Hey, I've been following your channel for a bit over a year now. You're content is great and I very much appreciate this video. I like how you come with an academic approach that doesn't feel like you're specifically trying to sell me your views. It's a breath of fresh air
A: we will never be free it is not natural rule of law, rule of capital, and rule of nature, rule of consciousness. Freedom is a perception of one's self and the restrictions we can observe. How can we ever be free with the chains of space and time and the shackles of a morale compass... you are free to starve but you are also free to eat.
Creativity is often born of constraint within a medium. But if that constraint is applied generally, it becomes restrictive. I do agree that most people don’t want freedom. It is too horrifying a thing to be able to do anything we want. Best to have to stick to the daily grind
It’s almost as though for most there is an innate reliance on interaction and being deemed as a good person so for that, we are willing to sacrifice our freedom to appear satisfactory in the eyes of the world
Freedom is impossible. We exist within our bodies which have needs such as food, water, shelter. We work to keep ourselves fed and secure, to keep going until we can't anymore. To be free would be to reject life itself and seek enlightenment beyond human limitations
Reality itself is the one entity that is truly free. Those who live within, aren't and can never be. But that still doesn't mean that we should give up entirely on our quest for more freedom-that act is still significant in itself.
Personally, I'm so used to a rigid schedule and structure to my interactions with the world that sometimes freedom is jarring; it upsets me a bit that it feels like that. Not to say there's no joy in a more rigid life, it definitely lifts a burden when you know what you have to do.
Habits when used responsibly in a sense can be liberating, especially if it’s trivial things. When you make things like paying bills, brushing your teeth, etc a habit, you are moving it from conscious to unconscious thought. This frees up your more active conscious mind to consider things that are important to you and not easy to automate like creative thinking and art. There is of course a balance as habits can also be restrictive if it ends up being all you do every day. But that isn’t so much a problem with having habits at all but rather having too many habits that you don’t have time for anything not habitual
Hey Sisyphus, would you consider putting the sources in the video description? Sometimes you mention a philosopher who I want to look up more on and I end up having to try and catch the name when you say it and I hope I spell it right in Google lol. Would be really helpful :)
"Freedom signifies a relationship." Thank you for this commentary on freedom. Here are excerpts from the writings of Marshall Vian Summers on the topic of freedom. "Let me learn to be free so that I may join. Your independence from the past--past judgments, past wounds and past difficulties--gives you independence in the present. This is not to solidify your separation...but instead to enable you to join meaningfully in relationship. Let this be a tacit understanding. You can do nothing in the world without relationship. You can accomplish nothing; you can advance in no direction; you can realize no truth; you can contribute nothing of value without relationship. So as your independence from the past grows, thus does your promise for inclusion in the present and the future grow as well. For freedom is meant to empower you to join." (MVS, Steps to Knowledge)
"Relationship is not two bodies together. It is not two minds sharing the same ideas. It is spirits touching through minds and bodies. For what can be more valuable and more essential than when two people truly touch each other and give to each other even in the simplest of circumstances, in the simplest of gestures? This is the high point of human achievement." (Relationships & Higher Purpose, Marshall Vian Summers)
this is a SUPER interesting topic. thanks for covering it in such detail! The idea that every individual is their own slave/owner and how that plays into progressing capitalism is really crazy to think about! I also really love how simple yet sensible the analogy of our phones and social media being a new form of worship. quality video as always, thanks for helping me start my day off right :)
Great video on an interesting topic! I think the false consciousness created by neo-liberalism that we are the masters of out own destiny is an incredibly fascinating area. Definitely the book you have described seems to link to the idea that we ironically detach ourselves from our participation in capitalist society; it’s not even that we’re 100% brainwashed into believing capitalism is good, we are fatalistic about ourselves and our chance to overthrow capitalism as our own “personal project”. Because of this we continue to work within the system. It’s obviously a silly argument when right-wingers say things like “oh you hate capitalism but own an iPhone, hypocrite!”. However, there is a serious apathy towards attempting to change capitalism from those who are against it because they are necessarily constrained to participate within it just to subsist. I’d be curious to see how Byung Chul Han reacts to Zizek’s claim that buddhism is a vehicle for capitalism now, as the detachment from the self allows the individual to participate in capitalism without scruples.
@@handsomeboi3767 I disagree! I think it must be overthrown, personally, as reformism isn’t working. Highly recommend having a look at “social reform or revolution?” By Luxemburg and “what is to be done?” By Lenin if you want an idea of why reformism away from capitalism isn’t preferred.
There is no such thing as capitalism. You will always be subordibated by someone else. I think your obsession with the false notion of controlling one's destiny is very interesting in a childlike way though. Also, Zizek is basically just a liberal and admits as much. Then again, all "marxists" are just crypto liberals obsessed with "human liberation"
I completely see this system as fine. In fact, i dislike the current system because it doesn’t go far enough. Being the master and the slave empowers you to make your own decisions. Individual freedom is good because… well… using force is wrong.
I've been following this political/philosophical Instagram account for a while that has, on more than one occasion, pointed out that in regards to work, spare time, and ties to local communities, the peasants of the ~10-15th Centuries had it a lot better than us living under feudalism than we do today in democracies. Farming itself did not take a 10+ person family 40 hours of working each week, communities were tighter, the Catholic Church had many feast days and combined with the kings kept society relatively well structured and peaceful (about as much as we can hope for today with high rates of crime and mass shootings, etc.), other than wars of course. This of course is a picturesque view of the medieval era and we are obviously much better off in terms of sanitation, medicine, and technology. That being said, it is interesting to consider that humans were had more of the "meaningful" freedoms and benefits of a closer-knit society under emperors and kings for thousands of years than modern humans living in small apartments and working 40 hours a week to break even each month.
