By Ayn Rand
In April 1980, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Jerry Schwartz recorded this wide-ranging interview with Ayn Rand, touching on cultural and political trends, foreign policy, television and even sports.
With the 1980 election between Ronald Reagan and incumbent Jimmy Carter just months away, Rand explains her reasons for abstaining from voting for either. She explains her negative opinion of Ronald Reagan with reference to the impropriety of legally enforcing religious views on issues such as abortion.
With the Iranian hostage crisis still ongoing, she discusses the decision to allow the shah of Iran asylum in America (the event cited for “sparking” the crisis).
Rand is critical of the Libertarian movement and explains why Libertarians and Objectivists are often in conflict.
Addressing the American Olympic hockey team’s upset victory over the Soviets in 1980, Rand explains why the reaction “went considerably deeper than a reaction to a mere sporting event.”
Rand also discusses the artistic merits of various television shows, including “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kojak.”
Other highlights include discussions of Plato and Aristotle in the college classroom, the cultural influence of eighteenth-century philosopher Immanuel Kant, the differences between Americans and Europeans, and Rand’s husband Frank O’Connor as an actor.
The interview ends with a discussion of the future of America, the current trend to the political right and the uniquely American sense of individualism.
(MP3 download; 34 min., 24.27 MB)
The description of this product was written and/or edited by ARI staff.
