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Thank you. Please do a segment on divide-and-rule. It is the oldest and cheapest, yet most effective technique to subject entire regions, and entire continents to the whims of a few, and it starts with the own nation and the own people who must be set up against each other first.
I'm not sure it's the most important video you're going to make but my take from it is, " Truth doesn't care whos mouth it comes out of " and that I believe is the most important thing to remember.
@ Yes, that is how divide-and-rule works, because at the very bottom tier, it works with human emotions and human nature (incl. the dark side of human nature). cheers
What is frustrating is most people here (your audience) appreciate critical thought and a variety of perspectives. It’s the people who live in their echo chambers that will never be reached by content like this who are the people who need to hear this most.
That's been true of every generation in human history. The majority of people have always been concerned with simple matters of daily life, not philosophical concepts. I'm skeptical that more widespread philosophical knowledge would lead to a better society. The worst atrocities have been orchestrated by highly educated people. Philosophical ideas are just tools in the hands of those who weild them. More tools just makes it faster to get things done, for good or evil.
I always tell my friends and family: "don't try to prove you're right - try to prove you're wrong. And only if, with a serious and concious effort, you cannot prove yourself wrong, you may be right."
Also called falsification principle, it's the basis of modern science. But the days of science and critical thinking seem to fade away in the west as we face right-wing populists and climate change deniers in leading positions...
Indeed. I remember reading about that pig fellow in 1976. I admired Napoleon. He kept busy, probably bathing often, although he was a pig. What an upstanding character he was. He reminds me of a dear friend of mine.
One thing that Orwell did not predict (could not predict, perhaps) is that if truth was to be known, people might aimply not care. In Orwell's time, information was a scarce resource, both world wars have proven that information is one of the most valuable resources to have. In fact, gaining information has made it into mainstream action genre - spy detective thriller. Today, information is everywhere, yet people care about a surprisingly small (and surprisingly arbitrary) number of things.
well, he worked at the BBC - he knew how the news and information buisness worked and what power lies in it, where it was heading and tried to warn us with his novels.
youre conflating manipulation and propganda with intention and its horrible to do and deeply troubling when attempting to adddress the reality of issues. EVERYONE seeks and wants the truth and cares for it. the problem is there are those few with billions who have the ability to pay professionals well experienced in marketing to use media (pothos) to misrepresent reality. To groups of people who are not educated in the understanding of this existent happening they have no idea theyre being propagandized. they BELIEVE theyre being truthful. your view is that of a hopeless persons looking to evade the reality of what and why things as they are. education about this happening is absolutely a first step every state should be taking, every country. over decades weve been made to question less, its been beat out of gerenations of kids , especially in the united states, those who live this dishonest way do so because they never learned that it isnt true
Just like the illusion of choice, the illusion of truth is enough for most people. Too much information, too much work and education needed to get to the real truth. And so a lot of people tend to take the first answer that seems slightly plausible.
Why? We’re on the other side of it now. No need for alarms anymore. Or….perhaps you’re a member of a different group, with a different group bias. As Orwell said, we all need to be critical of our own bias. All of us. Not just the people who “are obviously wrong”
@Randuski USAID was just hit with a coup d'État by the richest man in America. He bypassed congress, he bypassed confidentiality protections, he fired all the workers and turned the place into an information dead zone. We've crossed the Rubicon (Edit sorry I was trying to @ the idiot denying material conditions. Not you sir/ma'am)
More people need to hear this presentation - thank you! I find it particularly frustrating that my more partisan friends are completely capable of critical thought and analysis when it comes to the opposing political parties, but are unable to apply that same critical lens to their own party. This willful blind spot leaves them open to manipulation and it just hurts my soul.
That was my absolute favorite part of the video, as I find myself falling for the "confirmation bias." I'm typically able to quickly find flaws in other groups but when it comes to my own I'm more slow to confirm the faults or holes. Really had me holding a mirror to myself.
@ We wouldn't be human if we didn't have biases - the trick is to be aware of them, how they manifest, and how they muddy your perspectives. It sounds like you're well down that road.
I thank you for tipping this channel. I would myself if I were more able.. 2 kids and a wife are not cheap these days.. I've watched this channel for years and it pleases me to see it growing and people coming to think for themselves
@@nahtreez it's really hard, to be fair. Cognitive dissonance is literally painful. Grappling with it is a painful process. But being aware that you have these biases is an indication that you seek to be better and to know better. I admire that
00:06 Orwell warned against information control and the erosion of freedoms. 02:24 Orwell highlights dangers of information control by powerful entities. 06:42 Orwell warns against societal pressures that stifle free expression. 08:59 Orwell warns against propaganda and cultural manipulation stifling critical thought. 13:32 Orwell warns against biased groupthink and confirmation bias in evaluations of differing groups. 15:44 Orwell warns against groupthink distorting reality and discussions. 19:53 Orwell critiques narratives that uphold power without questioning the system. 21:51 Orwell emphasizes the importance of internal narratives over external ones. 25:54 Orwell warns of the dangers of language manipulating thought and beliefs. 28:02 Orwell critiques complicated language that obscures meaning and avoids genuine discourse. 32:13 Orwell warns about language manipulation enabling totalitarianism. 34:18 Orwell warns against the normalization of totalitarianism. 38:46 Orwell highlights the danger of information control by totalitarian regimes.
