Editing Leonard Peikoff

{{Short description|Canadian-American philosopher (born 1933)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox philosopher
| region           = [[Western philosophy]]
| era              = [[Contemporary philosophy]]
| name             = Leonard Peikoff
| image            = Leonard Peikoff.tiff
| alt              = 
| caption          = Peikoff in 2010
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1933|10|15}}
| birth_place      = [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]], Canada
| nationality      = Canadian, American
| education        = [[University of Manitoba]]<br />[[New York University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| school_tradition = [[Objectivism]]
| notable_works    = ''[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]]''
| main_interests   = [[Epistemology]], [[ethics]], [[applied ethics]], [[Philosophy of history|theory of history]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://peikoff.com/courses_and_lectures/|title=List of Peikoff's courses and lectures.|date=March 22, 2010|access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-date=June 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603143429/https://peikoff.com/courses_and_lectures/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| notable_ideas    = 
| spouse           = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|Susan Ludel|1971|1978|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Cynthia Pastor|1983||end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Amy Peikoff|Amy Lynn Rambach]]||2012|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Grace Davis|2023||}}
}}
| website          = {{URL|https://peikoff.com/|Peikoff.com}}
}}
'''Leonard Sylvan Peikoff''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|iː|k|ɒ|f}}; born October 15, 1933) is a [[Canadian Americans|Canadian American]] [[Philosophy|philosopher]].<ref name="sitebio">{{cite web |url=https://peikoff.com/biography/ |title=Biography |work=Peikoff.com |date=March 19, 2010 |access-date=January 4, 2011 |archive-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107132457/https://peikoff.com/biography/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He is an [[Objectivist]] and was a close associate of [[Ayn Rand]], who designated him heir to her estate. Peikoff is a former professor of philosophy and host of a nationally syndicated [[Talk radio|radio talk show]]. He co-founded the [[Ayn Rand Institute]] (ARI) in 1985 and is the author of several books on philosophy.

==Early life and career==
Leonard Peikoff was born on October 15, 1933<ref name=cao>''Contemporary Authors Online'', s.v. "Leonard Peikoff." Accessed March 2, 2008.</ref> in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada, to Samuel Peikoff, [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]], a surgeon, and his wife Bessie, a band leader.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peikoff |first=Samuel |title=Yesterday's Doctor: An Autobiography |location=Winnipeg |publisher=Prairie Publishing |year=1980 |isbn=0-919576-16-8}}</ref> He attended the [[University of Manitoba]] from 1950 to 1953 as a pre-med student. However, following his early discussions with Rand, he transferred to [[New York University]] to study philosophy, where he received his BA, MA, and PhD degrees in philosophy in 1954, 1957, and 1964, respectively. His doctoral dissertation adviser was the noted American [[Pragmatism|pragmatist]] philosopher [[Sidney Hook]], and his dissertation dealt with the [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] status of the [[law of noncontradiction]]. He taught philosophy for many years at various colleges.<ref name=cao />

==Early involvement in Objectivism==
{{Objectivist movement}}
Peikoff first met [[Ayn Rand]] through his cousin [[Barbara Branden]] (then Barbara Weidman) in California when he was 17. He reports that this meeting with Rand made him aware of the profound importance of philosophy. When Rand moved to New York City in 1951, Peikoff decided to study philosophy at [[New York University]]. While studying at NYU, he frequently discussed philosophy privately with Rand in depth across a range of issues.

