#SocraticTok: Philosophy Is All the Rage

Your daily deep dive into the topics and trends that are changing the world. www.ozy.com [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright [Daily Dose]( The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Apr 04, 2022 Today Philosophy is often thought to be the obscure and overly complicated ideas contained in books written by grey-bearded men in ivy-covered universities. But today young philosophers, healers and TikTokkers are thinking new thoughts on new subjects — subjects that relate more directly to our contemporary lives and the societies we live in. Philosophies of rage, complaint, travel, wellness and healing are all now part of philosophic scrutiny. And these ideas are readily explored by both young philosophers in academic institutions as well as those outside the traditional academies. In today’s Daily Dose we take a look at contemporary ideas ranging from Plato to Vasquez-Lavado. – with reporting by Matthew Blackman Bright Young Thinkers Myisha Cherry on Rage Rage has had a bad rap both recently and historically. Philosophers from Aristotle to Martha Nussbaum have argued that people in a state of rage act irrationally and participate in aggressive acts. But [Myisha Cherry](, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, argues [that rage has a role in contemporary society](. Cherry says that anger is an appropriate response to wrongdoing and racism. Rage, she says, can motivate people into correcting injustices. Using her own experience as an African American woman, she argues that anger has played an important role in her personal motivation. Agnes Callard on Complaint Complaining is often thought of as a negative thing. But Agnes Callard, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago, thinks we should reflect on it a little more. As a mother, she says she “[spends a lot of time listening to complaining](.” But as she realised, philosophers have generally ignored thinking about it. She points out a lot of stand-up comedy is a form of complaint. It is also an important form of protest. When we complain, Callard argues, we express the obligations that we have towards each other. By complaining we ask for [what we are morally due](. [YOUR VOTE](: Is complaining, to you, a sign of an optimistic or pessimistic view on life? Emily Thomas on Travel Travel is not really something traditional philosophers have addressed. But this is not true of [Emily Thomas](, an associate professor in philosophy at Durham University. Thomas argues that travel can help us get to grips with cultural and ethical issues as well as being “mind expanding.” Philosophy can also tell us something about why we travel. Why, for example, did people suddenly begin enjoying mountain climbing? As she points out, up until the 18th century it hardly existed. Something in the way we think about space and nature changed. In her book [The Meaning of Travel]( she addresses many of these fascinating questions. [YOUR VOTE:]( Has a vacation ever permanently changed the way you live your life, and if so, how? Nontraditional Vantage Points Silvia Vasquez-Lavado on Surviving and Conquering Abuse Vasquez-Lavado grew up in Peru in deeply traumatic surroundings: She was a victim of sexual abuse. As a survivor, she has gone psychologically, spiritually and physically on a journey of recovery and healing. What changed her life was an out-of-body experience with a [traditional healer using traditional medicine](. This allowed her to look at her life in a new way, envisioning it as a journey around a mountain. That inspired her to become a mountaineer and explore how mountains are connected to spiritual and psychological healing. Mountaineering gave her an empowering feeling of strength and courage. With this philosophy as a foundation, she launched the remarkable nonprofit [Courageous Girls](, which helps survivors of sexual abuse. [Watch More]( Queen Afua on Healing and Justice She may not be a philosopher in an academic sense, but this holistic health practitioner and wellness coach is bringing health, strength and personal healing to women through [her bestselling books]( and her teaching. But as she points out, the healing of women can go further than that: It can also empower both the family and the community they live in. Queen Afua bridges the gaps between thought, wellness, diet and healing. Like Myisha Cherry, she [believes that finding justice]( is the issue of our time. [YOUR VOTE:](Has a change in diet ever changed your outlook? [Watch More]( Kazuo Ishiguro on Novel Philosophy Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophical novels may be a thing of the past, but philosophical novels still do exist. The [Nobel prize-winning Ishiguro]( has been dipping into philosophical ideas from his first book, asking: How do we [deceive ourselves](? Are our jobs performative, and how does this affect our psychology? What are the ethics of organ harvesting? Should we remember painful trauma and divisive history, or should we suppress it? And just what does identity look like in a world of [artificial intelligence](? Ishiguro is from a tradition that asks philosophical questions through storytelling on issues that formal philosophy finds difficult to get to grips with. WATCH UKRAINE SPECIAL: Sonya Zlotnick #TikTokPhilosophy The Prof of TikTok Paul Blaschko, an assistant philosophy professor at Notre Dame, [has taken to TikTok]( to share some of philosophy’s most intriguing and paradoxical questions. Last year he teamed up with Brian Cutter, and with the help of [Free Style Rap Instrumental Beat]( they explained to the world just why “[utilitarianism is so dumb](.” It was one of the most viewed philosophy lessons on TikTok until Blaschko’s masterpiece [the surprise exam paradox]( was viewed by well over 800,000 people. His other viral postings include [proof that God exists](, can you live TGL in a “[burnout society](” and [the hell paradox](. [YOUR VOTE](: What would be involved in your own personal hell? The Philosophy of the Others Although Blaschko tops the TikTok charts of philosophy profs, there are others trying their (invisible selfie) hand at making them. Prof Nathan Nobis from Morehouse College has hit over 1,000 views with his video on [ethics and morality](. And using the rule that many selfie hands make light work, the whole of the [Gonzaga University Philosophy Department]( have grouped together to shed some light in the TikTok cave of philosophical darkness. However, by far the most-viewed video they’ve produced is of staff reading, not their philosophy, [but students’ criticisms of their teaching](. Self-critique is, after all, an important part of the philosophical process! The Baron of #TikTokPhilosophy Baron Ryan is not an academic philosopher. But his TikTok account, [AmericanBaron](, with over 2.3 million followers, takes the dialectical method of Socrates and mixes it with the comic form that TikTok users expect. Ryan’s brilliantly produced videos on the paradoxes of contemporary life see him questioning assumptions about the modern world. He has taken on some of the great questions of our time, opening them up to his distinctive self-inquiry. From questioning the absurdities and difficulties [of breakups]( to how the [capitalist economy really works]( to thoughts on the drudgery of daily existence, Ryan’s video offerings are TikTok’s boom! Community Corner Do you know of any contemporary philosophers, and what do you think their theories offer society? Share your thoughts with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com. ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( A Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](