Its frightening how Orwell and Huxley’s depiction of authoritarianism is rising at an alarming rate. Granted different respectively in the west and east. Although its strange how either of their warning are coming upon given their different themes and experiences regarding authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is just a boogieman. It doesn't matter if you are controlled by billionaire-owned media or a absolutist monarch-owned media or some sort of government-owned media. It only matters what values you are being indoctrinated with and how effectively. That's why I believe "democratic" capitalist systems are more oppressive with their control of media than authoritarian and totalitarian government with open censorship. You can see when something is censored. You cannot see when an idea itself isn't allowed to exist.
The consistency Joe!! You've been uploading so much of high quality content lately at a very impressive pace, it's commendable! Love your videos, nothing special for 500k?
Your videos on Orwell and Bradbury have gotten me back into philosophy! It might be a stretch from your resume of classics, but I’d love for you to cover the Hunger Games. Collins is coming out with a new book based on Hume’s philosophy of the few governing the many in March. Beyond the one yet to release, I strongly believe her most recent prequel deals with the interplay of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke. I think it’d be a really good edition to your literature-based series, if you are to continue it.
an underrated progenitor of dystopian fiction is Jack London’s The Iron Heel (1908). he was basically critiquing the excesses of the gilded age but it’s timely as hell now as we’ve come full circle.
28:35 I think the word salad sounding more authoritative is because of how language is constred by the listener, the increase in the number of words creates a vague sense which allows readers/listeners to construes it in a manner that would make sense to them, making much more 'meaningful' to them than it really is.
I think it's more about creating an image of a smart person. If you don't understand what they're saying, but think they are smart based on their choice of words, you are more likely to believe them. And this is also the reason why it feels so important to find a meaning in this salad: it is shameful to not understand it, it makes you look stupid. And you calso can't call out the speaker in this example because they have declared that there is only one reason to disagree with them: being one of these fooled "philistines".
I see so it's partly a tendency to fall in line rather calling out something and ending up in a conflict with the a person who's presuming the image of the smart person 👍
I mean Spider-Man is more than just a comic book character for kids it's lowkey a symbol for fighting for and protecting the good.... Stan Lee was a fucking genius
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” - James Madison “When a Religion is good, I conceive that it will support itself; and when it cannot support itself, and God does not take care to support, so that its Professors are oblig’d to call for the help of the Civil Power, ’tis a Sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.” Benjamin Franklin
On one level,yes, on another we could never communicate more effectively. People bemoan the demise of the old Internet, but they forget how irrelevant it used to be. A novelty populated by geeks.
Your subtitles are so much better. They are distracting at all anymore! I like that you add them. It allows you to look at the word and see it in its context while still imagining what you are saying with out switching to a complete inter-monologue.
Especially with the way you frame words to give bigger impact meaning or perspective depending on the context. Truly one of the best philosophy channels of original nature!
Thank you for not neglecting other fields of philosophy in favor of the philosophy of religion, I was a bit concerned about this in the past two videos but this video relieved me.
All I can say is that I worked as a courier for a few weeks. Best few weeks of my life. I didn't have to think at all. I was just picking the package and delivering it. It felt great. Usually I have to think all day long. I find that exhausting. But delivering packages... To be honest, it was a shock to me that someone actually gave me anything just for that. I didn't think it was possible for someone to pay me and not ask me to explode my brain. I recommend it to everyone who does intellectual work. It's eye opening.
You couldnt believe security work then. At least the type i had. Sat on my ass at a quiet little reception, usually only a few guests calls and deliveries throughout the day, 25 or so minutes of work combined on average. Peace and solitude with pretty nice surroundings esp after the day shift went home. Just on my phone the whole time, sleep at night. Sure it had downsides like the pay and the commitment a 24 hour shift required but its the best job i had overall, that peace is priceless for someone like me, by that time i already had years of suffering behind me, i was already fed up with the post 2020 world and just wanted to retire despite being 23 lol Also worked delivery before and after those years but that sorta job is a very mixed bag. Still better than stuff like factory work. Theres plenty of easy mindless work out there but a lot of it turns out to be mental torture
How fitting this popped up in my feed literally a week after I finished reading 1984. I love dystopian storylines in books and movies but can’t believe people are really ignoring the signs that these stories can become reality. It reminds me of the movie “Don’t Look Up”.
Wow, thank you so much. I've had some of these worries for a long time, but seeing them analysed so deeply and spread to (at least a part) of the public gives me some hope.
I read most of Orwell years ago (essays included). I had to read "1984" in high school, as it was assigned for an honors English class I took. It was the most depressing book I'd ever read. (I think it remains so to this day. I can't think of any other book that depressed me as much. Huxley's "Brave New World" is a light, whimsical read in comparison.) I have to say, though, Joe, that Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal have shaped my political beliefs and the way I look at society much more than Orwell has. In fact, your opening Orwell quote reminded me of what Gore Vidal always called my country: "The United States of Amnesia."
Same. I'd read everything Orwell by the time I was 16. I was absolutely obsessed. His writing is so clear and easy to understand. The fact that he was a journalist writing opinion pieces for various newspapers obviously shaped his writing. He wrote for "common" folk instead of trying to impress the literary elite of his day.
