Universally Preferable Behaviour - Debunked (Stefan Molyneux Refuted)

Over the last five years Stefan Molyneux has risen to fame, and while I personally enjoy a lot of his content, I maintain that a great many of his assertions are disastrously flawed… and his Universally Preferable Behaviour (otherwise known as UPB) is one of them. What follows is a refutation of the Five Proofs that Molyneux offers, and hence, this is Universally Preferable Behaviour Debunked!

For a detailed explanation of the flaws and fallacies within Molyneux’s Five Proofs, please watch the video, but if you just want a brief announcement of some of the flaws, they are as follows:

The First Proof is flawed because:

• Premise two is a False Premise.

The Second Proof is flawed because:

• Premise one is Begging the Question, and;
• Premise four unjustifiably smuggles in the word “acceptance”.

The Third Proof is flawed because:

• Premise two is Begging the Question;
• Premise three is a False Premise, and;
• Premise four is a False Premise.

The Fourth Proof is flawed because:

• Premise one is either pedantic or a False Premise;
• Premise three commits an Ambiguity Fallacy, and;
• Premise four is a Non Sequitur.

And finally (thanks for sticking around people!), the Fifth Proof is flawed because:

• Premise one is Begging the Question, and;
• Premise two is Arbitrarily Assigning Significance.

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As always, thank you kindly for the view, and I hope this video helps you defeat those who would use Stefan Molyneux’s Universally Preferable Behaviour against you! Stay rational my fellow apes.

[Vvalox]

There was an important comment on this video when it was first uploaded which I will rewrite here:

He also commits a tu quoque fallacy. He conflates being hypocritical with being contradictory. If someone makes the argument that arguing is bad, they are being hypocritical, but not contradictory.

[LokiScarletWasHere]

"Therefore, all milk is nervous"
I lost it.

[Will-yrzt]

"Despite the fact that I quite enjoy Molyneux's work"

Geez that aged like milk...

[valkaek]

Stepfan uses only "begging the question" in 99% of the things he says, because he's rationalizing his desires.

[antoniolewis]

Your scales are not working. If you prefer something, it should be heavier and fall down.
Signed, a concerned student of physics.

[alessiovocisano]

works because circular reasoning works because circular reasoning...

King Meme

[richardkemp]

1. Stefan Molyneux likes the sound of his own voice.
2. Stefan Molyneux can't stay on point.
3. Stefan Molyneux doesn't understand that looking at his head and listening to his opinion for more than 15 minutes is a fucking ordeal.

[Symbioticism]

Lost me at "I personally enjoy a lot of his content..." Molyneux is toxic.

[bearlemley]

as you read these comments, you'll see all these emotional attacks on Stefan Molyneux's personality while comparing him to "cult" leader and other undesirable things. Very little responses about the content or the argument.
What does this tell you?

[davidstorrs]

I think you've been incredible generous with this video. I think that literally every point in the 12-point list aside from the definitions is false. For example, he defines 'valid' in the beginning to mean 'conforms to the rules of logic', 'accurate' to mean 'supported by evidence' and defines 'true' to mean 'both valid and accurate', but then later on he uses 'valid' to mean 'supported by evidence'. I can't believe that anyone takes this argument seriously.

[DB]

Why does it feel like running in a giant circle reading this?

[mtrainor]

Have you ever called in to Stephan's show? I would be fascinated to hear a back-and-forth debate on this question.

[scientificdictatorship]

As a huge Molly fan I must say I love this comment section. It's the sewer of toxic emotional vomit that keeps the streets clean.

[lamarrdijey]

Half of these comments: 'Ugh, I can't believe you even like Molyneux!'

And Molyneux's haters accuse his fans of being cult-like, yikes.

[kaischreurs]

10:54 there is no such thing as almost infinite

[Loneshdo]

There is no such thing as "almost infinite" lmao

[Loquification]

I'm curious why Rationality Rules has an interest in Moleneaux. What is sensible about him?

[FrankLightheart]

The more I hear of Molyneux, the more I wonder why the hell people listen to Molyneux.
I just don't find anything he says to be particularly smart or insightful. And he's got a HUGE bias towards his preferred conclusions to the point that he won't honestly represent opposing points of view.

[wolf]

I turn 55 in a little over a month, and I subscribed to Rationality Rules this morning. I'm _fairly_ certain I was alive _before_ I subscribed to Rationality Rules. Then again, that probably depends on what you mean by 'alive', 'subscribed' and 'before'...

Great video. I'm astounded at the sheer number of unsubstantiated assertions posing as foundations for an argument within those 5 'proofs'.

[weareribbons]

"Wellbeing over truth." I could never put that in more simpler terms. Great video, man.