Praxeology, Volume 2: Dread

by Rian Stone

Everything that thousands of men who started in dead bedrooms and lackluster relationships have learned and refined over the years, distilled into a single series of pro-man concepts. Dread is more than taking back your masculinity, but thriving in a society increasingly hostile towards men. Nothing gets soccer moms, feminists, and traditionally conservative wives angrier than watching men thrive in a way that may not necessarily benefit them (though it does if she's a value add to a relationship)

So for the man who wants to see a better way, there's Dread.

Genres: Relationships

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2023

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as a woman was challenging, but I tried to approach it with an open mind. This volume builds off Frame and focuses on how men can get what they want from women—often framed as reducing nagging and increasing intimacy. To get through it, you really have to set aside morality and look at the content as “what is” rather than “what should be.”

Some of the field reports did make sense to me: men focusing on themselves, becoming stronger, more disciplined, and more fulfilled often helps their partners appreciate and respect them rather than take them for granted. On a big-picture level, I agreed that everyone—regardless of gender—benefits from working on themselves, pursuing growth, and striving to be the best version of who they are.

That said, certain parts I didn’t appreciate. The sections on cheating and mistresses were off-putting, even if I can understand why some men might find that advice appealing in certain situations. More troubling was the tone around women claiming abuse. Having been in an emotionally and sexually abusive marriage myself, I found his dismissiveness toward women’s experiences frustrating and unfair. While some of his case studies illustrated situations where women used accusations as excuses, his generalizations risk minimizing real abuse and shifting blame away from accountability.

Overall, this book wasn’t easy to read as a woman, but it did give me perspective on my past marriage and relationships. While I disagreed with parts of it based on my own experiences, I can see how the broader principles of self-improvement and personal responsibility can be useful. It also gave me an appreciation for what some men deal with, and an outlook that I never want to be like the women described in the book.

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I am not married, Dread is a helpful book to understand your relationships better. In my LTRs, Dread does help understand when to recognize that the relationship is dead, you can save it, or use it to keep OODA loops going. Now I do approach an LTR even marraige with trepidation.

[Dylan Hobrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

love the book

Kind of makes me feel cartoonish about my game.
Vivid imagination.
Still going through and will continue too.

Thank you!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid continuation to "Frame". Lots of really clear praxeology on relationships and sexual dynamics.