The following graphic was created by Suviya. It showcases many kinds of love classified by the ancient Greeks which still remain central to our lives today. Only one of the loves mentioned – the romantic – was unknown to the Greeks because it was constructed during the Middle Ages in Europe and only later imported throughout much of the world.

In the following graphic, the loves appearing above the line (pragma, agape, storge and philia) lend themselves to the formation of stable, traditional relationships.  The loves appearing below the line (mania, philautia, romantic and pothos) are not compatible with rationally structured, reciprocal relationships because mania & pothos are irrational emotions, while philautia & romantic love are lacking in balanced reciprocity.

The two items on the right side of the image – eros and ludus – can be considered neutral, and are usually present in healthy, reciprocal relationships.

* * *

The graphic forms part of a larger discussion on something called ‘the gold pill,’ which is a philosophical framework that promotes balanced, reciprocal relationships by reintroducing principles of mutual investment and responsibility, inspired by historical practices like the dowry — without replicating them literally — as a way to restore dignity, structure, and fairness to modern partnerships.

The following article by Helen Rose was published in the Sunday Mirror – Sunday 03 July 1927

The following excerpt from The Family, Sex and Marriage in England, 1500-1800  by  Lawrence Stone describes the timeline during which English marriages switched from traditional modes of arrangement and exchange of dowry, to romantic love as primary influence on relationship formation. This change, finds Stone, was stimulated by the rise of female-authored romance novels in the 1700s and their wide dissemination.

.
Note: A central link between these female romance writers and thier medieval forebears can be found in the English work Le Morte d’Arthur (1470) which was a retelling of medieval romantic tales by the English knight Sir Thomas Malory. Its influence on women’s novel writing in the 1700s, its broader impact on the romance genre, and the 19th-century Arthurian revival, helped to shape the literary landscape for women writers.

GROK gives the etymological root meaning of storge (family love):

Fulltext version:

The Greek word storge refers to familial love, particularly the natural affection between parents and children or within a family. Its etymological root lies in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root ster- or stor-, which conveys the sense of “care,” “affection,” or “nurturing.” This root is associated with instinctive, protective, and enduring bonds, often tied to familial or communal care.

In Greek, storge derives from a verbal root related to stérgein, meaning “to love” or “to feel affection,” especially in a familial context. The term emphasizes a deep, instinctual, and often unconditional love, distinct from other Greek words for love like agape (selfless love), philia (friendship), or eros (sexual desire). The etymology reflects a foundational concept of natural attachment and care inherent in extended family relationships.

To those wondering why we created the gold pill, we did so to offer something beyond the typical Manosphere talking points which in recent times have become tired and stale.

As the voice behind the This Is Shah YouTube channel, I have spent my efforts excavating the lost knowledge of marriage transactions in human history. This field has been well documented by anthropologists, especially from the 60’s and 70’s onward. and includes information about marriage transactions such as the Dowry and Bridewealth (formerly Brideprice). Take this quote from The Economics of Dowry and Brideprice by Siwan Anderson:

Most societies, at some point in their history, have been characterized by payments at the time of marriage. Such payments typically go hand-in-hand with marriages arranged by the parents of the respective spouses. These marriage payments come in various forms and sizes but can be classified into two broad categories: transfers from the family of the bride to that of the groom, broadly termed as “dowry,” or from the groom’s side to the bride’s, broadly termed as “brideprice.” Brideprice occurs in two-thirds of societies recorded in Murdock’s (1967) World Ethnographic Atlas of 1167 preindustrial societies. Conversely, dowry occurs in less than 4 percent of this sample. However, in terms of population numbers, dowry has played a more significant role, because the convention of dowry has occurred mainly in Europe and Asia, where more than 70 percent of the world’s population resides.

However, somehow the manosphere has managed to completely miss this information and what it means for relationships in the modern world. I, and the others here who have taken the Gold Pill, aim to correct this.

We have a trove (or rather a dowry chest) full of information which include academic/scholarly papers, newspaper articles, and media from different time periods that more than demonstrate, decisively and precisely, how the marriage market operated with regard to economics and the material concerns of both parties involved.

As the r/goldpill_ subreddit develops, I plan to share what I have and it is my desire to see this forum become a place of honest discussion between participants who wish to understand and absorb the gold pill better. Ultimately, I would like to see people, especially men, process this information in a way that will help us to collectively bargain and negotiate better for marriage and within relationships, in a way that is fair and just. The memory of this information I believe will be necessary to help men navigate the uncertain future we have ahead of us.

Are we going back to the way things were? No, we are not, not in my belief, the world has experienced too many changes, and nothing short of a collapse and total reset will take us back to how things used to be. However, with this knowledge, we will craft a new way forward that gives to each what is owed.

-Shah