917 UPB, the first review...
The first review of the UPB book.
Nov. 22, 2007 - Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux
07:39
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| A review of the book, Universally Preferable Behavior, A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics by Stephen Molyneux of www.freedomainradio.com by Eugene of www.glassgovernment.com Universally Preferable Behavior, A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics by Stephen Molyneux is a difficult work to summarize without giving it away, so to speak. | |
| Since this is a book I believe every human being who breathes and thinks should read, here I will briefly attempt to react to the ideas in without overtly rehashing them in an unbecoming manner. | |
| First of all, it should be noted that Mr. | |
| Molyneux has crammed an enormous amount of material into a relatively short book, 223 pages, including the index and all appendices. | |
| The writing style, fluid and swift, manages a good pace that simultaneously does not seem hurried or lacking in detail. | |
| Complex ideas are put forth and explored in a clear, concise, refreshing manner that many nonfiction philosophy writers should take note of. | |
| Aesthetically, the layout of the book is very clean, even offering a point-by-point summary of ideas toward the end. | |
| On a more personal note, many of Molyneux's descriptions and explanations are extraordinarily hilarious, and I suspect some of this is just natural humor rather than blatant attempts to be funny. | |
| Or maybe it's just my own eccentricity. | |
| At any rate, a doll slog through some forbidden philosophical swamp this is not. | |
| If you have a pulse, you should recognize the entertainment value of this work, and that says a lot given the serious subject matter, a testament to the author's adept employment of the English language. | |
| My only real complaint centers on occasional lines that refer to something mentioned above, when in fact what is being referred to occurred many pages or sections back. | |
| While in word processor form, such references certainly pertain to something that occurred above, but this is not so in printed form. | |
| As such, I had a few moments of slight confusion as I scanned toward the top of a page in search of something, but I eventually got used to it. | |
| Anyway, this is a minor point of contention over an arguably irrelevant detail. | |
| Someone else might not even notice. | |
| Not counting the introductory sections, UPB is divided into three parts theory, application, and practice. | |
| Part I, theory establishes the universally preferable behavior framework by using logic and with a complete regard for known hang-ups. | |
| Such as Hume's Slash or Dichotomy and the bottomless pit known as Utilitarianism. | |
| Part 2. Application tests the UPB framework by examining a number of ethical scenarios—rape, murder, theft, fraud, and lying. | |
| Obviously, the UPB concept would be immediately suspect if it were to conclude, for instance, That rape and murder are good, universally preferable, behaviors. | |
| The small and use approach of first using his system to verify some of the values already held by most humans is a great place to start. | |
| Part 3 Practiced elves into the null zone, a realm between little truths and great truths, where non-existent entities are allowed to completely rewrite or ignore reality. | |
| These entities are, of course, usually gods and governments, and Molyneux gives no quarter as these fanciful constructs are exposed for what they really are. | |
| The entire approach is extremely rational, and some readers might find themselves fascinated as they begin in theory, where ethics are initially assumed to not exist, and behold the gradual process of reasoning which produces the UPB framework. | |
| For Molyneux's intention, it becomes no more sane to call ethical propositions relative or subjective than to say the same of mathematics or the scientific method. | |
| We know 2 and 2 equal 4, not 5, and we know murder is good to be logically invalid. | |
| Further, 2 and 2 equal 4 regardless of what uniform a person wears, and murder is good remains invalid without respect to a person's race, title, or professional affiliation. | |
| Early on, the author refers to philosophy's greatest beast, a seemingly unconquerable monster that has bested thinker after thinker through the ages. | |
| I am certainly not qualified to determine whether the behemoth of secular ethics has at last met its end, and even Molyneux himself seems hesitant to make premature pronouncements of success, as he reveals prior to Part I. Whether I have succeeded is not up to you, and it is not up to me if the reasoning holds the greatest beast is down. | |
| Molyneux, UPB, PG-16 Nonetheless, it is this layman's opinion that said beast is, at best, quivering on a cavern floor as it clings tenuously to life. | |
| If it survives, it will be only through a lame retreat into the null zone, where down is up gravity makes things fall skyward, and two, plus to make five. | |
| Having read a great deal of material from many writers, Rand, Rothbard, Nozick, Stirner, Nietzsche, and others. | |
| I can't say without a doubt that Stefan Molyneux has presented one of the most coherent and accessible explorations of philosophy one is likely to ever encounter. | |
| In fact, his UPB framework has been derived in such a consistent, logical manner that anyone who opposes it will be hard-pressed to do so without implicitly agreeing to it. | |
| When even your most vicious opponents are required to accept your premise before arguing against your position, you may be reasonably certain that you've done something right. | |
| Universally preferable behavior A rational proof of secular ethics has the potential to be earth-shaking. | |
| The fact that it has been released as print-on-demand through Lulu is both a blessing and a curse. | |
| A blessing because this most excellent work is available at all, but a curse because the potential audience is limited to the author's advertising capacity and that of readers. | |
| Nonetheless, while this can directly affect the dissemination of ideas, it has no bearing on the brilliance of the work itself. | |
| Perhaps, with time, this book will have a chance to herald a philosophical revolution that, in my opinion, it is truly capable of bringing about. | |
| Special thanks goes to Mr. | |
| Molyneux for generously providing a copy of Universally Preferable Behavior, a rational proof of secular ethics for review. |
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