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Private Notes
In their video on AI, PBS Idea Channel touched on some issues that relate nicely to this thought experiment by John Searle.
Just a quick video thanking all you Philosofans out there. Keep being amazing.
A video to acknowledge all the awesome fan mail and stuff you Philosofans have been sending in.
Philosophy exams are tough, so here's my top six tips for getting through them!
Something a little different! A Philosofan recommended an online video game to me called 'Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher' in which you play as a character examining the arguments of famous philosophers, Phoenix Wright-style. So I made a Let's Play video of it!
The bizarre adventures of Socrates Jones continue! This episode features Euthyphro, as in the Euthyphro dilemma, as well as songs from the Little Mermaid and CSI!
The quest continues! Featuring Star Trek: TNG and a bizarre vendetta against footwear emporium proprietors.
A quick Behind the Scenes with Olly, just to address a request from some Philosofans.
The lecture goes into depth about Camus' views, his critique of Kierkegaard and the existentialist position, and Night Vale!
"It goes on, I see. As my soul prompts it!"
Some serious drama in this episode as we edge ever closer to the epic conclusion!
Not so much philosophical as "philosophical". A Philosofan sent me a lovely message, so I recorded this response.
A blooper reel, a lot of which occurred during today's filming so it's also kind of a preview of Friday's episode on personal identity.
The penultimate episode of Socrates Jones is here! We take on Immanuel Kant, the toughest of the tough, and I show off my range of voice acting capabilities by switching accents rapidly!
It has finally come to an end! What a great series, thanks for watching, and thank you to Connor Fallon for making the game!
Today is Philosophy Tube's birthday, so here's a montage of how far we've all come in the last year! We've done amazing things, so here's to next year being even better!
A Google+ hangout starring YOU, plus your fan mail answered, to answer your questions and say thank you to everyone who supports the channel and me with their loveliness.
Are you thinking about studying philosophy and want to know what it's like? What can you actually DO with a philosophy degree? Watch and find out!
There are loads of teenagers on YouTube, so in this episode of Behind the Scenes with Olly I was inspired by Maddie Moate to spread a format that could help them out a bit. It got a bit emotional towards the end! If you're a content creator then make your own!
Here’s my ice bucket challenge video, I couldn’t escape being nominated forever! My private donation and all the ad revenue money from this video will go to the Alzheimer’s Society.
We hit 10K subs a while ago, so I did a Google hangout to say thank you and answer questions. This is the edited version, I cut some questions if they were ones that I couldn’t really answer properly, or if the recording was too sketchy, or if I'd answered them elsewhere before. Thanks to everyone who turned up! Discussion includes the role of physics, the ethics of owning a pet, absurdism, YouTube "fame", travel, philosophy A-level and my favourite novel!
Here’s an audio guide to supporting the channel by watching, commenting, subscribing, sending fan mail, getting involved on Twitter and Facebook, interacting with adverts and PATREON!
“Mouse-X” is an awesome little scifi film with clones in it, but what does it teach us about free will?
The story the media tells you about being a YouTuber leaves some important things out...
A review of ‘Tetralogue: I’m Right, You’re Wrong’ by Timothy Williamson, a philosophy book!
Aired April 25, 2015 I'm having a hangout to celebrate 25,000 subscribers (26,000 now actually) so come along and say hi!
Hooray for 2 years!
Welcome to the channel! Here's me and what I know!
Aired January 16, 2016 Here's the hangout I did in celebration of 50,000 subscribers! Thanks to all who turned up and asked questions!
Here’s some books from my reading list on philosophy, economics, terrorism, feminism, and trans rights!
Comments about human rights, racism, power, feminism, and Islam!
Here’s an unscheduled, unscripted vlog about YouTube Nextup, the competition that I won, and being a YouTuber
Aired April 19, 2016
Replying to comments from videos on Marx, Pokémon, and Gender.
Reading out your comments on Kantian metaphysics, as well as whether animals can have knowledge!
To celebrate three years of Philosophy Tube, I decided to sit down and answer some questions and fan mail! Thanks for your support!
Here's a bonus video: I need your help to keep the channel alive, so here's 3 ways you can help!
More book recommendations, from philosophy to economics, psychology, colonialism, feminism and existentialism from Simone de Beauvoir, and fiction!
Aired July 6, 2016 A hangout with Olly from Philosophy Tube to celebrate 75,000 subscribers and 3 million views! I'll be taking your questions and answering them live!
Answering your comments about Bernie Sanders vs Hillary Clinton, and the EU referendum that resulted in Brexit and chat about immigration and sovereignty
Here's some reading recommendations for you - covering linguistics, the Pirahã people of the Amazon, history, capitalism, slavery, the British Empire, and anarchism! Books by Daniel Everett and Eric Williams!