Not to mention the average life expectancy of around 35 years. Or the rampant disease and filth that even the very rich lived with. Like your teeth? Back then you might actually get to enjoy having them, until you were about ten. No dentistry. No doctors, either. Or, how about the fact that 90% of the population was uneducated and had no skills to speak of other than farming, which was all done by hand? Does that sound groovy to you? Landowners could kill peasants for almost no reason. The church stole the people's money by selling them dispensations for their sins, which only the church could offer. 4 out of 5 babies never reached the age of three. Jolly old times, indeed. But then, if you ever read more than a few lines of text at a sitting, you'd likely know all of this. You. Are. An. Idiot. But that's okay, slick. Your generation is, almost to a certainty, already doomed. I'd much rather see you pay the price of losing your freedom, seeing as how inclined you are to offer it up so willingly, than any who come after you. That way at least three or four generations that follow you will not have to suffer the way you and your ilk likely will. FFS!
Really glad I stumbled upon this channel. Most of your videos make me think a lot, and I feel that's a positive change on my side. Gotta say, that analogy of mobile devices as 'mobile confessionals' really hit home. There are multiple times where I read about certain things and then to show solidarity with them, I pressed like. It's like saying 'I am supporting such and such, therefore anyone who sees this act in their front page should recognize me as a good person'. Really interesting train of thoughts. I still pressed like on your videos, though.
I find the ideas in this video strangely hopeful, despite the bleak description of the human subject under neoliberalism. These ideas describe a specific historical situation - our own - and do not try to describe any sort of human essence. They pose the question - this is what neoliberalism has done to you, what are you going to do about it? The fact that this question can be asked is the opening hope needs. We live in history and the future remains unknown. Neoliberalism will not last forever, no matter what its devotees think. Can we choose something better? To answer in the negative ignores the very structure of this description of what binds us. There are no guarantees. But there is possibility.
I've been ready to break this shit since I had to see people go hungry at my job. If I could I would let them take everything but, I bet they would look as shocked as if no one was there to check them out.
One time I had a dream that I woke up and realized everyone was being drugged to basically be ignorant to “what’s happening” I stopped taking my pill , and anxiously tried to convince my family to stop taking theirs. Then I started running. I ran and ran, and I got over a barb wire gate. When I jumped the gate, I looked around and saw emptiness, fire, a dessert of nothing. I turned around to see security guards calmly welcoming me , to take me back home. It’s like they allowed me to see that there was no life beyond the one I was forced into. I can’t escape. I wondered what it meant for about a year. One day I realized that it means… despite whatever’s going on in the world, or the universe, I just have to go with it. To use what I have and make a life of it. Enjoy it, even if I have to take the pill of ignorance, and give up freedom. Because freedom is nothing beyond what we already know. A void. Ignorance is truly bliss.
People “want” to be free but don’t want the responsibility. They’ve been fooled into thinking they can pass off the responsibility to the government and continue to be free. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
This video hurt because oppressed can be oppressivor without changing the system that we have. The neoliberal economic system is designed for competition against each other. Sadly, we need an human empathy to make a system for everyone.
Liberty and freedom are like free will: a convenient way to ablate the perception of oneself as a brief vessel, doomed to die. Our agency in this world is laughably narrow and ineffectual. We're on a ride we didn't buy a ticket for, and we are firmly strapped in our seats, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times
I think that a lot of people want to have an illusion of freedom,but at the same time they are aware that they are responsible for bearing the weight of their own choices.If anything goes wrong,they have no one to blame but themselves and their own decisions.In my eyes,freedom is truly terrifying.It is unknown and full of potential.To not be shackled by others and your enviroment.That it why it is infinitely easier to just accept everything as it is.It is easier to criticize the misdeeds of society than to take active measures to change its structure.
Freedom from what is the question. There is no such thing as perfect freedom, in the real world gaining one type of freedom always requires sacrificing another. Being a loner frees you from the difficulties other people can cause, but takes away your freedom to form potentially good and fulfilling relationships. Quitting your job might free up your time but take away your freedom to afford things that make life more enjoyable, or to care for your loved ones. Achieving any difficult goal requires giving up much of your time and energy, but might free you from the pain of failure or regret of having never tried. Getting anything that you desire will always require voluntarily binding your existence in one way or another. To have total freedom from everything would be to have a totally empty life (which, knowing human nature, would ironically leave you bound to boredom and depression, so perhaps total freedom truly cannot exist). So the key in my mind is not to pursue the fool's errand of total freedom, but to figure out which specific things you are happy or at least willing to be bound by and which things you desperately want to be free from, then pursue a life that fits those priorities.
I have been living as what I would consider somewhat free for a couple of years now and I dislike it. I have dropped out of college two years ago and have been living quite freely ever since. Being quite privileged financially means that I don't have to work or find a solution to monetary issues. This whole time spent reflecting on what I want to do and what I want to be has been productive yet discouraging. Trying to find my place in this capitalistic system has taken a toll on my mental health. I have wondered if partaking in it was even worth it. I have wondered if my own interests even mattered in the grand scheme of things. I have wondered if I should rather choose a humanitarian job rather than one that pays well and that I like. The freedom I have had, the never ending time thinking has taken me to many places philosophically and spiritually. Being aware of all of these intricacies you cite in your video makes you feel powerless in front of this huge system. It resonated with me when you spoke of our self projects and blaming ourselves for the state of this world we cannot change alone. I believe our society has influenced us to become self involved, self serving and too individualistic. We all feel alone and small in the face of the many issues our world faces. I have often wished to have been forced by my parents into a certain career, I've wished of circumstances that would force me to do things instead of wondering what I am doing and why. This subject is incredibly difficult and fascinating to learn about, this video was amazing. You have opened up my mind to do even more thinking than usual.
No one really knows if they want freedom cause no one has ever really experienced freedom, and idt anyone ever will have true freedom. There will always something to bind us
Marx was really painting with a broad brush when we described the entrepreneur as someone who sees all relationships as instrumental. Though that may describe some people, my perspective is that having good relationships with people is a hallmark of success.
