Leonard Peikoff

Lore & Background

He first met Ayn Rand through his cousin Barbara Branden when he was 17, and later became a member of 'The Collective,' the group that met with Rand to discuss philosophy and her novel Atlas Shrugged. Peikoff was among the first lecturers for the Nathaniel Branden Institute, teaching a course on the history of philosophy. After Rand's death, Peikoff became the executor of her will, handling copyrights to her works and supervising the release of her unpublished writings.

Reader's Guide

Leonard Peikoff's significance lies in his role as the primary custodian and interpreter of Ayn Rand's philosophical legacy. As the designated heir to her estate, he controls the copyrights to her works and has overseen the publication of her unpublished letters, journals, and fiction. His book Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand is considered the definitive systematic presentation of the philosophy, and his lecture courses, endorsed by Rand as the only accurate exposition of her ideas, have shaped the Objectivist movement. His work continues to influence writers associated with the Ayn Rand Institute and beyond, and his radio and podcast appearances brought Objectivist ideas to a broader public.

Did You Know?

• Peikoff's doctoral dissertation adviser was the American pragmatist philosopher Sidney Hook.
• He was involved in a dispute with the Library of Congress over pages from Rand's manuscript of The Fountainhead.