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== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Although interested in computers from a young age, Molyneux initially pursued an acting career and was accepted to [[National Theatre School of Canada]] in Montreal.<ref name=Burg-Star>{{cite news|last=Burg|first=Robert|title=Their software keeps tabs on site data|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/doc/437659875.html|accessdate=April 28, 2014|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=May 26, 1997}}</ref> Molyneux went on to acquire a B.A. in History from [[McGill University]] and an M.A. focusing on the history of philosophy from [[University of Toronto]].<ref>[http://freedomainradio.com/About.aspx About]. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.</ref>
Although interested in computers from a young age, Molyneux initially pursued an acting career and was accepted to [[National Theatre School of Canada]] in Montreal.<ref name=Burg-Star>{{cite news|last=Burg|first=Robert|title=Their software keeps tabs on site data|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/doc/437659875.html|accessdate=April 28, 2014|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=May 26, 1997}}</ref> Molyneux went on to acquire a B.A. in History from [[McGill University]] and an M.A. from [[University of Toronto]].<ref>[http://freedomainradio.com/About.aspx About]. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.</ref>


In early 1995, Stefan and his brother Hugh Molyneux co-founded Caribou Systems Corporation, an environmental systems management firm located in the [[Willowdale, Toronto|Willowdale area of Toronto]].<ref name=Burg-Star/> Molyneux held the position of Chief Technology Officer until the company was sold in 2000.<ref name=caseyresearch-staff>{{cite web|title=Our Staff > Stefan Molyneux|url=http://www.caseyresearch.com/our-staff/stefan-molyneux|publisher=[[Doug Casey|Casey Research]]|accessdate=April 28, 2014}}</ref>
In early 1995, Stefan and his brother Hugh Molyneux co-founded Caribou Systems Corporation, an environmental systems management firm located in the [[Willowdale, Toronto|Willowdale area of Toronto]].<ref name=Burg-Star/> Molyneux held the position of Chief Technology Officer until the company was sold in 2000.<ref name=caseyresearch-staff>{{cite web|title=Our Staff > Stefan Molyneux|url=http://www.caseyresearch.com/our-staff/stefan-molyneux|publisher=[[Doug Casey|Casey Research]]|accessdate=April 28, 2014}}</ref>


== Philosophy career==
== Philosophy career==

Revision as of 14:10, 8 May 2014

Stefan Basil Molyneux
File:Stefan Molyneux photo.jpg
Molyneux in 2014
Born (1966-09-24) 24 September 1966 (age 57)
Athlone, Ireland
SchoolVoluntaryism
Main interests
Anarcho-capitalism, Libertarianism, atheism, Austrian economics, education, secular ethics, family, philosophy, politics, psychology, religion

Stefan Basil Molyneux (/stɛˈfɑːn ˈmɑːlɪnjuː/; born 24 September 1966) is a Canadian author and host of the Freedomain Radio webcasts. Among the topics covered on Freedomain Radio are political philosophy, libertarianism,[3] cryptocurrency[4] (Bitcoin),[5][6] secular ethics (including the non-aggression principle), atheism, history, non-violent parenting, personal and familial relationship issues. 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,[7] antiwar.com, and Strike The Root,[8] 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.[9]

Early life

Although interested in computers from a young age, Molyneux initially pursued an acting career and was accepted to National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal.[10] Molyneux went on to acquire a B.A. in History from McGill University and an M.A. from University of Toronto.[11]

In early 1995, Stefan and his brother Hugh Molyneux co-founded Caribou Systems Corporation, an environmental systems management firm located in the Willowdale area of Toronto.[10] Molyneux held the position of Chief Technology Officer until the company was sold in 2000.[12]

Philosophy career

Freedomain Radio

In 2005, Molyneux began production of a podcast called "Freedomain Radio" ("FDR").[13] Shortly thereafter, he opened a website under that name as a community for his listeners and a place to distribute various self-published books which he makes available as free downloads on his website.[14] His broadcasts now primarily occur via his YouTube channel, which as of 2014 has 130,000 subscribers and 25 million channel views,[6] and has been called "the largest and most popular philosophy show in the world"[12][15][16] He has conducted interviews with various public figures on topics relating to education, academia, psychology, politics, and economics.[17] Notable guests include Noam Chomsky,[18] Peter Joseph,[19] and Divorce Corp director Joseph Sorge.[20]

On April 29, 2014, the FDR YouTube channel and associated Google+ account were briefly suspended. After Molyneux announced the situation on Twitter, the channel was reinstated within a few hours.[21] No explanation for the ban has been given by Google, but the incident occurred on the first business day following Molyneux's speech at The Next Web conference.[22]

Public Appearances

Molyneux has spoken at numerous libertarian conferences and events. He delivered a keynote at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum in March 2009, where he presented his "Against Me" argument - a method of conducting a political debates by inviting opponents to admit that they advocate for direct initiation of force.[23] He has also spoken at FreedomFest in Las Vegas in 2012 [24] and PorcFest in Lancaster, NH in 2013.[25]

Molyneux has appeared on both television and radio. He was a commentator on talk program Adam vs The Man.[26] He has also appeared on RT's The Keiser Report,[27] ReasonTV,[3] as well as The Alex Jones Show.[28] Since 2012, Molyneux has guest-hosted the Peter Schiff Show several times.[29][1][30] In 2013 he appeared as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience.[31]