I think that while its a good point to be critical of government, people are so often focused about the tyranny of government that they seem to forget or have a total blind spot to the tyranny of big business. There is a difference between being successful based on good ethic and practice, and success on the nasis of exploitation. Both of these things can be true at once. A corporation can have a good work ethic in theory, but that ethic may be corrupted based on business practice that skirts regulation in the pursuit of ever increasing profits. Everytime Capitalism has run amok its required social programs to realign it. The worst of these times was the gilded age which directly lead to the Great Depression. We are quickly approaching a tech based gilded age if not already there. The new tyrannies are not governments. Governments are the vehicle for tyranny, but make no mistake corporations and unchecked consolidation of wealth is the battery by which that tyranny opperates. While its good to have free speech as a means of checking government, if that also means a oligarchic corporatocracy has enkugh power to control yhe sleech they "publish" AND at the same time influence government, as well as control the field of discourse then we no longer have true free speech. There is a line that needs to be found that has not been yet.
It's not a binary condition though. If free speech, then misinformation. If truth, then no free speech. Why not both? This argument has already played out in the courts. Protecting children from harmful content, versus free speech. It was about 60 years ago. The solution was allow parents to decide based on a rating system. Parents could take a simple look, and know it's safe for their child. Tabloid Gossip is an entertainment genre. Ethical Journalism should not be competing with it. Separate Genres. We need a button to click, so people can choose ethical journalism content, or choose insane conspiracy theories and opinions.
@@sirhammon you state its not a binary then claim some pretty black and white assertions. Ethical journalism can not survive in the climate we have. That's the problem. As you stated its about clicks. Drama brings clicks. It's why someone like Trump can be president. At some point the people have to realize how they have freely given their freedoms over for rage bait and mild distractions from boredom. These political and systemic issues didn't come from nowhere. That's also why it's important to understand in the context of Owrell that he critiques "the public" as much as the system of governance. Misinformation is used as a means of acquiring our consent. That is the consent of the governed. We call it propaganda but it is what it is, narrative to stoke sentiment. At what point do we as the public homd ourselves accountable for our own lack of ambition to understand and know more? Complacency is one of the biggest downfalls of democracy.
Can you do a video on Hannah Arendt’s Origins? She deals with many of the same topics of truth and totalitarianism, but from a more epistemic perspective which are eerily applicable to modern conditions.
The most disturbing part of Orwell is how timeless his literature is as it's always relevant and applicable. It isn't some distant future - we are living the dystopian nightmare.
10:52... Not Orwell calling me out D: I clicked this video so ready to hear Orwell blast some totalitarians, I may have even did an evil giggle before clicking Play. But who knew, there was a good lesson for me, too! Your videos really challenge my thinking. They leave me with something to think about long after the video is done. And they're very eloquent. So, I appreciate it. Thanks, dude.
I think the writings of Orwell (and Huxley) have remained relevant throughout the ages because they had a true understanding of innate fundamental human drives and desires - the psychology behind our human desire for belonging, a sense of safety and our almost overwhelming need to see ourselves (and hence usually our group) as “good” and right. It’s so common for people behave like life is based on diametric choices or beliefs - good/bad, right/wrong, desirable/undesirable. This is why I believe it’s so important to teach children critical analysis and thinking, including awareness of the many logical fallacies we are all susceptible to.
thank you for presenting such frank and upfront information. Your analysis encourages independent critical thought without triggering the need to point fingers. Your use of languge is beautifully crafted and demonstrates how contentious ideas can be explored between people with differing world views. Thank you!
As a Christian, you will see this a lot. Keeping an open mind and searching it from both sides can be hard when pushed to believe like everyone else. Thanks for sharing!
"The masses have never thirsted for the truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduces them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master, whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim." - Gustav Le Bon
I read 1984 as a young teen and I soon realised that the people who took his book the most seriously were the very overlords he was trying to warn us about. Ordinary people were too busy having a good time getting emotional about sports and drinking to read a bleak book about a confusing war. Its bizarre seeing something similar to that plot playing out in real life. 🇦🇺
This is one of the most valuable lessons we will never learn (as a society), unfortunately. 1984 and animal farm should be mandatory readings in all schools....
Thank you for giving us these thought provoking videos in these dark times. I started my philosophy journey with Sun Tsu, learning that the best war is no war at all. Nietzsche taught me how to think. Meditations got me through my personal hell. And Lao Tsu taught me not to worry. And you teach me to expand my horizons. Thank you.
As an American, this video is incredibly timely. Having read some of Orwell's essays recently, I'm glad to have the chance to hear someone discuss his broader ideas more thoroughly in such a digestible and straightforward way. Thanks for the great video!
Modern-day Canada is heading in this direction frighteningly quick. I often state that "I am Snowball, with the expectations of boxer upon my shoulders, yet my opinion is regarded as that of a hen." I then scan the faces around me to see who gets the reference.
Would love to see you do some film analysis; it’s the modern cultural equivalent to older literature so would bring a wider audience which hopefully would get more people to then get interested into your literary and philosophical based media
I might be off the mark but seems like the real value is to keep talking about it. People will apply it how they see fit with their world view but if it’s talked about plainly the risk is minimized. I don’t know if the phrase is the same in English “you can take the horse to the river but you can’t make him drink”
Mr Blair led a fascinating existence which he wrote a few novellas about. It gives insight into his labyrinthine mind. I esp enjoyed Down and Out in Paris and London. I would love to see you do a video on writer and Poet Hermann Hesse and your thoughts on The Glass Bead Game. dont hear box winos talk about it much at books clubs or coffee shops. Not in this mad mad jug band world we inhabit.
