[Update: YouTube banned Stefan Molyneux’s channel in 2020.]
Our full interview from June of 2018.
(I was sick with a cold and hadn’t slept, but I’m happy with the content. Though maybe not, as one of the commenters says “I believe this guy is a secret Christian” while another says I’m an “uninformed, materialist, socialist with an extremely ‘affected’ view of reality.”)
An “uninformed, materialist, socialist with an extremely ‘affected’ view of reality” appears contradictory, but actually seems an insightful description of so many on the left.?
Bravo! You nailed it: if there is no objective truth and if reason and logic are futile enterprises and history has no grand narrative, how is it possible to erect the grand narrative of neo Marxist identity politics with its specious hierarchy of victim status and fraudulent claims to to the moral high ground?
Dr. Hicks, i found your site here from watching this episode on Molyneux’s channel and im interested in reading your book. I absorbed a lot from this discussion, but some of the points will require that i study further. Dont pay any mind to some of the ignorant comments on Molyneux’s videos. They are not representative of the listening base as a whole and most of his listeners are interested in the actual truth.
Molyneux made a statement that he expected a kind of immune response to the stuff thats being pushed out there today. I see myself as part of this response, attacking the collectivist lies that ive been fed. The distinction between the truth and lies, is becoming more apparent for the common citizen; thanks to the internet and channels like this. However, it will take some time for the common citizen, who lacks the formal education, to develop the antibodies to fight this collectivist virus.
Im 39 now, but when i was 20 i started questioning my life, my government, the principles of freedom and prosperity. It should be of no surprise, especially for living in NY, that i was indocrinated with the left ideology and had some left leanings on some issues. However, as i questioned the truth of my indocrination, it led me down a path of philosophical interest and self study. The truth changed my past views on things.
Today, i strongly advocate individualism as the source of the inalienable rights, freedom a free market and sound money; as it gave us more prosperity than mankind has ever known.
I have been in battles with collectivists on social media over the years, who ultimately reject absolute or objective truth. One claimed that i had no right to a monopoly over truth. While i had a previous liberal arts degree, i did not have much formal education in philosophy. By profession, im a police officer, but consider myself a life long student. My search for truth led me to study the foundation of law, economics and my country, which of course is all based on philosophy. I did return to school strictly for some formal education on these subjects, to compare what ive learned by self study. The indoctrination was glaringly obvious at this point. It’s scary really.
I write all this to let you know that some people out there, do care about these things and are searching for the truth, by using the internet. This is why, in my opinion, that Molyneux has such a successful channel. We cant all dedicate ourselves to a formal education in the discipline, but i believe it is in human nature to desire the objective truth. Relativists merely want to manipulate the rest of us for their own power and control. Keep up your work to educate the masses. Thanks.