Where Did All The Smart People Go?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มี.ค. 2023
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Where Did All the Philosophers Go?
Public discourse has gotten increasingly chaotic. And these days, it’s hard not to wonder: What happened to all the public intellectuals who help us make sense of the world? Where did they go, and is there any way to bring expertise and rigor back to the conversation? Lets find out in this Wisecrack Edition: What Happened to Public Intellectuals?
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Written by Amanda Scherker
Researched by Michael Lodato
Hosted by Michael Burns
Directed by Michael Luxemburg
Edited by Andrew Nishimura
Produced by Olivia Redden
Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound
#Philosophy #AntiIntellectualism #Wisecrack
© 2022 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming
I'd watch a video about the anti-intellectualism of America. Sounds dope.
To me, it sounds bittersweet...
Still, I second the motion
It's beyond anti-intellectualism. It's an outright hatred of critical thought as a whole.
We don't even like it when other countries do it.
I second this
Ditto.
Yes please!
Please do the video on hostility toward intellectuals. But I’d love to see it from a historical lens too. How has American society treated intellectuals and how has that changed over time…and why?
I’d like to see that too
I’m hostile to certain intellectuals
I would suspect that it's because a lot of people take pride in their reflexive ignorance and hate being made to feel like they're stupid. So when anyone is actually smarter than them and contradicts them in any way, they get VERY defensive.
I usually look at from the perspective that it depends on economics... good times, society loves em... bad times, what do egg heads even know of the 'common man.
Honestly its the hipster intellectualism glomming onto whatever TEDx talk meets their bias and telling all their friends they tie their shoes wrong that are the problem. The intellectuals that want to foster exploring the beautifully complex simplicity of the universe around us arent controversial enough to get a show on FOX......
They still are born but get crushed by capitalism.
“I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -Stephen Jay Gould
Correct.
"Back then patents are owned by Thomas Alfa Edison, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, but now it's all Microsoft and Google."
Then you got stories where founders of Tesla and Twitter are kicked out by their CEOs and have their names removed from "MoDeRn JoUrNaLiSm".
capitalism is better than communism and socialism and all that
@@detective2221 then why was Einstein a socialist? Checkmate CRAPitalists
@@detective2221 you are a parrot. You just said some line without addressing the original comment or providing any insight whatsoever.
As someone working in corporate research, I can say that all the easy science is done. All that is left needs an army of scientists and millions of dollars of funding. Great minds are not gone, they are more common than ever. Its just the age of "hero" scientist is over as attribution has to be extremely diluted among thousands of scientists.
Honestly, I think one of the biggest issues is that we sometimes forget that a) long periods of time tend to weed out all the bullshitters until we're left with remembering as a culture are the actual geniuses of that era, and b) intellectuals of the past were often demonized during their time every bit as much as they are today (or worse), such as the case with Socrates, a man whose ideas were so at odds with politics and culture of supposed smart-person utopia Athens that he was straight-up executed.
That’s a very good point (its similar with movies that flopped when they come out but over time they become a cult following eg “The Thing”). Maybe there’s some American philosopher genius alive now who will only be recognized a hundred years after they’ve died and become highly influential for many many centuries while all the current social media intellectuals will just simply be forgotten.
Releated to this topic : I would like to see a video about media literacy and generations. I've seen a lot of tweets saying "TikTok kills media literacy" or "this gen don't do media literacy anymore". It feels like it is based on the idea that past generations had critical thinking skills, while younger people don't because of Internet. Why is that? Do they use "media literacy" as a catch-all term or do they use it correctly? Do people in the 1920's, 1950's or 1990's had better critical skills than now? Is it just another "In my days" thing?
past generations werent smart. This one is just as stupid or stupider.
I do think we have less critical think now
I'd say it's the opposite. Older generations believe the media as they grew up with a less fragmented and bias news. They tend to just take on news as truth without filter.
IMO postmodernism and to an extent post irony have made media literacy harder. Knowing the difference between genuine sentiment and sarcasm has become more complex. I still like post irony and postmodernism a lot, but it is admittedly confusing.
First, there's a huge part of it that is certainly "in my day" - we can go back and find plenty of records lamenting the degradation of society and thinking by the "youths" throughout centuries. Second, it's incredibly hard to accurately compare. I can find plenty of idiocy and media illiteracy on display today because I have access to that information now. How much idiocy and media illiteracy can I find from what actually existed 30, 70, or 100 years ago? We have what survived those lengths of time, and they generally survived for a reason. Just consider the 8 glasses of water a day myth, stemming from a failure to read fully in the 40s
"Truth does not do as much good in the world as its counterfeits do evil."
That's a quote that when I heard it really stuck with me because of how salient it is to the kind of world we're living in today.
Einstein had a famous quote, "Only 2 things are infinite the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."
Einstein was very precise with his words so I always wondered what he really meant cuz I know he meant it literally.
And this is what it means, the is literally only 1 right answer to 2+2=4 AND AN INFINITE NUMBER OF WAYS TO GET IT WRONG! Now look at the world around you and imagine how much of this world is based upon one idiot coming up with 2+2=22 and everyone else said fuck it seems to make sense let's move on.... And that's what Einstein meant...
The only thing good can do is take advantage of the period of time when evil destroys itself to make a better world as best it can in order to prevent evil from growing strong again. Otherwise, past a certain point, evil, and all that comprise it (arrogance, ignorance, selfishness, 7 deadly sins etc), becomes too enticing for good to compete in the market place of ideologies.
@@hippykiller2775 Are you sure he actually said that?
@@mr.knowitall5019 Relatively sure, I think it was a quote someone attributed to him if I remember correctly. But regardless the thought still makes sense.
"It is easier to fool someone than to convince them that they have been fooled"
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
Dunning Kruger effect at its peak
I do get tired of people claiming to be intellectual as an excuse for not being able to defend their positions.
I'm a believer in Richard Feynman-If you can't explain your position then you don't understand it yourself.
I don't remember where I first saw this or who first said this, but I remember seeing a quote along the lines of "If you can't explain something in a way that a young could understand, then you don't understand that thing very well.". I'm sure someone can find the exact quote. I think the sentiment fits with your quote about explaining your position.