What's fascinating is that his vision of the future has come to pass. We are living in that dystopian society. Our country and our world is gradually becoming what none of us want and there doesn't seem to be anyone who can stop it.
It's funny to think you might have significantly more influence with this youtube channel than you would if you were a popular professor lecturing at one the worlds top universities. That makes me pretty optimistic.
Very well done, Joe. Important topic for us right now, and thank you for reminding me that Orwell wrote essays as well. I'm mature enough to devour whatever he says. I read Animal Farm in the bathtub when I was 21, and 1984 shortly before that. Thank you especially for pointing out nuances in language that provide a ton of directionality as far as judgement and opposing camps of people due to the judgment. People are so conditioned to this now. I mean, I'm in the US and a lot of political headlines read like pro-wrestling adverts and they have for awhile. Hopefully more Americans remember what nuance is sometime soon. Cheers 🍉✌️
That was very well done. Insightful, interesting and concise. Thanks for posting this pro-democratic content. Very timely. My country just elected Hitler/Stalin 2.0, so I sincerely hope that this reaches the people who elected him (but, unfortunately, it probably won’t). 😢💜😢
I´m sorry, this is totally not related to your much need video in today´s society but I just have the biggest crush on you. I love how you explain concepts and are very wise. Anyways this is just an appreciation comment I hope you read it xd.
I first read Orwell in 8th grade and it captured my brain so much I could never stop thinking about it. Fast forward to today and I am asking God why he thought it would be funny to make me a character in my fav book rather than just leave it as that: a story.
Go to ground.news/unsolicited to understand how different perspectives shape our worldview. Save 40% on the Ground News unlimited access Vantage plan with my link.
LINKS AND CORRECTIONS
Support me on Patreon here (you lovely person): patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?Link&
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Thank you.
Please do a segment on divide-and-rule.
It is the oldest and cheapest, yet most effective technique to subject entire regions, and entire continents to the whims of a few, and it starts with the own nation and the own people who must be set up against each other first.
I'm not sure it's the most important video you're going to make but my take from it is, " Truth doesn't care whos mouth it comes out of " and that I believe is the most important thing to remember.
@@ralphbernhard1757 "We are all virtuous but some of us are more virtuous than others" , and here is how ......
Love your content, can you cover We by Yevgeny Zamyatin that inspired 1984 at some point? It's one of my favorite books
@ Yes, that is how divide-and-rule works, because at the very bottom tier, it works with human emotions and human nature (incl. the dark side of human nature).
cheers
What is frustrating is most people here (your audience) appreciate critical thought and a variety of perspectives. It’s the people who live in their echo chambers that will never be reached by content like this who are the people who need to hear this most.
They haven't the ears to hear or the eyes to see truths. The walking dead or zombies. Js 😢
That's been true of every generation in human history. The majority of people have always been concerned with simple matters of daily life, not philosophical concepts. I'm skeptical that more widespread philosophical knowledge would lead to a better society. The worst atrocities have been orchestrated by highly educated people. Philosophical ideas are just tools in the hands of those who weild them. More tools just makes it faster to get things done, for good or evil.
The fire is nice and it's cozy and safe inside Plato's cave.
Ironically, by making this comment, you're opening up the possibility for an 'us vs. them' mentality, sooo...
@psypsy751
As a child I've always wanted to live in cave...now I know why.
The world is and was terrifying.
I always tell my friends and family: "don't try to prove you're right - try to prove you're wrong. And only if, with a serious and concious effort, you cannot prove yourself wrong, you may be right."
I will take this advice. Thank you.
Feelings are quicker. 50/50 then deny. If fact checkers catch up, deny with a lie.
We all die.
Also called falsification principle, it's the basis of modern science. But the days of science and critical thinking seem to fade away in the west as we face right-wing populists and climate change deniers in leading positions...
this is genuinly some of the best advice ive ever gotten
@Neelz2 you're very welcome
SUCH A PERFECT TIME TO TALK ABOUT GEORGE ORWELL!!!
Everytime is a perfect time to talk about Orwell
Is there ever a bad time to talk about Orwell?
Indeed. I remember reading about that pig fellow in 1976. I admired Napoleon. He kept busy, probably bathing often, although he was a pig. What an upstanding character he was. He reminds me of a dear friend of mine.
By any chance... do you have HIV and Monkey Pox?
And Brave New World, Handmaid’s tale… beautiful novels.
One thing that Orwell did not predict (could not predict, perhaps) is that if truth was to be known, people might aimply not care.
In Orwell's time, information was a scarce resource, both world wars have proven that information is one of the most valuable resources to have. In fact, gaining information has made it into mainstream action genre - spy detective thriller.
Today, information is everywhere, yet people care about a surprisingly small (and surprisingly arbitrary) number of things.
