1. The first biography of Ayn Rand in fifteen years just came out, Ayn Rand: Writing a Gospel of Success by Alexandra Popoff. Chris Matthew Sciabarra reviews it. Popoff is interviewed here.
2. Phil Donahue passed away recently. He interviewed Rand two times: here and here.
3. The Ayn Rand Archives has enjoyable presentation: Ayn Rand In Film and On Stage.
4. Leonard Peikoff’s daughter Kira is attempting to place him under a conservatorship. According to Leonard this was prompted by his changing his will, giving half of his estate to his wife and half to Kira. Peikoff said he is unable to pay his legal fees because he had given so much of his estate to Kira that he has little left. After Peikoff’s letter was published, it was discovered that his wife is 28 years younger than him and was his caregiver. Peikoff and his wife (whom he married two years ago) purchased a $3.7 million dollar home in San Diego.[Addendum: Many of Peikoff's supporters are indignant that there should be laws that might enable his daughter to put him under a conservatorship. One almost gets the sense that these people believe that it would best if no such laws existed. But such laws exist for very compelling reasons. Quite a few people who live into advanced years suffer various forms of senility, dementia, and reduced cognitive capacity. As such, they may require someone else (possibly one of their children) to conduct their affairs on their behalf. Now Peikoff (or those writing on his behalf) complains of the mental tests the court is forcing him to undergo. I don't see a rational basis for complaining about this. The court is using these tests to determine, on an objective basis, the degree of Peikoff's mental fitness. As an "objectivist," shouldn't Peikoff (and those supporting his case) be in favor of collecting as much objective evidence as possible? Bear in mind that most people, if told that an elderly person had married their caretaker and then given that person half their wealth, would suspect something amiss. It's certainly understandable that Peikoff's daughter should think so. Therefore isn't it for the best that this whole issue should be settled by the courts in as objective a manner as possible?
There's another issue here that deserves comment, and that involves the fact that it is not just Leonard Peikoff's estate that is at issue in this case, but Ayn Rand's as well. Indeed, I would suspect that the greater portion of Peikoff's estate comes from sales of Rand's books. That being the case, has anyone thought, or does anyone care, what Ayn Rand might have wanted? To be sure, one could argue that no one knows what Ayn Rand might have wanted. Even so, is it really so improbable to suggest that Rand wouldn't have been thrilled to see the money from the sales of her books wind up in the hands of individuals who are not even Objectivists and who just want the lucre so they can spend it on themselves? In any case, it is both sad and ironic that the monetary part of her legacy should find such a melancholy terminus. Something like this would never have happened in one of her novels. --GN]
"Most people, if told that an elderly person had married their caretaker and then given that person half their wealth, would suspect something amiss." I think that’s the problem here. Peikoff may be perfectly lucid, and his daughter may be trying to take advantage of him. Or Peikoff may be declining, and his daughter may be trying to protect him from a younger woman who sees a chance to get rich. There’s no way an outsider can know, which is why it’s odd that Peikoff or his representatives chose to go public on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI also found it odd that Peikoff accused Kira of "greed." Greed is usually seen as a positive thing in Objectivist circles. He probably meant "greed for the unearned," which is how Objectivists sometimes phrase it (the qualifying phrase actually raises more questions than it answers). Still a surprising choice of words.
Harry Binswanger wrote an email saying that while he doesn't have first hand information, he knows Kira and thinks she is motivated by good intentions.
ReplyDeleteAnd his spokesman are raising money for him without even telling people that he can’t afford his legal fees because of the new wife
ReplyDeleteLet's leave it to the courts.
ReplyDeleteHarry Binswanger just interviewed on the new Rand bio. Dr. Binswwanger is not amused:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdNoDhkU_eA
Better to be with a gold digger than to be in a nursing home!
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, there was a similar event with the great pianist, Artur Rubenstein. Toward the end of his life, he hired a much younger woman to ghost-write his autobiography titled "My Young Years" (I think it was in 2 volumes). I don't know if they actually became romantically involved or not, but after the books were published , he changed his will and left everything to her instead of to his wife of 60+ years. The wife assumed it was senility and litigated. She won.
ReplyDeleteI'm not fully convinced LP was the actual author of that post on FB, which informed readers of what was going on. How do we know it wasn't written and posted by his wife, Grace? Why does the wife user her maiden name, "Grace Davis," instead of a traditional one like "Grace Peikoff?"
ReplyDeleteAnd why does someone who just purchased a $3.7M house in San Diego require a Go Fund Me page in order to pay legal bills?
The whole thing is very odd.
What's important is not the money but the intellectual property. Whether it's a committed Objectivist is important as actually controls the use of Rand's name, the right to publish her books, to publish and find good translators and so on. And that also requires good judgment.
ReplyDelete“28 years younger” That’s hard to believe after seeing this photo:
ReplyDeletefacebook.com/photo/?fbid=122138251394310366
More like 48 years younger. Where did you get 28?