One issue that arises is, that experts venturing out of their sphere of expertise to participate in public discourse often receive either total (and undeserved) credibility or they are ruined by speaking on things they are not experts in. We often regard experts, scholars or intellectuals as one-dimensional figures, whose sole function is the arbitration of truth. Where they falls short of that expectation, they are discredited. Instead, we oufht to look at them as people who have interests, personalities and opinions beyond the function they provide for us.
I feel like, sometimes, it goes further than discrediting experts when they fall short of expectation. Many idolize the expert so much, that when the expert says or does something outside of their understanding, they shift their paradigms to align with the expert without critical analysis.
@@CraftedDirt Their own personal popes.
@@susugam3004 Not gonna lie, The Personal Popes would make a great band name.
Isn't that what James was saying about specialization, though, that the narrowness of view allows specialists to talk only among themselves? Are there any of our institutions which would train up people who could speak both intelligently and broadly. Do we ourselves not look for credentials in order to decide whether or not to listen to someone?
I saw a video clip on here about Dr Peterson (whose credential and training is as a psychologist) where he said that he was an evolutionary biologist (which he is not) and also claimed to be a neuroscientist (which he is not). Whatever your views on him, you can see why he feels it necessary, despite his actual expertise to pretend to credentials when he wants to talk about topics that touch upon other fields.
We are asking for him to do this, because he knows we will listen better to him if he says that, rather than to say, perhaps, "I'm a psychologist by training, but have read deeply in those other fields and believe I have something important to say about them."'
Oh and a big thank you to the presenters and producers of the Wisecrack vids.
I like imagining how certain things came to be. It makes a lot of sense that way, eg experts gaining credibility only to succumb to a misstep that represents a false positive (accidental success) or true negative (intentionally corrupt). Bias is too hard to resist. Sometimes, the right answer isn't apparent. These things take time. The question is how we can speed up the quality and quantity of our research, drawing more meaningful and reproducible results.
As a Brazilian teacher seeing Michael get so angry because someone misunderstood Paulo Freire makes him very relatable!
I was about to say the same thing, it's always nice to see someone standing up for his work, even when some of his own people refuse to accept him.
dá uma alegria mesmo. Viva Paulo Freire!!
+1 aqui/here
Oh you're an intellectual 😑
Oi, fiz questão de ver o vídeo antes de responder aqui a uma companheira brasileira. O campo progressista não precisa dar voz a suas pessoas inteligentes porque a sociedade é sistematicamente progressista hoje, eu acho muito desonesto da parte dele chamar de idiota quem ele discorda sendo que são pessoas inteligentes e com seus valores. É muito mais fácil eu chamar Michael de idiota por não concordar com ele do que ver o vídeo inteiro e refletir sobre os pensamentos dele, por isso que hoje estamos mais perto de nos tornarmos idiotas úteis do que moderadores sociais. A maioria das pessoas para na fachada "digo isso porque todo mundo se vende hoje em dia como uma loja" e vê ela dizendo, sou cristão e ignoram todos os conhecimentos que essa pessoa trás por que odeia cristãos e agrega a essa pessoa todas as experiências gerais envolvendo o cristianismo, o mesmo serve para o espectro oposto. Você entende minha lógica? Enfim, não sou religioso, muito pelo contrário sou ateu e mesmo assim presto muita atenção nos conhecimentos e valores que essas pessoas passam e esse aprofundamento é vital pra sociedade. Estamos perdendo isso para o chat-gpt, deixando nas mãos de máquinas a compilação e a reflexão do contraditório enquanto nos escondemos em nossas bolhas sociais. Ah ironicamente ele enfatizou as características do Sócrates que criticou as instituições até ser perseguido por elas não seria isso o que Jordan Peterson sofreu com o governo canadense?
The main challenge I have to engage in intelligent conversations is the tendency of people to start a game of outsmarting the interlocutor. When I go deep into a subject with friends or family, they instantly pick an opposite side and try to "win" the conversation instead of building up ideas and questions. Sometimes a friend and I agree most about a topic, and we could build up questions about it and collaborate. However, eventually, the conversation gravitates to the minor thing that we disagree with, and the entire conversation goes around it to see who "wins". Usually, the conversation stales at this point. It is tiresome and pointless because you leave the conversation without much more than you arrived at. I have no idea how to solve it or how much of it is my own fault.
Dude, I’ve noticed similar issues! It seems near impossible to discuss things. People get frustrated when I tell them I’m not trying to win I’m just trying to convey my point. It even split up my marriage. I tried non violent communication and all sorts of other things but everything’s a black and white line in the sand fight nowadays.
I've often been accused of trying to "outsmart" the people I'm talking to because I'm generally very interrogative in trying to break down other people's beliefs and thoughts epistemologically. I think most people have a very difficult time seperating their ideas or beliefs from their own identity, and so often become defensive when you point out flaws in their arguments, and they seek to prove you wrong rather than arrive at truth. These same people are often disappointed or confused at how readily I accept their valid criticisms, or when they realize I agree with their main point, I just disagree with how they got there. Most people seem to view debate and argumentation as something to "win", some way to show the superiority of your thought and rhetoric over another, which I would imagine leads them to feeling bad when they "lose". I think A lot of people don't like debate or argumentation for this reason, and so when talking to people who enjoy it it's easy for them to get frustrated or dismissive.
I think if more people were taught that you can disagree without personal conflict, and you can agree without being friends, there would be a lot less anti-intellectualism in the world. As it is people seem repulsed by intellectualism as they view it as always trying to prove it's better than them. General enlightenment is not a goal they see as normal when it's easier to assume they want to prove superiority.
@@Riskofdisconnect "I think if more people were taught that you can disagree without personal conflict, and you can agree without being friends, there would be a lot less anti-intellectualism in the world." Precisely. I really like how you put it, definitely would reduce anti-intellectualism. I just don't know why people resist so much to move toward more healthy dynamics like this.
I'd argue something that's missing in this argument of having intellectual conversations is the idea that it ends up becoming a "facts over feelings" debate. Let's not forget that since we are talking about philosophy, the prevailing idea of "facts over feelings" were primarily directed towards "let's discredit women because all they do is feel" when in reality, having such intellectual conversations doesn't mean one forgets about tact, self-awareness, and basic respect. Interrogation does not make for a safe space to speak on anything. Keeping one's voice at a calm level is another factor. We raise our voices without realizing. These are skills & tools that Socrates and Plato didn't have (Did we forget that Socrates openly insulted people whom he perceived to not understand his views?), but we do, and thus have a responsibility to utilize all we have in order to result in progress.
