Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand

The Ominous Parallels

Courses & Lectures on Tape

TV & Video

Biography

Email Dr. Peikoff

Leonard Peikoff on National Television

The McCuistion Show
Dr. Peikoff has recorded two one-hour television specials for a Dallas-based PBS program, McCuistion. 

"Ayn Rand and Objectivism: Is Atlas Shrugging?"
Dr. Peikoff presents an overview of Objectivism and answers such questions as: Why do people need a philosophy? What is collectivism? Why was the dollar sign so important to Ayn Rand? What is your goal in promoting Objectivism?

"Liberal, Objectivist and Conservative: Divergent Voices in America."
Dr. Peikoff differentiates Objectivism from today's political/intellectual mainstream. In contrast to the liberal (who advocates a wishy-washy form of altruism) and the conservative (who upholds the Bible as the fundamental source of morality) — Leonard Peikoff firmly defends reason and individualism as man's proper values. Among the topics covered are: abortion, prayer in schools, racism, the function of government and the importance of ideas.

Ideas in Action
How does sex depend upon philosophy? What is the ideological significance of the "Republican Revolution?" What made a first encounter with Ayn Rand so galvanizing? In this interview, conducted by James Valliant and spanning the daily headlines and abstract philosophy, Leonard Peikoff demonstrates his astonishing intellectual scope.




Leonard Peikoff on Video

Why Ancient Greece is My Favorite Civilization
In this heartfelt tribute to Greek culture, Dr. Peikoff names its essential virtue as man-worship. Greece, he says, was the only fully secular civilization in history — the "first and only conceptual-level culture ever."

Debate 1984: Capitalism vs. Socialism
Seventeen hundred eager attendees braved a snowstorm to hear this extraordinary debate. Held at the Univ. of Toronto in 1984 — when academics still believed that socialism was the wave of the future — this event kept the audience captivated for over two and a half hours. The socialists were represented by Gerry Caplan, then Secretary of Canada's New Democratic Party, and Jill Vickers, then Associate Director of the Institute of Canadian Studies. The debate centered on moral fundamentals eliciting profoundly opposing views on issues from the nature of man to the justification of government. Don't miss this electrically charged confrontation.

An Introduction to Objectivism
This lecture by Leonard Peikoff is a brief introduction to the philosophy of Objectivism. Dr. Peikoff's talk covers: the four basic concepts of Objectivism — reality, reason, egoism, capitalism; how Objectivism differs from dominant schools of philosophy on these key issues; why man needs a philosophy; why America needs Objectivism. Following the lecture, Dr. Peikoff answers questions from the students.

The Ominous Parallels 
In a radical examination of the determinants of human history, Dr. Peikoff discusses the philosophic similarities between the cultural ideas of pre-Hitler Germany and those of America today. He identifies the intellectual disease — spread in the abstract writings of Germany's "ivory-tower" philosophers, whose ideas now rule American universities — that rendered Germany vulnerable to Nazism and that now threatens America's freedom. He also offers advice on how students can fight for capitalism. This talk is based on his book of the same title.

Also available on video:

• Why Should One Act on Principle
• The American School: Why Johnny Can't Think
• Religion vs. America
• Medicine: The Death of a Profession
• My 30 Years with Ayn Rand: An Intellectual Memoir

Ordering Information

All of Leonard Peikoff's television and video appearances  may be ordered from Ayn Rand Bookstore via  their website or by calling 1-800-729-6149 (U.S. or Canada), or 860-355-7160 (International).

Students may obtain these videos on loan through the Ayn Rand Institute's Videotape Lending Library.