Such a good point
We were starved of water, now we’re drowning in muddy watters
well, he worked at the BBC - he knew how the news and information buisness worked and what power lies in it, where it was heading and tried to warn us with his novels.
youre conflating manipulation and propganda with intention and its horrible to do and deeply troubling when attempting to adddress the reality of issues. EVERYONE seeks and wants the truth and cares for it. the problem is there are those few with billions who have the ability to pay professionals well experienced in marketing to use media (pothos) to misrepresent reality. To groups of people who are not educated in the understanding of this existent happening they have no idea theyre being propagandized. they BELIEVE theyre being truthful. your view is that of a hopeless persons looking to evade the reality of what and why things as they are. education about this happening is absolutely a first step every state should be taking, every country. over decades weve been made to question less, its been beat out of gerenations of kids , especially in the united states, those who live this dishonest way do so because they never learned that it isnt true
Just like the illusion of choice, the illusion of truth is enough for most people. Too much information, too much work and education needed to get to the real truth. And so a lot of people tend to take the first answer that seems slightly plausible.
I am so often trying to sound the alarm to coworkers. People are NOT taking things seriously.
That's how 1984 was so right...
@metal4summer that is literally my point
Do your job instead
Why? We’re on the other side of it now. No need for alarms anymore.
Or….perhaps you’re a member of a different group, with a different group bias.
As Orwell said, we all need to be critical of our own bias. All of us. Not just the people who “are obviously wrong”
@Randuski USAID was just hit with a coup d'État by the richest man in America.
He bypassed congress, he bypassed confidentiality protections, he fired all the workers and turned the place into an information dead zone.
We've crossed the Rubicon
(Edit sorry I was trying to @ the idiot denying material conditions. Not you sir/ma'am)
More people need to hear this presentation - thank you! I find it particularly frustrating that my more partisan friends are completely capable of critical thought and analysis when it comes to the opposing political parties, but are unable to apply that same critical lens to their own party. This willful blind spot leaves them open to manipulation and it just hurts my soul.
That was my absolute favorite part of the video, as I find myself falling for the "confirmation bias." I'm typically able to quickly find flaws in other groups but when it comes to my own I'm more slow to confirm the faults or holes. Really had me holding a mirror to myself.
@ We wouldn't be human if we didn't have biases - the trick is to be aware of them, how they manifest, and how they muddy your perspectives. It sounds like you're well down that road.
I thank you for tipping this channel. I would myself if I were more able.. 2 kids and a wife are not cheap these days.. I've watched this channel for years and it pleases me to see it growing and people coming to think for themselves
The amount of channels that cherry pick Orwell's messages is astounding. And people just willfully fall in line because it's "easier."
@@nahtreez it's really hard, to be fair. Cognitive dissonance is literally painful. Grappling with it is a painful process. But being aware that you have these biases is an indication that you seek to be better and to know better. I admire that
I've always admired Orwell, and your videos are very high quality as always. Thank you!
Ah thank you for watching! And I hadn't gone through and systematically read his essays before writing this video - it was a lot of fun
00:06 Orwell warned against information control and the erosion of freedoms.
02:24 Orwell highlights dangers of information control by powerful entities.
06:42 Orwell warns against societal pressures that stifle free expression.
08:59 Orwell warns against propaganda and cultural manipulation stifling critical thought.
13:32 Orwell warns against biased groupthink and confirmation bias in evaluations of differing groups.
15:44 Orwell warns against groupthink distorting reality and discussions.
19:53 Orwell critiques narratives that uphold power without questioning the system.
21:51 Orwell emphasizes the importance of internal narratives over external ones.
25:54 Orwell warns of the dangers of language manipulating thought and beliefs.
28:02 Orwell critiques complicated language that obscures meaning and avoids genuine discourse.
32:13 Orwell warns about language manipulation enabling totalitarianism.
34:18 Orwell warns against the normalization of totalitarianism.
38:46 Orwell highlights the danger of information control by totalitarian regimes.
Bravo!
This feels like the most perfect time to talk about Orwell’s writing. Good on you joe, you consistency is very impressive 😮
Its frightening how Orwell and Huxley’s depiction of authoritarianism is rising at an alarming rate. Granted different respectively in the west and east. Although its strange how either of their warning are coming upon given their different themes and experiences regarding authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is just a boogieman. It doesn't matter if you are controlled by billionaire-owned media or a absolutist monarch-owned media or some sort of government-owned media. It only matters what values you are being indoctrinated with and how effectively. That's why I believe "democratic" capitalist systems are more oppressive with their control of media than authoritarian and totalitarian government with open censorship. You can see when something is censored. You cannot see when an idea itself isn't allowed to exist.
Yeah right now all the authoritarians are left wing socialist governments. Not surprising
The consistency Joe!! You've been uploading so much of high quality content lately at a very impressive pace, it's commendable! Love your videos, nothing special for 500k?
perfect timing for my hour of potato peeling
so real just started washing up
just started unbraiding my hair (synthetic braids), boy are we in for a good time!
I was just doing that lmao
Hope ya's shifts went well.
An hour of potato peeling, what on earth did you do wrong!!
Love your content! More success to you!
Thank you! That is very kind of you to say
“Homage to Catalonia” is easily my favorite George Orwell book. His involvement in the Spanish Civil War was really interesting.
Your videos on Orwell and Bradbury have gotten me back into philosophy! It might be a stretch from your resume of classics, but I’d love for you to cover the Hunger Games. Collins is coming out with a new book based on Hume’s philosophy of the few governing the many in March. Beyond the one yet to release, I strongly believe her most recent prequel deals with the interplay of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke. I think it’d be a really good edition to your literature-based series, if you are to continue it.
an underrated progenitor of dystopian fiction is Jack London’s The Iron Heel (1908). he was basically critiquing the excesses of the gilded age but it’s timely as hell now as we’ve come full circle.
