Ayn Rand Interviewed by Michael R. Jackson

[@strong2923]

I wish there were more old surviving Ayn Rand recordings like this. I listened with pleasure. Thank you very much!

[@vainarrara6651]

There was something so satisfying about how the questions are completely answered so briefly.

[@daviddedick14]

It’s absolutely wonderful to hear another interview with Miss Rand. Always uplifting to hear her amazing intellect. Thank you very much!

[@hmmmmmmminteresting]

So striking how good the English vocabulary is here for all the speakers compared to today.

[@PabloAlvestegui]

I loved her laugh at the last question. It's the first time that I hear Ayn Rand laugh.

[@homer1273]

Why do you care about the laugh of a Zionist sociopath ?

[@mrbeety]

What a delight to hear! From the comic interactions, especially when Rand could not hear the questions, to her not allowing the interview to be a platform for another person, to her patient way of listening to questions and answering them properly and thoroughly without condescension. Her mind was beyond extraordinary, not in a superhuman way, but rather in a truly proper Human way! And her personality in general came through here in ways I have not heard before. Strong and just when hearing a wrong, but loving and nurturing as a mother eager to motivate her young ones to leave the nest and spread their wings and fly!

[@GlenAgritelley]

Absolutely brilliant show. thank you for allowing us to experience this. Her intellect is amazing.

[@steves1584]

God, the quality of the callers was nice. Imagine this class in a comments section.

[@Music_Lingo]

It’s hilllarious how direct they are with each other.

[@legendre007]

Oh, when I saw the thumbnail, I thought it was going to be the _other_ Michael Jackson. 😮

[@AkiraFelix-k2l]

Yeah, me too. 😂

[@mrbeety]

Hee hee!

[@motaki79]

@@mrbeety😂

[@bingbong3643]

Ooooooooh! 😮

[@raed.1883]

That's called clickbait, while an interesting interview, it didn't seem accidental.

[@kitchencarvings4621]

I always wondered why she left Eddie Willers stranded in the Desert. I'm glad to finally know that my answer was correct. It always bothered me because I liked his character. The final scene with the wet nurse always makes me choke up. It's a coincidence that I always get a little dust in my eye when reading or listening to it. It's the most touching scene in any book I've ever read.

[@howlingdin9332]

Yeah, his ending fits that intention for the character perfectly. He refused to abandon the train, but was unable to save it.

[@kitchencarvings4621]

@@howlingdin9332 And he didn't come to understand, like Dagny finally did, that starting the train would support the looters.

[@captdlwinn]

Ayn Rand is a war time general of reason. I’m happy to be one of her soldiers.

[@wendysontag70]

Thanks for this recording of Ayn Rand interview! I enjoyed reading her books in 1974, when I was 18 yrs old! Strong woman with her own philosophy!

[@eduardorpg64]

That was freaking incredible! I was dying to know her thoughts about Capital Punishment. Thank you, ARI for posting this!

[@andreasbaglamopektis3584]

Note the respectful dialogue and polite discourse even when disagreeing. No shutting down, yelling, insults or rude remarks. True class all the way. How I wish we can converse like this nowadays!

[@michaelyudovin3887]

Indeed. We traded quality for quantity. The objective long-term of self for the subjective short term of others.

[@Avidcomp]

What a gem! Thanks ARI.

[@pasthomas]

she is brilliant. thank you for this.

[@chrisspeksnijder1717]

Absolute fantastic conversations. Ms Rand is sublime, thoughtful and a teacher. All guests and Mr Jackson are masters of conversation. The language conversed, American English i.e., is astoundingly good. Compared to the modern use of it, i.e. modern media.

[@zardozcys2912]

Oh, Ayn Rand, from whence comes courage. Nobody today would say this like that.

[@christianlaforest8452]

Thank you for posting that!

[@GiovanniH91]

‘Haha, no, dear. Never’.

[@zardozcys2912]

Awesome. Never heard this interview before. Thanks for posting it.

[@fern8580]

astoundingly good! thank Aynd Rand Istitute!

[@ericv738]

People were so different back then.