Answering your comments about anime fanservice and aesthetics; X-Men, politics, discrimination, and Magneto's use of violence as a revolutionary tactic vs Professor X's liberalism. Also, I witter about Dragonball GT.
This video is a few things: a vlog from Summer in the City in London, a serious chat about Patreon and the channel’s future, an interactive game of spot the famous YouTuber in the background, and the story of what Philosophy Tube is for, why I started, and the value of education.
Books to check out! Some neuroscience and brain stuff, Edward Said's "Culture & Imperialism," and Frantz Fanon on Muslim women wearing veils during the Algerian revolution! Very relevant to France and "burkinis." Oh, and "Art is Dead' by TomSka and Matt Ley.
Reading and replying to your comments about politics and honesty Vs "electability," as well as brains, psychology, and philosophy! Also in this video: H.P. Lovecraft and DragonBall GT.
More philosophy books! Ludwig Wittgenstein on colour; Carl Schmitt on politics, God, religion, and why he was a Nazi; and Miranda Fricker on the link between knowledge and ethics.
Let’s look at your comments from my episodes on the philosophy of crowdfunding, which talked about aesthetics, art, and economics, and my video about children, which talked about ethics and reproductive rights!
Higher learning is hard! If you're going to university or college and want to get good grades, there is a secret technique that I can teach you to pass with flying colours! It'll help with essays and with exams!
Here’s me answering your comments about Donald Trump, politics, terrorism, and liberalism, as well as Black Mirror, war, remembrance, and my handsome face – apparently!
I made a sponsored video as part of a campaign for SOAS, University of London. I'm donating the entire fee to their Student Union, but please, if you can, help me give away more free education!
Philosophy reading recommendations! Books about prisons and government surveillance, religion, capitalism, history, colonialism, slavery, and economics! Featuring French philosopher Michel Foucault and historian Max Weber!
Here’s me answering your comments about anarchy, the Internet Creators’ Guild, and the overlap between technology and politics!
Time to go through your comments from my series on the philosophy of Creativity! We talked about art, how to be creative, the link between creativity and anxiety
Time for some more reading recommendations! This month I’m talking about Graham Greene, the artist David Hockney, crime and punishment, politics, and Slavoj Žižek.
Here’s me answering your comments from two videos, one about White Supremacist Propaganda and one about 1984, Knowledge, & Power!
Aired April 30, 2017
Here's me answering your comments about the paradox of omnipotence, and about what fame and celebrity are. PLUS a special something for reaching 100,000 subscribers!
Here’s me answering your comments about Law, Order, Policing, Prisons, Government Surveillance, and French philosopher Michel Foucault!
Here are your questions and comments about George Berkeley and God, and John Locke and Colonialism!
To celebrate 125,000 subscribers I'm having a hangout! Come along and we'll chat; ask me your questions, say hello, look forward to Summer in the City with me!
Here’s a vlog from Summer in the City, the big annual online video convention in London! I had so much fun - thank you to everyone who came!
Here's me answering your comments about Kant and Lying, and the human rights of refugees!
Here's me reading out your comments about the philosophy of religion and what it means to have faith, and also the metaphysics of time and whether time really passes or stands still!
Thank you to all the inspiring teachers everywhere
Aired October 2, 2017 To celebrate 150,000 subscribers I'm having a hangout, so come along and say hello, ask me questions, chillout!
Here I go through the feedback from the 'What Was Liberalism?' series; talk about what was missing, what was good. Thanks for all your feedback!
Talking about the link between emotion and politics; learning French from a children's book; Noam Chomsky and American media; and Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein!
Here’s me reading your comments from the last month of the show, talking about the difference between creative expression and creative communication, plus being nice on YouTube!
Aired December 8, 2017 A vlog about something very different - longevity, technology, businessmen, a conference in Madrid, political activism, and artificially intelligent robot seals!
Here's the last few books I've been reading! This month's theme is ideas and how they're transmitted. Some Horkheimer and the Frankfurt School, some epistemology and ethics, and some feminist history with Susan Faludi! Enjoy!
Here’s me answering your comments from the big video I did on Antifa, plus some stuff about YouTube, communication, and morality. Enjoy!
Book time! Our theme this time is citations, and how to do them right! Some hardcore philosophy of mind with Simon Critchley's "Infinitely Demanding," Edward Said's "Orientalism," and some new Marxism with George Ciccariello-Maher's "Decolonising Dialectics." Enjoy!