28:35
I think the word salad sounding more authoritative is because of how language is constred by the listener, the increase in the number of words creates a vague sense which allows readers/listeners to construes it in a manner that would make sense to them, making much more 'meaningful' to them than it really is.
I think it's more about creating an image of a smart person. If you don't understand what they're saying, but think they are smart based on their choice of words, you are more likely to believe them. And this is also the reason why it feels so important to find a meaning in this salad: it is shameful to not understand it, it makes you look stupid. And you calso can't call out the speaker in this example because they have declared that there is only one reason to disagree with them: being one of these fooled "philistines".
I see so it's partly a tendency to fall in line rather calling out something and ending up in a conflict with the a person who's presuming the image of the smart person 👍
When this man quoted Spider-Man in an video about Orwell and their views of power relations he just about made me a fan for life right there
I mean Spider-Man is more than just a comic book character for kids it's lowkey a symbol for fighting for and protecting the good.... Stan Lee was a fucking genius
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” - James Madison
“When a Religion is good, I conceive that it will support itself; and when it cannot support itself, and God does not take care to support, so that its Professors are oblig’d to call for the help of the Civil Power, ’tis a Sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
Benjamin Franklin
"wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross"
Yo, thanks for the quotes i haven't seen. Will use
That first quote isn't necessarily true in the other direction, however.
Starting to seem more and more relevant
There's nothing new to it all. Maybe our awareness? From experience, when people know they are being fed propaganda, it loses most of its power.
On one level,yes, on another we could never communicate more effectively. People bemoan the demise of the old Internet, but they forget how irrelevant it used to be. A novelty populated by geeks.
It’s always been from the past 5 years
Your subtitles are so much better. They are distracting at all anymore!
I like that you add them. It allows you to look at the word and see it in its context while still imagining what you are saying with out switching to a complete inter-monologue.
Especially with the way you frame words to give bigger impact meaning or perspective depending on the context.
Truly one of the best philosophy channels of original nature!
Excellent non bias and brilliant analysis of Orwell's message to humanity. You nailed it Joe!
the amount of wink wink nudge nudge in this video was great. Nice work.
Great conversation!
Thank you for not neglecting other fields of philosophy in favor of the philosophy of religion, I was a bit concerned about this in the past two videos but this video relieved me.
All I can say is that I worked as a courier for a few weeks. Best few weeks of my life. I didn't have to think at all. I was just picking the package and delivering it. It felt great. Usually I have to think all day long. I find that exhausting. But delivering packages... To be honest, it was a shock to me that someone actually gave me anything just for that. I didn't think it was possible for someone to pay me and not ask me to explode my brain. I recommend it to everyone who does intellectual work. It's eye opening.
You couldnt believe security work then. At least the type i had. Sat on my ass at a quiet little reception, usually only a few guests calls and deliveries throughout the day, 25 or so minutes of work combined on average. Peace and solitude with pretty nice surroundings esp after the day shift went home. Just on my phone the whole time, sleep at night. Sure it had downsides like the pay and the commitment a 24 hour shift required but its the best job i had overall, that peace is priceless for someone like me, by that time i already had years of suffering behind me, i was already fed up with the post 2020 world and just wanted to retire despite being 23 lol
Also worked delivery before and after those years but that sorta job is a very mixed bag. Still better than stuff like factory work. Theres plenty of easy mindless work out there but a lot of it turns out to be mental torture
How fitting this popped up in my feed literally a week after I finished reading 1984. I love dystopian storylines in books and movies but can’t believe people are really ignoring the signs that these stories can become reality. It reminds me of the movie “Don’t Look Up”.
You're absolutely blowing up my dude, one of the few youtubers I genuinely believe deserves the come up!
I can't believe I haven't stumbled upon your channel before!! Loved the vid
HOW DO YOU MAKE SO MANY QUALITY VIDEOS WITH THIS LENGTH SO FAST
Good Question!
Wow, thank you so much. I've had some of these worries for a long time, but seeing them analysed so deeply and spread to (at least a part) of the public gives me some hope.
perfect timing, I've just started to reread 1984 and found ur new video 💫
I read most of Orwell years ago (essays included). I had to read "1984" in high school, as it was assigned for an honors English class I took. It was the most depressing book I'd ever read. (I think it remains so to this day. I can't think of any other book that depressed me as much. Huxley's "Brave New World" is a light, whimsical read in comparison.) I have to say, though, Joe, that Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal have shaped my political beliefs and the way I look at society much more than Orwell has. In fact, your opening Orwell quote reminded me of what Gore Vidal always called my country: "The United States of Amnesia."
Same. I'd read everything Orwell by the time I was 16. I was absolutely obsessed. His writing is so clear and easy to understand. The fact that he was a journalist writing opinion pieces for various newspapers obviously shaped his writing. He wrote for "common" folk instead of trying to impress the literary elite of his day.
