KnowledgeReform.com » Stefan Molyneux

Free Your Mind to See the Nature of the Cage You Were Born Into

Jason Cooper — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:24:53 +0000

Are we nothing but modern-day slaves to the system?

The following short thought-provoking video from Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio website, should wake you up out of your ignorantly blissful life of deception…well, that’s what Molyneux wishes to achieve with this nihilistic feast for the senses.

Molyneux offers us up a metaphor of society as being a huge farm with us being the frightened cattle for those in power (the Farmers) to control and manipulate with the use of fear – which only serves to imprison our minds and direct our motives.

According to Molyneux, we are nothing but livestock who are all too willing to work for our hidden masters who make huge profits off our labour.

Please now watch The Story of Your Enslavement:

If you are indeed awake and able to think for yourself, you may want to consider the following questions:

Do you think Stefan is right in thinking human beings are a commodity that is being used for profit by a sinister authority?

If yes, what solutions can you offer towards emancipating yourself and others from this manufactured slave trade, which is a by-product of a capitalistic society?

A Philosopher As Parent (Part 1) – Stefan Molyneux

Jason Cooper — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:33:17 +0000

To those would be parents, here is some wonderful advice on parenting from Stefan Molyneux, as he applies philosophy and some wisdom to help him with bringing up his seven month old daughter.

I am of the same philosophical mindset to parenting as Stefan, and as I have said in the past, the wisdom I am learning from just observing my little boy has proved so far to be of valuable assistance toward my own personal growth.

When you get the time please also read my posts ‘The Wisdom of Becoming a Child Again’ and ‘The Wise Lessons of Fatherhood: Baby J is 1 Year Old Today!’ to understand how much having a child can teach us about ourselves and life in general.

Please now watch and learn from Stefan as he may give you some wise pointers on making the difficulties of parenthood a little easier, as demonstrated by the following quote from his video A Philosopher As Parent,

“The first thing that I think is really important, and has been really helpful to me in terms of dealing with my daughter is to remember that when she is upset she is not in opposition to me, but in fact she is trying to help me.”

~ Stefan Molyneux

Update: Read part 2 of 2: ‘A Philosopher As Parent (Part 2) – Ten Commandments to Parenting Wisely’

Avoid Becoming a Slave to Debt this Christmas…and for Life!

Jason Cooper — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:26:45 +0000

With Christmas being just around the proverbial corner, the short video featured in this post has been delivered by Santa (or more like Stefan Molyneux) at just the right time to empower me to emancipate myself from this mesmerising system of consumerism.

I think we all know about the social pressures and demands for us to spend what we don’t have on material goods, especially during the Christmas period.

Who doesn’t have children or loved ones who expect a bounty of prized possessions awaiting them under a twinkling tree towering over wrapped up temporary pleasures?

What the recipients fail to understand is the impending stress and anxiety of debts owed by the giver, who mostly through guilt have previously sold their soul to that yoke of a credit card.

Alternatively, one may have instead signed on the dotted line for a loan from a person wearing a suit and persuasive smile, and who resides in a building where your dreams can supposedly come true (well, that is is what we’re led to believe) – which is nothing but a facade.

These seemingly nice people who work for banks hide a little, but oh so important secret; and that is, once you’re enticed into the trap of borrowing money to fulfill your needs, you at once become a slave to the slave masters of debt. You are then forced to give your hard-earned cash to your masters every month, as they become richer off your labour.

Debt is a huge problem not only for the money that needs to be paid back but also the interest accrued, which can hugely affect your life and relationships because of the stress of needing to keep up with repayments. We have all but become modern day slaves to money, which can make life miserable if not managed properly.

I have been in this situation myself so I know what it feels like when you have all and sunder chasing you for money, and threatening you with the law of the land if you do not pay.

Fortunately, I have at last paid all what I owe which is like a huge weight being lifted off my head – and now I am free once more to say that I do not owe anyone a thing. The peace of mind and liberty that being debt free brings far outweighs loaning the money to buy possessions, which is a situation that can bring too much risk for too little reward in the long run.