Your questions and comments about rationality answered!
Aired February 22, 2018 To celebrate reaching 175,000 subscribers I'll be hanging out, answering questions from the live chat and generally having a fun time!
Aired March 4, 2018 If you're one of the people who'd like to see me in my other job as an actor, then on Friday the 30th of March I'll be in "The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square" as Pontius Pilate, and understudying Jesus!
To celebrate International Women's Day, here's 3 books either by or about inspiring women! Some stuff on s*x work with Melissa Grant's "Playing the Whore," some sociology with Ashton Applewhite's "This Chair Rocks," and some witchcraft history with Silvia Federici's "Caliban and the Witch."
Answering your comments about the ethics of "autonomous vehicles," especially in the wake of Uber's recent debacle in Arizona, as well the Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob.
Here's me answering your questions and comments about putting minds inside computers, and also about flat earth and why people reject scientific statements. Enjoy!
Here's a video chatting about a great book I read recently that's topping charts and winning all sorts of awards here in the UK!
Here’s me going through your comments from the last month of the show, including some stuff about Hegel, White Fragility, and Healthcare!
Aired June 1, 2018 To celebrate five years of making this show I decided to go back, re-watch my very first slightly cringeworthy video, and give my unscripted reactions. Thank you to all of you for an amazing 5 years!
To mark the channel reaching 200,000 subs I'll be having a livestream, taking questions, and talking about my upcoming VidCon visit, plus Natalie stops by for a chat!
Here's me going through your comments about Fake News, consuming media responsibly, the collab I did with Peter Coffin, and all things Plato!
Here’s some book recommendations along political lines, including some stuff about Venezuela and communes, as well as some stuff about intellectual disability and what it can tell us about democracy.
This is a lecture I gave to students at the Hague about the ethics of using Artificial Intelligence in warfare. I haven't given many lectures before, so I was a bit nervous! Thank you to everyone at THUAS for a wonderful time and your insightful questions!
Here's some reading recommendations on the theme of data and how it can lead us astray! Includes some economics, some philosophy of technology, and some cool science!
I've improved Philosophy Tube's sound, and picture - what's next? My face! Watch me struggle through learning makeup, and also celebrate reaching 10 million views!
Aired November 26, 2018
300,000 Subs woooooo!
Hanging out and talking about the Housing Crisis with Mexie!
Going through the feedback from the last episode, hanging out, chatting and having a chill time of it :)
Talking about the lobster book, giving general thoughts and impressions
Aired May 6, 2019
WOW! Philosophy Tube reached a million subscribers at last, so come along and celebrate with me!
An exclusive look behind the scenes at Philosophy Tube, an educational web channel about philosophy, created by Abigail Thorn. From starting out filming herself in her parents’ bedroom to an audience of over a million, Abigail has created a platform that both educates and entertains, by combining her expertise in philosophy and a passion for theatre. This candid interview details the history of the channel, her creative process in bringing it to life, and her hopes and fears for the future of content creators.
Possibly the most famous piece of philosophy in modern times, but what does it mean and is it true?
Is truth really needed for beauty OR Do works of art need to contain truth to have aesthetic value?
Should save the planet for 'future generations' if future generations don't yet exist?
An explanation of Berkeley's Idealism in this video, and why he thought the physical world didn't exist.
Is it rational to fear being dead? Some Classical philosophy in this episode with Titus Lucretius.
Kant was probably one of the most famous thinkers in the last 300 years, but what the heck is he on about?
Is there such a thing as moral luck, i.e. luck that can affect your moral standing?
Is telepathy actually possible, or is it logically contradictory?
Moral choice systems in video games and how they vary between consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics.
Are there any good arguments against homosexuality?
There are lots of charities in the world, so how can you choose which one to support?
Plato's Euthyphro Dilemma.
Is all human action self-interested?
We use names all the time, but what are they? Specifically, are they abbreviated descriptions, as Bertrand Russell said?
Can we make moral philosophical arguments for becoming vegetarian? Do humans have the right to eat animals?
An examination of the referential theory of names, with some philosophy and linguistics.
A rundown of some of the technical jargon that we use in episodes.
Is porn harmful to yourself or other people, and what moral duties might that generate?
Lots of things could be considered human rights, but is living a democracy one of them?
The link between Night Vale, the Nazis, Albert Camus and the Meaning of Life!
Hume's famous discussion of miracles is actually still used in the philosophy of religion today.
Descartes in his Meditations tries to prove that mind and body are separate and fundamentally different substances, but is he right?
Is there any strength to be found in the Teleological argument, or its fraternal twin the Fine-Tuning augment?