Peikoff, along with [[Nathaniel Branden]], [[Alan Greenspan]], Barbara Branden, and a number of other close associates, who jokingly called themselves "[[Objectivist movement#The Collective|The Collective]]", met frequently with Rand to discuss philosophy and politics, as well as to read and discuss Rand's then-forthcoming novel, ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'', in her [[Manhattan]] apartment.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=242–243}}</ref> In 1958, Branden founded the Nathaniel Branden Lectures, later renamed the [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]] (NBI), to promote Objectivism through lectures and educational seminars around the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=289}}</ref> Peikoff was among NBI's first lecturers, teaching a course on the history of philosophy.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=293}}</ref> By the early 1960s, NBI had representatives in multiple cities who replayed taped versions of the lectures to local audiences.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=314}}</ref>

Discussions with Peikoff and [[Allan Gotthelf]] in the 1960s motivated Rand to complete an extended monograph on concept-formation, ''[[Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|McConnell|2010|pp=339–340}}</ref> Rand included Peikoff's essay on the "[[Analytic–synthetic distinction|analytic–synthetic dichotomy]]" when it was published in book form in 1979.<ref name="Gladstein2009p82">{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=82}}</ref> Peikoff was also an active participant in Rand's 1969–71 workshops on the monograph, as well as subsequent, smaller philosophy workshops at Rand's apartment.<ref>{{harvnb|McConnell|2010|pp=341–342}}</ref> Peikoff later used the transcripts of these workshops to create an expanded edition of ''Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology'', which he co-edited with Harry Binswanger.<ref name="Gladstein2009p82" />

Following the dissolution of NBI in 1968, Peikoff continued to give private lecture courses on a variety of topics to large Objectivist audiences, and recordings of these have been sold for many years. His lecture courses include: ''The History of Philosophy'' (in two "volumes" of lectures), ''An Introduction to Logic'', ''The Art of Thinking'', ''Induction in Physics and Philosophy'', ''Moral Virtue'', ''A Philosophy of Education'', ''Understanding Objectivism'', ''The Principles of Objective Communication'', and ''Eight Great Plays''. Rand endorsed his 1976 lecture series on Objectivism as the best exposition of her philosophy, the only one she knew to be accurate.<ref>{{Cite book |title=[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]] |last=Peikoff |first=Leonard |location=New York |publisher=[[E. P. Dutton]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-452-01101-9 |oclc=28423965 |pages=xiii–xv}}</ref>

Peikoff's first book, ''[[The Ominous Parallels]]'', was both an Objectivist explanation of the rise of the [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]] and [[The Holocaust]], and a warning that America was being led down the road to [[totalitarianism]] because of far-reaching philosophical and cultural parallels between the [[Weimar Republic]] and the present-day United States. In her introduction, Rand said it was the first book by an Objectivist philosopher other than herself.<ref>{{cite book |contributor-last=Rand |contributor-first=Ayn |last=Peikoff |first=Leonard |contribution=Introduction |year=1982 |title=The Ominous Parallels: The End of Freedom in America |publisher=Stein and Day |location=New York |isbn=0-8128-2850-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ominousparallels00peik/page/ vii] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ominousparallels00peik/page/ }}</ref>

==After Rand's death==
Rand named Peikoff the legal heir to her estate. As the [[executor]] of Rand's will, Peikoff handles the copyrights to all of her works, with the exception of ''[[Anthem (novella)|Anthem]]'', which has passed into the [[public domain]]. He has supervised the editing and release of Rand's unpublished works in several volumes, which includes her letters, philosophical journals, and the fiction not published in her lifetime; he has also written forewords for all the current printings of her fiction. For several years, he continued Rand's tradition of lecturing annually at [[Boston]]'s [[Ford Hall Forum]], and his other lecture appearances have included an address to the cadets at [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] and another while cruising the [[List of islands of Greece|Greek islands]].<ref>''Leonard Peikoff: In His Own Words'' (DVD), Ayn Rand Bookstore.</ref>

In 1985, Peikoff founded the [[Ayn Rand Institute]]. Peikoff revised his 1976 lecture course on Rand's ideas into book form as ''[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]]'', published in 1991, the first comprehensive presentation of Objectivism. In the mid-1990s, Peikoff taught courses at the Ayn Rand Institute's Objectivist Graduate Center (which was renamed the Objectivist Academic Center in 2000), along with [[Harry Binswanger]] and [[Peter Schwartz (writer)|Peter Schwartz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aynrand.org/academic/background_oac.html |title=Objectivist Academic Center: A Timeline of ARI's Academic Projects |date=December 14, 2001 |publisher=Ayn Rand Institute |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011214144550/http://www.aynrand.org/academic/background_oac.html |archive-date=December 14, 2001}}</ref>

