MORE ANSWERS TO ‘X’ LISTENER QUESTIONS!

Stefan Molyneux

Hi Stef, I've been wondering: If love is an "involuntary response to virtue," how can a parent love an infant? Can't animals display virtues, at least in a rudimentary fashion, as much as babies? Thanks   I believe that individualism vs collectivism is the issue beneath all issues and that adopting a “content of character” mindset rather that a “judge by immutable characteristics” mindset, is the only peaceful and prosperous path forward for humanity.  Most people are decent, and if we separated the world by decent people vs assholes there would be a lot less incentive to be assholes.  Thoughts?   Does philosophy come more naturally to honest people who are naturally attuned to the truth?    Is it moral for a man to give his son a leg-up?  - a good home with a loving mother - a virtuous example - a free college education - help with a home or business?  Or is that unfair to another child from a poor and broken home?    Can UPB define truth?  i.e. it's the interpretation that could be useful to everyone.   Do we have a moral duty to fight evil and pursue virtue?   Are humans LLMs, with an extra mechanism on top ?   Where does philosophy end and religion begin?   What is more destructive: greed or jealousy🤷🏻‍♂️   Why, Stefan? Why!?!?    What is the most reliable way to resolve trust and abandonment issues?  Personally or interpersonally.   How do you from a moral standpoint pick between two warring sides when you find each side doing immoral things daily.   Does A.I. dream?   How do signs and symbols acquire meaning and what is meaning?   what is the best attitude to take toward the unanswerable questions   The structure that is UPB is not only relevant to morality.   Because self detonating arguments are errors not only in the domain of morality but in all domains. For example Math is based on axioms but these axioms must be UPB? Have you thought what else UPB is capable of?   What is the atheist argument against suicide?   Are wealth and prosperity inherently wrong? It seems that many people who identify as “religious” believe you cannot be both wealthy and genuinely spiritual at the same time....  FOLLOW ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneux  GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK! https://peacefulparenting.com/  Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!  Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!  You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!  See you soon! https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB202

Transcript

00:00:00Hey everybody, this is Amal and you from Free Domain.

00:00:02Some more questions from the fine users at X.

00:00:05Somebody rats.

00:00:07There seems to be a widening gap between healthy and traumatized people.

00:00:11Even the smallest gestures can trigger someone.

00:00:14Ask our daughter-in-law how was our visit for her,

00:00:17if she felt there were things we could improve on, or if that would be helpful.

00:00:21It's our first time being grandparents.

00:00:23Reassured her we had a lovely visit, she snaps back with,

00:00:26Why are you asking this? What is wrong with just having a visit?

00:00:29It was a trauma, dad, speaking.

00:00:32Do I just avoid convos or play their game?

00:00:35It's weird and avoidant.

00:00:38Oh, I'm sorry about that.

00:00:39Yeah, I'm sorry about that.

00:00:40You know, when you try to be nice and,

00:00:42trust me, I've had a wee bit of experience with this myself,

00:00:46not to make it about me, of course,

00:00:48but you try to be nice and, well, what happens?

00:00:52People just get snappy and so on, right?

00:00:55So, there are basically, and, you know, this is kind of a cliche,

00:01:00there are two types of people in this world,

00:01:02but this one I'm pretty sure of,

00:01:04and this is, you know, a really hard-won experience,

00:01:07which, of course, doesn't mean that I'm right,

00:01:08but I certainly have some reasons for what I'm saying.

00:01:11There are two types of people in this world.

00:01:13The people who respond with niceness to niceness,

00:01:18and the people who respond with aggression to niceness.

00:01:23So, if you're nice to people and you're solicitous

00:01:25and you ask them how you're doing

00:01:28and what you can improve and so on, right?

00:01:31There are people who respond to that

00:01:34in a positive and friendly manner

00:01:35and in the spirit in which it is intended,

00:01:37which is to gain feedback to improve the relationship,

00:01:40and then there are people who say,

00:01:42oh, this person is nice.

00:01:46That means they're weak.

00:01:48That means they care about my feelings.

00:01:50That means I'm dominant in the relationship.

00:01:54So, people who are empathetic

00:01:57and want to provide quality interactions in a relationship,

00:02:02they want to merge.

00:02:05And so, I'll take care of your interests,

00:02:07you take care of my interests,

00:02:08you watch my back,

00:02:09I'll watch your back.

00:02:10In mutually beneficial interactions, right?

00:02:13Win-win.

00:02:14But in order to have a win-win reaction,

00:02:17you need to,

00:02:18or a win-win interaction,

00:02:19you need to know what the other person wants, right?

00:02:22So, you go into a Walmart,

00:02:25they say, hey, what are you looking for?

00:02:27How can I help you, right?

00:02:28And, oh, I'm looking for this,

00:02:29I'll send you to the right place, right?

00:02:30So, they have to figure out what you want, right?

00:02:32You go into a car dealership,

00:02:33they say, hey, what are you looking for?

00:02:34What are your needs, right?

00:02:35Oh, you've got a big family.

00:02:36Well, let me not give you a sports car

00:02:38or something like that.

00:02:38So, that is looking for win-win.

00:02:42That's the merging of self-interest

00:02:46so that both people are better off

00:02:48after the interaction is completed, right?

00:02:50You go to buy a house,

00:02:51somebody wants to sell the house.

00:02:53If they voluntarily choose to sell to you,

00:02:55you voluntarily choose to buy,

00:02:57you're both better off

00:02:58than if you had not completed that transaction.

00:03:01So, that's win-win.

00:03:02Now, that's not the majority

00:03:05of interactions in the world.

00:03:08Far from it.

00:03:09The majority of interactions in the world

00:03:11are win-lose.

00:03:13So, for instance,

00:03:14every now and then on X,

00:03:16I will post,

00:03:17what could I do better?

00:03:19And some people will say,

00:03:20well, I like it when you do this,

00:03:21or I prefer it when you do this,

00:03:22and other people will like,

00:03:23well, stop being a jerk,

00:03:24or, you know, whatever it is, right?

00:03:26That's sort of win-lose.

00:03:27So, the mechanics in the mind

00:03:29are actually quite fascinating

00:03:31to go through,

00:03:33because the mechanics in the mind

00:03:36are something like this.

00:03:39If someone wants my feedback,

00:03:44if somebody wants to please me,

00:03:46then I am the superior and the dominant,

00:03:50and they are the inferior

00:03:52and the subjugated.

00:03:54If somebody wants to please me,

00:03:57I am the dominant

00:03:59and they are the inferior.

00:04:03So, why would an inferior

00:04:05want to know what you want?

00:04:09Why would an inferior

00:04:10want to know what you need

00:04:13or you prefer?

00:04:15It's a big question, right?

00:04:18So, if somebody is a slave

00:04:21and wants to know

00:04:24what the master wants,

00:04:26it's because the slave

00:04:28wants to manipulate

00:04:30the master.

00:04:32And therefore,

00:04:34if you are in a master-slave paradigm,

00:04:36a win-lose,

00:04:37dominant,

00:04:38submissive paradigm,

00:04:39then someone who asks you

00:04:42to give them feedback

00:04:44on what you want,

00:04:45if you're the dominant one,

00:04:47is only doing that

00:04:49because they want to

00:04:50manipulate you.

00:04:52So, let's look at

00:04:54sort of a typical

00:04:55cliched example

00:04:56from the 1950s,

00:04:59let's say, right?

00:05:01So,

00:05:01in the 1950s,

00:05:03if a woman

00:05:05has put a dent

00:05:06in the family car

00:05:09and, let's say,

00:05:10the husband doesn't know about it,

00:05:11then the wife will say,

00:05:13oh, what would you like

00:05:14for dinner?

00:05:15And the husband says,

00:05:16oh, I would like

00:05:16a steak and potatoes.

00:05:17Oh, I'd love to cook you

00:05:18a steak and potatoes.

00:05:19And then she gives him

00:05:20a back rub.

00:05:21And then she brings him

00:05:22his favorite newspaper.

00:05:23And she is,

00:05:25oh, what would you like

00:05:26to watch on TV?

00:05:27Oh, okay, well then,

00:05:28well, let's watch that.

00:05:29So, she is

00:05:30asking him

00:05:32what he wants,

00:05:34what he likes,

00:05:35and she is providing it.

00:05:37And why is she doing that?

00:05:38Is she doing that

00:05:39because she loves him?

00:05:40Not in this paradigm.

00:05:42No, no, no.

00:05:42She's doing it

00:05:43because she wants

00:05:45to manipulate him.

00:05:47She put a ding in the car.

00:05:48She doesn't want

00:05:49to get in too much trouble.

00:05:51And so,

00:05:51she wants to provide

00:05:52to him

00:05:53a positive experience

00:05:54so he'd be less likely

00:05:56to get angry at her.

00:05:59If she wants

00:06:00her mother to come visit,

00:06:01but her husband

00:06:02doesn't really enjoy

00:06:03those visits,

00:06:03the same thing can happen.

00:06:04It may not be

00:06:05that she inflicted a negative.

00:06:06She might,

00:06:06like dinging the car,

00:06:08she might want

00:06:08to have a positive.

00:06:10She might want

00:06:11him to be,

00:06:12okay, fine,

00:06:13your mom can come.

00:06:14I guess it's fine.

00:06:15So,

00:06:16she is asking him

00:06:18what he wants

00:06:18and providing him

00:06:19what he wants,

00:06:20not because she cares

00:06:20about him,

00:06:21but because she wants

00:06:23to manipulate him.

00:06:24In other words,

00:06:26asking what he likes

00:06:27and prefers

00:06:28is an act of aggression

00:06:31or manipulation.

00:06:33Right?

00:06:33So,

00:06:34I mean,

00:06:34a torturer,

00:06:35to take an extreme example,

00:06:37a torturer

00:06:37struggles

00:06:39to observe

00:06:41his victim

00:06:41or is observing

00:06:43his victim

00:06:43very carefully

00:06:44so that

00:06:45the torturer

00:06:46can

00:06:48further inflict

00:06:49pain and harm.

00:06:51I mean,

00:06:51there's this sort of

00:06:52cliche,

00:06:52if you're in trouble

00:06:53with criminals,

00:06:54don't have any attachment.

00:06:56Don't be any place

00:06:56you can't vanish from

00:06:58in five minutes.

00:07:01Because if you have

00:07:02attachments,

00:07:03well,

00:07:04the criminals will know

00:07:04you love your attachments

00:07:06and your dog

00:07:07or whatever

00:07:07and they'll get to you

00:07:09through your dog.

00:07:10Right?

00:07:12So,

00:07:12the reason

00:07:13that your daughter-in-law

00:07:15is snapping at you

00:07:17when you ask

00:07:18what you can do better,

00:07:21what she prefers,

00:07:22is that she

00:07:23experiences this

00:07:25as a form

00:07:26of predatory,

00:07:28exploitive,

00:07:29perhaps even aggressive

00:07:30manipulation.

00:07:32Oh,

00:07:32you're going to find out

00:07:33what I like

00:07:33so you can control me.

00:07:35In other words,

00:07:36you're going to provide

00:07:37the opposite

00:07:38of what I want.

00:07:40Right?

00:07:40So if I say,

00:07:41oh,

00:07:41I really liked

00:07:41that cheesecake,

00:07:43then you're going

00:07:44to use my preference

00:07:45for cheesecake

00:07:45to manipulate

00:07:46and control me.

00:07:48You bastard.

00:07:49Right?

00:07:50Which is why

00:07:50she snaps

00:07:51and acts aggressive

00:07:52when you ask her

00:07:53what she liked

00:07:54and she didn't.

00:07:55She doesn't,

00:07:56she doesn't perceive

00:07:57or really conceive

00:07:58of the idea

00:07:59that you might be

00:08:01asking her

00:08:02what she likes

00:08:03and prefers

00:08:03in order to

00:08:05make her happier.

