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July 26, 2025 - Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux
03:49
Educating Kids on Cost-Benefit Calculations
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So I think as a whole, you want to get them pretty early on.
I mean, outside of pure moral things, you want to get them to do the cost-benefit analysis rather than give them the answers, if that makes sense.
Yeah.
And absolutely.
And when have you had situations where the cost-benefit analysis, there's a large deviation between the two?
Okay.
Could you give me a concrete example of what you're talking about?
What the hell are you talking about?
You say, hey, you should wear a helmet.
We're riding down the street, riding down this bumpy gravel road.
And they say, oh, no, it'll be okay.
I've fallen before.
I didn't get hurt last time.
So I probably won't get hurt next time.
And you go, yeah.
No, and that's a fair, that's a fair question, right?
That's a fair question, right?
And then I would say, how many times have you fallen on the bike?
And they'll say, 10 or 5 or whatever it is, right?
And say, so each time did you think you wouldn't fall the next time?
Well, yeah.
Did you fall again?
Well, yeah.
So in general, you're still going to keep falling on the bike based upon what happened in the past.
So I never hit my head.
Bad argument.
I'm sorry.
But I never hit my head, man.
Sure.
Well, actually, you did, but you hit it so hard you can't remember.
And I just totally gaslight them.
No, I'm kidding, right?
But yeah, you didn't hit your head.
Absolutely.
But you could have, right?
Right.
And, you know, your brain is your most precious organ.
And it's in this little thin eggshell of a head, right?
And, you know, listen.
And if they absolutely insist on riding without their helmet, then I just say no.
Like, you try and you still have to have the authority and you still need to keep them safe.
Right.
Right.
So you give them the cost benefit.
And if they make a wise decision with the cost benefit, more power to them.
If they won't and they absolutely insist on riding without their helmet, I'd say, yeah, now I'm your cost benefit and I have to do it for you.
Right.
In the same way, like you can't go to work.
I have to go to work and make the money.
I can't let you ride without a, I have to be your cost benefit analysis because I'm afraid, I'm sorry, like you're just making the wrong decision.
And then, of course, if they're smart, they say, well, didn't you ride a bike without a helmet when you were a kid?
I'm like, there actually were no helmets when I was a kid.
And there were no freaking seatbelts in cars, even though those are ambiguous as far as the sort of help that they do.
But yeah, it wasn't even thought of, but we've had advancements.
You used to be able to smoke in the cinema and on the airplane.
You can't do that anymore either.
So there's some advancements, if that makes sense.
Yeah.
Yep.
Yep.
No, that makes a lot of sense.
And my wife and I have very much been always trying to like make sure we ask them questions about what they're thinking about rather than giving them the answer to the question, period.
You know, just like, no, you can't.
We try to talk to them about those things.
Yeah, you need to step them through your thinking so that they can replicate how you think.
Right.
And one of the things I really hate is when people just say, because I said so.
Oh, yeah.
I'm like, you just gave them a dead end.
And what do you think?
You didn't give them any answer.
Right.
Right.
You have to pay more taxes.
Why?
Because I said so.
So no, I get all of that, but you do need to get them used to the downside of cost benefit.
So I wouldn't do it with regards to biking without a helmet, but I would do it with regards to, let's say that they want to go hunting for crayfish in a fast-flowing stream.
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