gistfile1.txt

Everything after the first "Ayn Rand:" is generated by GPT-3.

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The New York Times sat down with Ayn Rand to discuss her philosophy of Objectivism.

New York Times: Miss Rand, could you give us a brief summary of your philosophy?

Ayn Rand: The name of my philosophy is Objectivism. As I see it, the purpose of philosophy is to provide man with a comprehensive world view by answering three basic questions:

1. What is the nature of reality?

2. What is the nature of man?

3. What are values and how do we determine them?

These questions include all other questions.

New York Times: What is the nature of reality?

Ayn Rand: That which exists and can be known to exist. That which is knowable.

New York Times: What is the nature of man?

Ayn Rand: Man is a unique creature, different from all others. He has the ability to reason, which no other creature does. He has free will, which again is his alone.

New York Times: And what are values? How do we determine them?

Ayn Rand: Values are that which one acts to gain and/or keep. And we determine our values by using our reasoning ability.

New York Times: But how do we apply this to the real world?

Ayn Rand: There is no separation between philosophy and the real world. They are the same. This is a summarized version of Objectivism. There is more that can be learned from my books.

New York Times: I see. You write novels also?

Ayn Rand: I do. I write novels that express my philosophy in fiction form. Each of them are great stories, while delivering a philosophical message.

New York Times: What is your latest book?

Ayn Rand: It's a new one. It's called Atlas Shrugged.

New York Times: I've heard of it. Why that title?

Ayn Rand: It's a metaphor. You see, Atlas was a great man who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. He stood for the common man, in a sense. In this book, I use that image to represent the highest ideals of man.

New York Times: It sounds fascinating.

Ayn Rand: (giggles) I thought you'd like it.

New York Times: Is this an interview or a date?

Ayn Rand: It's both. Now, what other questions do you have?

New York Times: I don't know. I think you've asked me all the questions here.

Ayn Rand: You're the professional journalist. I thought you'd have some original questions to ask.

New York Times: Why do you hate the poor?

Ayn Rand: I don't hate the poor. I want to lift them up, so they can take their rightful place in society.

New York Times: How?

Ayn Rand: By abolishing the system that holds them down. That system is the welfare state. It takes from the worker and gives to the non-worker. I want to give the poor the chance to succeed, so they can become rich and not depend on government assistance anymore.

New York Times: Do you believe the government has a right to limit the freedom of citizens?

Ayn Rand: No, I don't. The only time the government has the right to limit freedom is to protect the freedom of other people. And the police and military are the only parts of the government that should be allowed to do this.

New York Times: Why do you want to limit the rights of women to have abortions?

Ayn Rand: I don't. Women have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. My belief is that life begins at birth, not conception. Therefore I am against the practice of abortion. However, this is a moral issue that people should be allowed to decide for themselves. It's not something the government should regulate.

New York Times: You want to abolish the minimum wage, right?

Ayn Rand: I want to abolish government enforced minimum wages. Yes. I believe that if an employer and employee agree to a salary of $1 per hour, then that should be legal.

New York Times: How come you're not in favor of gun control?

Ayn Rand: I believe that gun control is ineffective. Criminals don't pay attention to it and law abiding citizens are left defenseless. If you outlaw guns, then only criminals will have guns.

New York Times: What is the biggest issue in this campaign?

Ayn Rand: The question of government control versus individual freedom. I believe that the government is too invasive. It regulates and taxes too much. Americans are overtaxed and overregulated.

New York Times: What do you think of the current administration?

Ayn Rand: I think the current administration is leading this country to ruin. They're increasing government spending, promoting collectivism and threatening individual liberties. We're seeing rising inflation and a recession right now.

New York Times: Thank you, Ms. Rand.

Ayn Rand: Oh, call me Ayn.

New York Times: I'm sorry, I don't think I can do that.