technology?
07:56		What is your opinion of patriotism?
18:06		A discussion of a listener’s statement that he has found two instances of dishonesty in Ayn Rand’s novels.

Episode 045 - January 19, 2009
00:44		[Do Dr. Peikoff's listeners prefer the group format or Peikoff alone for his podcast?]
03:04		What does Objectivism say to high school and college students that will help us to face growing older with equanimity?
11:10		Is professional comedy a rational undertaking that would be proper in a society composed of Objectivists?

Episode 047 - February 02, 2009
		Group discussion.
00:44		How should one deal with internal guilt and conflict of not wanting to routinely visit a paralyzed friend in the hospital, but feeling he ought to?
12:40		Is the continuation of consciousness after death a metaphysical impossibility or merely an unproved assertion?

Episode 050 - February 23, 2009
		Group discussion.
00:44		[How does one deal with acute grief? Is there some way to work through it intellectually and emotionally?]
11:14		Does it make sense to be experiencing doubt about a remunerative career choice after working in the field for 15years?

Episode 052 - March 09, 2009
		Group discussion.
00:44		How can there be objective facts in journalism?
06:44		[How does a journalist decide objectively which facts are relevant?]
15:38		[Who is the philosopher who would say that your conceptual framework determines what you would regard as a fact and cuts you off from true facts, from reality as it is in itself?]

Episode 057 - April 13, 2009
		Why is America more religious than Europe, and what are the political implications of this fact? [Entire podcast devoted to the question.]
		Duration: 16:39

Episode 075 - August 17, 2009
00:44		Why are people irrational? What benefit comes from being irrational? [Question from a fourteen year old boy.]
08:28		Is it rational to want to conquer fear?
11:58		If reality is existence as correctly perceived by man, can we say that truth is the recognition of the facts of existence as correctly perceived by man?

Episode 085 - October 26, 2009
		Episode 085 is no longer available.

Episode 089 - November 23, 2009
00:44		Objectivists are too gloomy. Why should we not focus essentially on the good, on all the values and joy that is still possible?
07:10		Is it right for Objectivists to have a glass is half empty attitude to non-Objectivists?
12:28		Why is that when disaster strikes, like 9/11, people tend to draw together? [Question from a 14 year old.]

Episode 095 - January 18, 2010
00:50		What is the proper U.S. policy in regard to Muslims, in light of recent events, such as the massacre at Fort Hood and the attempted Detroit bound airplane bombing?
10:00		What types of submitted questions by listeners do you not answer?

Episode 096 - January 25, 2010
00:44		Can secondary knowledge ever be real knowledge?
06:01		Is government morally involved in medicine in regard to the military?
10:09		How much license to romanticize people and events does a writer of a novel or film have when dealing with a historical event or individual?
11:46		[Is the use of voice-over narration in a film a violation of the medium?]
14:34		Did Ayn Rand travel?

Episode 101 - March 01, 2010
00:45		Is a person who commits an immoral act necessarily an immoral person?
03:54		Are there any philosophic implications to the fact that Eddie Willers felt romantic love for Dagny?
07:45		Do property rights apply on the Moon?
11:52		[Physical attraction and brains in the selection of a wife.]

Episode 103 - March 15, 2010
00:50		How much concern for appearance, if any, is appropriate for a first-handed person?
07:01		What about intuition? You learn a lot from it, but it’s not mysticism and it’s not reason.
10:16		If you know the identity of a rapist that hasn’t been caught by the police, is it moral to exact justice on your own, assuming you wouldn’t be caught?

Episode 105 - March 29, 2010
00:47		Why is it acceptable to put an advertisement up on personal property, but not pornography?
04:59		How important is physical appearance?
13:02		Should one think of one’s self in third person?
14:30		Is it valid to have less sympathy for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake because extreme poverty and corruption has compounded the situation?

Episode 107 - April 12, 2010
00:44		Why did no other society develop a pro-man sense of life, like Greece did?
08:03		If one’s underage children spend half their time with their father, is it proper for the dad to move to another state if the children cannot move with him?
13:35		If a person feels he is looked down upon because of his race, does having pride in your race as a self-esteem booster, make racism good?

Episode 108 - April 19, 2010
00:52		What do you think of the issue of gays in the military?
05:43		I really love a woman and believe she loves me too, but sometimes she treats me in a degrading way. What should I do? Shouldn’t my feelings be decisive
10:59		Should I feel guilty for not being involved in my child’s life (but pay child support) if I did not want to have the child and was adamant about it?

Episode 118 - June 28, 2010
		What do you think of the plan for a mosque in New York City near Ground Zero? Isn’t it private property and therefore protected by individual rights?
		Duration: 14:49

Episode 119 - July 05, 2010
00:46		Is it ever moral to be arrogant? If not, why did Ayn Rand admire Muhammad Ali’s arrogance?
02:57		What is the proper government attitude toward immigration?
12:56		Ayn Rand talks about studying other philosophers for self-protection. How should I get started?

Episode 140 - November 29, 2010
		Given the desperate state of the United States today and the future we seem to be heading toward, do we still have anything to be thankful for?
		Duration: 19:39

Episode 142 - December 13, 2010
00:54		Do you think it is wrong to work for an employer who does not share your values in life?
04:50		Is it proper for a doctor to perform a sex change operation for a patient?
07:26		What is your opinion on asexuality?
10:52		Why do you like the TV show Cake Boss?

Episode 160 - April 18, 2011
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?

Episode 164 - May 16, 2011
		Interview with Yaron Brook on the controversies that have arisen after the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden (Part 1of 2).
		Duration: 15:16

Episode 165 - May 23, 2011
		Interview with Yaron Brook on the controversies that have arisen after the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden (Part 2of 2).
		Duration: 23:50

Episode 184 - October 03, 2011
		Part One of an interview with Yaron Brookon the economic issues in today's world.
		Duration: 15:44

Episode 185 - October 10, 2011
		Part Two of an interview with Yaron Brook on the economic issues in today's world.
		Duration: 12:44

Episode 186 - October 17, 2011
		Part Three of an interview with Yaron Brook on the economic issues in today's world.
		Duration: 21:13

Episode 192 - November 28, 2011
		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

Episode 198 - January 09, 2011
		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

Episode 199 - January 16, 2012
		Interview to see whether an Objectivist could get elected. Peikoff as media questioner, Yaron Brook as Presidential candidate. Part I of two.
		Duration: 14:33

Episode 200 - January 23, 2012
		Interview to see whether an Objectivist could get elected. Peikoff as media questioner, Yaron Brook as Presidential candidate. Part 2 of 2.
		Duration: 26:36