Validate the feelings, they are useful information. Lead towards the facts. Philosophy (IQ) and Psychology (EQ) should go hand in hand tbh. Maybe that's what we've been missing all along.
I often myself to be the one that's trying to prove a point. And then regret it later. But surprisingly unlike many, when writing on the internet I relatively seem to have better way of conveying what I mean, and more often than not I've found conversation productive.
I don't know if it's the realtime nature of things when conversing or some other aspect, but I get into that whirlpool of waste in face to face discussions.
As a Brazilian, it is lovely to see channels I love defending the ideas from Paulo Freire. He was truly a genius and his legacy enlightens us to this day. Thanks a lot, Wisecrack!
Philosophy can cause people to question the status quo, which has been perfect and immutable since 1991
The end of history doncha know?
We don’t need a philosophy beyond materialism, neoliberalism, and postmodernism. Humans don’t need a meaning beyond the physical. Haha. Right guys? Right? Right???
haha, yes. That was when history stopped, no?
THE MATRIX SAID WE PEAKED IN THE ‘90s!!
You are either high on mushrooms or I didn't get the joke
i think saying "there are no good philosophers today , it was better in the past"
is like saying "there is no good music today , it was better in the past"
we cherry-pick the best minds of the past
the same way we re-listen to only the good music of the past
plato's words rose above the screaming idiots of his day , and are remembered through history
and mozart's music was better than the noise of his day , and is replayed today
Hard disagree on Mozart's music being better than awkward silence, but your point stands. History doesn't record the kanye wests or justin biebers of their time.
People just think the way they where taught and are stubborn they where told it was a virtue standing for what you believe is a virtue but just holding to your beliefs regardless of what you learn and are unwilling to change
Dang i like this analogy
Let me talk about something that really scares me here : I call this concept... inversion.
There's been shootings taking place in Canada lately (of all places) and there's people already stating that a possible reason might be that those mentally unstable individuals (I can't say that all of them are individuals with mental health issues, but anyways...) somehow know that the only way for them to have access to mental health treatment in Canada (yep, it's rarely available) is for them to .... commit heinous acts.
So.... lack of access to mental health resources leading to people acting violently so that once incarcerated or put into mental institutions they can.... have access to those resources?
What's next then? Homeless or poor people committing crimes so that they can have a roof over their heads once in jail?
Of course a lot of people say..... oh, but that's just a lame way to erase any personal responsibility from those criminals.
And.... those who say that..... might have a point, at least partially.
What will happen if those trends prove themselves to be true? Will it provide the government with enough justification for going tough on the population depriving us of some of our most basic freedoms?
Ohh.... you're going over the top here. Really?
I do believe, after reading many texts on taoism (or daoism), that inverting cycles (if I can call them this way) used to take place over longer periods of time.
But , after the advent of fast internet, the cycles seem to be accelerating exponentially.
(I really hope I am wrong here, folks).
Peace.
I wonder if global mental hunger for "content that is short, snappy, and biting rather than deep and challenging" will only be worsened by a world that is increasingly understood as a complex weave of structures. Smart , innovative, (mostly) well-meaning people have accelerated the pace of change, expanded human knowledge and exploded the amount of questions we can ask of ourselves and the universe, and I fear popular philosophical discourse hasn't been able to keep up in a way that provides societal ballast to those forces. Seeking simple solutions for complex questions is a seductive coping mechanism for all of us living in a time where the pressure to know an unknowable amount of knowledge is constant. Great video, really appreciate these deep dives that ask questions and prompt reflection.
I'd love watch a video about the anti-intellectualism of America. I'm also curious to understand how Americans came to mix freedom and capitalism, their ideas about any other form of government is so biased, it's dogmatic at this point.
Capitalism is based on precieved values.
Ie: this green paper will give me happiness. So linking a concept like freedom to it, which is also nebulus in nature makes a great deal of sense to propagandize is a public against any concept that is anti-capitalist.
Also one of the reason I think philosophy is dead in the general public like the US. you don't want the public learning how to question... What the fuck does freedom even mean!? That type of shit for those dirty rotten communists! Freedom mean American guns and big dicks cuz I said so, and if you don't like it you're a communist, who is a cuck, and insecure about yourself and your beliefs, who needs to project to protect yourself from the idea that everything you've ever believed is a lie told to you by dead people who never understood what they were talking about either, and when it really comes down to it, am I... I MEAN YOU! Even of value? is all you have just your stuff and social signifiers? And if that's the case is there nothing of value in the world at all!??!?@&@?!
NO BECAUSE AMERICA! AND AMERICA SAID SO, also.....I'M GO GET SOME BEER.... lots and lots of beer. And... STRIP CLUBS! AMERICA!!!!! STRIP CLUBS WITH BEER IS THE MEANING OF FREEDOM! AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT I'LL SHOOT YOU! FREEEEEDDDOOOOMMM! 🤣🥲💥🇺🇲💥😥😢😫😭I'm going to die one day👻WTF IS THIS!?
So long as they remember to mention the GOD DAMN Puritans from England and how much influence they had on these topics I'll be happy.
@@cordeliabarber4553 The Puritans really fucked us up. Let kids watch violent action movies? Sure! What could go wrong? Let kids see a healthy relationship play out between two adults? What are you, a sex pervert or something? Somehow nudity, sex, and romance have become conflated in this country in some really weird, fucked up ways.
They don’t know what freedom means or what capitalism is either. They think in black or white, yes or no. Extremism is their middle name.
You are confused with corporatism. Capitalism is literally freedom to buy and sell what you want. And that's not something that America has or has ever had.
I can say, without exaggeration, that taking Philosophy as an elective in high school changed my life, and that if I hadn't - or if it hadn't been an option to begin with - I would've been a much worse person, and in a much worse place.
I think there is another side of the problem: Intellectual flattery. A lot of modern discourse (TED included) is designed to make us feel like smart, deep thinkers, capable of engaging profound topics at unique angles. This is usually done by dumbing the topics down to our level, diluting them, making them easily digestible - or just straight-out bull****ing, as you've pointed out. The point isn't really to 'inspire' us or 'give us fuel for thought', but to make us _feel_ inspired and thoughtful. It's all about stroking our intellectual self-esteem, whether we deserve to or not.