00:08:07she doesn't live

00:08:09in that win-win.

00:08:11She only lives

00:08:11in win-lose

00:08:12and in win-lose

00:08:13the only reason

00:08:14you find out

00:08:15information

00:08:16about other people

00:08:18is to manipulate,

00:08:20control,

00:08:20bully

00:08:20or harass them.

00:08:23So in politics

00:08:25it's called

00:08:26oppo research,

00:08:27right?

00:08:27You do research

00:08:28on your opposition

00:08:29to find out

00:08:29their weaknesses

00:08:30so that

00:08:31you can

00:08:33control them.

00:08:34so you can bully them

00:08:36so you can leak

00:08:37stuff to the media

00:08:37oh this guy

00:08:39had an affair

00:08:40or this guy

00:08:40has a gambling addiction

00:08:41or whatever it is,

00:08:42right?

00:08:43It's opposition research.

00:08:45It's a form

00:08:46of narrative control

00:08:48of bullying

00:08:48of win-lose,

00:08:49right?

00:08:50I will leak

00:08:50negative stuff

00:08:51about my political

00:08:52opponent so that

00:08:52he will lose

00:08:53the election

00:08:53and I will win

00:08:54the election.

00:08:55So that's

00:08:57the mindset.

00:08:59Now one of the

00:09:00problems of course

00:09:01is that if you

00:09:02are in a win-lose

00:09:04set of relationships

00:09:05then

00:09:07it's not so much

00:09:09that you are

00:09:09defensive

00:09:10it's that that

00:09:10becomes your

00:09:11paradigm

00:09:12or approach

00:09:13to the world.

00:09:15So your paradigm

00:09:16and approach

00:09:17to the world

00:09:17is

00:09:17either I win

00:09:19or the other

00:09:20person wins.

00:09:20It's a duel,

00:09:21right?

00:09:22It's a fight

00:09:23to the death.

00:09:23It's a boxing match.

00:09:24I win

00:09:25or the other guy

00:09:25wins.

00:09:27It's win-lose.

00:09:29Soccer,

00:09:29running races,

00:09:30whatever.

00:09:31I win,

00:09:31other people have

00:09:32to lose,

00:09:32they win,

00:09:33I lose.

00:09:34And this is one

00:09:35of the problems

00:09:35with sports

00:09:36is it trains you

00:09:36for a win-lose

00:09:37relationship

00:09:38which is fine.

00:09:40It's not really

00:09:40a relationship

00:09:41which is fine

00:09:41if you're

00:09:42in a situation

00:09:43of extended

00:09:43combat

00:09:43or whatever it is

00:09:44but it is

00:09:46win-lose

00:09:46and

00:09:48it tends to be

00:09:49a little bit

00:09:50more male

00:09:50in the form of

00:09:51activities

00:09:52tends to be

00:09:53a little bit

00:09:53more female

00:09:54the win-lose

00:09:54in the

00:09:55reality of

00:09:56relationships.

00:09:58So the problem

00:09:58is if you were

00:09:59raised in that way

00:10:00win-lose

00:10:00the only reason

00:10:01that people

00:10:01want to find

00:10:02things out about you

00:10:02is to control

00:10:03and manipulate you

00:10:04well

00:10:05the problem

00:10:06is

00:10:06that the behavior

00:10:08we inflict

00:10:08we also expect.

00:10:10So if

00:10:11your daughter-in-law

00:10:12has been raised

00:10:14in this win-lose

00:10:15paradigm

00:10:16then

00:10:17what's going to

00:10:18happen is

00:10:19she is going to

00:10:21inflict that

00:10:22on others.

00:10:23so she is going

00:10:26to have

00:10:27the snappy

00:10:28win-lose

00:10:29relationships

00:10:30where

00:10:31all attempts

00:10:33at intimacy

00:10:34are the

00:10:34gathering of

00:10:35opposition research

00:10:36so to speak

00:10:37and so

00:10:38because she's

00:10:39inflicted that

00:10:39on others

00:10:40she now

00:10:41expects it

00:10:41so it was

00:10:42inflicted on her

00:10:42she's now

00:10:43inflicted it on

00:10:43others

00:10:44so that's all

00:10:45she lives

00:10:46with.