Emily at BlinkPopShift will tell you whether making something harder to watch makes it better and we'll delve into YouTube Poops!
Do you have free will? Are you sure? David Hume might know.
The practical ethical discussion about pornography continues. We discuss lolicon and shotacon hentai, and My Little Pony Rule 34.
Can you do other than what you judge to be best? Questions abound about rationality, judgement and action.
The simplest explanation is usually the correct one? Or is it more complex than that?
Who are you? And how do you know? And what makes it so? We explore the question of what makes you you over time.
Perhaps one of the most important and widely used axioms in philosophy. What is it? What does it mean and how does it work?
One of my favourite novels, Huxley's Brave New World, contains some great philosophy! So I enlisted a pal, Jon @TheLitCritGuy!
You look beautiful! But is that an objective thing, or a subjective thing? Maybe Kant and Hume can help us find out...
Is this even a useful distinction to make in philosophy?
A general introduction to the philosophy of time, explaining the distinction between A-theory and B-theory.
Some logic this week, with necessary and sufficient conditions! A useful bit of jargon.
Is the passage of time a real or just an illusion? What would happen if time flowed backwards?
What are the biggest fails when talking about philosophy? If you've committed any of these, train your brain to avoid them!
What would the UK look like if it was secular? Should the church and state be separate?
Are your arguments valid? Are they sound? What does those terms even mean?
Lots of people "support the troops" even if they don't support the cause for which they fight, but is that a morally defensible position?
Doubt and scepticism are an important philosophical tool, and epistemic scepticism is the strongest form.
"Rick and Morty" is a hilarious and bleak send-up of popular science fiction, but what could it tell us about Western attitudes towards science, or science at the exclusion of other pursuits? Watch and learn!
SEX! How much is too much? Is there a moral limit at all? Time for feminism!
What is necessary? What is contingent? What is the difference?
Do you have free will? Does it even matter? And how can Shakespeare help you find out? Let’s examine Stoppard’s ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ and see what it can tell us about free will…
A common philosophical mistake! Have you told somebody that they've begged the question? Did you use the term correctly?
The Friendzone, an emotional purgatory, and Immanuel Kant, notoriously difficult philosopher. Feminism and moral philosophy!
Are you listening to music wrong? How should you listen in order to make accurate aesthetic judgements?
Climate change and environmental damage are occurring, but do you have to do anything about it?
Here are 4 more examples of bad thinking, arguing or reasoning that really get my goat!
Should you look at leaked nudes or revenge porn? Should you peek at those naked snaps of Jennifer Lawrence?
How can you make true statements about Batman when he doesn’t exist? Will a fictional quantifier do the job, or will it lead to logical contradictions? Do we need 3-valued logic? Watch and find out!
Are numbers, sets, colours and Hamlet really objects? Are they abstract? What does that mean?
What is impossibility? What sorts of things are impossible? Let the Gentleman Thinker explain!
What are possible worlds? What does it mean to say something might have been true? Watch Part 1 of our discussion on David Lewis’ modal realism to find out!
Why is philosophy even important? It helps us overcome our natural limits of thinking, for one, and it’s depressingly rare for two.
What does scifi film “Another Earth” say about possible worlds and the famous Humphrey objection?
‘Mouse-X’ is an awesome little scifi film with clones in it, but what does it teach us about free will?
Who do natural resources belong to? Why are many resource-rich countries so poor and what can we do about it? Watch and find out!
Can you believe in both evolution and God? Let me and the Messianic Manic help you out!
What is the purpose of art, and what does Buddhism have to do with it? Let’s dive into Schopenhauer and find out!
One of the most famous and difficult problems in ethics! The issue that killed moral noncognitivism – The Frege-Geach Problem!
Aired December 19, 2014 How does TomSka’s Epic Girlfriend Pranks connect to Descartes and Hobbes and take the piss out of pranksters?
Aired December 26, 2014 Feminist critique of the Nativity. Where does it go wrong, historically and morally?
What is brutality, or primitiveness? How does it factor into logic and philosophy? Let the Gentleman Thinker explain!
How does Descartes try to prove the existence of God in his Meditations?
What are possible worlds, and how do they factor into philosophy and our understanding of language?
Aired January 30, 2015 Is it OK to use sexy thumbnails? Is it objectifying, or sexist?
What do you need to live a good life? Is pleasure the only good?
Aired February 13, 2015 The philosophy of love, chat about sexy underwear, and Valentine’s Day!
Metaphysics! How would we count all the objects in the universe?
If you damage your health, should you pay the price?
What laws do you have to follow, and why should you follow them?