From 1995 through 1999, Peikoff hosted a nationally syndicated [[talk radio|talk-radio]] show focusing on philosophy and culture.<ref>{{cite book |title=Objectively Speaking: Ayn Rand Interviewed |editor1-last=Podritske |editor1-first=Marlene |editor2-last=Schwartz |editor2-first=Peter |editor2-link=Peter Schwartz (writer) |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7391-3195-4 |oclc=267048088 |name-list-style=amp |page=255}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1997-01-02.pdf |title=Peikoff Syndicates |date=January–February 1997 |work=Los Angeles Radio Guide |page=10 |access-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716073755/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Other-Documments/LA-Radio-Guide/LA-Radio-Guide-1997-01-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> From February 2006 to June 2007, Peikoff posted an online Q&A featuring questions that had been e-mailed to him. This was replaced with a podcast that debuted on October 22, 2007, and continued until October 31, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peikoff.com/2016/10/31/leonard-peikoffs-final-podcast/ |title=Leonard Peikoff's final podcast |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |publisher=Peikoff.com |date=October 31, 2016 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008232341/https://peikoff.com/2016/10/31/leonard-peikoffs-final-podcast/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Peikoff's lectures or books have been used extensively in the works of [[Allan Gotthelf]], [[Harry Binswanger]], [[Andrew Bernstein (philosopher)|Andrew Bernstein]], and [[Tara Smith (philosopher)|Tara Smith]], writers who are associated with the Ayn Rand Institute, and also in works such as [[David Kelley]]'s ''The Evidence of the Senses'', [[George H. Smith]]'s ''[[Atheism: The Case Against God]]'', and the treatise, ''What Art Is: the Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand'' by Louis Torres and Michelle Marder Kahmi, despite these authors' other differences with him.<ref>see, e.g., Gotthelf, Allan, ''On Ayn Rand'', Wadsworth Philosophers Series, 2000, pp. 3, 100; Smith, Tara, ''Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: the Virtuous Egoist'', [[Cambridge University Press]], 2006, pp. 148–191; Binswanger, Harry, ''The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts'', ARI, 1990, pp. 234, 237; Bernstein, Andrew, ''The Capitalist Manifesto'', University Press of America, 2005, pp. 172, 183, 188; Kelley, David, ''The Evidence of the Senses'', Louisiana State University Press, 1986, pp. vii, 120 (on p. vii, Kelley credits Peikoff with helping to "shape" his "understanding of many issues ... at the deepest level"); Smith, George H., ''Atheism: the Case Against God'', Prometheus, 1989, pp.125–162, 336–337, n17, n18, n31 (first pub. Nash, 1974; in note 31, p. 337, e.g., Smith indicates that his own "approach to certainty" is that presented by Peikoff in a series of lectures); Torres, Louis, and [[Michelle Marder Kamhi|Kamhi, Michelle Marder]], ''What Art Is: the Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand'', Open Court, 2000, pp. 30, 32, 41, 51, 298–299, 305, 332n81, 333n5, 333n86.</ref>

Peikoff's 1983 lecture course ''Understanding Objectivism'' was edited into a book of the same title by Michael Berliner, editor of the ''[[Letters of Ayn Rand]]'', and Peikoff's theory of [[Inductive reasoning|logical induction]], first presented in the lecture courses ''Induction in Physics and Philosophy'' and ''Objectivism Through Induction'', has been developed further by David Harriman in his book, ''The Logical Leap: Induction in Physics''. In his 2012 book ''The DIM Hypothesis,'' Peikoff defines the three approaches to cognitive integration—disintegration, integration, and misintegration—and applies the hypothesis to [[physics]], [[philosophy]], [[education]], [[politics]], and other fields.