I definitely cant play valorant and listen to sysyphus at the same time. BTW love this type of topic, we can even correlate to the american gods argument. We change our gods from time to time
One thing I want to be freed from is myself. I'm the worst enemy of myself. I hold myself back. I know full freedom in this life is impossible, but I just want to be beyond myself a little. And being that makes me happier. I don't want to die with regrets only. That's it.
As one of the Ascended Masters once said, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose" Nana na nana nana nana na de da. Me and Bobby McGeeeeee
The first and most oppressive lie ever uttered was the song of freedom. For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There’s a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken.
I loved (and hated) this video. Im reading a lot of things related from different autors, but with this video it kindda all just clicked together. Thanks ;)
The short answer is "no". This immediately brings to mind "Why?" To which the short answer is "Complexity." Therefore, in the absence of being pressured to take on responsibility in order to retain freedoms that we enjoy we generally avoid it. This brings about the age old consequences of allowing such power to rest within the hands of a ruling class. When they take things too far people react with revolution which is always either squashed or becomes worse than the system that it usurped. On a long enough timeline people are going to have to learn that anarchy is the only solution but we need to be mature enough to not all kill each other when we get there. That's unfortunately impossible, it is kill or be killed out there, survival of the fittest and we didn't make the rules. We are basically nature's test subjects and she likes to watch us fight because it's how she improves herself.
This even connects to the process of fascist revolution, as well. Fascism only comes about in a society where rights are assumed to always exist, and where we don’t have to fight for them. And thus fascism grows without ever being addressed, using fear of an arbitrary subject for which people to explain their debt to and throw away responsibility. Love it when philosophy ties into other topics
I find myself agreeing with you, except when it comes to anarchy. It can't be the solution if it's unsustainable. I imagine it'll lead to a dynamic where it's those of us who aren't violence versus those of us who are more violent... eventually leading to a kind of the system we have now. I think an ideal system would be one that (actually, genuinely) serves the best interest of the majority not the few. But again, there are always assholes out there so it's probably impossible
I say fuck that. True anarchy or whatever utopia you subscribe to is probably impossible, but we should be getting as close as possible or just abandoning the societal experiment.
@@en7070 I think the point of anarchy is to discuarage assholery as much as possible, which honestly is the best goal to have. It's unsustainable because of moral qualms like "is it an asshole move to kill an asshole?" That make it so that any "true" anarchist society can't actually do any asshole fighting. It's why I'll never call myself an anarchist, but still follow all the tenets. We just need something slightly worse than anarchy so it can prop itself up permanently but still be a moral system.
I really relate to the idea of "being in debt to capital". I often feel like I've been born blessed and society has given me many things but I have not given anything back. I am in debt with society, ... and the only way to pay this debt is by working. (is how I often feel) But the problem is, I am an ADHD boi, I can't have schedules and I can't do the same thing over and over, both things are essential to creating a career. For this reason, I'm not generally useful as a tool to generate capital. I'm a burden to my family. (is also how I often feel) Should I accept my freedom, and liberate myself from the debt I have with the capital, Or should I find a way to pay my debt?
Freedom is a fleeting feeling. It’s that sense of ultimate satisfaction from discipline, self-control, and sacrifice in the pursuit of nobility and truth. We shouldn’t rely on government or others to give us freedom. We can only achieve it through our individual actions guided by our value structures.
You talk of the only signs of class antagonism being weak exclamations of platitudes but class antagonism goes both ways, mass austerity being legislated by governments to pay for recessions for example are extremely violent and destructive class antagonism from the top onto the poorest! From the other end just in the last few years we have seen the largest strike in human history (the Indian farmers against Modi's neoliberal reforms) and the most mass insurrectionary activity in the US in history (BLM) Love your videos and thought it worth mentioning!
I find that work indeed instills the worth. It’s almost obvious any leisure we haven’t earned we can’t enjoy. See in my eyes it’s a virtue to be both owner and the laborer. to be the bearer of your own fruits. nothing compares to that, not even being a dictator.
I was that edgy teen you always mention when I was younger. But I think it was an important part of who I am today, its part of the reason why nihilism and Fredrick niches theory have become a big part of what I believe and who I am.
But we cannot be truly free, we are constrained to the physical laws of our worlds. Even if we get rid of any mental constrain or debt, we are still trapped inside of a decaying body. Perhaps spiritual transcendence is the closest we can get to true freedom.
@@Zikato There is this author concerned with the topic of freedom. His name is Sommerset Maugham, and many of his works are focused on the attainment or liberation of the self. A particular book that touches on the subject is “Of Human Bondage” where a Philip Carey falls in love with Mildred. Is a sort of coming of the age, but thought the mains characters journey he is exposed to the idea of freedom in art, in spirituality, and through love. Is an interesting read and perhaps you can come to your own conclusions.
@@elierreyes9287 I don't see why people are shitting on spirituality. There's a major difference between having a spiritual code of honor and conforming to what other's demand we conform into.
i have been seeing this more as I grow older: "I believe in freedom and we should have government enforce it". the inherent contradiction at it's core is another in the long list of contradictions I find us humans readily accept.
So breaking it down, we have disassociated our pursuit of happiness for the pursuit of capital in believing it leads to freedom (neoliberalism). And in a way, we have identified with the projects of chasing capital over the systematic and ultimate pursuit of actual free will. Similar to another video where our goals aren’t truly intrinsic, but extrinsic.
We want to have the illusion of choice, but we don't want to be free. We want the freedom to transfer the blame to a superior being or supernatural phenomenon when we do wrong.
I would argue that science has done a topnotch job of harming more people than religion. Hell, there are plenty of godless people in positions of power who have done the same thing. The vax comes to mind..
