[Lecture Thirteen] Advanced Seminars on Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Course summary: In this course, Dr. Peikoff presented material from his then-new book, Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. The manuscript had its earliest roots in Peikoff’s comprehensive 1976 lecture course on Objectivism. As he worked on the material for publication, he discovered new connections and implications of major ideas in the philosophy as well as new insights on its integrated, hierarchical structure. Peikoff used these seminars to discuss what he learned in the process and to demonstrate how it would allow students of Objectivism to gain a new understanding of the philosophy. Read more »
In this lecture: This lecture completes the discussion of ethics with an examination of the evil involved in initiating physical force. Dr. Peikoff then explains the nature of happiness and self-esteem as essential elements in human life.
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 14:13 | What’s the difference between assault and battery and a boxing match? |
| 17:26 | Can you compare the section here with the section on force in Galt’s speech in the context of the mystic’s need to force the consciousness of others? |
| 19:06 | Is the teaching of wrong ideas ever the initiation of force? |
| 21:29 | A question on the meaning of “fleeing.” |
| 22:28 | What are the prerogatives of the parent? Is every act of force by a parent against a child wrong? |
| 23:35 | Throughout history, there’s been very little freedom and a great deal of coercion. Doesn’t that refute the idea that you cannot think under force? |
| 45:43 | Since you’re supposed to be rational when falling in love, will the words “falling in love” go into misuse? |
| 46:43 | Can you think of values that the plants, animals, and men are given automatically that require no choice and no voluntary action to gain? |
| 49:21 | I don’t quite see the connection between a certain kind of force and stopping my mind from functioning. |
| 1:06:00 | Can infants, cats, and other non-rational beings be happy? |
| 1:07:27 | Is Wynand aware that he’s pursuing happiness when he’s pursuing power? |
| 1:09:41 | If the goal is self-preservation, don’t I have to say the life of a rational man contains much more than biological continuance? |
| 1:12:43 | How does humor relate to Objectivism? Why was it not included in the book? |
| 1:18:33 | Why did Peikoff include rapists, sadists, and adulterers in a passage, but not homosexuals, etc.? |
| 1:21:10 | Is it possible rigorously, thoroughly, and in every implication to obey one virtue while violating another? |
| 1:23:11 | Don’t the purpose and course of your life come first and then they determine your choices and actions? |
| 1:25:14 | Didn’t Schoenberg write some beautiful music when he was young? |
| 1:26:08 | Is it immoral to work at a job you hate? |