00:10:46You sort of

00:10:47close the circuit

00:10:47if negative

00:10:48stuff is

00:10:49inflicted on

00:10:49you

00:10:50and then

00:10:50you inflicted

00:10:51on others

00:10:51then you

00:10:53close the

00:10:53circuitry

00:10:54right

00:10:54and whatever

00:10:56we inflict

00:10:57we expect

00:10:58if you're

00:10:59hostile to

00:11:00others

00:11:00you expect

00:11:01hostility

00:11:01in return

00:11:02in fact

00:11:03you justify

00:11:03your own

00:11:04hostility

00:11:04by saying

00:11:05well I

00:11:05have to

00:11:05be

00:11:05I've got

00:11:06to get

00:11:06them

00:11:06before

00:11:07they

00:11:07get me

00:11:07sort of

00:11:08rabid

00:11:08self-defense

00:11:09everyone's

00:11:09coming at

00:11:10you with

00:11:10a knife

00:11:10so you

00:11:11can shoot

00:11:12first

00:11:12and ask

00:11:13questions

00:11:13later

00:11:14right

00:11:14so this

00:11:16issue

00:11:17of being

00:11:18in a

00:11:19perpetual

00:11:19state

00:11:19of fight

00:11:20or flight

00:11:20of win

00:11:20lose

00:11:21is

00:11:22really

00:11:23challenging

00:11:24how do

00:11:25you undo

00:11:25it

00:11:26I don't

00:11:26know

00:11:26you can

00:11:27identify

00:11:28it

00:11:28but the

00:11:28problem

00:11:29is

00:11:29people

00:11:30who've

00:11:30done

00:11:30wrong

00:11:31can't

00:11:32apologize

00:11:33I mean

00:11:34I'm sure

00:11:35there are

00:11:35exceptions

00:11:35but in

00:11:36general

00:11:36that's

00:11:37my

00:11:37approach

00:11:37people

00:11:37who've

00:11:38done

00:11:38significant

00:11:38wrong

00:11:38and if

00:11:39this

00:11:39woman

00:11:40is

00:11:40you know

00:11:40let's

00:11:40say

00:11:41in her

00:11:41mid-twenties

00:11:42mid-thirties

00:11:43or whatever

00:11:43and she's

00:11:44been sort

00:11:44of snappy

00:11:45in me

00:11:45in her

00:11:45whole life

00:11:46or at

00:11:46least her

00:11:46whole adult

00:11:47life

00:11:47then she's

00:11:48got a lot

00:11:48of apologies

00:11:49to do

00:11:49but the

00:11:49problem

00:11:50is of

00:11:50course

00:11:51is that

00:11:52if you

00:11:53have done

00:11:54a lot

00:11:54of wrong

00:11:55in your

00:11:56life

00:11:56you've

00:11:57done it

00:11:58because

00:11:58it's

00:11:58win-lose

00:11:59you're

00:11:59in a

00:11:59win-lose

00:12:00paradigm

00:12:00but if

00:12:01you're

00:12:01in a

00:12:01win-lose

00:12:01paradigm

00:12:02then

00:12:03you can't

00:12:04apologize

00:12:05right

00:12:06because to

00:12:07apologize

00:12:07is to put

00:12:08yourself at

00:12:08the mercy

00:12:09of others

00:12:09and since

00:12:09you've shown

00:12:10no mercy

00:12:11to others

00:12:11you can't

00:12:13expect

00:12:13or you

00:12:14will never

00:12:15expect to

00:12:15receive

00:12:16any mercy

00:12:17from others

00:12:17right

00:12:18so this

00:12:19is one of

00:12:19the problems

00:12:20is that

00:12:20in order

00:12:21for her

00:12:21to change

00:12:22she's going

00:12:22to have

00:12:23to apologize

00:12:23to people

00:12:24for being

00:12:25snappy

00:12:25and mean

00:12:25but she

00:12:26can't

00:12:27apologize

00:12:27to people

00:12:27because

00:12:29it's

00:12:30everything's

00:12:30win-lose

00:12:31and if

00:12:31she apologized

00:12:31to the

00:12:32people

00:12:32they'll

00:12:32use it

00:12:33against

00:12:33her

00:12:33and consider

00:12:34her wrong

00:12:34and damaged

00:12:35and subjugated

00:12:37forever

00:12:37so

00:12:37but to

00:12:38understand

00:12:39the mindset

00:12:39I think

00:12:40is the

00:12:41first step

00:12:41in trying

00:12:42to undo

00:12:43it

00:12:43right

00:12:44so next

00:12:44question

00:12:45is mathematics

00:12:46discovered

00:12:47or

00:12:48invented

00:12:49is mathematics

00:12:51discovered

00:12:52or invented

00:12:53well that

00:12:54is a

00:12:54very

00:12:55interesting

00:12:55question

00:12:56and I

00:12:57would say

00:12:58neither

00:13:00so

00:13:01mathematics

00:13:02is not

00:13:03discovered

00:13:04in that

00:13:06you can

00:13:06discover

00:13:07a new

00:13:07continent

00:13:08you can

00:13:08discover

00:13:09a new

00:13:10substance

00:13:10you can

00:13:11discover

00:13:12a new

00:13:13author

00:13:13or something

00:13:13like that

00:13:14which is to

00:13:15say that

00:13:15there are

00:13:16pre-existing

00:13:16things

00:13:17that come

00:13:18into your

00:13:19view

00:13:20that existed

00:13:21prior

00:13:21in the real

00:13:22world

00:13:23existed

00:13:23prior to

00:13:23you

00:13:24coming

00:13:24prior to

00:13:25you seeing

00:13:26them

00:13:26right

00:13:26so when

00:13:27you discover

00:13:27the

00:13:28Arctic

00:13:28let's say

00:13:29there's no

00:13:29people been

00:13:30there before

00:13:30or whatever

00:13:30then it's

00:13:32already there

00:13:32you're just

00:13:33discovering it

00:13:33it exists

00:13:34in the real

00:13:34world

00:13:35but was not

00:13:36part of your

00:13:36sense data

00:13:38until you

00:13:38discovered it

00:13:39so that is

00:13:41to be

00:13:41discovered

00:13:41to invent

00:13:43is to create

00:13:44something

00:13:44that wasn't

00:13:45there before

00:13:46if you write

00:13:48a novel

00:13:48you've invented

00:13:49a novel

00:13:50that wasn't

00:13:50there before

00:13:51if you

00:13:52invent

00:13:53a widget

00:13:53some sort

00:13:54of mechanical

00:13:55device that

00:13:55didn't exist

00:13:56before

00:13:56then that's

00:13:57invented

00:13:57so

00:13:58mathematics

00:13:59is not

00:14:00discovered

00:14:00like a

00:14:01continent

00:14:02or a

00:14:02vein

00:14:03of gold

00:14:03that already

00:14:05pre-existed

00:14:05but was not

00:14:06part of

00:14:06your sense

00:14:06data

00:14:07so it's

00:14:08not

00:14:08discovered

00:14:09neither is

00:14:09it

00:14:10invented

00:14:10because

00:14:12that is

00:14:12to say

00:14:13that there

00:14:14were no

00:14:14such things

00:14:15as discrete

00:14:15entities

00:14:16in the

00:14:17past

00:14:17one world

00:14:19is enough

00:14:20for all

00:14:20of us

00:14:21so

00:14:22I would

00:14:23say

00:14:23that

00:14:23mathematics

00:14:24is neither

00:14:24discovered

00:14:25nor

00:14:26invented

00:14:27so

00:14:29if it

00:14:29is not

00:14:29discovered

00:14:30or invented

00:14:31what is

00:14:32it

00:14:32it's hard

00:14:34to know

00:14:34the right

00:14:34word

00:14:35but the

00:14:36word I

00:14:36think that

00:14:36comes the

00:14:37closest

00:14:37is

00:14:38correlated

00:14:40mathematics

00:14:41is

00:14:41correlated

00:14:43which means

00:14:43co-related

00:14:44which means

00:14:45that

00:14:46the

00:14:48concepts

00:14:49in your

00:14:49mind

00:14:50accurately

00:14:50match

00:14:51the facts

00:14:52of reality

00:14:52so that's

00:14:53not

00:14:53invented

00:14:54like your

00:14:55dreams invent

00:14:56new laws

00:14:56of physics

00:14:57every night

00:14:57so it's

00:14:58not invented

00:14:58it is

00:14:59correlated

00:15:00so

00:15:02we don't

00:15:03discover numbers

00:15:03like we're

00:15:04digging in

00:15:04our backyard

00:15:05we might

00:15:05discover the

00:15:06bones of

00:15:06an animal

00:15:06we don't

00:15:07discover

00:15:07numbers

00:15:07like oh

00:15:08my gosh

00:15:08there's

00:15:09pie

00:15:09there's

00:15:10the number

00:15:10seven

00:15:10neither do

00:15:11we invent

00:15:12them out

00:15:12of whole

00:15:12cloth

00:15:13but

00:15:14numbers

00:15:16in our

00:15:16mind

00:15:16are they

00:15:17correlated

00:15:18to

00:15:19things

00:15:20in the

00:15:20world

00:15:20so

00:15:21if you

00:15:22have

00:15:22three

00:15:23fruit

00:15:24trees

00:15:24in your

00:15:25backyard

00:15:26those

00:15:27three

00:15:27fruit

00:15:28trees

00:15:28exist

00:15:29whether or

00:15:29not

00:15:29they are

00:15:30numbered

00:15:30there are

00:15:30three

00:15:31discrete

00:15:31fruit

00:15:32trees

00:15:32that

00:15:33exist

00:15:33whether or

00:15:33not

00:15:34they

00:15:34are

00:15:34numbered

00:15:34so

00:15:36when you

00:15:37say

00:15:37I have

00:15:38three

00:15:38fruit

00:15:38trees

00:15:39in my

00:15:39backyard

00:15:39to

00:15:40someone

00:15:40assuming

00:15:41you do

00:15:41have

00:15:41three

00:15:42fruit