His articles have appeared in publications as diverse as ''[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]]'' and ''[[American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly|The New Scholasticism]]'', and his television appearances have ranged from [[Bill Maher]]'s ''[[Politically Incorrect]]'' and [[Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)|Bill O'Reilly's]] ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' to [[C-SPAN]] panel discussions. He also appears in ''[[Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life]]'', the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-nominated documentary by [[Michael Paxton]].

=== Split with David Kelley ===
{{Further|Objectivist movement#Peikoff–Kelley split}}
Peikoff views Objectivism as a "closed system" that consists solely of the philosophical principles Rand herself had articulated, and he considers disagreement with any of these principles a departure from Objectivism. The Ayn Rand Institute promotes Peikoff's view of Objectivism.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

The closed vs. open issue came to the fore when David Kelley, a philosopher then affiliated with Peikoff and ARI, published his essay "A Question of Sanction", arguing for greater open-mindedness in working with other groups. Kelley sees Objectivism as an "open system" that can evolve beyond Rand's own writings and beliefs. Peikoff presented his objections to Kelley in an article called "Fact and Value," arguing that Kelley's case itself contradicted Rand's understanding of the relationship between cognition and evaluation, facts, and moral values. Peikoff concluded that Kelley was not a genuine Objectivist and urged anyone agreeing with Kelley to leave the Objectivist movement.<ref name=fav>{{cite web |last=Peikoff |first=Leonard |url=https://ari.aynrand.org/issues/culture-and-society/religion-and-morality/Fact-and-Value |title=Fact and Value |publisher=[[Ayn Rand Institute]] |date=May 18, 1989 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024030700/https://ari.aynrand.org/issues/culture-and-society/religion-and-morality/Fact-and-Value |url-status=live }}</ref> Ultimately, Kelley responded by founding the Institute for Objectivist Studies in 1990, which later changed its name to The Objectivist Center and finally [[The Atlas Society]].{{cn|date=September 2024}}

===Library of Congress dispute===
Peikoff inherited many of Rand's [[manuscript]]s. During her lifetime, Rand had made a statement that she would bequeath her manuscripts to the [[Library of Congress]]. She later had reservations, and the bequest was not part of Rand's will. However, after her death, the Library of Congress requested the manuscripts. In July 1991, Peikoff had an assistant deliver the manuscripts of Rand's novels, except for the first and last pages of ''[[The Fountainhead]]'', which he had framed. In their stead, he had the pages photocopied so that the manuscripts would be "complete". On August 16, 1998, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' published an article about Peikoff, including a joke he made about "stealing" the pages from the Library of Congress. The library demanded that he deliver the pages to them, deeming them to be [[Federal government of the United States|U. S. government]] property. A complaint from the [[United States Department of Justice]] followed in October 2000, claiming over a million dollars in damages unless Peikoff turned over the pages. After consulting his lawyer, Peikoff released the pages to a representative of the Library of Congress.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=412–413}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Peikoff |first=Leonard |url=https://peikoff.com/essays_and_articles/peikoffs-experience-with-the-library-of-congress/ |title=Peikoff's Experience with the Library of Congress |date=February 13, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417050423/http://www.peikoff.com/essays/library.htm |archive-date=April 17, 2008 |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref>

==Thought==

===Epistemology===
In his book ''The Logical Leap: Induction in Physics'' (which he co-wrote with physicist David Harriman), Peikoff argues that there is no [[problem of induction]], because [[philosophy]] is itself an inductive science and, therefore, that any attempt to deny the validity of induction contradicts itself by implicitly accepting the validity of induction. Peikoff and Harriman also argue that scientific claims verified by induction should be considered true until new evidence warrants modifying or amending them because scientific knowledge derived from induction is contextual. In other words, those who on the basis of conclusive evidence make inductive scientific claims regarding science cannot argue that their claims are subject to no possible modification but can argue that they are the only rational claims that can be believed based on the available evidence. They conclude that the same process of induction is essential to every rational field (except [[mathematics]]) and that, as a result, truth in any such field possesses the same [[objectivity (science)|objectivity]] as that of [[physics]].<ref>''The Logical Leap: Induction in Physics'' NAL Trade.</ref>