I think that while its a good point to be critical of government, people are so often focused about the tyranny of government that they seem to forget or have a total blind spot to the tyranny of big business. There is a difference between being successful based on good ethic and practice, and success on the nasis of exploitation. Both of these things can be true at once. A corporation can have a good work ethic in theory, but that ethic may be corrupted based on business practice that skirts regulation in the pursuit of ever increasing profits. Everytime Capitalism has run amok its required social programs to realign it. The worst of these times was the gilded age which directly lead to the Great Depression. We are quickly approaching a tech based gilded age if not already there. The new tyrannies are not governments. Governments are the vehicle for tyranny, but make no mistake corporations and unchecked consolidation of wealth is the battery by which that tyranny opperates.
While its good to have free speech as a means of checking government, if that also means a oligarchic corporatocracy has enkugh power to control yhe sleech they "publish" AND at the same time influence government, as well as control the field of discourse then we no longer have true free speech. There is a line that needs to be found that has not been yet.
Exactly...well said.
It's not a binary condition though. If free speech, then misinformation. If truth, then no free speech. Why not both? This argument has already played out in the courts. Protecting children from harmful content, versus free speech. It was about 60 years ago. The solution was allow parents to decide based on a rating system. Parents could take a simple look, and know it's safe for their child. Tabloid Gossip is an entertainment genre. Ethical Journalism should not be competing with it. Separate Genres. We need a button to click, so people can choose ethical journalism content, or choose insane conspiracy theories and opinions.
@@sirhammon you state its not a binary then claim some pretty black and white assertions.
Ethical journalism can not survive in the climate we have. That's the problem. As you stated its about clicks. Drama brings clicks. It's why someone like Trump can be president. At some point the people have to realize how they have freely given their freedoms over for rage bait and mild distractions from boredom.
These political and systemic issues didn't come from nowhere. That's also why it's important to understand in the context of Owrell that he critiques "the public" as much as the system of governance.
Misinformation is used as a means of acquiring our consent. That is the consent of the governed. We call it propaganda but it is what it is, narrative to stoke sentiment. At what point do we as the public homd ourselves accountable for our own lack of ambition to understand and know more? Complacency is one of the biggest downfalls of democracy.
Joe , this was a fantastic video man. Your starting off 2025 extremely well
Can you do a video on Hannah Arendt’s Origins? She deals with many of the same topics of truth and totalitarianism, but from a more epistemic perspective which are eerily applicable to modern conditions.
Stan lees smiling from the other side at being called a philosopher, while Voltaire looks at him with stink eye 😒 😂😂❤
On this channel I press like before even seeing the video ❤ I just know it's going to be good
OMG, this will be the first book in my reading list once I'm done with my exams ❤
The most disturbing part of Orwell is how timeless his literature is as it's always relevant and applicable. It isn't some distant future - we are living the dystopian nightmare.
I think your hair looks nice long like that man. Anyways great video, I wish I’d had it when I was writing my EPQ, which I did on Orwell.
Thank you for your uploads ❤
this is like the second earliest i've ever been to a video 😁 in any case, was an engaging and thought provoking watch, as always!
10:52... Not Orwell calling me out D:
I clicked this video so ready to hear Orwell blast some totalitarians, I may have even did an evil giggle before clicking Play. But who knew, there was a good lesson for me, too!
Your videos really challenge my thinking. They leave me with something to think about long after the video is done. And they're very eloquent. So, I appreciate it. Thanks, dude.
I think the writings of Orwell (and Huxley) have remained relevant throughout the ages because they had a true understanding of innate fundamental human drives and desires - the psychology behind our human desire for belonging, a sense of safety and our almost overwhelming need to see ourselves (and hence usually our group) as “good” and right.
It’s so common for people behave like life is based on diametric choices or beliefs - good/bad, right/wrong, desirable/undesirable.
This is why I believe it’s so important to teach children critical analysis and thinking, including awareness of the many logical fallacies we are all susceptible to.
thank you for presenting such frank and upfront information. Your analysis encourages independent critical thought without triggering the need to point fingers. Your use of languge is beautifully crafted and demonstrates how contentious ideas can be explored between people with differing world views. Thank you!
I’m a big fan of your channel, it’s amongst the greatest channels I came across. Would you please do a video on Edward Said and his work. Thank you
As a Christian, you will see this a lot. Keeping an open mind and searching it from both sides can be hard when pushed to believe like everyone else. Thanks for sharing!
"The masses have never thirsted for the truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduces them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master, whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim." - Gustav Le Bon
The man brilliantly understood mass human dynamics but that book sure spawned some not-so-good ideological variants.
I read 1984 as a young teen and I soon realised that the people who took his book the most seriously were the very overlords he was trying to warn us about. Ordinary people were too busy having a good time getting emotional about sports and drinking to read a bleak book about a confusing war. Its bizarre seeing something similar to that plot playing out in real life. 🇦🇺
This is one of the most valuable lessons we will never learn (as a society), unfortunately. 1984 and animal farm should be mandatory readings in all schools....
I've been rereading 1984 and watched a Christopher Hitchens talk on 'why Orwell matters' last night. then this banger comes out.
Just got myself (and a friend) tickets to a production of 1984 in March here in Amsterdam. Thanks for the reminder/inspiration!
There's nothing like believing that something can't happen to help it do so.
Thanks again
Sir, I greatly appreciate your knowledge and ability to convey such lessons. Hence, we crown thee, Master Teacher.
Thank you for giving us these thought provoking videos in these dark times.