00:15:42trees

00:15:42in your

00:15:42backyard

00:15:43then

00:15:44the

00:15:44number

00:15:44three

00:15:45is

00:15:46correlated

00:15:47accurately

00:15:48to

00:15:50the

00:15:50number

00:15:50of

00:15:50trees

00:15:51in your

00:15:51backyard

00:15:51if you

00:15:53say

00:15:53I want

00:15:54five

00:15:55pounds

00:15:55of cheese

00:15:56because you

00:15:57know

00:15:57you're

00:15:57snacky

00:15:58say I

00:15:58want five

00:15:59pounds

00:15:59of cheese

00:16:00at a

00:16:00deli

00:16:01and then

00:16:01they

00:16:01weigh

00:16:02and count

00:16:02out five

00:16:03pounds

00:16:03of cheese

00:16:04then

00:16:05your

00:16:05request

00:16:06for five

00:16:06pounds

00:16:06of cheese

00:16:07correlates

00:16:08with five

00:16:09pounds

00:16:10of cheese

00:16:10as measured

00:16:11out by

00:16:11the deli

00:16:12cashier

00:16:13or worker

00:16:14so numbers

00:16:15are not

00:16:16invented

00:16:16because that

00:16:18would be to

00:16:18say that

00:16:19there's something

00:16:20new that

00:16:20didn't exist

00:16:20before

00:16:21and that's

00:16:22not the

00:16:22case

00:16:23we have

00:16:24discrete

00:16:24objects

00:16:25in the

00:16:26world

00:16:26before people

00:16:27came up

00:16:27with the

00:16:28idea of

00:16:28numbers

00:16:29or the

00:16:29concept

00:16:30of numbers

00:16:30so

00:16:31if someone

00:16:32says I'm

00:16:33going to be

00:16:33paying you

00:16:34forty thousand

00:16:35dollars a

00:16:35year

00:16:35then the

00:16:36pay

00:16:37has to

00:16:38correlate

00:16:39to what

00:16:40is offered

00:16:41right

00:16:41you sign

00:16:42some sort

00:16:42of contract

00:16:42that says

00:16:43you'll be

00:16:43paid forty

00:16:44grand a

00:16:44year

00:16:44then your

00:16:46pay

00:16:46has to

00:16:47match

00:16:48that

00:16:49contract

00:16:49now

00:16:51correlation

00:16:52is more

00:16:54interesting

00:16:54and I think

00:16:55more accurate

00:16:56than

00:16:57invention

00:16:58or discovery

00:17:00so you

00:17:00always have

00:17:01to be

00:17:01careful

00:17:01and as

00:17:02do I

00:17:03sorry

00:17:03and it's

00:17:04funny

00:17:04like I just

00:17:04want to

00:17:04point this

00:17:05out

00:17:05like every

00:17:05time I

00:17:06nag people

00:17:06though you've

00:17:07got to be

00:17:07careful

00:17:07it's because

00:17:08I also have

00:17:09to be

00:17:10careful

00:17:10we all

00:17:11have to

00:17:11be careful

00:17:11like when

00:17:12we're talking

00:17:12about ethics

00:17:13we have to

00:17:13be careful

00:17:14not to

00:17:14fall into

00:17:14the

00:17:15pre-programmed

00:17:16grooves

00:17:16of thought

00:17:17put there

00:17:17by our

00:17:18masters and

00:17:18rulers

00:17:19and commanders

00:17:20but

00:17:21you have to

00:17:23be careful

00:17:23when you're

00:17:24offered a

00:17:25false dichotomy

00:17:25to not

00:17:26accept it

00:17:26right

00:17:27either this

00:17:28or that

00:17:28well

00:17:29why not

00:17:29both

00:17:30or neither

00:17:30now

00:17:31you can't

00:17:32really say

00:17:32something is

00:17:32both invented

00:17:33and discovered

00:17:34a discovery

00:17:35of a new

00:17:36law of

00:17:37physics

00:17:37might lead

00:17:37to a new

00:17:38invention

00:17:38but numbers

00:17:41certainly we do

00:17:42not discover

00:17:43them in nature

00:17:43in the way

00:17:44that we discover

00:17:44a hole in the

00:17:46ground in the

00:17:46woods

00:17:46oh look there's a

00:17:47hole in the

00:17:47ground I've

00:17:48discovered it

00:17:48but it pre-existed

00:17:49you

00:17:49you finding it

00:17:51you are

00:17:51you have new

00:17:53sense data of

00:17:54what was already

00:17:55pre-existing

00:17:55or in this case

00:17:57not pre-existing

00:17:57which is the earth

00:17:58being a hole

00:17:59and numbers are not

00:18:01invented because if

00:18:02they were invented

00:18:03they would not

00:18:04need to correlate

00:18:04to anything in

00:18:05reality

00:18:06right so you see

00:18:07this in books

00:18:08novels right

00:18:09any similarity

00:18:11to persons living

00:18:13or dead is merely

00:18:13a coincidence

00:18:14so this is

00:18:16invented

00:18:16I am inventing

00:18:18characters and

00:18:20situations and

00:18:21dialogue in the

00:18:22novel that I'm

00:18:23currently working

00:18:24on

00:18:24they do not

00:18:26exist in the

00:18:27real world

00:18:27they are invented

00:18:29they are not

00:18:30discovered

00:18:31I didn't find

00:18:32people in my

00:18:33house and then

00:18:33put them in a

00:18:34novel and

00:18:35they are invented

00:18:37in that they did

00:18:38not exist before

00:18:39they do not exist

00:18:40now but I hope

00:18:41to elicit a

00:18:43strong sense of

00:18:43their existence

00:18:45in the mind

00:18:47of the reader

00:18:47they certainly

00:18:48very vividly

00:18:49exist in my

00:18:50mind in the

00:18:51same way that

00:18:51people you meet

00:18:52in dreams

00:18:52vividly exist

00:18:53in your mind

00:18:55and fiction

00:18:56writing is

00:18:57really just

00:18:58in many ways

00:18:59the annotating

00:19:02of a waking

00:19:03dream

00:19:03it is a lucid

00:19:05dream that you

00:19:06write down

00:19:07so novels

00:19:09are invented

00:19:10gold is

00:19:12discovered

00:19:12and numbers

00:19:14are correlated

00:19:15numbers are

00:19:16correlated so

00:19:17the concepts

00:19:17in the mind

00:19:18should accurately

00:19:19match the

00:19:19things in

00:19:20reality if I

00:19:20point at a

00:19:21tree and say

00:19:21that's a tree

00:19:22it should in

00:19:23fact be a

00:19:23tree for me

00:19:24to be accurate

00:19:24in other words

00:19:25the concept

00:19:26and the finger

00:19:27pointing and the

00:19:29identification of

00:19:30the object in

00:19:30the world as

00:19:31a tree the

00:19:32concept is

00:19:32correlated to

00:19:34the tree

00:19:35now I would

00:19:36say correlated

00:19:37I know that

00:19:38you can say

00:19:38positively correlated

00:19:39negatively correlated

00:19:40so I'm just

00:19:41going to use

00:19:41positively correlated

00:19:42correlated means

00:19:43that it is

00:19:44accurate

00:19:45now the

00:19:47concept of

00:19:47numbers is

00:19:48created but

00:19:50it is not

00:19:51invented out of

00:19:52whole cloth

00:19:53because it is

00:19:54created as a

00:19:55shortcut for

00:19:57being able to

00:19:58do math it

00:19:58is created as

00:19:59a shortcut for

00:20:00being able to

00:20:01do coin

00:20:02transactions or

00:20:03paper transactions

00:20:04or currency

00:20:05transactions it

00:20:07is not

00:20:08accidental right

00:20:09if you buy

00:20:10something for

00:20:1080 cents and

00:20:11you give the

00:20:11person a dollar

00:20:12they give you

00:20:1320 cents back

00:20:14that's that

00:20:1620 cents is

00:20:16not invented

00:20:18it is not

00:20:19discovered but

00:20:20the 20 cents is

00:20:21correlated to the

00:20:22change that you

00:20:23deserve on paying

00:20:2680 cents with

00:20:27a dollar you

00:20:28deserve 20

00:20:30cents back so

00:20:32I think with

00:20:33regards to

00:20:33concepts it is

00:20:35important to

00:20:36understand some

00:20:37concepts are just

00:20:37made up like

00:20:38magic the term

00:20:39magic right

00:20:39doesn't identify

00:20:40anything in

00:20:42reality so it

00:20:43is a concept that

00:20:44is not correlated to

00:20:45anything in

00:20:46reality but it's a

00:20:47fun concept

00:20:48Santa Claus you

00:20:49know rocketing all

00:20:50over the universe

00:20:50delivering gifts is

00:20:52invented it is a

00:20:53concept but it's

00:20:54not correlated to

00:20:55anything in the

00:20:56world Lord of the

00:20:57Rings describes a

00:20:58fictional world that

00:20:59is not related to

00:21:00anything in the

00:21:01world I mean it has

00:21:03obviously shades of

00:21:03medieval England and

00:21:05so on but it is not

00:21:06correlated in that

00:21:07way but when you

00:21:10look at concepts

00:21:12there are some that

00:21:14are contradictory

00:21:15square circle there

00:21:16are some and

00:21:16therefore not

00:21:17possible to have in

00:21:18the world there are

00:21:19some that are not

00:21:20possible i.e.