To be clear, this is not exclusive to 'intellectual' discussions. There's a literal market for pseudo-intellectual art, constructed to make us feel smart, deep and profound. Psycho-Pass, I'm looking at you - as a psychologist, I know your creators didn't even read relevant wikipedia articles! Note how much money all this flattery generates. When an investor says 'you don't inspire me. You should be more like TED', what he actually means is 'you don't make me feel smart. You should stroke my ego some more.' People are ready to pay very good money to feel smart about themselves.
With that in mind, is it really so surprising that the public is so hostile to earnest intellectual discourse? After all, honesty is antithesis of flattery - and if flattery is the foundation of our intellectual self-esteem, then earnest discourse threatens to shatter our self-image. If we're proven wrong, it makes us double-stupid. One, because we were wrong; two, because we were duped into thinking we're smart. It's much easier to shoot the messenger than to face that kind of humiliation.
If you're going to make a video about anti-intellectualism, I'd be delighted if you gave it some thought. I think it's an important and horribly under-appreciated angle!
What iwsue do you have in Psycho Pass?
Exactly, some people believes AIs will never become like humans. Not even some people, this is like 80%+ maybe even higher. Not because they have any proofs or such but because they have this basic belief or "fact" that as humans they are special and feeling, sentience, higher intelligence, creativity, emotions and desires are things that are specific to them and "AIs are just machines, they can't think or feel. Just algorithms" this is an obvious fact to them and saying otherwise feels insulting to them. this is both because they don't want to have been wrong about this "basic fact" and because they don't want to not be special
It seems then that the root of anti-intellectualism is arrogance. People lack the humility to admit if they are wrong. That is why it seems nearly impossible to engage with different viewpoints. Even this video seems to lack the self-awareness that it is perpetuating this arrogance by off-handedly labeling certain figures as "idiots." That is an ad hominem fallacy typical of modern discourse.
@@serulu3490 Ironically, I got two replies to my two comments on two separate Wisecrack videos today. One of them is yours. The other is on a comment where I pointed out that AIs are nothing like humans and never will. Imagine that.
@@elevenm.a.1125 not that unlikely considering AI techs are advancing insanely fast in the current moment. GPT-4 was just released
We're In Hell also did a great video series on the idea of the "Public Intellectual" (in the context of Canada's most controversial Jungian lobster enthusiast). I think anti-intellectualism is one side of the coin, but the other side is that there's good reason to not have faith in public intellectuals, because they aren't actually paid to know everything -- they're paid to speak with confidence about everything.
We're in Hell's video is also done in a self-aware way, with the We're in Hell host (forget his name) fully acknowledging that he, like most video essayists, gets his paycheck from playing a Public Intellectual. But I think it offers an interesting complementary perspective.
Edit: Made this comment before watching your video -- great video, as usual! Some overlap with the WiH video with some interesting and unique differences in perspective
I realized this the other day. "There's no way hell can be worse than a heavenly placed that's doomed to collapse". Of course I mainly live and die for nowadays my fav. region/features of my home state that is still Amazing Somehow, yet have been declining/ dying for decades at least apparently, and no end in sight, if ever as long as industrial society exists lmao.... I know I've been grieving it since about a year ago. Fluctuating between hope and despair is torture (got that from a Jre podcast sadly, wish it were my insight....) so it's hopeless, enjoy it while you can/ if you want/ while it lasts ;) that goes for anything good nowadays, everything good remaining Is a canary in the coal mine yep yep
intro to philosophy was probs one of my favorite courses that I took in college
I accidentally took philosophical logic, rather than intro to philosophy. Was still not disappointed
I’m currently taking it. I’m definitely enjoying it. Probably going to take another philosophy class.
Intro, Logic and Ethics were really amazing classes. Glad I did them for my GE
@@Reed5016 Take Ethics and Logic if you can
@@shuheihisagi6689 We all need more Ethics and Logic
Congratulations Michael. I feel this is one of the best and most important videos you've made (so far).
Thank you for saying this. Needed to hear it.
Glad you tackled this subject
The tldr summary of this video being that the power structure doesn't want to hear the answers to the questions of today
Yeah that's pretty much it.
Even more succinctly: Never EVER challenge the 'status quo'. You'll be lucky to escape with your life, let alone have people in power listen to you.
um.... who do you think is the power structure?
@@steviejay9245 anybody who has the resources and ability to impose their will on to large groups of people and the world around them
Would definitely love to hear about America's tendency towards anti-intellectualism.
Smart people are still around, just not on social media. Cutting it out was the best decision I did last two decades.
The guy you're watching is on social media
you're on youtube?????
I've got good news and I've got bad news
The unintentional irony in this video was well worth the price of admission.
Would love to see a vid on today’s hostility of intellectualism. People are becoming ignorant to truths around them and searching for them as opposed to searching for their own confirmation biases, as well as defacing those which don’t coincide with their beliefs. The way in which they go about this is also pretty hostile, in turn affecting them more than they think it is.
Ever play MGS2? Cuz if you haven’t, you and your entire channel would have a field day with it, maybe a field month.
Wisecrack HAS delved into the Metal Gear series. Search in the video archives, bro!
@@TokenBlackman7 Just searched it and realized I have actually seen it a while back, but even then I still recommend that they revisit the second installment specifically when it comes to the context of the particular video we’re commenting on here, as it focuses on the topic more than just the series overarching theme that really says something else more general.
It’s a crime that more MG games aren’t on Steam.
I also hope they make a video on 2
Yes, please do the anti-intellectualism video! Sounds like an… honestly, awful time, but one I’d like to have for some catharsis.
Always good to be reminded
Thank you. I can't describe how audibly my eyes roll when my professors decide they will show a ted talk. They really love smelling their own farts. I described one of my professors lectures as "being a ted talk" and she was so honored and my classmates all but pat me on the back. I wasn't trying to praise the lecture. Unfortunately, my comment reinforced her lecture style: Brene Brown girl boss queen of equity making sure everyone has a seat at the table without damaging the table or questioning why we insist on maintaining the table.