Freedom means personal responsibility. Responsibility means being accountable. You cannot have accountability without conflict. Most people avoid conflict at all cost. Only the few and brave want freedom.
There are also different types of freedom. There is mental freedom, physical freedom, financial freedom, social freedom, technological freedom, etc. The essence of freedom is the ability to manifest possibilities, but that freedom is bound by the natural transition between potential and kinetic energy. A lot of people think that freedom is a personal ability to do what we want, but if the entire universe of living beings are free, then our freedom is not personal. Freedom is Universal.
Remember the difference between positive freedom and negative freedom. Negative freedom is the lack of restrictions others place on you. Positive freedom is your ability to enact your will.
After watching a plethora of TH-cam videos pertaining to philosophy and "self - help", I must agree with Adolphus, duc de Boheme, " Individually and collectively, we are all going to hell. There is nothing we can do about it, so we might as well relax and enjoy the journey."
The question is not whether or not we are free-- it means nothing. Rather, how can we become free. Is it is not will do nothing, but questions of becoming matter most
Funny thing about Freedom and Friendship Free comes from Old English fréo, ultimately from an PIE root meaning 'beloved', though it came to mean 'out of bondage' or 'unhindered'. To be free is in a way to love and be loved. Friend comes from OE fréond, free + -end (an old root like modern -er, as in 'doer'), and is in extension from the verb fréogan, meaning both 'to free' and 'to love' (not in a romantic/sexual way, though). So friend is both a 'lover', someone who loves, and a 'freer'. Freedom is then from free + -dom, the latter from 'doom', which originally meant 'judgment' but also 'jurisdiction'. So freedom stands for both one's free-judgment, and also the actual jurisdiction of oneself, putting it forth as something that is inbornly limited and limiting. Friendship is friend + -ship, the latter most likely from 'shape', meaning a friendship is the 'shape' of a friend or friends, also referring to a kind of jurisdiction and boundary, between friends and between the friends and everyone else. I think the choice of construction here of free, freedom, friend, and friendship reflect older Germanic attitudes of what 'freedom' means. What's interesting about 'liberty', from French and Latin, is that it basically means free-ness, and this can (along with the non-Englishness and thus arcane obscurity that comes therewith) confuse English speakers that prefer this word, as it becomes even more abstract than 'freedom' and thus can be coopted for whatever one wants. However, an interesting twist here is that Latin 'liber' is actually from a root shared with German Leute and older English leed/lede, both meaning 'people' and nonplurally as 'person', which betokens that the old Latins likely saw free-ness as something inborn to the individual, or to the whole socius. I have a feeling older folk from way back had a very different conception of what 'freedom' actually is, and, though we may think ourselves so blissfully 'enlightened', we may have been missing the point.
Can you talk about what your background is/what you studied/ or what you do for work cause I'm astounded how you're so knowledgeable on all these topics.
we live in a society: the video
love your content !
Lmao
some say that Sisyphus audition to play as the Joker
Hey, I've been following your channel for a bit over a year now. You're content is great and I very much appreciate this video. I like how you come with an academic approach that doesn't feel like you're specifically trying to sell me your views. It's a breath of fresh air
A: we will never be free it is not natural rule of law, rule of capital, and rule of nature, rule of consciousness. Freedom is a perception of one's self and the restrictions we can observe. How can we ever be free with the chains of space and time and the shackles of a morale compass... you are free to starve but you are also free to eat.
"I'm free and that is why I am lost" - Kafka
"username checks out" some would say
Sisyphus authoritarian arc?? 😍😍
lmfao
@Milan Velky what
so slay.
JrEg moment
jreg and political compass memes have been a disaster for the human race
I'd love to hear more about this connection between friendship and freedom, both linguistically and philosophically
I want to be free to bind myself; to attach my own chain and design my own limitations.
Creativity is often born of constraint within a medium. But if that constraint is applied generally, it becomes restrictive. I do agree that most people don’t want freedom. It is too horrifying a thing to be able to do anything we want. Best to have to stick to the daily grind
Really want we want isn't the freedom to not do, but the freedom to do what we want
@@janfungusamon4926 We want a painless life, not a free one.
@@BigDrawManTheGoloid precisely
@@BigDrawManTheGoloid isn't that a freedom? The freedom to choose not to experience something?
More like most people are too incompetent to actually earn it
It’s almost as though for most there is an innate reliance on interaction and being deemed as a good person so for that, we are willing to sacrifice our freedom to appear satisfactory in the eyes of the world
I did this for almost 25 years, then I woke up
@@destindarksoul you were comatose?
We are social animals. Our brain was wired to be worthy of others approval.
@@elierreyes9287 no.. I was echoing the idea in the original comment and sharing my own experience dealing with these feelings.
@@elierreyes9287 i find this part of our nature a struggle worth overcoming rather than one worth submitting to.
This video made me think that we really do live in a dystopia and it's more subtley existentially horrifying than anything in fiction.
Thats until you realize, *there is something both WAY more horrifying in fiction and "real life"*
Freedom is impossible. We exist within our bodies which have needs such as food, water, shelter. We work to keep ourselves fed and secure, to keep going until we can't anymore. To be free would be to reject life itself and seek enlightenment beyond human limitations
Thus spake Cummy Tummy
Reality itself is the one entity that is truly free. Those who live within, aren't and can never be. But that still doesn't mean that we should give up entirely on our quest for more freedom-that act is still significant in itself.
What an absolute pile of pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook.
That really depends on what you think freedom entails/means. An abstract concept like freedom is difficult to define objectively imo.
To be free would be to embrace being human and become a poet.
Personally, I'm so used to a rigid schedule and structure to my interactions with the world that sometimes freedom is jarring; it upsets me a bit that it feels like that. Not to say there's no joy in a more rigid life, it definitely lifts a burden when you know what you have to do.