00:21:21magic assuming it's

00:21:22not just advanced

00:21:23technology and then

00:21:24so some that are

00:21:26self-contradictory

00:21:27some that are not

00:21:29possible because they

00:21:30contradict the facts

00:21:30of reality such as

00:21:32being able to mutter

00:21:33a word and have a

00:21:33fireball emanate

00:21:34without technology

00:21:35from your fingertips

00:21:36or something like

00:21:37that or a sleep

00:21:39spell that isn't my

00:21:41old history teacher

00:21:42from high school and

00:21:43then there are

00:21:45concepts that are

00:21:46accurately correlated to

00:21:47things in the world

00:21:48so concepts can be

00:21:50invented concepts are

00:21:52not discovered right

00:21:54we don't cut down a

00:21:56bunch of trees and

00:21:57then find the concept

00:21:57of forest is revealed

00:21:59in all its glory in

00:22:00some sort of tangible

00:22:00way so concepts can

00:22:04be invented are not

00:22:06discovered and to be

00:22:08accurate and true

00:22:08concepts need to be

00:22:09correlated to the

00:22:10things that are

00:22:11actually in reality

00:22:12they need to accurately

00:22:13describe what is in

00:22:14reality if there are

00:22:16three fruit trees then

00:22:17to be accurate you

00:22:18must say there are

00:22:19three fruit trees if

00:22:20you say there are four

00:22:21unicorns you are

00:22:22inaccurate in at least

00:22:24two dimensions all

00:22:25right hope that makes

00:22:26sense we will continue

00:22:28all right next question

00:22:30is ham on rye objectively

00:22:33the best lunchtime

00:22:35sandwich well I'm not a

00:22:37fan of ham pigs are

00:22:39intelligent creatures and

00:22:40it just feels like a

00:22:42hacked off ass of a pig

00:22:44that swallow in their own

00:22:46crap mud and filth and

00:22:48rye is you know you

00:22:52can infuse bread with

00:22:53virtue which is sour

00:22:54dough or you can infuse

00:22:55bread with evil which is

00:22:58rye so pig's ass

00:23:01between evil bread is

00:23:03not my lunch of choice

00:23:07all right another

00:23:08question one verbally

00:23:09abusive mother violent

00:23:10and emotionally absent

00:23:11father two dated married a

00:23:13verbally abusive woman had

00:23:14one kid three I

00:23:16divorced when the kid

00:23:18was four an awful

00:23:18decision four remarried

00:23:21had another two kids

00:23:22what's the best I can do

00:23:22for my three children

00:23:23well listen we all make

00:23:27mistakes you know I mean

00:23:29I guess one day I'll go

00:23:31through all of the

00:23:32mistakes that I've made

00:23:34in my life particularly in

00:23:36my youth but you need to

00:23:38be honest with your

00:23:39mistakes I mean my

00:23:41daughter knows me at a

00:23:44time when I was making

00:23:45pretty good decisions but

00:23:46she didn't know me at

00:23:47the time when I was

00:23:48making bad decisions

00:23:49thankfully so to be

00:23:51honest with your bad

00:23:52decisions is important

00:23:54people will accept bad

00:23:56decisions if there are

00:23:58no excuses but reasons

00:24:00right no excuses but

00:24:03reasons now let's say I

00:24:06made some bad dating

00:24:08decisions in my teens

00:24:10okay now why did I make

00:24:13bad dating decisions in my

00:24:14teens well I can't sit

00:24:16there and say well gee

00:24:17as a teenager I had been

00:24:18exposed to all of this

00:24:19wonderful virtue and

00:24:21philosophy and self

00:24:22knowledge and wisdom and

00:24:23all of that and I just

00:24:25chose mysteriously to go in

00:24:26the opposite direction no

00:24:28no I was exposed to

00:24:30terrible culture I had a

00:24:32terrible family terrible

00:24:33environment and so on and

00:24:36I made some bad decisions

00:24:37now am I responsible for

00:24:39those decisions kind of

00:24:42kind of I mean it's sort

00:24:45of like am I responsible

00:24:46for learning English well

00:24:48no I'm not really

00:24:49responsible for learning

00:24:50English I'm responsible

00:24:51for using it correctly and

00:24:53refining my knowledge of

00:24:54it as I age and so on but

00:24:56I'm not responsible am I

00:24:58responsible for being born

00:24:59in Ireland no was I

00:25:00responsible for moving to

00:25:01England no was I

00:25:02responsible for moving to

00:25:03Canada no I'm responsible

00:25:06for where I choose to live as

00:25:07an adult to some degree to

00:25:10some degree so and the

00:25:13reason sorry the reason

00:25:14why it is to some degree is

00:25:16that if you ever talk about

00:25:18moving countries and you sit

00:25:19down with say a lawyer and

00:25:20an accountant you will find a

00:25:23rather enormous list of

00:25:24things that make it

00:25:25difficult to do so so to

00:25:27some degree so if you say I

00:25:31made bad decisions because of

00:25:33x y and z then you can say I

00:25:38learned better and now I

00:25:39make better decisions so did

00:25:42I make some bad I made some

00:25:44good dating decisions in my

00:25:45teens and I made some bad

00:25:45dating decisions you know just

00:25:47dating people who weren't

00:25:47right for me I wasn't right

00:25:49for them you know based on

00:25:50looks and all that kind of

00:25:51stuff and what I won't say

00:25:56what else could I have done

00:25:57but I was in a state of bad

00:26:01tutoring and high hormones

00:26:03right bad learning and high

00:26:05hormones and it's also

00:26:08something that just struck me

00:26:10while I'm doing this is that

00:26:11not one person over the

00:26:14course of me leaving

00:26:17Christianity not one person

00:26:18reached out and asked how I

00:26:19was doing or I tried to woo me

00:26:22back or ask me what my issues

00:26:24were and so on I just was let

00:26:26wonder even though my father's

00:26:28family very very religious yeah

00:26:30there was no and I think for

00:26:32me I'm just sort of by the by

00:26:33sort of the final straw with

00:26:35religion was my brother went

00:26:39back to England for a couple of

00:26:42years when I was in my early

00:26:43teens maybe 12 to 14 or 15 12

00:26:47to 14 I think my brother went

00:26:49back to England and I was left

00:26:51alone with my mother and she

00:26:52went crazy over this time period

00:26:54and nobody contacted me nobody

00:26:55wrote nobody at least that I knew

00:26:57of nobody called and I was

00:27:00really just left to try and

00:27:02wrangle the crazy woman and

00:27:05alone and that was I think that

00:27:08was it for me with regards to

00:27:09religion because there were

00:27:12probably a dozen highly religious

00:27:15people on my father's side my

00:27:17brother was over there so it

00:27:18wasn't like they didn't know

00:27:19anything about the family and

00:27:21there was no contact I was

00:27:23really just left to rot with the

00:27:24crazy woman in Canada all alone

00:27:26and I think that was it for me

00:27:29now look I understand when people

00:27:31say but you can't judge

00:27:32Christianity by its adherence well

00:27:35I would say that's not entirely

00:27:40true I mean even in Christianity

00:27:42it says that the the apple does not

00:27:44fall far from the tree right and

00:27:47it's not like I'm judging one

00:27:49Christian or five Christians or ten

00:27:52Christians I'm judging hundreds of

00:27:54Christians not just on my father's

00:27:55family side but all the people as

00:27:58I've mentioned before who knew

00:28:00about the child abuse heard about

00:28:01the child abuse could literally

00:28:02hear the child abuse through the

00:28:03walls did nothing not even a phone

00:28:05call it's just not enough it's just

00:28:08not enough and so to me it's

00:28:11philosophy or bust so sorry to a

00:28:14slight detour but if you make bad

00:28:17decisions and it wasn't like I was

00:28:20making perfect decisions into my

00:28:2120s either right I only started

00:28:23really to make good decisions late

00:28:26late 20s I would say consistently

00:28:28good other than rather than sort of

00:28:29accidentally good and I had a lot to

00:28:33unlearn so if you say look the reasons

00:28:37why I made bad decisions are x y and z

00:28:40and it's an interesting question which

00:28:42is worth reviewing a little bit here

00:28:44what is the difference between an

00:28:46excuse and a reason what is the

00:28:50difference between an excuse and a

00:28:53reason a reason is justified by youth

00:29:00and ill training in this circumstance and

00:29:03again it was a school it was even the

00:29:07church was pretty useless for me and of

00:29:09course my immediate family was not

00:29:12helpful in this way the culture was

00:29:14corrupt as hell the 70s were a really

00:29:16grim time for culture and it was all

00:29:20just wretched as a whole so I listen I

00:29:24can't be expected to invent all of

00:29:27moral philosophy in my teens it was

00:29:28tough enough doing it in my 30s so I

00:29:31can't that would be a self-abusive that

00:29:33would be a self-attacking standard to

00:29:35say well even though I was consistently

00:29:37exposed to the worst possible culture and

00:29:41family situation and education was

00:29:44terrible and the church was not helpful

00:29:46and all of that I mean but I should have

00:29:49made good decisions I mean that's not

00:29:50that's not a reasonable standard right

00:29:52so a reason is something that is causal

00:29:57that is an explanation as to why bad

00:30:04decisions were made with the follow-up of

00:30:08self-ownership so an excuse is when you

00:30:12say well if I were to say I'm unable to

00:30:15make good decisions because I had a bad

00:30:16childhood right well that's not rational

00:30:20and there's no self-ownership and no

00:30:23responsibility in that at all right so

00:30:26this this big giant domino called the bad

00:30:28childhood started and you know went down

00:30:30the list of my life and I couldn't make

00:30:32decisions that were good post that

00:30:34anything like that right so that would be

00:30:38to say I have no responsibility for my

00:30:43own life because of X though that's an

00:30:46excuse I never started a business because

00:30:49no one took any interest in my ideas well

00:30:52nobody takes interest in anybody's ideas I

00:30:55have to win your interest in my statements

00:30:58and arguments over time right so that's

00:31:01not a reason or the reason I never got

00:31:05married as my parents had a bad marriage

00:31:07well that's an excuse because it does

00:31:10not terminate in self-ownership self-knowledge

00:31:14and responsibility right so if your parents

00:31:20had a bad marriage then it is rational to

00:31:25say my parents had a bad marriage I don't

00:31:29want a bad marriage so I should really

00:31:32figure out what my parents did that was

00:31:34wrong and bad and I should not do that

00:31:37I mean if your parents were chain smokers

00:31:41and you grew up half coughing your lungs

00:31:43out then one of the things you don't want

00:31:45to be as an adult is a smoker if you say

00:31:48well I'm a I'm a smoker because my parents

00:31:51were smokers and that's all I knew and and

00:31:53then it never terminates in responsibility I

00:31:56am absolved of responsibility because of the

00:31:59past that's an excuse and it's a closed

00:32:02loop I never got married because my

00:32:06parents had a bad marriage where does that

00:32:07terminate where does that end well you

00:32:10never get married and you have no choice

00:32:11to get married because your parents had a

00:32:14bad marriage so excuses are determinism

00:32:17they are explanations without reference to

00:32:21self-knowledge and free will and those are

00:32:25excuses my my mother's story about how she

00:32:28was abusive because the doctors injected

00:32:30her with various diseases and poisons and

00:32:32so on well that's an excuse because it

00:32:35doesn't terminate in free will it terminates

00:32:38in blaming others it terminates in self

00:32:41pity and helplessness which is not a state

00:32:44of free will or moral responsibility a

00:32:47reason terminates in moral responsibility so

00:32:50one of the reasons why I hang on tooth and

00:32:54nail sometimes it feels in the wild storms

00:32:57of anti-rationality that characterize

00:32:59culture these days as a whole and more so

00:33:02in the West than it used to be is that I

00:33:04have seen you know close up you know like I

00:33:10was in the most dangerous situation for a

00:33:14young man to be in in the terms of family

00:33:17structure in that I had for years I was the

00:33:21single son of a single mother who was crazy

00:33:24and immoral and that's a very dangerous

00:33:28situation to be in and seeing what happens

00:33:35to vanity and mysticism and vanity and

00:33:38mysticism are two sides of the same coin

00:33:40mysticism is the belief that there's a higher

00:33:43realm that you have access to that allow you

00:33:46to perform feats not trackable in empirical

00:33:51reality and that's vanity right it's the

00:33:55people who say I have psychic abilities well

00:33:58it's a way of saying that you are special and

00:34:01have value and it's just kind of innate

00:34:03right if you want to predict something in

00:34:07the economy you've got to spend years studying

00:34:09the economy right if you want to predict

00:34:12something in society you have to spend

00:34:15years studying politics and history and so

00:34:19on right if you want to predict how

00:34:22someone's life course is going to go you

00:34:24have to study psychology self-knowledge and

00:34:28and so on and so all of these kinds of

00:34:31predictions about the future result from

00:34:33years and years of intense labor and

00:34:36controversy however if you just say well

00:34:39I'm psychic then you have the ability or

00:34:42you claim to have the ability to tell the

00:34:43future without all of that annoying actual

00:34:46study so you want to be special without

00:34:49having to work in it and that's that's

00:34:52what I mean like vanity vanity is when you

00:34:55want the reward without the effort which is

00:34:59why to me you know as I'm picking someone

00:35:02it's like you want the reward without the

00:35:03effort and that's vanity I deserve the

00:35:06reward without the effort is kind of

00:35:08narcissistic in vain right so if you say

00:35:12look I made these bad decisions and here's

00:35:16why I have figured out the cause I have

00:35:20taken responsibility and I no longer make

00:35:23these bad decisions and I want to pass

00:35:25this wisdom along to you I don't think

00:35:29rational reasonable people would attack you

00:35:35if you made bad decisions as you said you

00:35:38did in the absence of knowledge and you

00:35:41know please understand we are social

00:35:44animals which means when we're young

00:35:47everyone around us who's our age or older

00:35:52in general everyone around us shares in our

00:35:56bad decisions so I almost married the wrong

00:36:00woman is that my mistake nope it was our

00:36:06mistake everyone around you shares in your

00:36:12decisions right as they care about you

00:36:14especially if they're part of your family so

00:36:17when you got married to the wrong woman

00:36:20verbally abusive woman the question is was

00:36:24that your decision nope it was a collective

00:36:27decision because we are social animals

00:36:30if 10 guys go hunting and they fail is

00:36:37there any individual there who is 100%

00:36:41responsible for that failure nope they are

00:36:44not because even if there's a bad guy on

00:36:47the hunting team the hunting team agreed that

00:36:50he could come and gave him a spear or

00:36:51resources or whatever it is right there is

00:36:54no I in team and your life as a social

00:36:57animal is a team sport and everyone is

00:37:04involved in every one of your decisions and

00:37:09particularly a public decision such as I'm

00:37:12going to marry this woman let's call her

00:37:14Beth right so you say I'm going to marry

00:37:15Beth okay well you date Beth you get

00:37:19engaged to Beth there's a ceremony or

00:37:21usually a celebration about that and then

00:37:23you get engaged for a while and then

00:37:25there's planning a marriage and so on and

00:37:28if no one said to you Beth is mean Beth

00:37:31is verbally abusive you cannot get married

00:37:33to her particularly given your history if

00:37:35nobody said that to you then everyone and

00:37:38the older people are all the more

00:37:40responsible everyone is responsible for

00:37:44your bad decisions if I see a blind man

00:37:49walking towards a cliff edge thinking

00:37:53that he's going to catch a bus and I do

00:37:56and say nothing have I killed him well I am

00:38:03at least in part responsible for his death

00:38:06because I could have said hey stop you're

00:38:09heading towards a cliff edge bro stop and

00:38:12turn around now if I say that and he runs

00:38:14on that's a different matter maybe I can