===Politics===
Peikoff supports ''[[laissez-faire]]'' [[capitalism]], arguing that the role of government in society should be limited to [[night-watchman state]] conceptions of protecting individuals from the initiation of force and [[fraud]]. He opposes [[tax]]ation, [[State school|public education]], [[Welfare state|welfare]], and business regulations. He also opposes laws regulating [[pornography]], [[euthanasia]], or [[Stem cell#Research|stem cell research]]. He is a supporter of abortion rights but criticizes defenders of abortion who label themselves "[[Abortion-rights movements|pro-choice]]", arguing that the term ignores the deeper philosophical issues involved.<ref>{{cite web |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |url=http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2003/01/abortion-rights-are-pro-life/ |title=Abortion Rights Are Pro-Life |date=January 23, 2003 |website=Capitalism Magazine |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716073800/https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2003/01/abortion-rights-are-pro-life/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He believes that [[circumcision]] of a child too young to consent should be a crime and is evil.<ref>{{cite web |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |url=http://www.peikoff.com/2011/04/25/do-you-think-the-legal-guardians-of-a-male-child-have-the-right-to-circumcise-him-before-he-is-old-enough-to-refuse/ |title=Do you think the legal guardians of a male child have the right to circumcise him before he is old enough to refuse? |publisher=Peikoff.com |date=April 25, 2011 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908065746/http://www.peikoff.com/2011/04/25/do-you-think-the-legal-guardians-of-a-male-child-have-the-right-to-circumcise-him-before-he-is-old-enough-to-refuse/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

He also continues Rand's opposition to libertarianism, remaining sharply opposed to any description of Objectivist political philosophy as "libertarian" and to any collaboration with most libertarian groups. He has been critical of American foreign policy, considering both [[Neoconservatism|neoconservative]] and [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] views self-sacrificial. He objects to the terms "isolationist" or "interventionist" to describe his foreign policy views, stating that the only "intervention" the United States should enact is war and "only and when it is in self-defense."<ref>{{cite web |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |url=http://www.peikoff.com/2010/04/06/are-you-dr-peikoff-an-interventionist-or-an-isolationist-in-regard-to-foreign-policy-2/ |title=Are you, Dr. Peikoff, an interventionist or an isolationist in regard to foreign policy? |publisher=Peikoff.com |date=April 6, 2010 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008231244/https://peikoff.com/2010/04/06/are-you-dr-peikoff-an-interventionist-or-an-isolationist-in-regard-to-foreign-policy-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Elián González====
Peikoff campaigned for [[Elián González]] to remain in Florida, rather than returning to his father in [[Cuba]], stating, "To send a child to rot in the prison of Cuba for the alleged sake of his own well-being is criminal hypocrisy. To send him there in order to preserve his father's rights is absurdity, since there are no parental or other rights in Cuba. To send him there because 'He needs a father, no matter what' is a mindless bromide. Does he need a father who has no choice but to watch his son being broken in mind and starved in body?"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2000/01/a-sin-to-deport-eli/ |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |title=A Sin to Deport Elian Gonzalez |website=Capitalism Magazine |date=January 20, 2000 |access-date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716073757/https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2000/01/a-sin-to-deport-eli/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Palestinians and Israel====
Peikoff claims that [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]] prior to the establishment of the [[Israel|State of Israel]] consisted solely of "nomadic tribes meandering across the terrain," and that "the Arabs" today have no concept of property rights; indeed, that their "primitivist" antagonism to such rights is the root cause of Arab terrorism. He argues that Israel is a moral beacon which should not return any territory to Arabs or even negotiate with them.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/1996/06/israels-and-americas-fundamental-choice/ |title=Israel's and America's Fundamental Choice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716073824/https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/1996/06/israels-and-americas-fundamental-choice/ |archive-date=July 16, 2021 |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |work=Capitalism Magazine |date=June 1, 1996 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Iran and nuclear weapons====
Peikoff considers the nationalization of Middle Eastern oil properties developed by Western corporations—beginning with [[Iran]] in 1951—to be in violation of international law and refers to such efforts as "confiscation" and supports covert actions to reverse such efforts. He advocates bringing an end to what he claims are "terrorist states" and has routinely lobbied for [[regime change]] in Iran "as quickly as possible and with the fewest U.S. casualties, regardless of the countless innocents caught in the line of fire," not ruling out the use of nuclear weapons, arguing that moral responsibility for innocent deaths would lie with their governments rather than the United States.<ref>{{cite web |first=Leonard |last=Peikoff |url=https://peikoff.com/essays_and_articles/end-states-who-sponsor-terrorism/ |title=End States Who Sponsor Terrorism |date=October 2, 2001 |access-date=October 17, 2011 |archive-date=December 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214013553/https://peikoff.com/essays_and_articles/end-states-who-sponsor-terrorism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Presidential endorsements====
In April 1992, Peikoff endorsed "any Democrat nominated by his party for the [[President of the United States|Presidency]]", citing President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s "truly disgraceful" record, specifically [[Read my lips: no new taxes|tax hikes]], support for new employee protections, his foreign trade policy, [[Aid|foreign aid]] to Russia, alleged hostility to Israel, the [[Gulf War]], [[United States anti-abortion movement|anti-abortion]] and [[United States obscenity law|anti-obscenity]] views, and alleged failure to defend [[Salman Rushdie]]'s freedom of speech during the [[Satanic Verses controversy]].<ref>{{YouTube|id=2Ng8-dOSYHI}}</ref>