I started my philosophy journey with Sun Tsu, learning that the best war is no war at all. Nietzsche taught me how to think. Meditations got me through my personal hell. And Lao Tsu taught me not to worry.
And you teach me to expand my horizons. Thank you.
Insanely relevant timing 😭 .
Very timely and succinct thankyou 🙏
14:42 ABSOLUTELY CRACKING! I didn't know people said this unironically, dear laddy.
Finally a video about gorge Orwell !!
Nice content bro❤❤
As an American, this video is incredibly timely. Having read some of Orwell's essays recently, I'm glad to have the chance to hear someone discuss his broader ideas more thoroughly in such a digestible and straightforward way. Thanks for the great video!
I like Unsolicited Advice, but I don't like unsolicited subtitles. They distract me from your handsome visage.
very good! might accidently redirect your attention to the content :D
Modern-day Canada is heading in this direction frighteningly quick. I often state that "I am Snowball, with the expectations of boxer upon my shoulders, yet my opinion is regarded as that of a hen." I then scan the faces around me to see who gets the reference.
This man is so beautiful and even smart, I can't 😭
21:40 Stan Lee through Benjamin Franklin ""Ben"" Parker, or Uncle Ben. Always give the due credits .
Excellent timing with what’s going on in America.
In what way? That's not the direction we are going.
Absolutely.
Don't you mean for Europe? The last time I checked, hurting people's feelings is a crime there
@heresjohnny2172 yeah it really isnt acrime to hurt peoples feelings in Europe. That'sre are some other significant ones, but not that.
@heresjohnny2172 The fanfic is insane, since when? I’m gonna need actual proof, cuz people not laughing at ‘offensive’ jokes isn’t silencing you
The timing of this video is perfect
Would love to see you do some film analysis; it’s the modern cultural equivalent to older literature so would bring a wider audience which hopefully would get more people to then get interested into your literary and philosophical based media
You've certainly given us a lot to think about. Thank goodness it's all purely hypothetical and totally irrelevant to us today.
😂😂😂
I like this Unsolicite Dad Vice channel.
I might be off the mark but seems like the real value is to keep talking about it. People will apply it how they see fit with their world view but if it’s talked about plainly the risk is minimized.
I don’t know if the phrase is the same in English “you can take the horse to the river but you can’t make him drink”
This was extremely relevant during Covid and it's even more terrifyingly relevant now.
Covid is what opened my eyes to the truth … I will never trust the system again.
I wonder why this subject seemed to suggest itself to you.
Epistemic subroutines/ anti malware.
Thanks for the video
love this combo outfit
Mr Blair led a fascinating existence which he wrote a few novellas about. It gives insight into his labyrinthine mind. I esp enjoyed Down and Out in Paris and London. I would love to see you do a video on writer and Poet Hermann Hesse and your thoughts on The Glass Bead Game. dont hear box winos talk about it much at books clubs or coffee shops. Not in this mad mad jug band world we inhabit.
Wow, very fitting video. As an American this very much spoke right to how I feel right now.
What's fascinating is that his vision of the future has come to pass. We are living in that dystopian society. Our country and our world is gradually becoming what none of us want and there doesn't seem to be anyone who can stop it.
The puppy analogy reminds me of a saying we have. 'When a Hyena wants to kill its child, it first accuses it of smelling like a goat'.
u dripped out today icl
I admire Orwell I’m glad you did video about him excellent content!
It's funny to think you might have significantly more influence with this youtube channel than you would if you were a popular professor lecturing at one the worlds top universities. That makes me pretty optimistic.
Welcome back
Well Done!!
Best timing
It’s been like this for past 5 years and I fear it’s going to continue like this
Very well done, Joe. Important topic for us right now, and thank you for reminding me that Orwell wrote essays as well. I'm mature enough to devour whatever he says. I read Animal Farm in the bathtub when I was 21, and 1984 shortly before that.
Thank you especially for pointing out nuances in language that provide a ton of directionality as far as judgement and opposing camps of people due to the judgment. People are so conditioned to this now. I mean, I'm in the US and a lot of political headlines read like pro-wrestling adverts and they have for awhile. Hopefully more Americans remember what nuance is sometime soon. Cheers 🍉✌️
We are living in Orwell and Huxley’s nightmare and have for decades.
That was very well done. Insightful, interesting and concise. Thanks for posting this pro-democratic content. Very timely. My country just elected Hitler/Stalin 2.0, so I sincerely hope that this reaches the people who elected him (but, unfortunately, it probably won’t). 😢💜😢
All animals are people, but some are more people than others
I´m sorry, this is totally not related to your much need video in today´s society but I just have the biggest crush on you. I love how you explain concepts and are very wise. Anyways this is just an appreciation comment I hope you read it xd.
I'm definitely faintly unsettled 😤
I first read Orwell in 8th grade and it captured my brain so much I could never stop thinking about it. Fast forward to today and I am asking God why he thought it would be funny to make me a character in my fav book rather than just leave it as that: a story.
i like you. subbed.
Oi this would’ve been real helpful a few weeks ago
I really do need your help. I need to get this message to those who can do something about it.
Hi can you please make a video about H.P Lovecraft's Cosmic philosophy, specifically his book "The Call of Cthulhu"
With all this content it’s like we are in Borges’ library
Ur cute and watching u speak is a great drive though ur work is also a major factor