Habits when used responsibly in a sense can be liberating, especially if it’s trivial things. When you make things like paying bills, brushing your teeth, etc a habit, you are moving it from conscious to unconscious thought. This frees up your more active conscious mind to consider things that are important to you and not easy to automate like creative thinking and art. There is of course a balance as habits can also be restrictive if it ends up being all you do every day. But that isn’t so much a problem with having habits at all but rather having too many habits that you don’t have time for anything not habitual
You'd probably love the discipline of a Russian Gulag, or a Chinese work-prison.
"real freedom scares you / 'cause it means responsibility" -dead kennedys
Hey Sisyphus, would you consider putting the sources in the video description? Sometimes you mention a philosopher who I want to look up more on and I end up having to try and catch the name when you say it and I hope I spell it right in Google lol. Would be really helpful :)
I was *just* about to write the same comment.
mingus
Yes please put references.
"Freedom signifies a relationship." Thank you for this commentary on freedom.
Here are excerpts from the writings of Marshall Vian Summers on the topic of freedom.
"Let me learn to be free so that I may join. Your independence from the past--past judgments, past wounds and past difficulties--gives you independence in the present. This is not to solidify your separation...but instead to enable you to join meaningfully in relationship. Let this be a tacit understanding. You can do nothing in the world without relationship. You can accomplish nothing; you can advance in no direction; you can realize no truth; you can contribute nothing of value without relationship. So as your independence from the past grows, thus does your promise for inclusion in the present and the future grow as well. For freedom is meant to empower you to join." (MVS, Steps to Knowledge)
Thank you, Janice.
Thanks
If I may ask what does he mean exactly with relationships I can't get a hold of it
"Relationship is not two bodies together. It is not two minds sharing the same ideas. It is spirits touching through minds and bodies. For what can be more valuable and more essential than when two people truly touch each other and give to each other even in the simplest of circumstances, in the simplest of gestures? This is the high point of human achievement." (Relationships & Higher Purpose, Marshall Vian Summers)
@@janicestevenson6496 thanks a lot (≡^∇^≡)
This is by far one of your best works yet!! You fit so much into 12 minutes.
this is a SUPER interesting topic. thanks for covering it in such detail! The idea that every individual is their own slave/owner and how that plays into progressing capitalism is really crazy to think about! I also really love how simple yet sensible the analogy of our phones and social media being a new form of worship.
quality video as always, thanks for helping me start my day off right :)
Hell yeah, I’m down to own myself
I would rather have the choice to not be free than be forced to not be.
Thank you. Finally someone else also dares to question the concept of freedom.
really needed this today, will definitely come back to it when I feel like my art is becoming too dependent on "like comment and subscribe"
As Han would say, build your empire girlboss
I am fervently confused.
Hope all is going well in your last year of schooling, dude. This video was one of your most insightful pieces to date.
Great video on an interesting topic!
I think the false consciousness created by neo-liberalism that we are the masters of out own destiny is an incredibly fascinating area. Definitely the book you have described seems to link to the idea that we ironically detach ourselves from our participation in capitalist society; it’s not even that we’re 100% brainwashed into believing capitalism is good, we are fatalistic about ourselves and our chance to overthrow capitalism as our own “personal project”. Because of this we continue to work within the system.
It’s obviously a silly argument when right-wingers say things like “oh you hate capitalism but own an iPhone, hypocrite!”. However, there is a serious apathy towards attempting to change capitalism from those who are against it because they are necessarily constrained to participate within it just to subsist.
I’d be curious to see how Byung Chul Han reacts to Zizek’s claim that buddhism is a vehicle for capitalism now, as the detachment from the self allows the individual to participate in capitalism without scruples.
you cant just overthrow capitalism, it should be changed but you can't just get rid of it at least go for a more socialism leaning capitalist system
@@handsomeboi3767 I disagree! I think it must be overthrown, personally, as reformism isn’t working.
Highly recommend having a look at “social reform or revolution?” By Luxemburg and “what is to be done?” By Lenin if you want an idea of why reformism away from capitalism isn’t preferred.
There is no such thing as capitalism. You will always be subordibated by someone else. I think your obsession with the false notion of controlling one's destiny is very interesting in a childlike way though. Also, Zizek is basically just a liberal and admits as much. Then again, all "marxists" are just crypto liberals obsessed with "human liberation"
I completely see this system as fine. In fact, i dislike the current system because it doesn’t go far enough. Being the master and the slave empowers you to make your own decisions. Individual freedom is good because… well… using force is wrong.
I've been following this political/philosophical Instagram account for a while that has, on more than one occasion, pointed out that in regards to work, spare time, and ties to local communities, the peasants of the ~10-15th Centuries had it a lot better than us living under feudalism than we do today in democracies. Farming itself did not take a 10+ person family 40 hours of working each week, communities were tighter, the Catholic Church had many feast days and combined with the kings kept society relatively well structured and peaceful (about as much as we can hope for today with high rates of crime and mass shootings, etc.), other than wars of course. This of course is a picturesque view of the medieval era and we are obviously much better off in terms of sanitation, medicine, and technology. That being said, it is interesting to consider that humans were had more of the "meaningful" freedoms and benefits of a closer-knit society under emperors and kings for thousands of years than modern humans living in small apartments and working 40 hours a week to break even each month.
Not to mention the average life expectancy of around 35 years. Or the rampant disease and filth that even the very rich lived with. Like your teeth? Back then you might actually get to enjoy having them, until you were about ten. No dentistry. No doctors, either. Or, how about the fact that 90% of the population was uneducated and had no skills to speak of other than farming, which was all done by hand? Does that sound groovy to you?
Landowners could kill peasants for almost no reason. The church stole the people's money by selling them dispensations for their sins, which only the church could offer. 4 out of 5 babies never reached the age of three.
