Leonard Peikoff is the pre-eminent Rand scholar writing today. He worked closely with Ayn Rand for thirty years and was designated by her as heir to her estate. He taught philosophy at several places, including Hunter College and New York University. He is the author of The Ominous Parallels, Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and the forthcoming book The DIM Hypothesis: Why the Lights of the West Are Going Out.