Aired April 10, 2015 What if a gay person wants to use a company of a religious person who doesn't approve of homosexuality? Whose rights win out?
Aired April 24, 2015
Aired April 24, 2015 Cinemasins is a hugely popular channel about movies, but is it a model for critics everywhere?
Aired May 8, 2015 What does the Season 5 opener of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic say about socialism and Ayn Rand? No, really.
Philosophy meets physics, special relativity, and Doctor Who!
Trident will have to renewed or scrapped soon, so is Mutually Assured Destruction the way forward, or is it time to ban the bomb?
When saving lives, should you always save the greatest number? What if you didn’t have to?
What does the EUCHR do for us, and how does philosophy help settle this question?
Nazis! Art! Excitement!
Aired June 19, 2015 What does being a Christian country mean? What did the Prime Minister mean when he said it?
Human Rights, Libertarianism, Abortion, Police Brutality, Government Torture – they’re all connected. But how?
What do Jesus and Marx have in common, and what can an atheist get out of the New Testament?
Is sci-fi hit Rick and Morty actually about the work of Albert Camus?
What even is metaphysics? What do metaphysicians do?
What kinds of philosophical arguments can you construct, and what different techniques do they use?
How can you use your imagination to help you do philosophy?
What are the ways in which you can get knowledge? Here are the main 2 philosophers use!
Aired August 28, 2015 What if someone is pregnant and the father doesn’t want to keep it? Can the mother refuse to get an abortion and then demand child support?
Could the famous Ancient Greek philosopher have been totally made up, or are Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes accurate?
How is the Law and the job of judges like a comic book, or a tabletop game? Ronald Dworkin’s Law as Integrity:
Crucial features of language! Indicating words and pointing words!
When awful things happen, can letting go of your emotions and embracing Ancient Greek rationalism be the answer?
Are Artificial Intelligence and Computerised Minds really feasible, technologically and philosophically?
Are prisoners entitled to vote in elections, or is disenfranchisement justified legal punishment?
Aired October 16, 2015 NHS workers have to comply with rules about their appearance; what moral and religious/cultural dilemmas does this raise?
Morally speaking, who does the Man of Steel have a duty to save?
Why do we take pleasure in spooky scary art, and can Hume, Carroll, and Aristotle solve the Paradox of Horror?
When you need experience to get a job, but need a job to get experience, there’s a philosophical and logical name for that!
Hedonism is a philosophical theory about PLEASURE!
Aired November 20, 2015 With the release of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate it’s time to look at some video game philosophy!
Time for some aesthetics and metaphysics! Are songs sets, or abstract objects?
Aired December 4, 2015 In becoming an atheist I went through a Richard Dawkins/Christopher Hitchens phase, but I’ve grown out of it. So here's a personal vlog about that experience, rather than an analysis of their positions.
Margaret Cavendish influenced Hume, Hobbes, and Locke with her theories on science, materialism, minds, and God!
Today we explore the philosophy of cause and effect, determinism and free will, with Pierre-Simon Laplace!
Aired December 25, 2015 Time for some Christmas feminism and theology, revisiting an old video on the Nativity and reading some comments!
Let’s explain one of the most famous types of philosophical ethical theory, and how it helps us find what morality consists in.
‘Problematic’ is a contentious term: some people think it’s just an ‘SJW Buzzword,’ but it’s actually an academic loanword with some good uses!
What are human rights? Wesley Hohfeld’s philosophical analysis is the tool we use to understand legal and moral duties to one another.
Time for some postcolonial philosophy: let’s look at the concepts of race and racism and how they fit into law and politics.
Following on from our analysis of race and racism in politics and law, here’s a discussion of the racialization of Muslims in Western societies.
Time for some Nietzsche! What is Nihilism, what is an übermensch, and what does it mean to say “God is Dead?” This is the backdrop to the Will to Power!
John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” is huge in politics and criminal law: but what are the limits of freedom? And how does the history of the British Empire in India come into it?
What does philosophy have to say about photography and Instagram? Does art and aesthetics come into it?
Philosophy and economics! Part 1 of my series on Karl Marx. We talk about capitalism, exploitation, labour, and the working class.
More economic philosophy from Karl Marx, talking about the problems of capitalism, Alienation, labour, and business.
What is Cultural Marxism? What is the conspiracy theory around the Frankfurt school; how is it linked to right wing white nationalism and political correctness?
How will information technology affect capitalism and the future of economics? How did Thatcher and Reagan pave the way for David Cameron, Hillary Clinton, and the politics of today?
Rand is “Capitalism’s pet philosopher,” so let’s look at Objectivism, which she described in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
When countries go to war, or assign healthcare budgets, or Superman destroys Metropolis, is the collateral damage morally Ok?