In 2014, Molyneux began a series of high-profile appearances advocating the use of Bitcoin for political change. He spoke at the Texas Bitcoin Conference,[15] the Bitcoin Expo 2014 in Toronto,[5] and The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam.[4][22]

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.[32]

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.[33][34][35]

Libertarian David Gordon reviewed Molyneux's Universally Preferable Behavior: A Rational Proof for Secular Ethics in The Mises Review in 2012 and stated, "[h]is arguments [in the book] are often preposterously bad."[36] Mr. Molyneux replied in a detailed response.[37] Dr. Gordon later wrote a reply.[38]

Works

Non-fiction

  • Against the Gods? A Concise Guide to Atheism and Agnosticism (with Peter Boghossian)
  • On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion (2007)
  • Universally Preferable Behaviour (UPB): A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics (2007)
  • Real-Time Relationships: The Logic of Love (2008)
  • Everyday Anarchy: The Freedom of Now (2008)
  • Practical Anarchy: The Freedom of the Future (2008)
  • How (NOT) to Achieve Freedom (2008)

Fiction

  • Revolutions (2002) ISBN 1-59129-463-0
  • The God of Atheists (2007)

References

  1. ^ a b "The Wisdom of Socrates with Peter Boghossian and Stefan Molyneux". The Peter Schiff Show. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  2. ^ Molyneux, Stefan. Objectivism Part 2: Ethics Retrieved April 28, 2014
  3. ^ a b Matt Welch & Tracy Oppenheimer (October 6, 2012). "Free Domain Radio's Stefan Molyneux on the Inevitable Growth of the State". ReasonTV. Reason. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Sawers, Paul. "How cryptocurrencies can curb unsustainable growth in government power (interview with Stefan Molyneux)". The Next Web. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Huber, Suzanne (Apr 16, 2014). "Toronto Hosts Canada's First Bitcoin Expo". Techvibes. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Rees, Mark. "Bitcoin's YouTube Missionaries". Bitcoin Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  7. ^ "Articles by Stefan Molyneux". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  8. ^ "Columns by Stefan Molyneux". Strike The Root. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  9. ^ Molyneux, Stefan (2013-05-02). "A Personal Update from Stefan Molyneux". Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  10. ^ a b Burg, Robert (May 26, 1997). "Their software keeps tabs on site data". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  11. ^ About. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved on 2013-07-14.
  12. ^ a b "Our Staff > Stefan Molyneux". Casey Research. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  13. ^ Freedomain Radio > Podcasts. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  14. ^ Freedomain Radio > Free Books. Freedomain Radio. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  15. ^ a b Hortex, Alice (April 14, 2014). "The Psychology of Money: Stefan Molyneux at Texas BTC Conference". Cointelegraph. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  16. ^ Bitcoin Alliance of Canada (March 28, 2014). "Bitcoin Expo Announces Conference Highlights, Sponsors and Exhibitors for Toronto April 11-13 Conference". Marketwired. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  17. ^ "Stefan Molyneux YouTube Channel". Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  18. ^ "Noam Chomsky: The Race War of Drug Prohibition". 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  19. ^ "Zeitgeist Versus the Market - Peter Joseph Debates Stefan Molyneux". 2013-09-23. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
  20. ^ "Director Joseph Sorge Interviewed by Stefan Molyneux". Divorce Corp. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  21. ^ Moran, Andrew (April 29, 2014). "Bitcoin advocate Stefan Molyneux's YouTube, Google accounts disabled". PFHub. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  22. ^ a b "The Cryptocurrency Revolution". The Next Web. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  23. ^ "New Hampshire Liberty Forum - Keynote Speaker: Stefan Molyneux from Freedomain Radio". Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  24. ^ "FREESTYLING at FREEDOM FEST with STEFAN MOLYNEUX and JEFFREY TUCKER". The TrepaNation. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  25. ^ "Stefan Molyneux at PorcFestX". PorcFest. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  26. ^ "Government philosophy, Screw the Pundits, Free Speech, Revolutions, Love-a-lutions, Show Dedication". Adam vs. The Man. RT. Retrieved April 12, 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  27. ^ Keiser, Max. "On the Edge with Stefan Molyneux". The Keiser Report. RT. Retrieved 8 August 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  28. ^ Jones, Alex. "Monday 7-11-2011 – The Alex Jones Show with Stefan Molyneux". The Alex Jones Show. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  29. ^ "The Peter Schiff Show! Hosted by Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio". Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  30. ^ Kinsella, Stephen. "KOL106 Peter Schiff Show: Obamacare, Patent Reform". StephenKinsella.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  31. ^ JRE #396 - STEFAN MOLYNEUX Accessed: 11 March 2014
  32. ^ Molyneux, Stefan (April 9, 2005). "Are People Just Stupid?". Freedomain Blog. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  33. ^ Hilpern, Kate (15 November 2008). "You will never see me again". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
  34. ^ Tu Thanh Ha (December 12, 2008). "How a cyberphilosopher convinced followers to cut off family". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  35. ^ Powell, Robin (December 29, 2008). "Website Led Teen To Quit Family". SkyNews. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  36. ^ Gordon, David (4 July 2012). "The Molyneux Problem". Ludwig von Mises Institute - The Mises Review. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  37. ^ Molyneux, Stefan (7 July 2012). "A Response to David Gordon's Review "The Molyneux Problem"". Freedomain Radio. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  38. ^ Gordon, David (11 July 2012). "Mr. Molyneux Responds". Ludwig von Mises Institute - Mises.org Daily. Retrieved March 29, 2013.

External links

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