00:38:15tackle him I don't know maybe he's going

00:38:18through some sort of mental health crisis

00:38:19as they say right so if I see a blind

00:38:25guy walking towards a cliff edge and I

00:38:27just smile and say nothing or encourage

00:38:29him to go forward yeah bus is almost here

00:38:30right is that bad I mean I think a woman I

00:38:35think a young woman was charged I don't

00:38:37know what happened but the case I think

00:38:39she was convicted of convincing a young

00:38:41man to kill himself over text so when you

00:38:45get married to the wrong woman that is a

00:38:51we decision that is a we decision because

00:38:55everyone is involved now if you were

00:38:59walking towards a cliff edge and people

00:39:00encourage you oh she's great oh you're

00:39:02going to be so happy oh she's wonderful

00:39:03oh I love her so much right then they are

00:39:07encouraging you to wander into traffic to

00:39:11walk off a cliff as a blind man right

00:39:12blended by love blended by hormones

00:39:14blended by loneliness blended by sex

00:39:15blended by whatever right so one of the

00:39:19reasons why we don't have robust and

00:39:22automatic self-knowledge is because we

00:39:25rely on those around us to give us

00:39:27feedback so if you married the wrong

00:39:31woman that is a decision shared by

00:39:34everyone who failed to oppose the

00:39:36marriage now maybe you had a friend

00:39:38who's like bro she's the wrong woman

00:39:40let me give you the examples here's why

00:39:42you know you can't do it blah blah blah

00:39:43let's say you ignored that friend and

00:39:45ditched him and didn't invite him to your

00:39:46wedding then he's not part of that right

00:39:48but and it doesn't take much you know to

00:39:54break the spell of dysfunction of

00:39:56repetition of history right I mean there

00:39:59was one friend of mine's girlfriend I'm

00:40:01engaged to the wrong woman and a friend

00:40:05of mine's girlfriend says you'd think

00:40:07that a guy who was engaged would be

00:40:09happier and I'm like oh and that that

00:40:12unraveled the whole thing that was the

00:40:14only comment I needed everybody else was

00:40:17urging me forward or at least saying

00:40:20nothing so until you realize that and

00:40:25this is sort of what I'm telling you

00:40:26until you realize that you will tend to

00:40:29blame yourself for your bad decisions but

00:40:32we have blind spots you know we're

00:40:34predators which means we have eyes in

00:40:36the front of our head not eyes on the

00:40:37side of our heads right and we have

00:40:42eyes on the front of our heads because

00:40:43we hunt in groups or we fight in groups

00:40:47and therefore we have somebody to watch

00:40:50our back right watch my six six o'clock

00:40:54being the back right noon the front six

00:40:57the back back to back they face each

00:41:00other drew their swords and shot each

00:41:01other so we get laser focused on things

00:41:04eyes in the front of our head we don't

00:41:07see to the side really we don't

00:41:08certainly don't see to the back we get

00:41:10laser focused on things because other

00:41:12people are supposed to watch our back

00:41:13so if you're in a fight and someone says

00:41:18I've got your back and then they wander

00:41:20off and you get whacked from the back

00:41:21did you lose the fight well you lost the

00:41:23fight but why did you lose the fight

00:41:24because your friend betrayed you he made

00:41:26a promise and he did not fulfill that or

00:41:31tell you he wasn't going to so don't

00:41:33blame yourself alone for the decisions you

00:41:36make in common with others and of course

00:41:39we all inherit our family and if your

00:41:41family is really dysfunctional and claim

00:41:43to love you but urge you to walk off a

00:41:46cliff then you are when you realize that

00:41:49you are responsible for the people you have

00:41:51in your life when you gain self-knowledge

00:41:54you're not responsible for the people

00:41:55you have in your life as a kid I mean

00:41:58outside of a periphery of friendships but

00:42:02you're certainly not responsible for your

00:42:03family you're certainly not responsible

00:42:05for your teachers you're certainly not

00:42:07responsible for your priests and you're

00:42:08certainly not responsible for the kids

00:42:10you are forced to spend time with in

00:42:14school so say to kids something like

00:42:18this I made bad decisions I had a bad

00:42:22family I was encouraged to make those

00:42:23bad decisions I don't blame myself a

00:42:26hundred percent because that's just a

00:42:29circumstance I was born into and the

00:42:30people who claim to love me that I

00:42:32believed but I found out that they

00:42:35didn't love me and they were in fact

00:42:36encouraging me as a man blinded by love

00:42:39or lust to walk off a cliff so I made

00:42:43bad decisions with the full

00:42:45encouragement of everyone in my life

00:42:48who claimed to care about me and it was

00:42:51pretty rough to realize they didn't care

00:42:52about me and once I got better people in

00:42:55my life like your mom then I'm able to

00:42:57make better decisions but please you know

00:42:59the lessons that I've learned is that if

00:43:01you have this is something you know it's

00:43:03by the by a business partner said to me

00:43:06probably who I mean 27 28 years ago he

00:43:14said if you have difficult people in your

00:43:15life your life is difficult if you have

00:43:17easy people in your life your life is

00:43:19easy and boy isn't that true and so I was

00:43:24not fully responsible for making the choice

00:43:27to marry my first wife right nature

00:43:31programs you with all this lust and you

00:43:34know she was pretty and fun and everyone

00:43:38was encouraging me to do it and nobody said

00:43:40a word about any potential danger or any

00:43:43potential risk and so I did it and it was

00:43:47the wrong decision but it wasn't just my

00:43:48wrong decision right like I mean we make

00:43:51you kids go to the dentist right you don't

00:43:53want to go to the dentist nobody wants to

00:43:54go to the dentist but we make you go it's

00:43:56not really your decision wasn't I an adult

00:43:58sure I was an adult but it's not like when

00:44:03you become 18 or 20 or 22 that you just

00:44:06immediately lose all of your like it just

00:44:08falls away like the stages of the rocket

00:44:09you don't immediately lose all of your

00:44:11childhood and it's not like you turn 18

00:44:14and suddenly you you don't know English

00:44:16anymore I was raised with English I turned

00:44:1818 oh my gosh I've got no memory of

00:44:20English the memory of English retains for

00:44:23the rest of your life and it's the same

00:44:25thing with your childhood I mean you could

00:44:27learn more English you can change the way

00:44:29that you talk but you can't unlearn English

00:44:30anymore then you can undo a childhood so I

00:44:33made I made and my family made bad

00:44:36decisions I mean if you have a guy who's

00:44:40been an investor a professional investor

00:44:43for 30 years and he says to you you should

00:44:47invest in this and you decide to whose

00:44:49decision is it well let's say he's an

00:44:52uncle he's an uncle he's been a professional

00:44:54investment advisor for 30 years and he says

00:44:58you should invest in this and you don't know

00:45:00much about investing and then you decide to

00:45:02invest and let's say the whole thing goes

00:45:05south you lose all your money and it turns

00:45:07out that it was what's called a pump and

00:45:09dump scheme that he was just invested in

00:45:12that wanted to talk up the stock price to

00:45:13people cash out and make a fortune at your

00:45:15expense now you say well was it your

00:45:18decision to invest in the company I mean

00:45:22kind of kind of I mean a trusted family

00:45:27member with decades of experience was

00:45:28suggesting something I mean of course it

00:45:31he didn't put a gun to your head it is

00:45:32ultimately your decision but it's heavily

00:45:34influenced and everyone around us in our

00:45:37life has massive influence on us everyone

00:45:40in our life has massive influence on us

00:45:42which is why it's so important to choose

00:45:44the right people in your life because it is

00:45:46almost impossible to make good decisions with

00:45:50people encouraging bad decisions in your

00:45:53life you know it's very tough to do a math

00:45:56exam if you have 10 people around you yelling

00:46:00random numbers into your ears well are they

00:46:04forcing you to do badly no but they're

00:46:06having a massive influence in effect so our

00:46:10wisdom is the average of the wisdom of the

00:46:14people around us in the same way there is no

00:46:18warrior who can watch his own back we

00:46:20cannot all make the best moral decisions on

00:46:23our own so I think if you I'm not saying you'd

00:46:26say it exactly like that of course right but

00:46:29if you take if you take your experience think

00:46:34about it as deeply and as originally as

00:46:37possible with no template when it says well

00:46:39it's my decisions my decisions like what was

00:46:41it my decision to propose to the wrong

00:46:44woman kind of but I had the people around

00:46:48me some of whom had what seemed like very

00:46:50successful relationships telling me it was a

00:46:53good thing and helping me by pick out the

00:46:55ring and can't wait so exciting so and and

00:47:00did I decide to have did I choose to have

00:47:01everyone in my life no those weren't choices

00:47:05but then when you wipe the whiteboard clean so

00:47:08to speak and you start from scratch man it's a

00:47:12whole different life all right I think you're

00:47:14right in most cases but why isn't your opinion

00:47:16mainstream in society why isn't my opinion

00:47:21mainstream in society well that is an

00:47:26interesting question and kind of annoying

00:47:29right I'm not saying that you're annoying

00:47:32I'm not even saying the question is

00:47:33annoying but I find it annoying doesn't

00:47:36mean I'm right I'm just saying that I am

00:47:38annoyed so let's say universally preferable

00:47:42behavior a rational proof of secular ethics

00:47:44the book's been out now for well the proofs

00:47:47of the book have been out now for you know

00:47:48close to 20 years now I have even debated

00:47:52with some you know academics I've had lots of

00:47:57libertarian thinkers on my show and which

00:47:59one of them have done a review of my book on

00:48:05secular ethics I'm not going to name names

00:48:07but everyone knows who they are so I've had

00:48:10lots of prominent intellectuals and libertarian

00:48:13theorists and professors and so on on my show

00:48:16and which one of them have done a review of my

00:48:22book there's only one and it was honestly a

00:48:25very bad review and I hate to sort of say that

00:48:26because it sounds defensive but I've done I think

00:48:28it did two shows rebutting it that was just

00:48:31really bad so why isn't my opinion mainstream in

00:48:36society because people don't want the answers

00:48:39right there's an old joke about a computer

00:48:43that was from Douglas Adams a comedy writer

00:48:47there was a computer that was programmed to

00:48:51find the answer to life the universe and

00:48:53everything the answer was 42 they built an

00:48:55even bigger computer to figure out what the

00:48:56question was and then it was destroyed by the

00:48:59vogons just before it came to came up with

00:49:01the answer and so on but when the computer

00:49:05was built to answer the question there were a

00:49:06bunch of philosophers who protested and said

00:49:08well you'll put us out of a job we won't have a

00:49:11job if you provide through a computer the answer

00:49:14to life the universe and everything so moral

00:49:19advancements absent an existing paradigm that

00:49:23can support them are too revolutionary for most

00:49:28people now let's go even further so of course

00:49:33one of the reasons why now one of the reasons

00:49:36why my let's just say upb has not gone mainstream

00:49:40is because people won't review it and why

00:49:45won't they review it i i have some theories

00:49:48doesn't really matter you'd have to ask them

00:49:50why won't they review upb i mean especially the

00:49:55libertarians right why won't they give it a

00:49:58thorough review or a debate and so on right

00:50:01well i don't know i don't know i suppose it's

00:50:07because reputational attacks upon me which

00:50:10started very early in my career have left their

00:50:13mark and people don't want to engage with my

00:50:17work they find it easier to not engage with my

00:50:19work than to engage with my work okay well

00:50:24that's that's fine i mean that's that's

00:50:26everyone's choice and that's fine but that would

00:50:28be sort of one one reason now another reason

00:50:32though would be because of of you everybody is

00:50:37responsible for the spread of ideas so what

00:50:40can i do well i can pour tens of thousands of

00:50:44hours into philosophy i can pour thousands of

00:50:48hours into writing books i can try to be as

00:50:52engaging and funny and warm and accessible as a

00:50:59philosopher can possibly be i was always struck by

00:51:02the fact that socrates never used the word

00:51:05epistemology so i can i can teach the world i

00:51:11cannot force people to share my ideas

00:51:14right so why isn't your opinion mainstream in

00:51:20society first of all referring it to opinion an

00:51:23opinion maybe that's why this is annoying it's not an

00:51:25opinion these are rational arguments so why aren't

00:51:29they more mainstream because i've been smeared right

00:51:32because i've been lied about and then if somebody were to say oh

00:51:35here's this argument upb oh let's look up the author oh my

00:51:39gosh what a terrible guy right so so that's a a reason

00:51:43people slander because it works right because it works so the reason why

00:51:51if you're writing this the reason why my opinion is not more mainstream in

00:51:54society is because of you because you won't live

00:51:59by philosophy and you won't promote my arguments or rational arguments in

00:52:03general because you will suffer a blowback for that

00:52:08right and the reputational damage that was

00:52:15leveled against me is designed to provide splash reputational damage to

00:52:19anyone who digs into what it is that i say

00:52:23right so i mean people will help me on their shows and we'll talk about this that

00:52:26and the other but as far as a really rigorous analysis

00:52:29of my work it doesn't happen right and i consider that a great compliment

00:52:35because if it was easy to rebut it would be rebutted so so i think you're

00:52:41right in most cases but why isn't your opinion mainstream in society

00:52:43is to blame me for the actions of others i am not responsible

00:52:48for making my arguments mainstream in society

00:52:51only significant portions and it doesn't take much

00:52:55only a couple of percent of people are necessary to change the world

00:52:58and you choose not to be in that couple of percent

00:53:01right i can think i can reason i can write

00:53:07i can publish i can make my books free i can make my podcasts free

00:53:10i can make them ad free which you know hopefully lowers some people's cynicism

00:53:14about this being some crazed money grab

00:53:16i can do all of these things i can engage with people in open conversation

00:53:23i can have call-in shows i can respond to people's questions like this right

00:53:29and i can publish all of that and i can create the website

00:53:32and i can run the social media accounts that i'm still allowed to have

00:53:36and i can do all of that and that's all i can do

00:53:39the rest is up to you right the rest is up to you

00:53:43so there was a fellow whose name i forget he was called darwin's bulldog

00:53:48and darwin was not a very confrontational fellow

00:53:50and so he wrote a lot but there was a guy named darwin's bulldog

00:53:54who took up his cause and went around the world

00:53:56and made the case very aggressively

00:53:58and i don't have anyone like that

00:54:02again it's fine it's fine my loyalty is to the truth and to reason

00:54:08and what that means is that because my loyalty is to truth and reason

00:54:12people with divided loyalties find me unsettling

00:54:15because most people are trying to balance these things right

00:54:18well they want to be rational but not too rational

00:54:21because then people get mad at me right

00:54:22so i would argue that if you're right to me saying i think you're right in most cases

00:54:28but why isn't your opinion mainstream in society

00:54:30to say well what risks have you taken to promote my work

00:54:33and if you haven't taken any risks to promote my work

00:54:37then if you want to know why my opinion or my arguments are not mainstream in society