[@EnlightenmentExponent]

Good discovery. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@hmmmmmmminteresting]

What a brilliant woman.

[@benvanrensburg4261]

I was unaware of Ayn Rand's answer to the question about Eddie Willers, until now. My own take was that the character Eddie Willers was intended as an example of the Innocent Victim; an alternative possibility - among others - to the usual Hero and Villain. I am glad to learn that I had it right. This interview, again, impressed me as a shining example of Ayn Rand's brilliant style of reasoning, even in the heat of battle. Audibility problems caused a few derailings, granted, but the interview nevertheless shows up two very important qualities of AR's arguing method: (1) She does not fall into the trap of becoming tangled up in the details of a specific example; instead, she goes straight to the underlying essence, the foundational principle behind the issue. Hence, her interlocutor never succeeds in piling up question upon question of the "but what if x / what about the case of y " variety. Many glib debaters use that technique with the intention of distracting one and turning ones's own words against oneself. (2) She does not fall into the trap of trying to answer a question as if she agrees with the terms and evaluations of the questioner in cases where such terms and evaluations are contrary to her own convictions. Example: she steadfastly refuses to discuss the concept of monopoly as characterised by the questioner and the interviewer. Consequently, they fail to trap her into the error of trying to whitewash 'monopolies' that 'deliver' smaller entrepreneurs into 'unfair competition' in terms that would suggest that she acknowledges the existence of such 'unfair competition'. (Remember the times when you saw a debater taking the line that "it's not as bad as it looks" or "the pros outweigh the cons". They lose at once.) Rand grasps that the underlying issue in the 'monopoly' question is the issue of force. It's impossible to force big enterprises to break up into smaller ones without using ... force! And the magnificent improvements in human life that followed the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution came about through freedom, not through force. Hence, force is not the solution and not practical. Her treatment of Jackson's question of how to "stop the growth of monopolies" is just brilliant.

[@peacebuddha96]

In former times people still knew how to have good discussions. No screaming at each other. No people trying to force their opinion down anyones throat. Just politeness even in diffrent worldviews

[@Jazzper79]

She had such a brilliant mind!

[@BARRIE-Chgo]

Thanks for posting - I just found about objectivist

[@mitchcornacchia968]

WOW! what an intellect! Wonderful discussion

[@tessakai]

I just love Ayn’s accent. That is all❤

[@Revelian1982]

I think she was sexy when she was younger too.

[@Avidcomp]

Who was that lady caller who liked Ms Rand. That was sweet. I wonder if she was a well known actress?

[@zardozcys2912]

Very soon you might be able to take her voice sample and search for it with an AI model

[@bingbong3643]

Michael Jackson trying to pull a fast one with that out-of-context quote was scummy.

[@kitchencarvings4621]

She certainly didn't let him get away with it.

[@bingbong3643]

@@kitchencarvings4621 No, she did not. Sharp as a tack for 1:00 am.

[@nadav140]

He probably skimmed through the book and found that paragraph without seeing the context. Unprofessional, but not malicious, I think.

[@kitchencarvings4621]

@@nadav140 That is exactly the procedure of every criticism of Rand that I've ever seen.

[@WillfulThinker]

I got the impression he didn't realize he sloppily took it out of context. It was scummy that he didn't apologize and instead took to gaslighting.

[@DrMackSplackem]

Fantastic!

[@LucretianObjectivist]

What year was this broadcast?

[@BrandonLisi]

The interview took place on Tuesday, January 4, 1966

[@LucretianObjectivist]

@@BrandonLisi stupid of me to miss the first 8 seconds of the video lmao

[@hermanessences]

I remember hearing this one back in the day, when I googled to check whether Ayn Rand ever said anything about MJ.

[@kphaxx]

I have a sense that this Michael guy doesn't like Rand that much. 🤔

[@Revelian1982]

You're kidding, right? He wanted to rock with her all night.

[@alexanderx33]

28:28 This seriously sounds like Marilyn Monroe or something.

[@augustsbautra]

22:23 Rand basically denounces the FED in, when was this recorded 60s, 70s? Half a century later.. At least we have Bitcoin.

