Archive for “Ayn Rand”


44 min. Is Atlas Shrugging?

In this lecture, delivered in 1964 at Ford Hall Forum in Boston, Miss Rand discusses the relationship of the events presented in Atlas Shrugged to the actual events occurring in the world—and addresses the question: is Atlas Shrugged a prophetic novel, or a historical one?

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55 min. Significance of the Goldwater Campaign

Here are pre- and post-election discussions by Ayn Rand of the ideological implications of the Johnson-Goldwater contest. She endorses Goldwater, evaluates the two parties’ platforms, examines Goldwater’s glaring philosophical deficiencies, explains the smear campaign against him, and discusses the dim prospects for implementing capitalism via political—as against philosophical/educational—means.

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19 min. Selfishness as a Virtue

Ayn Rand is interviewed on the topic of her book The Virtue of Selfishness, as she explains the Objectivist approach to ethics. Miss Rand discusses the moral injustice of taxation, the dependence of the incompetent on the competent; her personal struggle as a writer.

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28 min. Romantic Literature

Ayn Rand discusses the role of art in an ideal society; the meaning of Romantic Realism; Dostoyevsky’s depiction of “life as it might be and ought not to be”; art vs. “depravity studies”; the literature of Shakespeare, Huxley, Nabokov and others.

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26 min. The “Robber Barons”

Ayn Rand discusses the vilification of the “Robber Barons” of the 19th century, and the general perceptions of productive geniuses in the current moral climate.

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28 min. Q&A on Objectivism

Ayn Rand discusses a variety of subjects, including: Objectivism’s value to people of “lesser ability”; why Mill and Bentham could not defend capitalism; origins of altruism in ancient Oriental culture; and fighting for the future.

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30 min. The Psychology of Altruism

Ayn Rand discusses the fallacy of “psychological egoism”; altruism’s false choice between sadism and masochism; self-esteem and altruism; and the desire for the unearned.

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28 min. Politics of a Free Society

Ayn Rand speaks about the link between the political and economic systems of a society. Does a free society need a constitution? How should government be financed in a free society? What are the limitations on suffrage? Should there be popular referendums for laws?

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28 min. Objective Law

Ayn Rand speaks on topics such as the meaning of objective law; why non-objective law lies at the base of tyranny; the implications of preventive law; rules of evidence; and whether capital punishment is justifiable.

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25 min. The Nature of Rights

Ayn Rand speaks on topics such as metaphysics and rights; the meaning of human survival; capitalism and the handicapped; and whether government has rights.

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