Ayn Rand: A Philosophical Life

Ayn Rand, the most rational philosopher in american history.

"The passionate search for passionless truth." John Herman Randall's description of Aristotle describes her perfectly! Happy Birthday, ✨️Ayn Rand✨️!! (Edited to correct the quote, it's @4:05)

Great talk! Thank you and Happy Rand's day!

Ayn Rand was a Renaissance person. What a super break for us, Sapiens and me personally, that she came along and influenced me when she did. Thanks to ARI for housing her work.

Binswanger rocks!

HB misrepresents Barbara Branden's biography. Barbara says that after their 1981 meeting, she wrote Rand a letter saying that she was writing her biography. When Rand didn't respond to the letter, Branden called her. Rand refused to talk. Branden says she's certain that this happened because of her having informed Rand of the prospective biography. (The existence of the post-meeting letter is confirmed by Cynthia Peikoff in 100 Voices.) HB is wrong when he says Branden claims that the last phone call was of a "I'm sorry things didn't work out" variety.

As a college freshman in 1966 I had never heard of her. My English professor, who was a leftist, when asked by a student whether Ayn Rand could be read for book reports said that reading Ayn Rand would "disease your mind". Coming from him, this was the exact incentive to investigate her works which I did. It was like nothing else I had ever read.

I was his student in the sixties in the Empire State building always kept im touch in the movement and yes I still do Mr Bingwaster many years later I had a wonderful time listening to you today my regards and admiration always Nery Gras

Who is John Gault

Fascinating and thanks to you both for this instruction in Objectivism.

Phenomenal interview here, happy belated birthday Ayn ❤ !!

I am curious about the "Identity in Motion" paper. Is that available somewhere?

HB says Rand's auto da fe concerning the Branden was measured and even Olympian. That's not what I get from the letter. I don't think it's measured to call someone a crook without evidence. The main author of the letter was Henry Holzer who later admitted that there was no proof that Branden defrauded Rand. Branden said in his memoirs that Rand's attack was so venomous that people wondered if he was an alcoholic or a child molester.

I am unsurprised that Rand yielded to Binswanger on the abortion issue, after all it was her initial position (about which she could have changed her mind), more importantly he convinced her of why it was right and why it could not be compromised. I was surprised to know that Rand knew of Branden's pending biography about her, her refusal to cooperate was of course proper. Barbara Branden's lecture on Efficient thinking is phenomenal! It proves what a good mind she had, it's too bad she stopped promoting Objectivism, her contribution could have been immense!

Many thanks for posting this podcast on YouTube. Somehow, someway / another after listening to this twice - with at least one more planned - it seems to me that I got a glimpse into the "everyday" personality / character of Ms. Rand. Also, for me it was a "deep discussion", without being ethereal / obscure. Again, many thanks, and if you don't mind my saying so, all the best blessings to one and all with the Ayn Rand Institute.

Holy-moly! Methinks Rand's identity in motion independently derived and recapitulated Heisenberg's (unfortunately-named) Uncertainty Principle in quantum physics! (Qualitatively, not quantitatively — no specific "no position" involving Planck's Constant whilst in momentum. She was thinking of motion as continuous, not discrete jumps as it actually occurs on the micro-level, but still; she just didn't know that, and that's the key.)

39:28 I’m glad Rationalism was already taken. Objectivism is a better name.

Love Ayn Rand. This guy doesnt impress me though.

Ayn Rand was deadly wrong in one critical area. When your conscience forces you to give a gift, IT IS STILL A GIFT. ❤ Anyone who rejects altruism is most certainly deluded. Altruism is taught by God and manifests as self-sacrifice -- helping others less advantaged IS the ideal of morality. As a corollary, Ayn Rand believed in 'capitalism versus communism', as if the STRUGGLE was more powerful than authentic altruism. Ayn Rand believed that government should play as little of a role in people's lives as possible, in order to grant them more individual freedoms and rights (and I agree with her here). BUT the ANSWER to this was found in the distributism model of G.K. Chesterton

This woman likes to see people to suffer, capitalism can not employ 9 billion people