00:54:43just look in the damn mirror

00:54:44it's you

00:54:45it's you

00:54:46i'm not solely responsible for making myself mainstream

00:54:51that is a collective effort

00:54:54right so you're like someone on a soccer team

00:54:59demanding to know of someone else on the soccer team

00:55:04why aren't we winning

00:55:05it's like you're part of a team man and you're part of a team

00:55:08so everyone who listens to this everybody who's heard my arguments

00:55:11you're part of a team to get reason and evidence out into the world

00:55:14of people i've interviewed

00:55:16because upb is influential in people's lives for sure

00:55:22i know that because i get the emails

00:55:24and if you have not promoted these ideas these arguments

00:55:28the voluntary family love is involuntary response of virtue

00:55:31my definition of free will

00:55:33my arguments against determinism

00:55:35or the simulation theory

00:55:37the voluntary society arguments

00:55:40the state doesn't exist arguments

00:55:41all of that

00:55:42so if you haven't promoted these arguments

00:55:45you know around the dinner table among people that you know

00:55:48if you haven't promoted these arguments

00:55:50then you're the reason why i'm not mainstream

00:55:52i always find it kind of funny

00:55:54like

00:55:54oh it's deaf

00:55:55it's your job

00:55:57it's like nope

00:55:57no it's not

00:55:58it's my job to create the ideas

00:56:00my job to publish the ideas

00:56:02my argue

00:56:02my job to argue as forcefully and productively as possible

00:56:06for these ideas

00:56:07and i've never

00:56:08ever

00:56:09refused a upb debate

00:56:11and if somebody calls me up and says

00:56:12i want to do a call-in show about upb

00:56:14i'd be thrilled

00:56:15in fact i've done those right

00:56:16fantastic

00:56:17so

00:56:18i create the arguments for free

00:56:20i disseminate them

00:56:21for free

00:56:22ad free

00:56:23in

00:56:25as engaging

00:56:26and

00:56:26as witty

00:56:27and as warm

00:56:29and as

00:56:30passionate

00:56:31a manner

00:56:32as i am capable of

00:56:33after that

00:56:35well that's up to you

00:56:37the rest is up to you

00:56:40and so

00:56:41sitting back

00:56:42it's kind of aristocratic and annoying

00:56:44and sitting back

00:56:45and saying

00:56:46well staff

00:56:46i mean you've taken all these bullets

00:56:48for

00:56:49the course of reason and evidence

00:56:51and i have

00:56:51but it's still kind of your fault

00:56:53that you're not mainstream

00:56:55it's your job

00:56:58it's your job to make me mainstream

00:57:00and if you don't want to do that

00:57:01i mean that's fine

00:57:02i'm not going to tell you

00:57:03what you have to do

00:57:05but

00:57:06then don't ask me

00:57:08don't ask me

00:57:10you know it's like my neighbor

00:57:12coming to my house and saying

00:57:14why isn't my garbage on the street

00:57:16it's like

00:57:17well you haven't put it there

00:57:17like it

00:57:19if he comes to me and says

00:57:20well why isn't my garbage on the street

00:57:21like why isn't my garbage been on the street

00:57:23for the pickup right

00:57:24why isn't it there

00:57:24well

00:57:25what do you mean

00:57:26it's not my job

00:57:27it's your job to put the garbage out

00:57:29why are you getting mad at me

00:57:30or implying that it's my job

00:57:33to put your garbage

00:57:33out on the

00:57:35on the sidewalk

00:57:36for the garbage truck to pick up

00:57:37well why isn't my garbage

00:57:39why aren't my garbage bins out on the sidewalk

00:57:41because you didn't put them there

00:57:42what are you talking to me for

00:57:43right

00:57:44so

00:57:45it's just kind of weird

00:57:46it's weird and bizarre

00:57:49that

00:57:50somebody would say

00:57:51well i've never promoted your work

00:57:53but i don't know why

00:57:54your work isn't more mainstream

00:57:55it's like

00:57:56because of you

00:57:57and

00:57:57i'm not saying you have to get up

00:57:59and start promoting it

00:58:00i think you'd be happier in the long run

00:58:01if you did

00:58:02and lord knows we'll be unhappy

00:58:03if philosophy doesn't win

00:58:05all of us

00:58:05but

00:58:06don't ask me why

00:58:08because it's you

00:58:09all right

00:58:10how could life have meaning

00:58:12by what

00:58:12would it be

00:58:13measured

00:58:14i did a show about this recently

00:58:15just go to fdrpodcast.com

00:58:17search for meaning

00:58:18ah

00:58:19people are more readily persuaded by rhetoric

00:58:21than reason

00:58:22but it feels manipulative

00:58:23is it ethical to use emotion

00:58:24as a means of persuasion

00:58:25sure

00:58:26sure

00:58:27absolutely

00:58:28so i mean

00:58:29i don't know if you've ever analyzed your dreams

00:58:31but dreams can be incredibly helpful

00:58:34and they can be incredibly wise

00:58:36they're not rational

00:58:37they are allegorical

00:58:38they are metaphorical

00:58:39right

00:58:40so

00:58:42i won't sort of get into details

00:58:44i've done a couple of dream analysis

00:58:45i've done a number of dream analyses

00:58:46on the show

00:58:47again fdrpodcast.com

00:58:49just search for dream

00:58:49but

00:58:50we are persuaded

00:58:51by

00:58:53emotions

00:58:54as well

00:58:56as reason

00:58:56because we have

00:58:57a second brain

00:58:59down in our gut

00:59:00it even has neurons

00:59:01and all that kind of stuff

00:59:01as a gut instinct

00:59:02and so on

00:59:03right

00:59:03so

00:59:05yes

00:59:06it's totally fine

00:59:07to persuade people

00:59:07by rhetoric

00:59:08as long as

00:59:10it is to a good cause

00:59:12and

00:59:13it does not

00:59:13replace

00:59:14reason

00:59:15all right

00:59:17will ai ever have consciousness

00:59:18no

00:59:19how do you determine

00:59:20if something is art

00:59:21i think i go with ayn rand here

00:59:23it is a selective recreation of reality

00:59:25according to the essential principles of the artist

00:59:28is it okay to violate the non-aggression principle

00:59:31to prevent people from smoking weed

00:59:33and becoming insufferable

00:59:34smelly losers

00:59:34who blames his poomers in society for everything

00:59:36well

00:59:37you own yourself

00:59:40you own the effects of your actions

00:59:41right

00:59:41which is another proof of property rights

00:59:43that

00:59:43and nobody in libertarian circles

00:59:45to my knowledge

00:59:46has ever really debated

00:59:47and

00:59:48so

00:59:50you can't initiate the use of force

00:59:52to

00:59:53stop people from harming their own property

00:59:55right

00:59:56if

00:59:57someone is really

00:59:58frustrated

00:59:59at his gaming

01:00:00like he loses in a game

01:00:02and he

01:00:03he's about to throw his gaming controller against the wall

01:00:05and smash it into bits

01:00:06you can't shoot him

01:00:07because it's his property

01:00:08i mean you could use force to prevent him

01:00:10don't shoot him

01:00:11but you could use force to prevent him

01:00:12from breaking the controller

01:00:13if it's your property

01:00:14but if it's his property

01:00:16you can say

01:00:17i don't think you should

01:00:18but you can't use force to prevent him

01:00:19unless

01:00:20his kid is walking in the path

01:00:22that he's about to throw

01:00:23right

01:00:24in which case

01:00:24he can damage his own property

01:00:26his kid is not his property

01:00:27his kid is his

01:00:28he's a custodian of his kid

01:00:29he doesn't own his kid

01:00:30or

01:00:32if his wife

01:00:33is about to walk into the path

01:00:34of where he's going to throw the controller

01:00:35then you can use force to stop him

01:00:37because the controller is his property

01:00:38his wife is not his property

01:00:39he can

01:00:40destroy the controller

01:00:42he cannot

01:00:43physically

01:00:44harm

01:00:45his wife

01:00:46so

01:00:47if

01:00:48someone is supposed to

01:00:50pay a

01:00:52what do they call it

01:00:53in the states

01:00:53they call it a car note

01:00:54i don't know why it is a car payment

01:00:56if someone's supposed to make a car payment

01:00:58and they don't do it

01:00:58because they spent all their money on weed

01:01:00and so on

01:01:01then the car probably will get repossessed

01:01:04and people can use force

01:01:05to repossess the car

01:01:06because the guy doesn't own the car anymore

01:01:07didn't make the payments

01:01:08so

01:01:09we should not shield people

01:01:11from the consequences

01:01:11of their actions

01:01:13and if somebody

01:01:14is

01:01:15a

01:01:16weed smoker

01:01:17and a parent

01:01:18right

01:01:18so he's got

01:01:18custody

01:01:20and control

01:01:20over his children

01:01:21he's a parent

01:01:23let's say his kids are little

01:01:24and he's smoking weed

01:01:25then

01:01:26he should not

01:01:27have access to his children

01:01:29while he's still a drug addict

01:01:30because you cannot parent

01:01:31while you're drunk

01:01:33you cannot parent

01:01:33while you're high on drugs

01:01:35you will make bad decisions

01:01:36and you will be

01:01:37unable

01:01:38to respond

01:01:39in a

01:01:40effective

01:01:41rational

01:01:42and timely manner

01:01:42if your children get injured

01:01:43or something like that

01:01:44so

01:01:45you can't drive drunk

01:01:47and you can't parent drunk

01:01:48you can't drive stoned

01:01:49and you can't parent

01:01:50stoned

01:01:50and nobody should

01:01:52I mean you shouldn't do your job

01:01:54stoned

01:01:55so

01:01:56we should not shield people

01:01:57from negative consequences

01:01:58and

01:01:59we should protect

01:02:00people

01:02:01from the effects of

01:02:03drug addiction

01:02:03and so on

01:02:04but you can't directly

01:02:05just use force

01:02:06against people

01:02:06making bad choices

01:02:07about their own property

01:02:08which is themselves

01:02:09alright

01:02:11does the distinction

01:02:11between different senses

01:02:13of the words

01:02:13objective and subjective

01:02:14like between objectively real

01:02:16and objectively true

01:02:17define many philosophical problems

01:02:19out of existence

01:02:20as simple category errors

01:02:21for instance

01:02:23making objective claims

01:02:24about subjective things

01:02:25sure

01:02:25yeah

01:02:26yeah it does

01:02:27now of course

01:02:28what people do

01:02:29is they try to recast

01:02:30their subjective experience

01:02:32as

01:02:34a super reality

01:02:35so they

01:02:36they attempt to vault over

01:02:37the requirement

01:02:38for objective proof

01:02:40for their

01:02:41experiences

01:02:42and they say

01:02:44there's a higher reality

01:02:46that is more real

01:02:48than reality

01:02:49that validates

01:02:50my subjective experiences

01:02:51as objectively true

01:02:53so for example

01:02:54people will say

01:02:56in my dreams

01:02:58or in my

01:02:58drugged

01:02:59state

01:03:00I am visiting

01:03:02other dimensions

01:03:03so if someone

01:03:05takes a drug

01:03:05and they are visited

01:03:07by an enderman

01:03:08right

01:03:08some

01:03:09tall skinny

01:03:10black

01:03:11creature

01:03:12that steals

01:03:13well

01:03:14you would either say

01:03:16wow

01:03:16that was a really

01:03:16vivid subjective experience

01:03:18or you would say

01:03:18a portal opened up

01:03:19to another dimension

01:03:20that this entity

01:03:22came through

01:03:23alright

01:03:24this

01:03:25six dimensional

01:03:26uber demon

01:03:27so what they do

01:03:29is they say

01:03:30my subjective experience

01:03:32is real

01:03:33but just in another dimension

01:03:34so they create

01:03:36a dimension

01:03:36where subjectivity

01:03:37equals objectivity

01:03:39without any of the

01:03:40prosaic

01:03:41empirical requirements

01:03:42for reason

01:03:43and evidence

01:03:44so people will say

01:03:45I had a dream

01:03:46that I was flying over

01:03:47the city last night

01:03:48and they will say

01:03:48no no no

01:03:49that's not a dream

01:03:50my soul detached

01:03:52from my body

01:03:52and somehow retained

01:03:53the ability to see

01:03:55and then flew over

01:03:56the city

01:03:57right

01:03:58or people will have

01:04:00a dream

01:04:00that coincidentally

01:04:01seems to

01:04:03quote come through

01:04:03the next day

01:04:04right

01:04:04and they say

01:04:06well that's not just

01:04:06a coincidence

01:04:07but

01:04:07or an unconscious

01:04:09association

01:04:09but that is in fact

01:04:12I visited

01:04:13another dimension

01:04:14and saw the future

01:04:15and was given

01:04:16this vision by

01:04:17some

01:04:18supernatural nature

01:04:20or being

01:04:20or something like that

01:04:21right

01:04:21or they will say

01:04:23with regards to religion

01:04:25I have the subjective

01:04:26experience

01:04:27that the universe

01:04:28is alive

01:04:28because it's really

01:04:30hard for us to fathom

01:04:30just how dead

01:04:31the universe is

01:04:32because we're like

01:04:33a tiny tiny tiny

01:04:34little glow spark

01:04:36of consciousness

01:04:36in a mostly

01:04:38empty universe

01:04:39where hydrogen

01:04:41is as common

01:04:42in the universe

01:04:43as beetles are

01:04:44in life on earth

01:04:45so

01:04:47then they say

01:04:48well

01:04:49my consciousness

01:04:50is larger than my life

01:04:51which it is

01:04:52right