So here is the wisdom I now live by so not to fall into the trap of debt because of borrowing money:

Avoid debt to begin with
Live within my means
Only buy the things I actually need
Avoid the use of credit cards
Avoid the need to take out a loan
Always save the money I have to buy something that I can’t afford at the time
Living consciously and being aware of society’s marketing ploys and traps trying to manipulate me into buying something I don’t need
I have become indifferent to feelings of guilt, pressure and impulse to spend money frivolously
Be honest to loved ones about not being able to afford presents. If they still don’t understand or are unreasonable I will tell them to read this post
If I do decide to buy presents or general items, I choose the wise action of being frugal in my spending so that I won’t break the bank – it’s the thought that counts
Finally, live simply and find contentment in things I have in life other than money and possessions

In conclusion, the world is maybe in a financial crisis but we don’t have to be in one. That’s the wise choice everybody can take – no excuses!

We must learn to manage money and not let it manage us. So Break the chains of debt and remain free to live a rich and fulfilling life with nothing but contentment, happy relationships and peace of mind being our most valued possessions.

The video below applies to everyone living in a developed country, and not just America.

A Wise Man’s Reaction to Obama Getting the Nobel Peace Prize

Jason Cooper — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:13:54 +0000

“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often”

~ Mark Twain

I totally agree with you, Stefan!

Uses of Philosophy in Society: Choice Between Reason and Passion

Jason Cooper — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:18:07 +0000

The Battle between Reason and Passion

The Rafael painting (on the left) of Greek philosophers Plato (pointing up towards the sky) and his pupil, Aristotle (palm facing down towards the ground) seemingly depicts them debating what should govern Man’s affairs: either Plato’s heavenly passion of the Gods, or Aristotle’s earthly reason of science.

This battle of wise minds serves as an example that begins this post with an apparent conflict between reason and passion, as I ask the question to myself as to which of the two should be used towards benefiting us personally and society as a whole?

Philosophy, and Stoicism in particular, can be accused of being, at most part, emotionally cold and distant because of it’s aim for us to invoke the use of reason to override all human emotions. The elements of passion and reason have been opposing forces ever since the very beginnings of philosophy.

The Stoics seemed to think that passion should be avoided like the plague,

Stoicism holds that passion distorts truth, and that the pursuit of truth is virtuous.

Being a man of scientific observation, Aristotle also thought that reason alone should be embraced,

“The law is reason free from passion.”

~ Aristotle

Plato stood side by side with Aristotle against passion, although he did have, paradoxically, passion for worshipping the Gods,

“The passionate are like men standing on their heads; they see all things the wrong way”

~ Plato

Not to worry, passion had its advocates too,

“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.”

~ Denis Diderot

“It’s the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.”

~ Rebecca West

Did a Passionless Socrates influence the non-progressive Philosophy we have today?

In the following interesting yet educational video (which is in 6 parts), blogger, author and podcaster, Stefan Molyneux questions the beneficial qualities of “Philosophy” in general, and that despite it being around for thousand of years, it has not directly influenced people and the world for the better.

Stefan is somewhat disappointed with philosophy’s contribution to society, and feels that it has been at most part, simply ignored by all quarters as a progressive discipline when compared to Information Technology, Science and Economics.

Stefan also feels there is a case for philosophy to learn and adapt to changing times and combine the calming influence of reason with the driving force of passion, something which may give it more success in terms of energising the world towards wiser action in human affairs.

A couple of questions Stefan asks are, “Why has philosophy failed the world?” And, “Has philosophy simply not progressed because of its lack of passion?”

Two men who also agreed with Stefan are,

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

“Passion and prejudice govern the world, only under the name of reason.”

~ John Wesley

Stefan begins his quest by going back over 2000 years ago to an ancient Athens, as he points an accusing finger at a man on trial, and who is considered the father of philosophy – he sought truth through the use of reason to all he would question. That man was Plato’s Socrates…

Before you go, here are a few questions for you all:

1. Does philosophy serve any real purpose to society in the 21st century?

2. Is philosophy practically useless in guiding us all towards meaningful action, and eventually towards progress?

3. Was Socrates irresponsible for providing us with the seemingly passionless philosophy that we now have today?

4. What do you think should govern our lives for the better: reason, passion, or both? And why?

I would be very much interested in seeing what answers you all provide. Thanks.