[@emil.jansson]

Oh, that Michael Jackson.

[@nunocolon]

😂

[@Revelian1982]

You're confusing this guy with that British General..

[@danjoyce4929]

“Hehe…..Shamona”

[@kitchencarvings4621]

The second call was very painful to listen to. Both the host and the caller kept interrupting her and I find that extremely annoying. Otherwise, it was great.

[@soupeydoupey]

Michael Jackson needs to take a look at the man in the mirror. Either that or work on his ABC! Ayn Rand brilliant as always 💖

[@ericjondahl9418]

😂

[@davidsimmons1730]

He didn't break into song even one time... Not one single Moonwalk... I feel taken.

[@JakeWitmer]

First he found out what happens to Eddie Willers, then he went on to bust a move and write "Thriller" 😂

[@cricket.mindset]

Pleasure listening to her and that confidence of voice was another level.

[@jure4835]

47:49

[@MrSmackdab]

What Rand said Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius and Thomas Jefferson said long before her

[@FutureLaugh]

RIP king of pop Michael Jackson

[@alexconstantine192]

This is not the interview I was expecting; much less “hee hee” and “shamon-ah!”

[@PrimarchRegalious]

💌

[@marquesiam7514]

Smooth criminal

[@cesarnsanchez]

i thought it was gonna go: that's he-hedonistic

[@djninnav]

She was so ahead of her time, what a true anarchist means !

[@Heraclitean]

It's easy to be sure of the truth of one's ideas if one simply refuses to consider nuances. Nonetheless, a captivating listen. And we should all be thankful Rand defended the positions she did.

[@zardozcys2912]

I'm quite sure she considered every nuance of every position she believed. She had a group of philosophy students which constantly asked her what about this or what about that case.

[@Randsurfer]

At the time of this interview, I think Ayn Rand was already at least 10 years into an affair with Nathaniel Branden, with the full knowledge of Rand's husband and Branden's wife. Her comments about monogamy are obviously a lie. Also, regardless of that, her position is not defensible, she merely states a person cannot love two people in that way at the same time. She provides no proof, she merely states it. Outside of that, she is brilliant in this interview. Her comments on racism are A+.

[@periteu]

Damn, didnt know about this

[@bingbong3643]

Yeah, she didn’t convince me either.

[@mrbriight]

it is my understanding that she wasn't lying here and that her affair ultimately failed for the reasons she stated

[@Randsurfer]

@@mrbriight Ayn Rand is not stupid. She made these statements that such an affair is impossible while she was still having an affair. This was 1966, she started her affair in 1954, it ended in 1968. It ended because Branden ended it, not because she finally figured out her morality. She was so enraged then that she banished Branden from the Objectivist associations. "Your understanding" is wrong.

[@mrbriight]

@@Randsurfer I think that such an affair is impossible and some kind of compromise is inevitable one way or another. Whether she was lying to this person or not I'll have to see more psychological evidence. I must admit I'll have to brush up on if what we are discussing here was the exact nature of her anger. Do you have any examples?

[@tdkpaul]

Hello?

[@LocutusBorgOf]

HEE HEE

[@priscilla.colburn444]

I have to TEST the Spirit. Is this AI generated?

[@koolword7477]

She has the mind of a 10 year old

[@johnnynick3621]

If so.... it is the most brilliant 10-year-old to ever exist. Keep trying. Perhaps you can find SOMETHING factual to criticize her about.

[@LethalBubbles]

care to be a bit more specific on what it is that is like a 10 year old?

[@zardozcys2912]

A 10 year old prodigy

[@frankventura-m9r]

I AM NEVER SURPRISED BY THE POWER OF ANY RAND'S INTELLECT. WHAT DOES SURPRISE ME IS THE HIGH QUALITY OF THE QUESTIONS. WITH THE UTTER DEGRADATION OF THIS SOCIETY, CAN YOU IMAGINE HEARING ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN 2024? NOT A CHANCE. AYN RAND WOULD LOSE HER PATIENCE VERY QUICKLY IF SHE WERE CONFRONTED BY THE IDIOCY SHE WOULD HEAR TODAY.