In 2004, Peikoff endorsed [[John Kerry]] (despite thinking of Kerry as a "disgustingly bad" candidate) against [[George W. Bush]] (whom he called "apocalyptically bad"), on the basis of Bush's religiosity and his refusal to crush Islamic regimes, especially Iran, along with his "doomed" economic policies. In advance of the 2006 elections, Peikoff recommended voting only for [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]], to forestall what he saw is a rise in influence of the [[Christian right|religious right]], adding:

{{Quote | style=font-size:100%; |Given the choice between a rotten, enfeebled, despairing killer [Democrats], and a rotten, ever stronger, and ambitious killer [Republicans], it is immoral to vote for the latter, and equally immoral to refrain from voting at all because "both are bad."<ref>"[http://www.peikoff.com/#whatsnew Q&A: Peikoff on the coming election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226030434/https://peikoff.com/#whatsnew |date=February 26, 2011 }}", October 19, 2006, ''Peikoff.com''. Accessed November 4, 2006.</ref>}}

Of the [[2008 United States presidential election]], Peikoff said, "I wouldn't dream of voting", saying that the Republicans should be "wiped out" or "severely punished" for their association with the religious right. Furthermore, he characterized [[Barack Obama]] as "[[Anti-Americanism|anti-American]]" and a "lying phoney" with troubling connections to both [[Islam]] and [[Jeremiah Wright controversy|Reverend Jeremiah Wright]]. He labelled Obama's running mate [[Joe Biden]] an "enjoyably hilarious windbag", and their Republican opponents [[John McCain]] and [[Sarah Palin]] as a "tired moron" and an "opportunist", respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peikoff.com/2008/10/20/dr-peikoff-for-whom-will-you-vote-for-the-presidential-election-this-november-2008-and-why/|title=Dr. Peikoff, for whom will you vote for the presidential election this November 2008, and why? « Podcast « Peikoff|date=October 20, 2008|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323150841/https://peikoff.com/2008/10/20/dr-peikoff-for-whom-will-you-vote-for-the-presidential-election-this-november-2008-and-why/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a 2010 podcast,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://peikoff.com/2010/07/05/what-is-the-proper-government-attitude-toward-immigration/|title=What is the proper government attitude toward immigration? « Featured Podcast « Peikoff|date=July 5, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010|archive-date=October 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005034628/http://www.peikoff.com/2010/07/05/what-is-the-proper-government-attitude-toward-immigration/|url-status=live}}</ref> Peikoff explained why he supports immigration restrictions in the current context of the [[welfare state]], and why he does not see this as a contradiction to Objectivism's general rejection of immigration restrictions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/politics/immigration/4620-Immigration-Quotas-Individual-Rights-The-Moral-and-Practical-Case-for-Open-Immigration.html|title=Capitalism Magazine}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In another 2010 podcast, Peikoff explained that he does not support the building of a [[Park51#Controversy|mosque near Ground Zero]] in [[New York City]], arguing that [[Private property|property rights]] are always contextual and that preventing the construction is a wartime necessity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Podcast|publisher=Leonard Peikoff|date=June 28, 2010|url=http://www.peikoff.com/2010/06/28/what-do-you-think-of-the-plan-for-a-mosque-in-new-york-city-near-ground-zero-isnt-it-private-property-and-therefore-protected-by-individual-rights/|access-date=November 7, 2010|archive-date=November 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107055256/http://www.peikoff.com/2010/06/28/what-do-you-think-of-the-plan-for-a-mosque-in-new-york-city-near-ground-zero-isnt-it-private-property-and-therefore-protected-by-individual-rights/|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, he