What do Pokémon battles say about economics and philosophy? Is MewTwo a Marxist?
Male, female, cis, trans – what is gender? What makes up your gender identity? Existentialism, Society, Genetics?
A simple explanation of Immanuel Kant’s famous philosophy on how we experience and understand the world.
What's the meaning of ideas like knowledge and intelligence? What’s the Gettier problem? What do octopuses have to do with it?
How might the Internet, virtual reality, and technology affect art? Will new media make galleries obsolete? Are Da Vincis, Michelangelos, and Van Goghs still valuable as digital reproductions?
A simple introduction to Kant’s Categorical Imperative and his deontological approach to ethics
Is it right to go #BernieorBust, or should Bernie fans vote Clinton for President to try and avoid Donald Trump? How does the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill fit into US politics? When nobody on the ballot represents you in a democracy, how should you vote?
Britain has a referendum on whether to remain part of the European Union or to Brexit, and there’s some very important philosophy to be done about sovereignty, racism, nationhood, and immigration.
What does ethics have to say about art? Is Kill la Kill worse for all its boobs and butts? Is Star Trek worse for its political content? Are Nazi propaganda films worse for being about Hitler?
Marvel Comics & philosophy! Professor X might be a liberal but what if Magneto’s revolutionary politics is the path to peace? How do we challenge structural violence and systemic oppression?
10 philosophers you need to know if you want to engage with the world today - we're talking politics, race, trans rights, ethics metaphysics, art, culture, and more!
When Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn or Bernie Sanders of the Democrats are called “unelectable,” what’s the real political, moral, and philosophical ideology behind “electability?”
What is bias? How does your brain affect free will, argument, and thinking? Let's look at "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahnemann - if we want to study philosophy we need to know a bit about brains, biology, and psychology too!
With the economy changing a lot of artists and creators are relying on crowdfunding to pay the bills - so what philosophical issues does that throw up about the value of art, creativity, and Marxism? And the ethics of economic systems that increase medical and legal costs?
Is it morally okay to have babies? Anti-natalists like philosopher David Benatar would argue that nonexistence avoids pain, unlike existence, but is he correct? What does that mean for reproductive rights?
Let's look at the philosophy of colour! (Or color, if you're American.) Is colour wavelengths of light? Mental perceptions? How do anthropology, linguistics, and the Pirahã tribe of the Amazon come into it? What does Wittgenstein say? Do trees falling in empty forests make a sound? Also, who cares?
I talk about philosophy, history, economics, and why we need diversity in education! You can't just look at Europe, you need a global focus! The philosophers Karl Marx and Søren Kierkegaard might have some recommendations...
The Presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has revealed something interesting about politics. The ideas of philosopher (and Nazi) Carl Schmitt, and the black activist Kwame Ture, can help us understand how the right-wing and left-wing criticise liberalism…
Every November we remember war, the army, and military history, often with poppies. But philosopher Benedict Anderson would say it’s a reflection of aggressive nationalism. How can we remember war in a way that fosters peace? How can we use our own patriotism, politics, and history responsibly?
Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece “Waiting for Godot” is one of the most famous pieces of 20th Century Theatre – but what are the philosophical questions it raises? How does the story of its creation tie in with Albert Camus, and the Nazi invasion of France?
What is the purpose of education; what good does learning aim at? Is it just training people to enter the workforce and employment market, or to be citizens, or something else? Especially philosophy, can you get a job with it? Does that question miss the point? Here's some vague thoughts about it all...
Do people and countries with money have a duty to aid those in poverty? How are human rights affected by capitalism? What about reparations for colonialism and slavery? And isn't this a very bourgeois way of thinking anyway?
CHRISTMAS! There’ll be lots of presents given this December, but should you really give gifts? Why not just give cash? Let’s look at the economics and philosophy of altruism and category errors.
A very important idea in political philosophy from Giorgio Agamben - what is the State of Exception? How do governments use it?
What's the definition of 'art'? A pretty fundamental question in aesthetics - the philosophy of art. I explain the basic theories, citing Wittgenstein and George Dickie, among others, touching on art history and modern art today.
Some fans tell me that philosophy makes them sad, especially existentialists like Satre and Camus, and especially if it impacts their religious faith. So if studying it makes you depressed, anxious, or lonely, here's a story to help you feel better, and some chat about the wonder of learning!
