The The One Category Conpicuously Missing from the Official FDR Show Poll!

[shnugwa]

While participating in the poll which can be found here , I noticed that interestingly enough there is no PHILOSOPHY category to vote in! Why is this the case? Freedomain Radio is the largest philosophy show on the Earth, and recently released pretty great Philosophical content. Was this overlooked by accident in the poll's creation? Surely the category which this show embodies wasn't intentionally left to waste in the "other" category of the poll on purpose.

 

This brings me to an observation I've made which I'm sure you've all come to realize as well: the show recently has covered much of the geopolitics and current events going on around the globe in recent months. From the European migrant crisis to the U.S. elections and Donald Trump, there continues to be less and less philosophical content on aggregate in the show. While I still find the new flavor of Freedomain Radio to be interesting, and recognize that the show's popularity has spiked tremendously [70,000 Subscribers in 5 months!], I find myself less enthused with the newer content on average. I have enjoyed the Alex Jones show appearance and interviews on Race, IQ, and so on, but my own favorite show type remains the call-in shows because that's where the most interesting debate and philosophy still occur.

 

I recognize that I'm not running the show, nor do I have extensive analytics data to judge whether or not in the aggregate people are more interested in the new direction of the show and the shift towards covering geopolitics and current events more often than philosophy and peaceful parenting. Although the former two subjects grew the show to 250,000 YouTube subscribers over ~10 years, the political coverage has upped FDR's influence and reach by 28% in just 5 months (measured by YouTube subscribers). I would suppose then that the shift, though I don't personally care for it, is a good thing for the message of FDR.

 

So my perspective aside, I'd be curious to:

a) know if the poll was genuinely a blunder or if Philosophy is literally no longer a subject on the show's radar

b) hear your thoughts and opinions on the recent shifts in the direction of the show's content towards geopolitical events

 

Peace and Freedom,

Nick

[shnugwa]

Every subject included in the poll falls under the category of philosophy. If McDonalds had a poll about favorite menu options, they wouldn't include "food" in the poll.  Everything on the menu is food - it's about what type of food you prefer.

 

I appreciate your reply, MMD. I see what you mean, and find it interesting that I didn't mention / recognize that Molyneux incorporates philosophy to varying extents directly into all of these geopolitical talks and presentations. I maintain, however, that videos strictly on philosophy and peaceful parenting are declining in frequency; that's not to say that either category isn't getting wider exposure by the decision to incorporate those topics' content into geopolitical discussion!!!

 

I think that these three examples of (awesome) strictly philosophical video content recently published by FDR illustrate that occasionally, philosophy is discussed in and of itself without incorporation into other subjects. These are the types of videos which may fall under a strictly Philosophical category. Your previous point still holds true; I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on my distinction. I've heard Stephan say multiple times that he would genuinely like to produce more content on philosophy, argumentation, debate, etc. but he's got a responsibility to balance what he'd like to produce with what his viewers want to see. Well, myself and others sure like to see unabridged philosophy!

 

In essence, the distinction I'd make from the broad infusion of Philosophical value seen in all of FDR's content vs. categorically Philosophical content, is the exclusivity of Philosophy as the subject of presentation. I imagine that many others, like myself, voted for the Call-in shows because that's where the bulk of strictly philosophical calls / discussion occurs. Thanks for reading!

[shnugwa]

If there are any specific philosophical questions you'd like to see covered, please do let me know and I'll certainly add them to the list.

 

1. What constitutes a moral agent? What is the definition of a moral agent?
2. By what methodology can a sentient being be evaluated as a moral agent?

I'd really appreciate some insight from Stef on these subjects. Thanks, Mike!

[villagewisdom]

Mike,

 

I'm chiming in along the same lines as Nick. For someone with no philosophy education or background, just defining terms can be helpful. For instance, I struggle with things like what is the difference between ethics and morals? What is epistemology really? What does it mean and how does it apply to my life? Stef has commented before on the fact that his audience is really varied, but I have to think that the large number of people now plugging into his channel is bringing with it lots of people who have no real education in philosophy. Laughing at the stupid comments is entertaining. But it is sad also that they have not been taught properly. How will they learn?

 

An online course in philosophy as it might be taught in the future would be off-the-scale helpful for neophytes. Just saying that sounds like a tall order I know, but someone needs to do it. And it needs to be someone who knows what they are talking about. If there are already acceptable resources for this, the links need to be prominent. I know there is a podcast series on Intro to Philosophy, but I'm talking about a formal educational forum. Topics lectured. Tasks and exercises assigned and some of the philosopher kings to assist with questions and marking papers, conducting debates between students and such to build skill. 

 

Well, I may have overstepped with my comments as that is a very tall order. Feel free to tell me so. I, like Nick, will listen to call-in shows above all others as it is philosophy in action. The nuances inherent in personal interaction using philosophical principles are demonstrated. Love, love, love the call-in shows.