References
[Editor’s notes are in blue.]

* The title refers to Nathaniel Branden’s lecture “The Concept of God,” from his lecture series “The Basic Principles of Objectivism.” That lecture is fully transcribed in his book The Vision of Ayn Rand, chapter 4. Partial and perhaps complete audios seem to be available throughout the Internet. See also R.A. Childs, “The Epistemological Basis of Anarchism,” Note 19.

[01] Purists may substitute “blank out” for “steal” throughout.

[02] See Dr. Branden’s refutation of determinism as cited above. [James had made a transcript of Branden’s lecture on the existence of God “by special permission of the author.” The dot-matrix printout contains an explicit claim that the transcript is “not for mass reproduction or commercial use,” and I shall be observing James’s wishes, despite the inconvenience they impose on the reader. Branden’s argument for the existence free will is found in his book The Psychology of Self-Esteem, chapter 4, section 3, and in The Vision of Ayn Rand, chapter 5. An excerpt from the lecture itself — containing the essential argument for free will — is available on YouTube. See also R.A. Childs, “The Epistemological Basis of Anarchism,” Note 19.]

[03] Aristotle, On Interpretation, chapter 9 (18a–19b).

[04] N. Branden, “The Concept of God.” [The passage occurs in The Vision of Ayn Rand on pages 103–104.]

[05] N. Branden, “Intellectual Ammunition Department: Is there any validity to the claim that certain things are unknowable” 2/1/3g-j [January 1963]. [References of this form refer to The Objectivist Newsletter, so that volume 4, number 3 would be March 1965. After volume 4, the name of the publication was The Objectivist. The page numbers for the latter are those of the original format, not those in the bound volume.]

[06] AS [Atlas Shrugged] 1081xx-1083b [hardback] (1165qq-1167c [paperback]).

[07] Nathaniel and Barbara Branden, WIAR [Who Is Ayn Rand? (paperback edition)] 100–101 [hardback edition: 121–23].

[08] A. Rand, The Night of January 16th, “Note to the Producer,” page 17 (Signet paperback).
MMThis play is a murder trial without a prearranged verdict. The jurors are to be selected from the audience. They are to witness the play as real jurors and bring in a verdict at the end of the last act. Two short endings are written for the play — to be used according to the verdict.
MMThe play is built in such a way that the evidence of the defendant’s guilt is evenly balanced and the decision will have to be based upon the jurors’s own values and characters.

[09] A speaker in the year 600 would say, “Charlemagne will be crowned in 800,” but he would be affirming the same fact from another point of view; hence we say, “And he spoke the truth: Charlemagne was indeed crowned in 800,” — thereby showing that his "“will” and our “was” mark different formulations of the same proposition.

[10] “Objectivism and Theism, Part Two.”

[11] See John Hospers, Introduction to Philosophical Analysis (2nd edition; Prentice-Hall, 1963), 144 ff.

[12] A Rand, “Introduction to The Romantic Manifesto ??? and RM ??? [I think the passage that James had in mind from the “Introduction” is in the first two paragraphs: “The dictionary definition of ‘manifesto’ is: ‘a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign or organization.’ (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, College Edition, 1968.) I must state, therefore, that this manifesto is not issued in the name of an organization or a movement. I speak only for myself. As for the reference to The Romantic Manifesto, when I can determine what he might have in mind, I will add it here. Readers with ideas are welcome to write to me. Please supply a page number and tell me whether you are using the hardback or paperback edition.]

[13] N. Branden, N. Branden, “Intellectual Ammunition Department: What is the Objectivist view of agnosticism?” 2/4/15j-cc [April 1963. The parallel passage in the lecture may be found in The Vision of Ayn Rand, page 109] .