Why it Matters: Foucault on Power

In this Why it Matters I talk about why the episode on Foucault's theory of Power is important to me and where it fits in the overall landscape of the channel and the culture.

I'll be posting links to future Why it Matters videos on the Community tab of the channel but if you'd like to get an email to notify you about it you can signup here:

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[venkataponnaganti]

Please do not quit YouTube. I regularly watch your enlightening presentations. Thank you.

[isabellachavez]

The algorithm has brought me to your channel and I am blessed. This is probably the best philosophy channel I have come across. I do not have Patreon or Discord but I will be happy to get to know it if it means having high-quality content plus a passionate community for a wide range of ideas. I am currently studying philosophy and I learn a lot more from your videos than I do from my Uni lectures. Thank you so much for doing this.

[lifecloud]

I hope you decide to continue doing this. I'm learning a lot from you, even though I've studied this while working on my degree. You offer a great perspective and I have a strong desire to understand the minds of these great thinkers.

When I first encountered Foucaut, for example, I was immediately put off. But this response alone encouraged me to dig deeper into what this was about. I ended up finding an amazing thinker there and now he's one of my favorites. The trigger is questioning my own response and exploring a bit of new ideas.

[pseudo_ra]

Acknowledging paradoxes as a fundamental part of this life experience is important. Tip-toeing along the polarities is part of the true intellectual’s job—those who are are loyal to “truth” aren’t loyal to one ideology and must resist dogma.

[WileyLynch]

I have actively been listening to as wide a range of thinkers and political spectra to try and break free of the cages of ideology I've often found myself in.
I see people lost in their own mazes and it scares me to think that I might be lost in my own hole and not know it.
I appreciate content of this nature i have to say!
Thank you!

[NorthernVirginiaTaxProfessor]

I think that you are hitting the nail on the head. There really isn't a place where intellectuals from both sides of modernity vs postmodernity can really have a serious discussion. As a result of much of my study and this channel in particular, I have started to look at how these two ideas might have a role to play in accounting ethics. We will see where it goes, but it is definitely interesting ground.

[BananarchOfTedKacistan]

Everything that brought me to philosophy was learning and reading perspectives regardless of my personal beliefs. I admire your willingness to indulge even in works you may not like. It's how I've always "tested" my own foundation to always ensure I can keep some sort of consistency especially in ethics and morals. Your videos on Camus brought me to your page. Thank you for sharing all your thoughts.

[enlightenedanalysis]

Hey thank you so much for this video on Foucault. I totally agree with you that there’s a lot of misconceptions about Foucault and Derrida - which grates on me as well. Thanks for your hard work.

[ghaithnouh]

I just found out your channel today, it explains everything so perfectly without bias, thank you

[worldsgreatestimpressionis]

Your videos have reignited my love of philosophy, please stay on You Tube

[jobbimaster]

You continue to inspire with your insight and authenticity.

Live long and prosper.

[searchforserenity]

Love this channel and going to add myself as a Patreon supporter today. I have already learned so much. After a lot of reading and introspection I have come to see my polarized views were definitely driven by fear. So I have worked on that and gradually stopped seeing things as a "Left thing" or a "Right thing" or even (because I am a feminist) a "man thing" or a "woman thing". So many of the dysfunctional behaviors we see is the result of unacknowledged fear and this is something ALL humans struggle with, not just one side or the other. It takes deeper understanding and a willingness to let go of that fear to go above the polarity and start to see all the connections that provide a deeper understanding of human nature.

[nicholasv]

there seems to be a consistent issue surrounding the intense simplification and a stripping of nuance of philosophical ideas. I think upon inquiry this can simply be reduced to a kind of need so simplification and quick consumption of ideas, something that is very much trained by the kind of contemporary technological environments a lot of people tend to inhabit. I feel like it is fair to say that a step away from this kind of simplification would necessitate a return and retraining to appreciate and understand longer and more intellectually rigorous works with a goal of understanding and not a goal of disproving or rejecting. I really like the way you framed this interaction between Foucault and Jung and how this excites you as far as synthesizing figures who are commonly pitted against each other. I've really enjoyed your videos and am excited that you've decided to start a kind of online community to discuss these ideas. Keep up the fantastic work, my friend.

[sammartina]

I did a subject at university called 'Material Girls Material Boys: The Marketing of Bodies in the Media' where Judith Butler and others talked about attractiveness as though every type of conventional attractiveness were a power play. Because more attractive equals more social status and power. It did my head in.
At the same time though, I had never heard anyone summarize Foucalt's theory of power until I saw your video. So it was good to heard a succinct summary of the kind of thinking that subject was based off of.

[Motorlizard]

40k! What an achievement for you! My heartiest congratulations, keep making great content!

[lauranware]

Again Foucault meets Jung - power and love axis - would love to see that video!

[vl]

Great message👍
The Power and Love psychology shift... Wow! That brief articulation nailed something that I was unaware of, but resonated so deeply with😳😁🙏

[johnkrstyen]

The comment on Power/Love and one being the shadow of the other really cut through me. Really started a deeper dive into philosophy and introspection after divorce. Reflection on that has me realizing that I went from world out look of Love to one of Power myself. Breaking it down to something from Douglas Murray on the answer to world view of Resentment that he sees going on is one of Gratitude is using slightly different words describing the same thing.

[samanthaguthridge]

What great content. I love the idea of "why it matters" videos, because it gives some insight into your motives. In my estimation, you seem to be motivated by something that appears uncommon in the world - understanding ideas in their "truest" form, without the need for a particular frame or morality. It is inspiring to see, but it is something that seems to quickly evoke hatred from others. I imagine they have a hard time seeing how someone could discuss such ideas without being a supporter of them.

The hatred evoked by such discussions should never be a reason to stop by itself.

Regarding Foucault, it seems to me that many people who speak about the nature of the structure of power in society get crucified, even in modern times. Thinking along the same lines of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.

[DaisyChaine]

i like your perspective on things. i’ll miss these on here but i do agree about the format being kinda awkward i wasn’t sure which one to watch first but i also can be pretty dumb