supported the [[France|French]] ban on the ''[[burqa]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peikoff.com/2010/11/15/what-should-an-objectivist-make-of-the-french-banning-of-burqas/|title=What should an Objectivist make of the French banning of burqas? « Podcast « Peikoff|date=November 15, 2010|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323122021/http://www.peikoff.com/2010/11/15/what-should-an-objectivist-make-of-the-french-banning-of-burqas/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2012, Peikoff endorsed [[Mitt Romney]] for the Presidency, citing President Obama's alleged [[nihilism]], [[Taxation in the United States|taxation]], economic and [[Energy policy of the United States|energy policies]], [[Affordable Care Act|Obamacare]] and his use of [[executive order]]s. However, Peikoff was not enthusiastic in his endorsement of Romney, calling him an "appeasing, directionless" candidate with "no political convictions" who would be useful for buying time. For the same reason, he endorsed the Republican [[United States Congress|Congressional]] nominees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peikoff.com/election/|title=Leonard on the Election « Peikoff|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323082449/http://www.peikoff.com/election/|url-status=live}}</ref> Afterwards, he called [[2012 United States presidential election|Obama's re-election]] a "catastrophe", "the worst political event ever to occur in the history of this continent" and "worse than the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peikoff.com/2012/11/19/what-do-you-think-of-the-2012-presidential-election-results/|title=What do you think of the 2012 presidential election results? « Podcast « Peikoff|date=November 19, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2014|archive-date=March 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323082453/https://peikoff.com/2012/11/19/what-do-you-think-of-the-2012-presidential-election-results/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 2020 and 2024 elections, Peikoff supported [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://capitalismmagazine.com/2024/10/a-conversation-with-leonard-peikoff-about-the-us-presidential-election/|title=A Conversation with Leonard Peikoff About the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Peikoff has been married four times and divorced three. In September 1971, he married Susan Ludel;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/03/archives/susan-ludel-is-bride-of-professor.html |title=Susan Ludel Is Bride of Professor |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 3, 1971 |access-date=September 5, 2019 |archive-date=September 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905122857/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/03/archives/susan-ludel-is-bride-of-professor.html |url-status=live}}</ref> they divorced in 1978.<ref name="Atlantic">{{cite magazine |first=Christopher |last=Beam |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/ayn-rand-peikoff-inheritance-battle/682219 |title=The Curse of Ayn Rand’s Heir |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=March 30, 2025 |access-date=April 3, 2025}}</ref> He married his second wife, Cynthia Pastor, in February 1983. Their daughter [[Kira Peikoff]] was born in 1985; they divorced when she was six.<ref name="Atlantic" /> He subsequently married [[Amy Peikoff|Amy Lynn Rambach]]; they divorced in 2012.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=413}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-09/parler-reboot-is-driven-by-an-ayn-rand-devotee-and-never-trumper |title=Ayn Rand Devotee and Never Trumper Drives Parler’s Reboot |first=William |last=Turton |website=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=April 7, 2025}}</ref> In September 2023, he married Grace Davis.<ref name="Atlantic" />