Jolly old times, indeed. But then, if you ever read more than a few lines of text at a sitting, you'd likely know all of this.
You. Are. An. Idiot.
But that's okay, slick. Your generation is, almost to a certainty, already doomed. I'd much rather see you pay the price of losing your freedom, seeing as how inclined you are to offer it up so willingly, than any who come after you.
That way at least three or four generations that follow you will not have to suffer the way you and your ilk likely will.
FFS!
Lets not forget the King's First trip. First Class into your wife
Good point. Combine modern tech with a return to this way and you might just create the near-perfect world…
Really glad I stumbled upon this channel. Most of your videos make me think a lot, and I feel that's a positive change on my side. Gotta say, that analogy of mobile devices as 'mobile confessionals' really hit home. There are multiple times where I read about certain things and then to show solidarity with them, I pressed like. It's like saying 'I am supporting such and such, therefore anyone who sees this act in their front page should recognize me as a good person'. Really interesting train of thoughts.
I still pressed like on your videos, though.
This channel is amazing, everything as small as the neat basslines inserted into the Housecat's music to the super meta conclusions of a video.
I say simply it is: choosing to do something yourself with no outside forces such as companies or individuals.
I find the ideas in this video strangely hopeful, despite the bleak description of the human subject under neoliberalism. These ideas describe a specific historical situation - our own - and do not try to describe any sort of human essence. They pose the question - this is what neoliberalism has done to you, what are you going to do about it? The fact that this question can be asked is the opening hope needs. We live in history and the future remains unknown. Neoliberalism will not last forever, no matter what its devotees think. Can we choose something better? To answer in the negative ignores the very structure of this description of what binds us. There are no guarantees. But there is possibility.
I love this interpretation
I've been ready to break this shit since I had to see people go hungry at my job. If I could I would let them take everything but, I bet they would look as shocked as if no one was there to check them out.
One time I had a dream that I woke up and realized everyone was being drugged to basically be ignorant to “what’s happening”
I stopped taking my pill , and anxiously tried to convince my family to stop taking theirs. Then I started running. I ran and ran, and I got over a barb wire gate. When I jumped the gate, I looked around and saw emptiness, fire, a dessert of nothing. I turned around to see security guards calmly welcoming me , to take me back home.
It’s like they allowed me to see that there was no life beyond the one I was forced into. I can’t escape.
I wondered what it meant for about a year. One day I realized that it means… despite whatever’s going on in the world, or the universe, I just have to go with it. To use what I have and make a life of it. Enjoy it, even if I have to take the pill of ignorance, and give up freedom. Because freedom is nothing beyond what we already know. A void.
Ignorance is truly bliss.
holy shit
new favorite TH-camr! it brings me joy to watch worthy content creators grow
People “want” to be free but don’t want the responsibility. They’ve been fooled into thinking they can pass off the responsibility to the government and continue to be free. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
This video hurt because oppressed can be oppressivor without changing the system that we have. The neoliberal economic system is designed for competition against each other. Sadly, we need an human empathy to make a system for everyone.
can you be more specific? you say all these things but your not really specficing on it and it seems like your intentionally being vague
Eren Yeager wants to know your location.
Liberty and freedom are like free will: a convenient way to ablate the perception of oneself as a brief vessel, doomed to die. Our agency in this world is laughably narrow and ineffectual. We're on a ride we didn't buy a ticket for, and we are firmly strapped in our seats, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times
I think that a lot of people want to have an illusion of freedom,but at the same time they are aware that they are responsible for bearing the weight of their own choices.If anything goes wrong,they have no one to blame but themselves and their own decisions.In my eyes,freedom is truly terrifying.It is unknown and full of potential.To not be shackled by others and your enviroment.That it why it is infinitely easier to just accept everything as it is.It is easier to criticize the misdeeds of society than to take active measures to change its structure.
Maybe this only worsens my outlook on things.
Peace be to whoever sees this, and may you find some reprise in this world.
This is amazing. Keep speaking truth to power.
This video is truly sublime
We know it but can't stop it. Sad indeed
Freedom from what is the question. There is no such thing as perfect freedom, in the real world gaining one type of freedom always requires sacrificing another. Being a loner frees you from the difficulties other people can cause, but takes away your freedom to form potentially good and fulfilling relationships. Quitting your job might free up your time but take away your freedom to afford things that make life more enjoyable, or to care for your loved ones. Achieving any difficult goal requires giving up much of your time and energy, but might free you from the pain of failure or regret of having never tried. Getting anything that you desire will always require voluntarily binding your existence in one way or another.
To have total freedom from everything would be to have a totally empty life (which, knowing human nature, would ironically leave you bound to boredom and depression, so perhaps total freedom truly cannot exist). So the key in my mind is not to pursue the fool's errand of total freedom, but to figure out which specific things you are happy or at least willing to be bound by and which things you desperately want to be free from, then pursue a life that fits those priorities.
"Be your own boss, work for DoorDash"
I have been living as what I would consider somewhat free for a couple of years now and I dislike it. I have dropped out of college two years ago and have been living quite freely ever since. Being quite privileged financially means that I don't have to work or find a solution to monetary issues. This whole time spent reflecting on what I want to do and what I want to be has been productive yet discouraging.
Trying to find my place in this capitalistic system has taken a toll on my mental health. I have wondered if partaking in it was even worth it. I have wondered if my own interests even mattered in the grand scheme of things. I have wondered if I should rather choose a humanitarian job rather than one that pays well and that I like.
The freedom I have had, the never ending time thinking has taken me to many places philosophically and spiritually.
Being aware of all of these intricacies you cite in your video makes you feel powerless in front of this huge system. It resonated with me when you spoke of our self projects and blaming ourselves for the state of this world we cannot change alone.
I believe our society has influenced us to become self involved, self serving and too individualistic. We all feel alone and small in the face of the many issues our world faces.