Truly I would love to watch a wisecrack edition on American society’s hostility towards intellectualism
I’ve noticed this especially in the rising obsession of young adults with brand-name universities as a symbol of status, and the declining interest in a strong and rigorous liberal arts curriculum
That makes it sound like it is something new. It's a core trait of American society.
You didn't just say "liberal' arts. Woke. Burn the books.
@@stanleysharkey3753 within the last few years, Ivy League universities and other “top schools” have received 24% more applicants, and over 200 colleges have closed in the last decade. The shift in perspective IS recent, and has been in motion since the mid 90’s when Reed College and other liberal arts colleges refused to participate in USNWR rankings. The obsession with rankings and the utility of one’s degree is a relatively new phenomenon, insofar as it’s never been this prominent.
@@GeraltOfArabia love it, and I’ll say it again just watch me
I would like to argue what you are saying.
Intellectualism, if I understand correctly, is an extreme form of communication that neglects the impact that emotions have.
"How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren't real?" ~ Jayden Smith
😮😮😮
wonderfully done video, displays both cause and consequence of our current societal state. keep them coming!
If you only listen to people who agree with you, then you deserve what you get.
"Anyone I disagree with is stupid. Everyone I agree with is smart."
For real. I don’t agree with Ben Shapiro or any of the “right” people he said. But Noam Chomsky is literally a genocide denier 😭
@@Cosmonaut_Devin What are you talking about dummy
@@Cosmonaut_Devin damn I was fuckin with him. That seems incredibly uncharacteristic given what I’ve seen of him so far. Could u link me to the video?
@@trenhen4311 Umm, I can try to find you a video. But I thought Noam Chomsky wasn’t that bad, but he denies the Bosnian Genocide from the Yugoslav wars.
Probably because he likes Serbia because they are anti-US imperialism.
@@Cosmonaut_Devin damn. Well that’s pretty arrogant of him.
Michael, I'm not blowing smoke when I say that I consider you one of these public intellectuals, and you're figuring out how to fit that role in the amorphous beast that is internet content culture.
Keep on doing what you do!
Michael to Michael . . . that's ridiculously kind of you to say. Appreciate the support buddy.
To think that, back in the late 90's, I thought the Internet would be like a second Library of Alexandria, not the cesspool of humanity. It's always nice to see there is always hope in a few individuals.
One of my favorite wisecracking videos yet, really good work here fr
In light of the controversy surrounding Hogwarts Legacy and Atomic Heart, which I feel is pertinent to the idea that we're all expected to have opinions on everything, I told my friend that the people who don't care enough about the damage supporting these IPs might cause, and the people who are deeply concerned about said potential damage, would likely never have been aware of the controversy in the first place had the internet not been a thing.
Increasingly I feel like I'm expected to think more and more about things I'm not qualified to have opinions about, and to take a stance, when I am just a human trying to live my life. And I'm expected to contend with the idea that my ambivalence is some kind of moral failing, that I'm a fundamentally bad person for not draining myself dry desperately fighting for a better world.
I struggle with my day-to-day as it is, without adding on the responsibility of being a responsible consumer and a well-read individual, with carefully considered opinions on everything.
My point is, because of the internet, we're experiencing this massive information overload, and the expectation seems to be that you take a side and join the millions of people coming up with atrocious hot takes. My personal reaction is to scream "I don't know! I don't want to know!" and run tf away. And I realise that's privilege, because if the problems I'm running from were things that actually affected me, I wouldn't have that luxury.
It's just too much. Time to go live in a yurt out in the wilderness.
Too many people on the internet want attention points from problems they will never encounter.
All you need to know on this specific topic is this: commodity consumption (or not consumption) ≠ activism or politics or anything along those lines. Individualistic “boycotts” or “strikes” do not work and cannot work. Unions or some other massive political group of people is necessary to effect such change. Posting on Twitter will never, ever, EVER effect anything. People bought into this fervor that playing (or not) a goddamn video made you moral or immoral. All because a bunch of uneducated dipshits on Twitter believed another group. If only people spent 10% of the energy they did whining about that goddamn game on pressuring politicians to enact pro-trans laws maybe things would actually get better. Better yet, laws confiscating all of billionaires’ money. You use power to fight these (unfortunately) very powerful pieces of shit… not one person abstaining from a stupid children’s game.
An issue underlying all this is that what many people actually what is for more people to be open to understanding more sides of a subject as opposed to pushing it away out of comfort and convenience - not necessarily to publish an opinion on it. However, the structure of social media in particular is designed to demand "engagement". Engagement = data = money. Try to realize that to a large degree, it is not the people who are affected by issues and asking for wider understanding who are putting this pressure you feel upon you.
Of course, there is also the issue that the world in which you exist was purposefully constructed to make you want to not care - to "tire you out" in the first place so that you want to scream "I don't want to know!" and run away even if the world melts down. Because that, too, is profitable. And well it's like - I have sympathy because we're all in that world. We're all feeling the pressure. But to be the bearer of bad news - you, like a lot of people, are experiencing the friction of reality crashing down.
Man, instead of craving ignorance, crave knowledge and truth, inform yourself. Ignorance does not absolve an apathetic behavior towards the problems of the world. The number one problem right now is that not enough people inform themselves properly and consequently become apathetic to issues worldwide. Even if it is as small as taking a stance in your video game consumer habits, it's still important, at least for the philosophical wellbeing on oneself.
I want a video on anti-intellectualism.
Thank you for talking about Paulo Freire! He makes us proud to be Brazilian.
He rules!!!
I have suspicion that once government and corporations value us more as people rather than cattle to profit off of , we will see a change in the intellect of people.
Our schools train us to retain information and follow orders. In fact, they seem to teach us no to fight back when harassed, as if that's bad to do when someone is bullying you .
why are you blaming the government and corporations? the people are the ones who accept this. when are we going to take responsibility for our actions?
@@Dave_of_Mordor a group of longing individuals is nothing to coerce with the kind of resources and time the government and large corporations have. There is personal responsibility involved but conditioning works.
@The Wandsmen because they have proven time and time again they aren't working in our best Interest . It's their interest they are most concerned about and it's usually money and power.
Or are we forgetting all the lies and privacy invasion that they have inflicted on us? Hell Snowden had to leave the United States for exposing this to the world .
