Stefan Molyneux

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Stefan Basil Molyneux
Born (1966-09-24) 24 September 1966
Athlone, Ireland
School Voluntaryism
Main interests Anarcho-capitalism, Libertarianism, atheism, Austrian economics, education, ethics, family, philosophy,[1] politics, psychology, religion

Stefan Basil Molyneux (/stɛˈfɑːn ˈmɑːlɪnjuː/; born 24 September 1966) is a Canadian blogger and essayist and host of the Freedomain Radio[2] series of podcasts on political philosophy, atheism, personal and relationship issues, and related topics. He is an anarcho-capitalist and atheist. He has written numerous articles and smaller essays which have been published on libertarian websites including LewRockwell.com, antiwar.com, and Strike The Root,[3][4] and has recorded numerous podcasts and videos, and self-published several books. In 2013, he was diagnosed with lymphoma, from which he has successfully recovered.[5]

Early life

Molyneux holds a B.A. in History from McGill University and an M.A. in history from University of Toronto.[6]

Career

Since 2005 Molyneux produces Freedomain Radio website offering an online podcast and other materials presenting his views on topics including anarcho-capitalism, ethics, Austrian economics, religion, education, family, and politics.[7] Molyneux is the author of various self-published non-fiction books which he distributes for sale and free download on his website.[8] He has conducted interviews with various public figures on topics relating to education, academia, psychology, politics, and economics.[citation needed] Molyneux has spoken at numerous libertarian conferences and events since 2009, including FreedomFest in Las Vegas in 2012 [9] and PorcFest in Lancaster, NH in 2013.[10] He was a commentator on talk radio program Adam vs The Man.[11] He has also appeared on RT's The Keiser Report,[12] ReasonTV,[13] as well as The Alex Jones Show.[14] In 2012, Molyneux guest-hosted the Peter Schiff Show several times.[15] In 2013 he appeared as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience.[16]

Criticism

Throughout his career Stefan Molyneux has maintained that relationships between individuals and their parents are, and should be, entirely voluntary, and that adults who find their parents abusive and unwilling to change should disassociate with them entirely if they want to. In 2005, Molyneux published a statement on maintaining relationships with parents based on his and his wife's evaluation.[17]

In 2008, one Freedomain Radio member's parents' complaints about these ideas were published as part of a series of newspaper articles. The parents claimed that Freedomain Radio is a therapeutic cult after the 18-year-old member left home and severed all contact with his family, an action that Freedomain Radio calls "deFOO" (borrowed from academic psychology, "FOO" is an acronym "Family of Origin"). In response Mr. Molyneux claimed that only about 20 FDR members had "deFOOed" their families, compared to 50,000 regular listeners.[18][19][20]

In October 2012, Molyneux's wife, Christina Papadopoulos, was found guilty of professional misconduct by the College of Psychologists of Ontario for offering her "deFOO" advice to a person through the Internet, for a variety of reasons, including that her recommendations were not standard practice, and that it is against their policy to offer personal psychological advice in a public setting or otherwise outside of regular counselling sessions.[21] [22] Molyneux quickly removed all references of Papadopoulos from his website and she no longer joined him on his podcasts. [citation needed]

In 2012, libertarian philosopher David Gordon in The Mises Review reviewed Molyneux's Universally Preferable Behavior: A Rational Proof for Secular Ethics claiming "[h]is arguments [in the book] are often preposterously bad."[23] Mr. Molyneux replied in a detailed response.[24] Continuing the debate, Dr. Gordon gave a reply.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Why I Am a Philosopher - Stefan Molyneux". 
  2. ↑ "Freedomain Radio". Retrieved January 7, 2009. 
  3. ↑ "Strike The Root". Strike The Root. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Columns by Stefan Molyneux". Strike The Root. Retrieved October 25, 2010. 
  5. ↑ Molyneux, Stefan (2013-05-02). "A Personal Update from Stefan Molyneux". Retrieved 2013-05-02. 
  6. ↑ About. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.
  7. ↑ "Podcasts". Freedomain Radio. Retrieved November 2013. 
  8. ↑ The Handbook of Human Ownership: A Manual for New Tax Farmers – Freedomain Radio – Free Philosophy Books. Board.freedomainradio.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.
  9. ↑ "FREESTYLING at FREEDOM FEST with STEFAN MOLYNEUX and JEFFREY TUCKER". The TrepaNation. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 
  10. ↑ "Stefan Molyneux at PorcFestX". PorcFest. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 
  11. ↑ "Government philosophy, Screw the Pundits, Free Speech, Revolutions, Love-a-lutions, Show Dedication". RT. Retrieved April 12, 2011. 
  12. ↑ Keiser, Max. "On the Edge with Stefan Molyneux". http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/. RT.COM. Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  13. ↑ "Free Domain Radio's Stefan Molyneux on the Inevitable Growth of the State". Reason. Retrieved 2013-09-26. 
  14. ↑ Jones, Alex. "Monday 7-11-2011 – The Alex Jones Show with Stefan Molyneux". http://wp.alexjonespodcasts.com. Alex Jones. Retrieved 8 August 2011. 
  15. ↑ "Alternate URL, Monday 7-11-2011 – The Alex Jones Show with Stefan Molyneux". YouTube. Retrieved 22 July 2012. 
  16. ↑ JRE #396 - STEFAN MOLYNEUX Accessed: 10/4/2012
  17. ↑ Molyneux, Stefan (April 9, 2005). "Are People Just Stupid?". Freedomain Blog. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  18. ↑ Hilpern, Kate (15 November 2008). "You will never see me again". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2009. 
  19. ↑ Tu Thanh Ha (December 12, 2008). "How a cyberphilosopher convinced followers to cut off family". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 28, 2013. 
  20. ↑ Powell, Robin (December 29, 2008). "Website Led Teen To Quit Family". SkyNews. Retrieved December 28, 2013. 
  21. ↑ Tu Thanh Ha (November 1, 2012). "Therapist who told podcast listeners to shun their families reprimanded". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 12, 2012. 
  22. ↑ "Public Register - Member Search". 
  23. ↑ Gordon, David (4 July 2012). "The Molyneux Problem". The Mises Review. Retrieved March 29, 2013. 
  24. ↑ Molyneux, Stefan (7 July 2012). "A Response to David Gordon's Review "The Molyneux Problem"". Freedomain Radio. Retrieved March 29, 2013. 
  25. ↑ Gordon, David (11 July 2012). "Mr. Molyneux Responds". Mises.org Daily. Retrieved March 29, 2013. 

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