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Real-Time

Relationships

The Logic of Love

Stefan Molyneux, MA
Host, Freedomain Radio
www.freedomainradio.com

2By the same author:

On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion
Universally Preferable Behaviour: A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics
The God of Atheists (A Novel)

Available ath ttp://www.fre e dom ai nra dio .c om /bo oks . h tm l

For my beloved wife Christina, who teaches me all that is true, and

shows me everything that is possible…

I would like to thank the listeners of Freedomain Radio, whose passion, generosity and participation has made this book – and all the books to come – possible. Thank you for the gift of this time.

Thanks also to my most excellent reviewers and proofreaders: the “Philosopher Kings” at Freedomain Radio. I wish to especially thank Charlotte Bowen, who kindly edited the book down from its original 17,000 pages, mostly by committing “comma-cide” on all the excess punctuation. Finally, I really appreciate the time and effort that Karl Bennion, Jessen and Charlotte (again) put into transcribing the RTR podcasts.

Any errors that remain are, of course, solely my responsibility.

Freedomain Radio is one of the most popular philosophy podcasts on the

Internet, and was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2007 Podcast Awards.

Please visit Freedomain Radio atwww.f ree dom ainradi o .c om for more

free podcasts, videos – as well as a thriving message board.

Real-Time Relationships: The Logic of Love, Copyright 2008 by Stefan Molyneux. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For more information, please

visitw w w .fr e e d o m ai nr ad io .co m.

The Freedomain Library, Volume 4 Version 1.0 Extended Edition, January 2008

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS.......................................... ................................................... ................ 3 REAL-TIME RELATIONSHIPS: THE LOGIC OF LOVE..................................................10 CULTURE........................................... ................................................... .................12 PHILOSOPHY AND INTIMACY.............................................................................. ..12 RELIGIOUS “REALITY”.................................................................................. .........14

POSITIONING.................................................. ................................................... ....... 16

THE ARC OF A RELATIONSHIP................................................................................16

CAUTION.................................................. ................................................... ............ 17 SEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 THE LOVE BOMB.................................................. ................................................... .. 18 THE PLATEAU.................................................. ................................................... ...... 19 THE HICCUP.................................................. ................................................... ........ 19 THE DESCENT.................................................. ................................................... ...... 19 LYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 ENTOMBMENT.................................................. ................................................... ..... 21 THE AFTERMATH.................................................. ................................................... .. 23

WIN/LOSE.......................................... ................................................... ................25

TRUST............................................. ................................................... ...................27

CLOSURE AND SELF–TRUST.................................................. ....................................... 27

HEDGING.................................................. ................................................... ............ 29

BAGGAGE........................................... ................................................... ...............29

LOVE.............................................. ................................................... ....................31

LOVE AND OBJECTIVITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 LOVE – COMPARED TO WHAT?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 INTERNAL STATE,OR EXTERNAL FACT?................................................. ......................... 33 LOVE AND PLEASURE.................................................. ................................................ 33 LOVE: A TENTATIVE DEFINITION.................................................. ................................. 34 LOVE AS A RESPONSE.................................................. ............................................... 36