You say we need personal accountability, but the government has never taken accountability they cannot easily wipe under the rug . A public apology on to do better for decades and not changing on that fact or to make up for the mistakes they made. It's always " oh well what are you gonna do."
@@FormerlyKnownAsArt i am not satisfied with this response. being conditioned to not protest is not an excuse when we all have access to news around the world, enabling us to see and copy what other societies are doing as examples. we just accept everything they throw at us, and even when we fight back, we don't damage or attack government properties. instead we attack our own people and steal from them. to me the civilians in the US are cowards and immature. instead of problem solving together, everyone decides to attack our own weakest link. this is pathetic.
I was wondering the same and here you made a video about it already, thanks :))
Really enlighten episode.the idea that is philosophy should be embodied with action is really needed just to make sure that it's not only mental enjoyment but a way of living .
As we discussed in the last stream, it'd be cool to get a place set up for getting people local to each other into groups to be able to discuss things (i also try to avoid Facebook like the plague lol). When people in communities can come together with their ideals and discussions, real change is easier to accomplish!
Is that not what town meetings and HOAs are?
Sounds great until the kind of people that make cops have to attend PTA meetings show up and start screaming at everyone.
@Nathan Nown HOAs are very specifically for home owners in an area, and are likely to already have a system in place like the one I mentioned. Town meetings are sort of the same, but on a bigger scale than what I'm trying to suggest
It´s romantic but I feel like this is difficult in practise though. Most people who like to think, and like to debate, usually like to stress their particulat opinion, and are not really willing to sit through hours of hearing other people talk about their ideas on tha same or other topic. Once someone has an opinion others will want to express what they feel about that opinion, and it´s a challenge to stick to the topic or "hear everyone out".
@@bingoberra18 group size would definitely be a factor, but if house rules are established and adhered to it could go okay
This was a great episode, and gives a lot of places to start for anyone that is filtering through information, but who has an interest.
Love u guys. Keep up the good job!
I know this will be lost in the noise, but I still need to say this. Yes, anti-intellectualism is real and is growing, but we still have intellectuals who have a big audience. And where did they go? You, you are one of these intellectuals, and the fact that you have over 3 million subscribers means people still want to hear what intellectuals have to say.
+
Exactly
Eh, hard to argue that someone poo-pooing debate is an intellectual. I mean, really, this TH-camr has more intellectual credibility than Oxford?
@@SevenRiderAirForce"intellectual credibility" as a concept is pretty anti-intellectual my friend. Dismissing analysis and ideas because there's a well regarded name around is exactly what leads to the thought terminative dialogue we're trying to fight against.
@@Riskofdisconnect From a purely abstract point of view, yes, only the argument matters. However, in reality there are finite resources, specifically time, so intellectual credibility is critical in practice. I, for example, don't go to priests for insight on evolutionary biology, and I doubt you'd go to Fox or MSNBC for intelligent views on government. Hence why I'd put Oxford and their debates over a TH-camr who seems to not like rigorous exchange of ideas based on evidence and reason. Obviously you can trust experts too much (see the COVID embarrassment), but there a few sniff tests I use, and opposition to debate is a quick way to identify anti-intellectual hacks.
We have replaced intellectuals with carnival barkers and door to door salesmen
Great insightful episode on a topic that has troubled me for quite some time.
You nailed it on this one.
My opinion on this topic, in Bo Burnham's words: "Is it necessary that every single person on this planet expresses every single opinion that they have on every single thing that occurs all at the same time? Or, to ask it a slightly different way...Can any single person shut the fuck up about any single thing for an hour? Is that possible?"
I remember watching that with a friend and going: "The only problem with that is when one want's silence, other people want to talk about it." Basically, no, it's not possible because you have over eight billion people on the planet wanting to talk about quite a lot of things. When one want's silence, others are up for a talk. The only option is when someone wants silence, they gotta be the ones to choose to close the machines that allow communication and sit in silence. Information overload in a world that now fully is starting to show how complex it really is with bubbles popping all over the place can be quite the bummer, though.
I recently read Hofstadter's Anti-Intellectualism in American Life and was surprised how little things had changed since he wrote it. If you added some contemporary references and some paragraphs on the internet, it could have been written now.
I had a supervisor tell me not to use such big words in my reports, and I’m a chemist
The way I see it, Academia used to provide intellectuals with a safe haven for disputing claims, questioning assumptions and coming up with alternative ways of viewing and approaching all kinds of problems.
Now those TH-cam and Tiktok intellectuals compete with each other for viewers ... which in itself rigs the game against true intellectuals.
Why? Simply because the loudest, the angriest and the promoters of the most simplistic ideas seem to be the only ones standing a chance at grabbing the general public's attention.
The golden rule of publicists and political campaign planners that it's better to keep it simple seems to be a great strategy when it comes to gaining an edge over the competition yet it goes against the freedom necessary to foment real intellectual discourse.
Too much focus (on winning) might be leading to narrower (minded) narratives.
Yep, keeping it simple (and "effective") might be rendering us stupid.
Nietzsche is THE absolute GOAT.
According to who? You? Because you read his theory of self-made man and attributed it's creation to him? Because there are people out there who agree with you? Because you feel superior to people who haven't read nietzsche's works? I think nietzsche was mediocre, flaccid at best and actively inhuman at worst because of his attitude to personality, human growth and the way that reality changes. He had so much confidence in things he claimed to know when nobody in the entire world could prove or disprove them. Same with Freud, a man with big ego and bigger theories, wanting to fuck his own mother out of all things.
You cannot fully accept someone's thoughts and ideals if you have any yourself. It's important to have your own thoughts and ideals to be human. You are not very good at being human judging by the looks of it.
Yes i know i could just write "fuck you" , but that wouldn't accomplish anything would it.
I don't claim to be an intellectual, but I also don't talk about "smart" things with most of my friends for a reason too. It's almost as if it's bad to be educated in any way these days. 🤷♂🤣
"When the knowledge thirsty dude tries to free his cave-dwelling friends, they freaking try to kill him"
best TLDR of the Allegory of the Cave I've ever heard
Beautiful video my friend.
Love you guys.