I have often wished to have been forced by my parents into a certain career, I've wished of circumstances that would force me to do things instead of wondering what I am doing and why.
This subject is incredibly difficult and fascinating to learn about, this video was amazing. You have opened up my mind to do even more thinking than usual.
No one really knows if they want freedom cause no one has ever really experienced freedom, and idt anyone ever will have true freedom.
There will always something to bind us
just want freedom like a shopping cart. great video man.
Marx was really painting with a broad brush when we described the entrepreneur as someone who sees all relationships as instrumental. Though that may describe some people, my perspective is that having good relationships with people is a hallmark of success.
I definitely cant play valorant and listen to sysyphus at the same time.
BTW love this type of topic, we can even correlate to the american gods argument. We change our gods from time to time
We will never be truly free as long as we are alive. I think freedom comes with non-existence, until then we remain captive in our minds and bodys
I want the freedom to chose the shackles that cuff me. In the world I live in, I have that and that's enough for me.
One thing I want to be freed from is myself. I'm the worst enemy of myself. I hold myself back. I know full freedom in this life is impossible, but I just want to be beyond myself a little. And being that makes me happier. I don't want to die with regrets only. That's it.
As one of the Ascended Masters once said, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"
Nana na nana nana nana na de da. Me and Bobby McGeeeeee
the structure of this video was really useful and clear, thanks ! i have a hard time with concentration but this was really to the point :)
“Freedom is best described as an opportunity for self discipline”
Some dude idk
FREEDOM REQUIRES RESPONSIBILITY.
The first and most oppressive lie ever uttered was the song of freedom. For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There’s a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken.
Ima blob of particles that is aware that I’m just a blob of particles
And how do feel about that?
Woaaah, social media as the new religion. That really got to me. I kinda want to go back to having an old nokia.
I loved (and hated) this video. Im reading a lot of things related from different autors, but with this video it kindda all just clicked together. Thanks ;)
The short answer is "no". This immediately brings to mind "Why?" To which the short answer is "Complexity." Therefore, in the absence of being pressured to take on responsibility in order to retain freedoms that we enjoy we generally avoid it. This brings about the age old consequences of allowing such power to rest within the hands of a ruling class. When they take things too far people react with revolution which is always either squashed or becomes worse than the system that it usurped. On a long enough timeline people are going to have to learn that anarchy is the only solution but we need to be mature enough to not all kill each other when we get there. That's unfortunately impossible, it is kill or be killed out there, survival of the fittest and we didn't make the rules. We are basically nature's test subjects and she likes to watch us fight because it's how she improves herself.
This even connects to the process of fascist revolution, as well. Fascism only comes about in a society where rights are assumed to always exist, and where we don’t have to fight for them. And thus fascism grows without ever being addressed, using fear of an arbitrary subject for which people to explain their debt to and throw away responsibility.
Love it when philosophy ties into other topics
I find myself agreeing with you, except when it comes to anarchy. It can't be the solution if it's unsustainable. I imagine it'll lead to a dynamic where it's those of us who aren't violence versus those of us who are more violent... eventually leading to a kind of the system we have now. I think an ideal system would be one that (actually, genuinely) serves the best interest of the majority not the few. But again, there are always assholes out there so it's probably impossible
Oh boy
I say fuck that. True anarchy or whatever utopia you subscribe to is probably impossible, but we should be getting as close as possible or just abandoning the societal experiment.
@@en7070 I think the point of anarchy is to discuarage assholery as much as possible, which honestly is the best goal to have. It's unsustainable because of moral qualms like "is it an asshole move to kill an asshole?" That make it so that any "true" anarchist society can't actually do any asshole fighting. It's why I'll never call myself an anarchist, but still follow all the tenets. We just need something slightly worse than anarchy so it can prop itself up permanently but still be a moral system.
As human from earth, I approve of this video.
Very sus to say ur human how we know ur not cappin 🤔
I really relate to the idea of "being in debt to capital".
I often feel like I've been born blessed and society has given me many things but I have not given anything back.
I am in debt with society,
... and the only way to pay this debt is by working.
(is how I often feel)
But the problem is, I am an ADHD boi, I can't have schedules and I can't do the same thing over and over,
both things are essential to creating a career.
For this reason, I'm not generally useful as a tool to generate capital.
I'm a burden to my family.
(is also how I often feel)
Should I accept my freedom, and liberate myself from the debt I have with the capital,
Or should I find a way to pay my debt?
Just ignore the debt
@@Gwestytears you're... probably right
This was a great piece. Thank you for this.
Amen to you for this creation.
Freedom is a fleeting feeling. It’s that sense of ultimate satisfaction from discipline, self-control, and sacrifice in the pursuit of nobility and truth. We shouldn’t rely on government or others to give us freedom. We can only achieve it through our individual actions guided by our value structures.
Cool, hell yeah, I enjoyed that. Shit's messed up when you think about it fr fr
You talk of the only signs of class antagonism being weak exclamations of platitudes but class antagonism goes both ways, mass austerity being legislated by governments to pay for recessions for example are extremely violent and destructive class antagonism from the top onto the poorest!
From the other end just in the last few years we have seen the largest strike in human history (the Indian farmers against Modi's neoliberal reforms) and the most mass insurrectionary activity in the US in history (BLM)
Love your videos and thought it worth mentioning!
Depends on what one wants to be free of? But there are certain things we just can't be free of.
We are all free.. to exploit each other.. equally
This is the kind of marxist eye opening that I seize the means of production to
"Why everyone say they want freedom but isn't free?"
I find that work indeed instills the worth. It’s almost obvious any leisure we haven’t earned we can’t enjoy. See in my eyes it’s a virtue to be both owner and the laborer. to be the bearer of your own fruits. nothing compares to that, not even being a dictator.
Agreed.
