Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux - How Do I Transfer Universal Moral Principles Without Applying Them Universally?
Aired: 2025-03-22
Duration: 03:25


=== Navigating Universal Principles (02:46) ===

[00:00:00]  Alright, so he says, sorry, 500 character limit.
[00:00:02]  Yes, our parents def have responsibility.
[00:00:04]  Question. How to navigate making progress helping my cousins with their kids while not applying those same principles to their parental relationships?
[00:00:12]  How to navigate making progress helping my cousins with their kids while not applying those same principles to their parental relationships?
[00:00:22]  So, one of the things that you want to do as a whole in life, When you're asking a question is, are you asking for the impossible?
[00:00:35]  This is sort of a fundamental question, right?
[00:00:37]  Are you asking for the impossible?
[00:00:38]  So you're saying, how do I transfer universal principles without applying them universally?
[00:00:44]  You can't do it.
[00:00:45]  How do I transfer or inculcate or encourage universal principles without applying them universally?
[00:00:55]  How do I have a scientific theory that explains the roots of gravity but excludes the moon and the earth?
[00:01:00]  Well, if it's a universal theory, it's going to encompass the moon and the earth.
[00:01:06]  So, how do I get people to be moral, which is universal?
[00:01:11]  How do I get people to follow universal moral principles while carving out massive sections of their personal relationships?
[00:01:17]  Spoiler! You can't!
[00:01:19]  What are you doing to me?
[00:01:23]  I really want to transfer universal moral principles to my cousins and their kids while specifically excluding their own parental relationships from these universal principles.
[00:01:34]  You can't!
[00:01:35]  And you can waste a lot of time if you want, and you can appear to be a rank hypocrite if you want, because you will be.
[00:01:41]  And look, again, I'm not a perfect person.
[00:01:43]  I have my hypocrisies and so on, so I'm not saying this with any sense of superiority, but I sure wish people had told me this shit when I was younger.
[00:01:55]  You can't.
[00:01:58]  How do I tell my cousins that parental moral responsibility is universal and absolute, but doesn't apply to their own parents?
[00:02:05]  I'm sorry, but do you see how funny this is?
[00:02:08]  It's tragic comic, but it's funny.
[00:02:11]  You can't!
[00:02:15]  You can't.
[00:02:19]  And you can either have it implicit, or you can have it explicit.
[00:02:24]  This, uh, these contradictions, this, uh, these are the ones that we have.
[00:02:28]  And we're going to have to go through this.
[00:02:40]  Someone says, parents, mid-rant at me, phone rings, all civil and polite, and the call ends, rant and abuse start up again.

=== They Could Not Help Being Awful (00:38) ===

[00:02:46]  Yep. Sure.
[00:02:47]  They have control.
[00:02:48]  My parents were jerks.
[00:02:50]  They could not help being awful because they did not want to change.
[00:02:53]  What? They could not help being awful because they did not want to change.
[00:02:59]  I don't understand that.
[00:03:01]  That's a real Gordian nut.
[00:03:03]  That's a real Gordian nut.
[00:03:10]  All right.
[00:03:15]  You are welcome for the help.
[00:03:17]  Thank you, Nick.
[00:03:22]  My name is Nick.
[00:03:24]  What does that mean?