I think to some extent, it's also how opinions and intellectualism are sold in the United States. In regards to the "everybody should have an opinion" thing reminds me of when news shows bring on random celebrities to talk about random events rather than people who are actually in the field. So, while you could hear from Dr. Cornell West on, for example, the school to prison pipeline, it'll bring in far more views to have like Post Malone on your show to discuss it. Given the nature of capitalism and how we receive public news, importance is generally placed on who will bring in viewership. Additionally, many scientists, philosophers, and other experts have very little media training which, unfortunately, is a necessity in these cases
12:30 THIS. I am a biologist and I while I get how specialisation and hyperspecialization came to be, I find it sad how much the big picture is missed. One end of the STEM spectrum can barely talk to the other end because we slip into our "topic-bubbles" so much we forget how to translate to non experts - but those non experts might have unique insights or applications for our knowledge and keeping them out hurts us.
It reminds me of that anectdote of Archeologists unearthing a weirdly shaped bone tool. They didnt know what it would be used for, until somebody asked a modern day craftswoman (I think a weaver? I dont remember where I heard the story or I would look it up again) and not only did she recognize it, her field was still using basically the same tool, only made from other materials now.
Great video!
Depressingly familiar, but beautifully executed.
Dude. This was a really good video.
Thanks!
Great show and idea 💡
Been an advocate for philosophy but find that after university there was no avenue for it in both my immediate and professional network.
It might not be your style but would love if you share research on how and where people can practice philosophy today. Like not just generic versions but more like practical examples.
As someone from Brazil, I love everytime Paulo Freire is brought. What saddens me is that he's misinterpreted, not only by the international right, but also by the Brazilian far right, as a "communist" who wanted to indoctrinate people. He was one of the most influential thinkers of my country, revolutionized education, and I get angry everytime someone says those things about him. Fortunately, it's the minority, but it's still infuriating...
Mr. Freire wasn't perfect. I don't think calling someone "alt right" just because they disagree with him is fair. Different people have different beliefs, and I think the argument "You don't agree with my hero, so that you must be dumb" is hurtful for society as a whole.
Want to watch that video!
Nice, the referenced video was actually the fist wisecrack live, I had watched.
Please do the video on hostility towards intellectuals.
Well ever since Nietzsche killed God, he sadly couldn't make anymore.
Awesome video. I couldn't agree more. Totally loved your argument.
Keep up the good work.
Peace everyone
🕊🕊
Simone Weil was also very incredible at fusing philosophy and action in the short time she lived. She ardently advocated for going beyond the contemplative life. You should do an episode on her.
Totally agree. In the meantime, Philosophize This has done some GREAT episodes on her work recently that everyone should check out.
@@WisecrackEDU I love Stephen West! Those episodes are excellent.
Wes Cecil’s channel has a nice lecture on Simone. He covers things in a basic way but often has tidbits of info most fail to cover. His women of philosophy is a great lecture as well.
And they even mentioned Chomsky in the video and even flashed an image of him when talking about more action-oriented intellectuals but didn't mention his vehement activism against the Vietnam War, for instance.
They've become engineers, trying to make Jeff and Elon richer
I think he’s talking about more philosophically minded people
the "smart ones" are in finance, not engineering.
@@Dave_of_Mordor I'd rather do something I love then make a big paycheck. as long as I'm not struggling money doesn't matter
@@brine_909 That should be your goal in a healthy economy, but we are not currently in a healthy economy. I don't know what you love doing but if it has anything to do with art, you might have a hard time finding a job since it's not as in demand as technology, finance, or healthcare. Unless you're willing to start your own art business, but how happy would you be doing that? There is a difference between working on your art and working on a business, and if you're going to work on a business anyway, why not study something that can help you do better business? This is assuming you're into art.
@@Dave_of_Mordor i'm an engineer, I still got a good decade before ai takes over my job
Is there a link to that specific livestream?
Another inspiresting video, wisecrack!
I would like to see a video with your view on the public’s hostility towards individuals
Ooh great topic!
What? The problem is the complete opposite though. There's way too much focus on the individual and their own anecdotal experiences which aren't backed up by any facts or logic.
Why do you think some random proud boy or modern town idiot gets any engagement?
Individuals think that they constantly have to voice their own opinion, even if it doesn't add to the conversation, and it's ruining the world
I love philosophy. I never went to college because there was no career that I wanted to do that a degree would help with.
If I went and got a degree in philosophy like I’d like to… I’d just be in debt… with my only hope for using that degree being to become a philosophy professor.
I love the pursuit of knowledge. Universities and colleges are becoming less and less a space for the pursuit of knowledge and more and more a traditional business place.
a lot of people pivot a bachelor's in philosophy into a master's in eg anthropology, social work, business, law, computer science -- automation, computer vision, electrical engineering, ux
debt yes
success maybe
try again later
Taking classes in philosophy in college was one of the most intellectually enriching experiences of my life, I really hope you will get the opportunity someday my friend. Wisecrack and other creators are great substitutes in the meantime though!
Best I can tell you is to read the books, and find some philosophy text books, for example I had a few from high school since it was an obligatory subject, both logic and philosophy. Also, there are some nice crash courses on youtube
Philosophy majors are the highest paid bachelor's degrees...
@@garrettwilson4754 accessibility is a factor
“The truth does not require your participation to be true, bullshit does”-Terence McKenna
To become a public intellectual someone has to give him/her a platform. Wisecrack could be the one. Wisecrack has more than 3 million subscribers. Invite intellectuals you respect on the show and invite them back as often as makes sense. And lets see what will happen. Just an idea.
I mean man, you have 3 million subscribers. I think you are smart. Good Job.
Hello! Love you guys! Make the anti-intellectual video. Thank you. 😊
The path to learning starts my admitting that you might be wrong.
Love your content thanks
I’ve been deeping this question for time lol
my philosphy professor talked about cancel culture and the woke mob and I can't express enough how much this spectacle of left vs right seeped into intellectual spaces...
But people with certain opinions are being „canceled“ or rather deplatformed? I work for an org in Europe that works with prostituted women, helping them exit and doing public talks about the current situation of prostitution. Our members and those of similar organizations have been uninvited time and time again. Because the unofficial official opinion to have on the left is "pro sex work pro prostitution it is empowering nothing bad is happening and everything else is antifeminist“. Instead of talking to us they will message the event hosts. And those will cancel quickly because they get a lot of emails with false info and because they are SCARED of the mob. I‘m not saying they should be, but something has changed. The mob does have power to „cancel“ now.