The Internet Creators Guild, invented by Hank Green and Laura Chernikoff, looks cool, but it symbolises some problems that I have with YouTube, “the YouTube community,” and Silicon Valley more generally – it’s a kind of bourgeois technocratic liberalism
Part 1/3 - What does it mean to be creative? Whether you're a creative artist, scientist, mathematician, musician...what is it? Aesthetics, neurology, and the philosophy of creativity combine to reveal the secret of original and valuable thinking!
Part 2/3 - Philosophers like Kant and Plato think you can't teach creativity, but there are three rules you can use to stimulate your unconscious mind and get the creative juices flowing!
Part 3/3 - Some creative people feel of sadness, anxiety, depression, even Imposter Syndrome. Is there a link between art and sadness, or even mental illness? Is it something in the brain? In the heart? Something to do with Marxist economics and capitalism?
We need to understand how white supremacist propaganda works and what it tells us about communication and truth. Let’s look at the myth of the Irish Slaves, and the myth of White Genocide…
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a famous dystopian novel by George Orwell, and it’s a very useful teaching tool for learning about language and justice. What moral issues come up when we talk about words, knowledge, and who has access to them?
Here’s a video examining Slavoj Žižek’s book “Violence” in a bit more detail. It’s got some interesting things to say about politics, democracy, and capitalism, but there’s some problems too.
What does it mean to be a famous celebrity? Is fame about knowledge, success, money, or ambition? What can we learn about fame from legends like Che Guevara and Jesus, or philosophers like Schopenhauer? Does capitalism shape fame in the modern age?
When people break the law they get arrested by the police and punished by the courts - prison, a fine, whatever. But why? What's the philosophical purpose of legal punishment? Does it benefit society, and if so how exactly? Is it moral? Let's compare consequentialism and retributivism.
Part 1/2 - What is prison for? How has crime and punishment changed in the last 250 years? Philosopher Michel Foucault says the penal system - that's law, courts, police, surveillance - exists to protect the power of the ruling class, but what does that mean?
Part 2/2 - More Foucault! A look at Jeremy Bentham's prison, the Panopticon, and what it says about Edward Snowden, cyber-security, government surveillance. Also discussing Stop & Search by the police in the UK, and what it says about power and spying.
What does “law and order” really mean? What can we learn about history and politics from it? And do you always have to obey the law?
George Berkeley was a philosopher who denied the existence of the physical world – an Idealist! If you’re studying A-Level philosophy you’ll need to know this important bit of metaphysics!
The Enlightenment philosophy of John Locke made America and Canada what they are today, and helped forge the British Empire too. History reveals a tale of racism, colonialism, and First Nation genocide; of law, politics, property, and land. The legacy of “the State of Nature.”
Is lying ever okay? Not according to philosopher Immanuel Kant, who said that we should always tell the truth no matter the consequences!
This 2-part series looks at what human rights can do for refugees and migrants. In this Part 1, hear the story about the refugee crisis that followed WWI, and what happened to Europe when racism and greed combined…
This 2-part series looks at what human rights can do for refugees and migrants. In this Part 2, hear about how human rights are supposed to work, and what some alternative ideas might be.
God and truth, science and religion, belief and madness - what do the philosophers Anthony Flew, R.M. Hare, and Søren Kierkegaard have to say about these topics?
How does "love" figure into politics? White supremacists and racists like the Ku Klux Klan will sometimes insist that they aren't hate groups, but love groups. But what kind of "love" is it? Is it true love, or just narcissism?
Does it make sense to talk about time passing, or time standing still? What do physics and metaphysics say about the philosophy of time?
A 4-part series about liberalism. In this episode, how political ideologies work, the role of violence in politics, how liberalism makes exceptions, and how it markets itself as “centrist” and “reasonable.”
A 4-part series about liberalism. In this episode, what capitalism is, how capitalism and liberalism are linked, and how the English Civil War led to John Locke.
A 4-part series about liberalism. In this episode, the economic ideology of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, that led to austerity and the financial crisis.
A 4-part series about liberalism. In this episode, 3 big problems with liberalism: it slides to the right; it's wrong about how humans make decisions; and it supports capitalism.
Here’s the start of a brand new series - the Philosophy of YouTube! In this first instalment I talk about bullying online, and the role of emotion in discourse!
Mark Bray's new book "Antifa: the Antifascist Handbook" came out recently, and so here's my impressions of it!
In this second instalment of the Philosophy of YouTube I talk about art and creativity, and how advertisers take advantage of the distinction between expression and communication!
In this third instalment of the Philosophy of YouTube I talk about knowledge and morality, access to information, and how the Internet might complicate what we think about responsibility....
