Awesome Philosophy

Most forecasts focus on weather stats like temperature, winds, and precipitation. But exurb1a’s forecast takes an all-encompassing approach by predicting what will happen to every living thing on Earth, the Solar System, and throughout the observable universe. A fun watch for data and trivia geeks.

In this short science fiction story, Pursuit of Wonder imagines what our distant future might look like when galaxies have moved so far away from each other that the rest of the universe no longer appears to exist. It’s a fascinating philosophical exploration of history and how time and perspective can change everything.

Unlike US paper sizes, metric paper sizes like A3 and A4 can be folded into quarters to make smaller standard size sheets. CGP Grey explains the satisfying math of this paper sizing standard, then zooms in and out to see how it relates to the exponential nature of the universe.

It’s raining… sardines and mackerel? Just a normal day in the Haruki Murakami novel Kafka on the Shore. Anti-Anti’s cool graphic tee is an original design sure to elicit nods of respect from well-read strangers. Screen-printed by hand using eco-friendly ink on comfy 100% combed cotton. It also comes in a slim version for literary ladies.

While stuck home during the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to try and vary your days and mix things. up. In Jan Riesenbeck and Dennis Stein-Schomburg’s strange short film, a man explores the importance of breaking out of routines, while his floating head transforms into some of the many thoughts he expresses.

(PG-13: Language) Modern day philosopher exurb1a offers a rambling, but still captivating essay that covers everything from the history of human civilization, how we’re not really as smart as we think, how not to win an argument, and how compassion is core to our very existence.

“How can we prevent ourselves from getting lost in the funhouse?” Filmmaker and speaker Kirby Ferguson looks at how the barrage of social media and other information sources can affect our perception of what is real, and how you can use your instincts and critical thinking to reduce your chances of being manipulated.

If you think the search for meaning of life was difficult for humans, imagine being a tiny microorganism, scurrying about with billions of others, mindlessly performing its role in the universe. Pursuit of Wonder’s clip ponders just that.

Just 200 years ago, the life expectancy of humans was dramatically shorter than it is today. Pursuit of Wonder pontificates on how we’ve improved our lifespans to date through science and technology, what our future might look like, and how lives are best measured by quality, rather than the quantity of years we have.

exurb1a shares a charming and mind-expanding tale of a tiny ant who finds his way onto the page of a book, and has some big questions about the meaning of life for the giant looking down on its pages.

There’s no question that we live in a vast and incredibly complex universe. The fact that life exists at all has led some scientists and philosophers to ponder whether or not we are all just living in a computer simulation. This TED-Ed clip by theoretical physicist Zohreh Davoudi and animator Eoin Duffy explores that question.

In some cultures, and even more so in certain households, it’s drilled into our heads that in order to be successful in life, that you MUST be the absolute best. The School of Life is here to remind us that living life well isn’t equated with such lofty goals, and how the pressures of achievement often make our lives worse.

(PG-13: Language) “…the cynics will be forgotten just as readily as your failures will be too.” Exurb1a names a few famous and infamous people before warning us not to be afraid of failing or being ridiculed, but of not using our limited time to its fullest.

(PG-13: Language) There were human species before us, each of which is now extinct. Evolution led to us homo sapiens, who have managed to hang on largely because of our ability to communicate. exurb1a provides his cynical take on the state of the human race.

While you may no longer be able to eat bacon or dance a jig after you’re six feet under, you may still have an impact on things long after you’re gone. Life Death And The Universe offers some deep thoughts on the subject from both philosophical and scientific angles.

Kurzgesagt explores the crazy notion that perhaps what we’re experiencing isn’t real at all, and that we’re all part of a massive simulation in some ultra-powerful computer system. Vsauce 3 has their own take on the thought experiment here.

The School of Life reminds us that no one is perfect or “the one” for us. The person, condition, or object we pine for has downsides just like everyone and everything else. Focusing on the potential troubles we avoided will make it easier to move on.

(PG-13, SPOILERS) Wisecrack presents the questions of justice raised in the excellent supernatural detective series Death Note. Is justice peace and equality at all costs? Or is it simply anything that counters injustice as it happens?

(SPOILERS) Wisecrack points out how the excellent Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood urges us not to stubbornly subscribe to an ideology, rational or otherwise, because doing so would dehumanize us by discouraging us from questioning and thinking for ourselves.

(PG-13: Language) Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche. You know, those guys. Exurb1a schools us in the origins and development of philosophical thought in Western civilization, from idealism to existentialism to Gilbert Gottfriedism.

“We’re idiots now, we’ve been idiots in the past, and we’ll be idiots again in the future… and that’s okay.” Lazy Chief created this charming animation for School of Life which reminds us that if we simply let go of our fears of looking foolish, that we can achieve great things.

(PG-13: Language) After looking at Rick and Morty’s many references, Wisecrack delves into the show’s exploration of human nature and belief systems peppered throughout Get Schwifty, in which giant heads descend from the heavens with less than altrustic motives.

Rick and Morty is the last place we’d turn to try and solve our existential crisis, but that didn’t stop video essayist Will Schoder from finding serious philosophical depth in the offbeat and indelicate sci-fi cartoon.