And this is just one example from real life. Look at all the professors who have been uninvited or thrown out of universities in America, the UK or Europe for trying to question gender ideology (even biologists!!).
I don’t know you personally, but because of propaganda, many will assume instantly "yes these must be right wing people, we cannot give them a platform" literally most of them were leftist women.
Altho i disagree with his and notice misunderstanding of Postmodernism and Marxism, I'd consider Jordan Peterson as a Public Intellectual. Also, Wisecrack is wrong in showing him as attention seeking than action oriented, his lectures are mainly centered towards pushing people to take actions and also before he spoke up against the radical left and got his license cancelled he was a practicing psychologist, so yea, he's very action oriented.
The irony is that much like how Wisecrack have pointed out the fact that he is not well read on the works of the philosophers he criticised, it seems Wisecrack too aren't well informed on his.😅
Noam Chomsky is a linguistics expert, who when speaking outside his field, is often…wrong.
Jordan Peterson- 'Burger king is wokeness seeping into our water supply. Don't fall for it. For who is the cancelled if not the icon of the golden arches seeped in cows blood and judo christian tradition symbolised by the happy meal toy.'
Guys who need to smoke less weed- 'BEHOLD, THE GREAT PUBLIC INTELLECTUAL'
That had to be the most ironic opening ever.
I see wisecrack video I click
"Nobody in England - or America for that matter - seems to have the remotest idea of the enormity of public ignorance. Compulsory education has made every noodle the peer of the greatest knowers and thinkers - in his own estimation. The really educated classes have lost their prestige. The public imagines itself entitled to pronounce with authority on questions which the experts hold most debatable." - Aleister Crowley
Was not expecting Crowley at the end of that quotation
He was a whining git. What, we need our opinion dictated to us? It's the way it goes. Also. I was not able to validate that quote.
@@breasonable4343 whatever thought police
"whatever thought police"
As lazy a response as expected. Good job champ!
This quote is from "The Drug Panic," Crowley wrote anonymously as "a London Physician." (he was of course not) It is about Crowley wanting easier access to morphine, heroin, and cocaine. Probably needed to kick up his multi-sexual sadomasochistic "sex magick" parties a notch. At least this one he didn't claim was dictated to him by Aiwass the Egyptian "magick being!" like his "religeon's" bible "The Book of the Law."
@@breasonable4343 I don't see why you are so down on Crowley. He wad a great writer and a very loving man.
Always love wisecrack vids, but I recommend you (wisecrack) explore some of your philosophical ideas in ethnographies as well as explore the philosophical ideas presented in ethnographies. Granted, they're not the same fields, but I think you, as philosophers, researchers, and youtubers, might enjoy the conceptual and theoretical framework of other cultures as reported and represented in ethnographic research. Just something to consider and maybe try out.
This is also happening in the Philippines…I’m now genuinely curious about this video and would def watch…
In France, there was a time when intellectuals were celebrities. I personally have strong disagreements with these figures who had said celebrity status, but their impact (for better or for worse) cannot be overlooked.
Are you talking about Voltaire and Rosseau’s time, or more the Post-War era?
@@wanshitong5101 post war Era.
Have you ever read Céline?
His two novels were a nice adjunct to reading the likes of Sartre and Camus.
hahaha
A video on American anti-intellectualism would be wild. I've heard that we're an anti-intellectual country, but I've never heard an articulation as to why that is, what that means, or how we contrast with other modern nation-states.
Really? You've _NEVER_ come across someone talking about how Americans insist on using the imperial system of measurement when literally the rest of _Earth_ uses metric?
Youve never once heard people arguing about the stubborn refusal to monitor gun ownership more harshly despite thousands of preventable deaths every year?
You've never heard of the large flat earth or anti vax movements that _begin_ in America?
You don't recall voting for Donald Trump to lead your country?
Remember that there are Americans who listen to Ben Shapiro un-ironically?
No offense, but to me its kind of hard to articulate any one reason "why" America is considered anti-intellectualism because basically everything you do is either unreliable, inefficient, outdated, illogical or flat out hazardous to your own health and in no way necessary for your survival. And when queried on why, or if they would ever consider changing, you find a huge portion of Americans will give you a similar response:
"Why should i? Im American"
🤦
Like.. as simply as i could put it would be to say "people consider you anti intellectual on the basis of the sheer volume of preventable, stupid harms you all cause to yourselves for no apparent reason other than an aggravatingly mulish pride in doing things the way you always have.
Or a better question might be to ask if you can articulate to me - considering your social history since the 90s - why anyone _wouldn't_ consider Americans anti-intellect? I truly can't think of a single bit of evidence that might support the assertion that Americans are an intellectually superior people. You folks just don't seem to walk that walk.
From a communism country we all say that the government try to give enough knowledge that we can work high pay job, produce good and pay tax but not enough to understand that the political action harming us. If we too smart then we could build anything and take them down easily. I saw so many people angry and try to do debate with those politicians but sound so “stupid” for me. They understand the it wrong because of common sense but unable to provide logical points, just screaming “we have stop this, it’s wrong” sadly the loudest is the dumbest but just brave to speak their mind . I don’t think we stupid but they don’t teach everyone to think logically anymore. Always provide enough and encouraging people to just achieve stable life. Make people think what someone else already said must be true and no need to waste time to prove it, instead take time to make more money (pay more tax) and take a rest. Of course people would want a more money but not more knowledge because they make education too expensive. And study when you work 38h while feeding 2 kids is hard. The myth is all politicians in all countries would want us to be smart enough to build the country powder but dumb enough to follow and be manipulated. Otherwise who wants to die in a war because of 1 mother faker greed to take over other country land?
🤣😂 I just remember George Carlin saying bullshit is rampant and it's everywhere. 😂🤣. I love that man.
I think the bleeps are a little too loud, it's close to the point where I want to take off my headphones just for them. It could be good to turn them down a little bit so they don't hurt ears.
This video is objectively very funny. The creator’s unwittingly describing many of the issues with this very channel without any pause, acknowledgment, or moment for reflection, is absolutely hilarious
I think that if you become good at thinking about thinking, you can actually think your way into making others think more about thinking 🤔