01:04:52your consciousness

01:04:53is larger than your life

01:04:54because we inherit

01:04:54this incredible

01:04:55language ability

01:04:56and this incredible

01:04:57conceptual ability

01:04:58so your consciousness

01:04:59is larger than your life

01:05:00and you partake of

01:05:01immortality

01:05:02and eternity

01:05:03through

01:05:04something as simple

01:05:05as two and two make four

01:05:06is true for all time

01:05:07and across all space

01:05:08so you participate

01:05:09in eternity

01:05:10and

01:05:12so when we say

01:05:14my mind

01:05:16is bigger than the universe

01:05:17because my mind

01:05:18contains

01:05:19truths and facts

01:05:20that are

01:05:21equal to the entire universe

01:05:23laws of physics

01:05:24are

01:05:25the same

01:05:25everywhere

01:05:26across the universe

01:05:2714 billion years

01:05:28so

01:05:29we say

01:05:30that's my subjective

01:05:31experience

01:05:32and so

01:05:33I'm going to make

01:05:33that objective

01:05:34in the idea

01:05:36of

01:05:36gods

01:05:37and devils

01:05:38and so on

01:05:38I have

01:05:39instincts to do

01:05:40the right thing

01:05:41I also have

01:05:41instincts to do

01:05:42the wrong thing

01:05:43and we have to have

01:05:43access to both

01:05:44in order to survive

01:05:45the brutal evolutionary

01:05:46Dublinian hellscape

01:05:48that we emerge from

01:05:49and so I'm going to say

01:05:50well there are actual

01:05:50angels and devils

01:05:51on my shoulder

01:05:52that kind of stuff

01:05:52right

01:05:53so

01:05:54you've got to watch that

01:05:55this is the Plato

01:05:55versus Aristotle

01:05:56distinction

01:05:57right

01:05:57Plato says that

01:05:58our ideas

01:05:59exist

01:06:01in a

01:06:01non-sensual realm

01:06:03super-sensual realm

01:06:05this is true

01:06:06of course

01:06:07for

01:06:07Kant

01:06:08and

01:06:09hippies

01:06:10and

01:06:10Buddhists

01:06:12but I repeat myself

01:06:13so

01:06:14so

01:06:15people don't say

01:06:16I have subjective

01:06:18experiences

01:06:18they say

01:06:19my appearances

01:06:20might seem subjective

01:06:21but that's only

01:06:22because you don't

01:06:22understand this

01:06:23higher realm

01:06:24where they're

01:06:24actually more

01:06:25objective

01:06:25than the nose

01:06:26in front of

01:06:26your face

01:06:27all right

01:06:27what natural

01:06:28human traits

01:06:29have been

01:06:30consistently

01:06:30sorry

01:06:31have been

01:06:31collectively lost

01:06:32that could

01:06:32explain why

01:06:33people when

01:06:33receiving new

01:06:34information

01:06:34are unable

01:06:35to change

01:06:35their minds

01:06:36well because

01:06:37we're programmed

01:06:37for survival

01:06:38not truth

01:06:38and truth

01:06:39generally comes

01:06:40at the expense

01:06:40of survival

01:06:41it's only

01:06:42relatively recently

01:06:43that you could

01:06:43tell the truth

01:06:44and not be

01:06:44killed

01:06:45or ostracized

01:06:47or at least

01:06:48no woman

01:06:49would mate

01:06:49with you

01:06:49and therefore

01:06:50like the escape

01:06:52from the tribe

01:06:52which is characterized

01:06:54by modern

01:06:56free market

01:06:56capitalism

01:06:57gives us

01:06:57escape from the

01:06:58tribe

01:06:58because you can

01:06:59just leave your

01:07:00tribe

01:07:00go to a new

01:07:00city

01:07:01start a new

01:07:02go to a new

01:07:02frontier

01:07:03cross the Atlantic

01:07:04engage in the

01:07:05wild west

01:07:05and all that

01:07:06kind of stuff

01:07:06so you can

01:07:08escape the

01:07:09tribe

01:07:10and now you

01:07:11can even write

01:07:11things out

01:07:12and have them

01:07:13kept forever

01:07:14and transmitted

01:07:15forever

01:07:16and so on

01:07:16right

01:07:17I mean I'm

01:07:18aware that

01:07:19every syllable

01:07:19I'm carving

01:07:20into this

01:07:20recorder

01:07:22echoes through

01:07:23eternity

01:07:23for as long

01:07:24as there is

01:07:25reason and

01:07:26curiosity

01:07:26so it's

01:07:28relatively new

01:07:29that you could

01:07:29tell the truth

01:07:30and survive

01:07:31and most people

01:07:32had to hide

01:07:32the truth

01:07:33being rational

01:07:34in the 21st

01:07:36century

01:07:36is like

01:07:38being gay

01:07:39in the 19th

01:07:40century

01:07:40right

01:07:41kind of

01:07:41well for most

01:07:43of human history

01:07:43you just had to

01:07:44pretend to

01:07:45believe the

01:07:45lies of the

01:07:46tribe

01:07:46in order not

01:07:47to get killed

01:07:47or ostracized

01:07:48by the

01:07:50men of the

01:07:51tribe or

01:07:51sexually ostracized

01:07:52by the women

01:07:53of the tribe

01:07:53which meant

01:07:53those genes

01:07:54ended

01:07:54so there's

01:07:55this tension

01:07:56right

01:07:56so unreality

01:07:58brings

01:07:59cohesiveness

01:08:00in a tribe

01:08:01but too much

01:08:02unreality

01:08:03and you

01:08:05no longer

01:08:05have the

01:08:06ability

01:08:06to survive

01:08:07so

01:08:07all right

01:08:08would you

01:08:09consider a

01:08:09serious

01:08:10engagement

01:08:10with Marx

01:08:11no

01:08:11because Marx

01:08:12is an

01:08:13evil son

01:08:13of a

01:08:14bitch

01:08:14who

01:08:14generated

01:08:15ideas

01:08:15that resulted

01:08:16in the

01:08:16deaths

01:08:16of well

01:08:16over 100

01:08:17million

01:08:17people

01:08:17so no

01:08:19is the goal

01:08:20of life

01:08:20to be happy

01:08:20or good

01:08:21I don't

01:08:23think you

01:08:23can aim

01:08:23at happiness

01:08:24or virtue

01:08:25you can only

01:08:26aim at good

01:08:26decisions

01:08:27right

01:08:27so

01:08:27when it

01:08:29comes to

01:08:29what you

01:08:30eat

01:08:30right

01:08:31you can't

01:08:32directly aim

01:08:32at maintaining

01:08:34a healthy

01:08:34body weight

01:08:35you can only

01:08:36aim at

01:08:37each individual

01:08:38choice of

01:08:40what you put

01:08:40in your mouth

01:08:40right

01:08:41so the goal

01:08:42of life

01:08:43is

01:08:44beyond

01:08:45your control

01:08:46I mean

01:08:48I exercise

01:08:49I eat well

01:08:50and so on

01:08:52get my checkups

01:08:53get my blood work

01:08:53done

01:08:54and so

01:08:55those I can

01:08:56control

01:08:57my overall

01:08:58long-term

01:08:59health is

01:08:59beyond my

01:09:00control

01:09:00I mean

01:09:0113 years

01:09:03ago

01:09:03so

01:09:03I got

01:09:04cancer

01:09:04kind of

01:09:04out of

01:09:05nowhere

01:09:05and

01:09:06just had

01:09:07to roll

01:09:07with it

01:09:07now the fact

01:09:08that I had

01:09:08a good

01:09:09base of

01:09:09health

01:09:10really helped

01:09:11me shake

01:09:11off the

01:09:12cancer

01:09:12but

01:09:13I can't

01:09:14say that

01:09:15my goal

01:09:15is to be

01:09:16healthy

01:09:16my

01:09:17individual

01:09:18specific

01:09:18choices

01:09:18are to

01:09:19go and

01:09:20exercise

01:09:20to

01:09:21not eat

01:09:22cheesecake

01:09:22to

01:09:22you know

01:09:23whatever

01:09:23I don't

01:09:24even buy

01:09:24the stuff

01:09:24to have

01:09:25in the

01:09:25house

01:09:25because

01:09:25it's

01:09:26pretty hard

01:09:26to resist

01:09:27if it's

01:09:27there

01:09:27so

01:09:28I would

01:09:29say

01:09:29the goal

01:09:30of life

01:09:30or what

01:09:31you want

01:09:32to do

01:09:32is make

01:09:32good

01:09:32decisions

01:09:33in the

01:09:34everyday

01:09:34I can't

01:09:35have a goal

01:09:36called

01:09:36save the

01:09:37world

01:09:37I can

01:09:38have a

01:09:38goal

01:09:39called

01:09:39tell the

01:09:40truth

01:09:40even if

01:09:40it's

01:09:40uncomfortable

01:09:41even if

01:09:41it's

01:09:42dangerous

01:09:42at times

01:09:43all right

01:09:44can people

01:09:44who aren't

01:09:45intelligent

01:09:45enough

01:09:45to understand

01:09:45philosophy

01:09:46be expected

01:09:46to behave

01:09:47virtuously

01:09:47in the

01:09:47absence

01:09:48of

01:09:48authorities

01:09:48you mean

01:09:50if people

01:09:51aren't

01:09:51threatened

01:09:51will they

01:09:52be good

01:09:52well

01:09:53they'll

01:09:53be good

01:09:53if they're

01:09:54raised

01:09:54peacefully

01:09:54so we

01:09:55have to

01:09:55talk about

01:09:55peaceful

01:09:56parenting

01:09:56peaceful

01:09:56parenting

01:09:57dot com

01:09:57here's the

01:09:58other thing

01:09:58too

01:09:58you know

01:09:59I haven't

01:09:59had any

01:10:00anyone

01:10:01review my

01:10:02book

01:10:03peaceful

01:10:03parenting

01:10:04which is

01:10:05interesting

01:10:06right

01:10:06I mean

01:10:07people have

01:10:07certainly been

01:10:07interested in

01:10:08I get lots

01:10:08of emails

01:10:09about it

01:10:09and people

01:10:10do promote

01:10:11it from

01:10:11time to

01:10:12time

01:10:12but I

01:10:12don't see

01:10:12much of

01:10:13that on

01:10:14social media

01:10:14but yeah

01:10:15people don't

01:10:17review it

01:10:17all right

01:10:18so yeah

01:10:19people can

01:10:21behave virtuously

01:10:21because we

01:10:23expect children

01:10:24five to have

01:10:25some basic

01:10:25moral practices

01:10:27right so they

01:10:27can do that

01:10:28what is liberty

01:10:29to you is it

01:10:30a lack of

01:10:30government

01:10:30interference or

01:10:31something more

01:10:32well I

01:10:33mean freedom

01:10:34is the freedom

01:10:35to reason

01:10:36and to tell

01:10:38the truth and

01:10:38we don't have

01:10:39that freedom

01:10:39at the moment

01:10:39where is the

01:10:40old Stefan

01:10:41this 2.0

01:10:42has been

01:10:43replaced with

01:10:43a cuck

01:10:44yeah

01:10:45all right

01:10:46what is worse

01:10:47being immoral

01:10:47to yourself

01:10:48porn drinking

01:10:49overweight

01:10:49bad hygiene

01:10:50no self

01:10:50improvement

01:10:50or to others

01:10:51lying stealing

01:10:52cheating

01:10:52or perhaps

01:10:52these overlap

01:10:54it is worse

01:10:56to be immoral

01:10:57to others

01:10:58than to yourself

01:10:58it's unwise

01:11:00to destroy

01:11:00your own

01:11:00property

01:11:01but it's

01:11:02immoral

01:11:02to destroy

01:11:03other people's

01:11:03property

01:11:04how do you

01:11:04properly address

01:11:05someone

01:11:07who does not

01:11:08accept external

01:11:08logic as its

01:11:10own truth

01:11:10I got the

01:11:11Kantian imperative

01:11:12down but critical

01:11:13theory immediately

01:11:13targets the

01:11:14fallibility of

01:11:14human rationality

01:11:15well how do you

01:11:18properly address

01:11:18someone who does

01:11:19not accept external

01:11:20logic as its own

01:11:21truth you'd say

01:11:21well why don't you

01:11:22and they'll start

01:11:22giving you reasons

01:11:23and they say oh

01:11:24well then you have

01:11:25reasons now if

01:11:26somebody is blatantly

01:11:28self-contradictory

01:11:29you know in the

01:11:30Walt Whitman thing

01:11:31you say I contradict

01:11:32myself very well I

01:11:33contradict myself or

01:11:34the Hobgoblin

01:11:36consistency is the

01:11:37Hobgoblin of

01:11:38little minds

01:11:38it's like so if

01:11:39somebody just says

01:11:40yeah well if I

01:11:40contradict myself I

01:11:41don't care then you

01:11:42can't reason with

01:11:43them right as long

01:11:45as someone's giving

01:11:46reasons as to why

01:11:47they believe what

01:11:48they do you can

01:11:49reason with them

01:11:49but if they have

01:11:50given up given

01:11:52reasons and embrace

01:11:53anti-rationality then

01:11:55you can't reason with

01:11:56them all right are

01:11:58the concepts of left

01:11:59and right useful for

01:12:00understanding politics

01:12:01are there like Hutu

01:12:02and Tutsi meant to

01:12:03control people if

01:12:04they're useful can you

01:12:05present a definitions

01:12:06that work as well as

01:12:07the definitions of

01:12:08even and odd numbers

01:12:10does across time as

01:12:12well as the

01:12:13definitions of even

01:12:13and odd numbers do

01:12:14across time I think

01:12:15you mean yeah I

01:12:17mean I think you

01:12:19can in general make

01:12:21these arguments left

01:12:23is human nature plus

01:12:24the state right is

01:12:26male nature plus

01:12:26the state which is

01:12:27left is claustrophobic

01:12:28and violent

01:12:29communism and right

01:12:30is hyper-tribal and

01:12:33violent nationalism

01:12:35so yeah left and

01:12:37right have some

01:12:40explanatory use what

01:12:42is better is force

01:12:43versus non-force do

01:12:44you want voluntary

01:12:45peaceful solutions to

01:12:46social problems or do

01:12:48you want to let slip the

01:12:49dogs of war and set the

01:12:50hounds of the state on

01:12:51everyone who disagrees

01:12:52with you so violence

01:12:53versus non-violence is a

01:12:55better metric all right

01:12:56I hope that helps thank

01:12:57you everyone so much

01:12:58freedomain.com slash donate

01:13:01to help out the show I

01:13:02should probably sprinkle

01:13:02these in the middle

01:13:03because nobody listens

01:13:04to the tail end right

01:13:05oh well for the three of

01:13:06you who are freedomain.com

01:13:07slash donate lots of

01:13:08love from up here I'll

01:13:08talk to you soon bye

01:13:09I'll talk to you soon bye

01:13:15I'll talk to you soon bye

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