I was that edgy teen you always mention when I was younger. But I think it was an important part of who I am today, its part of the reason why nihilism and Fredrick niches theory have become a big part of what I believe and who I am.
One thing is certain... with your attitude towards freedom, you stand a far greater chance of having yours taken away.
Just clicked "Amen" because the algorithm demands it.
But we cannot be truly free, we are constrained to the physical laws of our worlds. Even if we get rid of any mental constrain or debt, we are still trapped inside of a decaying body. Perhaps spiritual transcendence is the closest we can get to true freedom.
That’s shallow and pedantic
@@Zikato There is this author concerned with the topic of freedom. His name is Sommerset Maugham, and many of his works are focused on the attainment or liberation of the self. A particular book that touches on the subject is “Of Human Bondage” where a Philip Carey falls in love with Mildred. Is a sort of coming of the age, but thought the mains characters journey he is exposed to the idea of freedom in art, in spirituality, and through love. Is an interesting read and perhaps you can come to your own conclusions.
Spirituality is BS
@@elierreyes9287 I don't see why people are shitting on spirituality. There's a major difference between having a spiritual code of honor and conforming to what other's demand we conform into.
@@ourdivinemouseoverlord3308 it was a family guy joke
This was elucidated extremely well!
I am free, and that is why I am lost. -F. Kafka
from now on, i will refer to entrepreneurs as genital organs of capital
i have been seeing this more as I grow older: "I believe in freedom and we should have government enforce it". the inherent contradiction at it's core is another in the long list of contradictions I find us humans readily accept.
For $0.00 a month you can now join Anarchism™, your black hoodie and cat ears will be delivered by drone.
This is wild. Really deep stuff.
So breaking it down, we have disassociated our pursuit of happiness for the pursuit of capital in believing it leads to freedom (neoliberalism). And in a way, we have identified with the projects of chasing capital over the systematic and ultimate pursuit of actual free will.
Similar to another video where our goals aren’t truly intrinsic, but extrinsic.
you are free to choose but you are not free from the consequence of your choice
I wonder whether or not we would truly be any happier without that “debt” we feel compelled to repay
I want to everyone to be positively free, not negatively free.
The only freedom that Joe Normie wants is utter freedom from responsibility.
True freedom is chaos.
This video is so great! Very interesting insights
We want to have the illusion of choice, but we don't want to be free.
We want the freedom to transfer the blame to a superior being or supernatural phenomenon when we do wrong.
I would argue that science has done a topnotch job of harming more people than religion. Hell, there are plenty of godless people in positions of power who have done the same thing.
The vax comes to mind..
Thank you for this video! You really put into a video some things ive been thinking about
Freedom means personal responsibility. Responsibility means being accountable. You cannot have accountability without conflict. Most people avoid conflict at all cost. Only the few and brave want freedom.
There are also different types of freedom. There is mental freedom, physical freedom, financial freedom, social freedom, technological freedom, etc. The essence of freedom is the ability to manifest possibilities, but that freedom is bound by the natural transition between potential and kinetic energy. A lot of people think that freedom is a personal ability to do what we want, but if the entire universe of living beings are free, then our freedom is not personal. Freedom is Universal.
Remember the difference between positive freedom and negative freedom. Negative freedom is the lack of restrictions others place on you. Positive freedom is your ability to enact your will.
Ran into you on the sidewalk Friday man, nice to bump into you! amazing video :)
this is a fucking great video. I got a lot of it and thoroughly enjoyed
judging by the title and your love of Camus, I clicked on this video candidly believing it would be about "The Fall"
Politics create the illusion that leaders care about the people think.
After watching a plethora of TH-cam videos pertaining to philosophy and "self - help", I must agree with Adolphus, duc de Boheme, " Individually and collectively, we are all going to hell. There is nothing we can do about it, so we might as well relax and enjoy the journey."
I'll have to spend some time thinking about this.
The question is not whether or not we are free-- it means nothing. Rather, how can we become free. Is it is not will do nothing, but questions of becoming matter most
Funny thing about Freedom and Friendship
Free comes from Old English fréo, ultimately from an PIE root meaning 'beloved', though it came to mean 'out of bondage' or 'unhindered'. To be free is in a way to love and be loved.
Friend comes from OE fréond, free + -end (an old root like modern -er, as in 'doer'), and is in extension from the verb fréogan, meaning both 'to free' and 'to love' (not in a romantic/sexual way, though). So friend is both a 'lover', someone who loves, and a 'freer'.
Freedom is then from free + -dom, the latter from 'doom', which originally meant 'judgment' but also 'jurisdiction'. So freedom stands for both one's free-judgment, and also the actual jurisdiction of oneself, putting it forth as something that is inbornly limited and limiting.
Friendship is friend + -ship, the latter most likely from 'shape', meaning a friendship is the 'shape' of a friend or friends, also referring to a kind of jurisdiction and boundary, between friends and between the friends and everyone else. I think the choice of construction here of free, freedom, friend, and friendship reflect older Germanic attitudes of what 'freedom' means.
What's interesting about 'liberty', from French and Latin, is that it basically means free-ness, and this can (along with the non-Englishness and thus arcane obscurity that comes therewith) confuse English speakers that prefer this word, as it becomes even more abstract than 'freedom' and thus can be coopted for whatever one wants. However, an interesting twist here is that Latin 'liber' is actually from a root shared with German Leute and older English leed/lede, both meaning 'people' and nonplurally as 'person', which betokens that the old Latins likely saw free-ness as something inborn to the individual, or to the whole socius.
I have a feeling older folk from way back had a very different conception of what 'freedom' actually is, and, though we may think ourselves so blissfully 'enlightened', we may have been missing the point.
Smells like continental philosophy
NEVER WORKING HARD ENOUGH
Can you talk about what your background is/what you studied/ or what you do for work cause I'm astounded how you're so knowledgeable on all these topics.