Happiness in Postmodern, Late Capitalism

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There is arguably no greater conceptual enigma than happiness. Even in our ability to technically pin it down, its meaning, it's feeling, there's still a kernel of experience around happiness that doesn't feel complete, doesn't feel attainable. For its elastic nature, 'happiness' deserves its own personal video on this channel.

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Timestamp:
Intro: 0:00
Ideological Nature(s) of Happiness: 1:17
Hegel's Alienation: 3:49
Postmodernism and Confusion: 7:18
Mark Fisher's 'Last Man': 12:02
Breakdown of Cause and Effect: 15:02
Happiness as a Problem: 16:59
A Message: 23:08
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Big request incoming! These videos could not be possible without Patrons and YouTube Members. These videos take a ton of time, effort, and resources. And I couldn't do it without that level of support. I try to give back as much as possible. We have exclusive content, voting on future videos, discord access, early access to videos, and editing tutorials! Giant thank you in advance to anyone willing to support!

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epochphilosophy
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I feel that vibe check; seamless on the script too bro

PlasticPills
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I feel that Byugn-Chun Han works especially from his books "The Burnout Society" and "The Expulsion of the other" would contribute to this discussions. Since Han argues that in today's time we view that a good life only consist of positive things and rejecting any sense of negative experiences will cause us to adapt behavior that are harmful for oneself and others. That we will happily burn ourselves out because we have to become autentic from the rest.

ancientdarkmagic
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Dude, I feel like this video finally hammered in the one screwed up nail that always stuck out no matter what I did.
Thank you.

thevoiceofthelost
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Fantastic video as usual. This reminds me the Heidegger quote in Poetry, Language and Thought

“Man acts as though he is the shaper of language, while in fact language remains the master of man. Perhaps it’s man’s subversion to this dominance that drives his nature to alienation”

moda-vi
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Oh man, my biases are being reinforced. Amazing!

polymorphic
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I think the happiness urge comes from an innate understanding of tribal trust. Tribes that were deep in a social cohesion that gave everyone a rewarding and unforced sense of shared purpose would have had happiness as a natural byproduct. It's like a healthy loving family environment. I think we know in a visceral way that when everyone is getting their needs met, it feels good. But, I think, we can lose track of actual happiness in dysfunctional or trauma based environments, remembering the feeling as a sense in the body, something to be missed, but mistaking all sorts of things, particularly pleasurable or power amplifying things.., for the hopeful source of happiness.

dylanl
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In Penguin Classics’ version of Plato’s Republic, there’s a piece of commentary that points to how the Greek word for ‘happy’ back then most commonly referred to a general strength of character instead of a fleeting emotion. I found that very intriguing, and it aligns with this video’s argument to question the very concept of happiness - after all, if it was defined differently in the past, what’s stopping us from understanding it differently in the present and future?

To put it in another way, maybe “happiness” itself isn’t fictitious, but the way we understand it today, as something fleeting that we constantly chase (which corresponds to the ethos of capitalism) needs to be radically questioned. Perhaps looking at how different cultures understood happiness and what values/ethical standards it promotes could be a start in that direction.

As always, thank you for the video! I have been struggling with these themes and it was very cathartic for me to listen to (bearing in mind the state of nihilism reflected by that desire for catharsis).

faris
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I don’t understand how you don’t have a larger audience. Your content is top tier.

terrencefreeman
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If we were 'happy' we wouldn't be watching these videos, we wouldn't be questioning, so I embrace my unhappiness to have some sort of hope. Thank you for the video.

IngridBrunett
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this is without a doubt your best video yet not only are you a great creative but I can see that you are a great learner thank you for these videos they are so helpful! One thing I would ask is maybe to slow the pace down by the end of the video I find myself a bit frazzled and confused I think a bit of space between concepts or talking points might allow for better digestion of the material

gregbaker
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I disagree. I don't crave accomplishment. I crave contentment. I crave not having to stress everyday about food money and shelter.

Rainkit
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It is also worth recognizing that in Buddhism, happiness is not the goal so much as being content with life.

Happiness is a fleeting feeling, and since our minds are generally going to average things over time, it will always fade eventually.

There is always a cyclical process happening as well, so extreme happiness is often followed by a similar level of sadness.

Being less prone to huge swings and recognizing the ebb and flow is truly important to remaining content.

"This too shall pass."

MattAngiono
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How are you not even at 100k subs? Really, top notch content.

diegom
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I'm a Vaushite that just starting to binge on your essays after your discussion with Vaush

Tacomster
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It seems that within this pacification is a drive for stimulation and excitement. I think lately we're finding this stimulation in collective fears. Being fearful is exciting, it gives us something to talk about and a reason to gather together when no other reason exists. And so we stay high on fear, fear of others, fear of the future, fear of loss of income, fear of unfulfillment, fear of lack of love. It's that excitement reassures us that we're still alive. And ... it's scary that we're drawn to this, which is also exciting. <G>

lifecloud
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One of the best videos I have ever encountered on this topic. Keep up the good work bro, much love from the Netherlands

julianvanh
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Your best one so far Epoch, fucking brilliant video, 10/10

kenillla
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Great video as always! The nod to self help and perpetual education at home, removed from living, can also be observed in the short story The Machine Stops by EM Forster. Freakishly accurate predictions in 1909 that highlight many of the themes in this video. Keep up the great work, love it!

MattStranberg
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As I become more self aware of myself and the world, accepting, that I’ll never be fully aware, I find how subdued I am by the world, in spite of my mental opposition to it.
Ive never been happy and my life has been an endless series of experiments and inner projects. Ive always been the smart friend, and yet I don’t know really know anything.

This video put a few more words into the run on sentence of my inner strife.

utropic