In this fourth instalment of the Philosophy of YouTube I talk about how communities are constructed - whether through common languages or editing styles - and the barriers to entry
Part 1 in a new 4-part series; what does it mean to be rational? To have a reason to do something? What does that tell us about law enforcement and artificial intelligence?
Part 2: Continuing our discussion of what rationality is, let's talk about moral reasons, and what happens if someone just wants to be bad!
Part 3: Are feels and reals really so different? Why have reason and emotion historically been opposed? Why is it that women and subalterns have been assigned emotionality and irrationality?
Part 4: What does it mean to be open minded? How can art and creativity help us make more people open minded? How can we make socially conscious art?
Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob came up with philosophy that prefigured Enlightenment thinkers Hume, Descartes, Locke, Kant, and the US Founding Fathers! Once lost to history, now his ideas about God and ethics can be celebrated and learned!
In the fifth instalment of the Philosophy of YouTube I talk about how YouTube might end, and what that possible end might teach us about where it's going now.
Does the Trolley Problem tell us anything about self-driving cars? What are the moral, legal, or ethical issues thrown up by autonomous vehicles? Should we be more critical of corporations like Uber?
Biology meets computer science meets philosophy! Following a discussion between Antonio Damasio and Aubrey de Grey I was inspired to talk about minds and brains, computers, artificial intelligence, and technology!
Does YouTube shape YouTubers, or do YouTubers shape YouTube? And can we compare the Internet to the printing press without doing bad history?
Why do some people believe the globe is flat? What is the philosophical position known as Direct Realism, and how can optical illusions help us learn about what science is?
This video explains the work of Hegel and Frantz Fanon, and explores how the Master & Slave Dialectic can help us understand identity politics.
How can we ethically distribute healthcare resources? And what does Foucault have to do with it? How does biopolitics help us understand medical decision-making for smokers and fat people?
What are the Forms, and what do they do? What is the Allegory of the Cave? Here's bits and pieces from the Meno, the Parmenides, the Phaedo, and the Republic - all as an intro to Plato's metaphysics!
Aired June 15, 2018 The news is often so depressing and tough to watch, but do we have a moral duty to be informed about the world? How can we watch the news responsibly, telling the fake news from the real?
Disability studies can teach us a huge amount about political philosophy! Even though the right have gained ground, there's a fundamental ideological reason why the Left will win (or at least never fully lose...)
Are the laws of the land made to be broken? How does philosophy, and activists like Rosa Parks, tell us what good and bad laws are?
Self-hatred, anxiety, and internalised oppression can tell us a lot about the philosophy of mind... Have you been hearing voices?
In order to explain what solitary does to prisoners, we might need a whole new theory of mind...
It's Elon Musk Vs Slavoj Žižek in the war for ironic counterculture. Whoever wins, we lose...
9/11 and the War on Terror changed a lot. Will it ever change back?
Who decides what a ment@l illness is? Is suic!dality always a sign of insanity? ★★★
Ancient Greek Scepticism is back, and this time it’s personal.
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble...
With apologies to Australia
"So tell me about parasocial relationships."
A Christmas story of weird waifus, rotten royals, and brave bisexuals
A video that is definitely about comic books AND NOTHING ELSE
Alternate title - Why Do We Build the Wall?
A Scifi Odyssey to the heart of democracy
This April Fool's Day, descend into the madness of 90s harem anime
Why this is Hell, nor are we out of it!
"I think the people in this country have had enough of experts..." ft. Adam Conover
Alternate Title - 'What to Do When Elites Break The Rules'
SUR-PRISE!
Peterson's new book is actually pretty decent and it's a great opportunity to learn about ideology!
A tasty bit of self-reflection!
A video about protest, direct action, and revolution in the context of the climate crisis ⚔️⚔️⚔️
That latex bodysuit was actually surprisingly comfortable!
The Social Contract Introduction / What is Social Contract Theory? / Feminist Critiques / Critical Race Theory / Announcement: The Prince
Does Anybody Really "Get" Art?
An odyssey into the NHS and why it treats trans patients so poorly.
When crypto company FTX crashed, it posed big questions for the Effective Altruism movement!
Stoic Philosophy Explained
A deep dive into the work of philosopher H.L.A. Hart, who wrote a lot about legal rules and what the law is, and a comparison of Hart's theory to the practical reality of policing in post-austerity Britain. Featuring a sexy demon, a latex bikini, an all-star voice cast, and more!
What Ethical AI Really Means
The building I was born in used to be a hospital - now it's luxury flats. Let's talk about how cities are developing, and the challenges to building better ones. We'll discuss gentrification, and then we'll pivot to talking about 15-minute conspiracy theories and the obstacles we face to thinking smarter about urban design.