==Books==
{{Further|Bibliography of Ayn Rand and Objectivism}}
* ''[[The Ominous Parallels]]'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-452-01117-5}}
* ''The Early Ayn Rand'' (edit. and introductory essays by Peikoff) (1984) {{ISBN|0-453-00465-2}}
* ''The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought'' (edit. and additional essays by Peikoff) (1989) {{ISBN|0-453-00634-5}}
* ''[[Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology]]'' (expanded second edition) (with [[Harry Binswanger]], PhD, editor) (1990) {{ISBN|0-453-00724-4}}
* ''[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]]'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-452-01101-9}}
* ''The Ayn Rand Reader'' (with Gary Hull, PhD, editor) (1999) {{ISBN|0-452-28040-0}}
* ''Understanding Objectivism: A Guide to Learning Ayn Rand's Philosophy'' (Michael Berliner, PhD, editor) (2012) {{ISBN|0-451-23629-7}}
* ''The DIM Hypothesis: Why the Lights of the West Are Going Out'' (2012) {{ISBN|0-451-46664-0}}
* ''Objective Communication: Writing, Speaking and Arguing'' (2013) {{ISBN|0-451-41815-8}}
* ''Teaching Johnny to Think: A Philosophy of Education Based on the Principles of Ayn Rand's Objectivism'' (2014) {{ISBN|0-9794661-6-4}}
* ''The Cause of Hitler's Germany'' (2014) {{ISBN|0-14-218147-1}}
* ''Discovering Great Plays: As Literature and as Philosophy'' (2017) {{ISBN|978-0979466199}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Books|Libertarianism|Philosophy}}
* [[American philosophy]]
* [[Ethical egoism]]
* [[Free market]]
* [[Objectivism and libertarianism]]
* [[List of American philosophers]]
* [[Ontology]]
* [[Philosophical realism]]
* [[Philosophy of history]]
* [[Rational egoism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |title=[[Ayn Rand and the World She Made]] |last=Heller |first=Anne C. |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-385-51399-9 |oclc=229027437}}
* {{Cite book |title=Ayn Rand |last=Gladstein |first=Mimi Reisel |author-link=Mimi Reisel Gladstein |location=New York |publisher=Continuum |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8264-4513-1 |oclc=319595162 |series=Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers series}}
* {{Cite book |title=100 Voices: An Oral History of Ayn Rand |last=McConnell |first=Scott |location=New York |publisher=[[New American Library]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-451-23130-7 |oclc=555642813 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/100voicesoralhis0000mcco }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{official website|https://peikoff.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131127115407/http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_pobs The Philosophy of Objectivism] Peikoff's summary of Objectivism
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140117034843/http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=2635 End States That Sponsor Terrorism] Originally published as a full-page advertisement in ''[[The New York Times]]''
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000302171927/http://www.abortionisprolife.com/ Peikoff On Abortion]}} 7-minute audio of Peikoff on abortion
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070410084613/http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=1150 Peikoff Lecture] A Peikoff lecture (audio/video) titled "Americans Versus America" presented at [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]] Forum
* [http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php?showtopic=17019&hl= Unofficial Index to Peikoff's Podcasts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110852/http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php?showtopic=17019&hl= |date=July 17, 2011 }}
* {{C-SPAN|93679}}

{{Authority control}}

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