5978 Virtue vs Lust! Listener Question

Freedomain with Stefan Molyneux

Stefan Molyneux

Economics, Anarchism, Stefan, News & Politics, Atheist, Higher Education, Religion & Spirituality, Stephen, Government, God, Philosophy, Violence, Freedomain, Rogan, Ron, Society & Culture, Radio, Paul, History, Liberalism, Libertarian, Capitalism, Market, Molyneux, Anarchy, Free, Classical, Family, Freedom, State, Joe, Podcast, Atheism, Stephan, Education, Podcasts

4.6 • 2.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, we address a listener's struggle with the balance between love and virtue in relationships. He questions his lack of an 'in love' feeling for a kind woman he’s dating. I discuss the distinctions between love and lust, stressing that genuine connections are built on shared virtues rather than superficial attraction. The conversation explores how prioritizing lust can lead to heartbreak and emphasizes the importance of choosing partners based on character and integrity. Ultimately, I encourage embracing relationships rooted in mutual respect and moral alignment for lasting fulfillment.

GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!
https://peacefulparenting.com/

Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!

Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!

You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!

See you soon!
https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	All righty, ready. Good morning, everybody.
0:03.1	Stephen Maloney from, Free Domain, great question from a listener.
0:07.5	And it goes a little something like this. He says,
0:10.0	Dear Steff, I sent this question here because I never catch the show's live.
0:12.8	Time difference. I don't know quite how to phrase this.
0:17.4	One should choose a partner based on his or her virtues, not just lust.
0:27.2	But what if there's lots of virtue, but not much lust? I've been dating a woman for a few months.
0:29.7	She's kind, a great cook.
0:31.1	Her family seems to be really friendly.
0:33.5	She definitely wants to make this official and move forward.
0:37.3	So why aren't I feeling in love? She definitely wants to make this official and move forward.
0:40.9	So why aren't I feeling in love?
0:46.0	And how important is actually that in love feeling?
0:48.2	We're both in our early 40s.
0:51.9	Love is our involuntary response to virtue, if we're virtuous.
0:55.7	And I definitely say we're both virtuous,
1:05.6	but I don't feel I can commit to her, unless I'm all in. Regarding looks, I'd rate myself an eight and her a six. Could that be the reason? It's really ripping me up, because if I could just go for this,
1:14.8	I think she could be a truly wonderful potential wife. If I end this, it will break her heart.
1:21.1	And who knows when I'll meet another woman with all these great qualities? I deeply appreciate
1:26.9	any thoughts you might have on this.
1:29.0	Thank you for all you do,
1:30.0	kindness,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Stefan Molyneux, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Stefan Molyneux and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.