Social Constructs

I had been slowly watching a few of your more recent videos over the past... period of time, after getting recommended from... I want to say a Rowan Ellis video, I think, and being aware of you thanks to following Lindsay Ellis since her NC days. This video finally motivated me to go back and binge watch some of your older videos from before you came out publicly, and I felt I just had to become a patron, and you're even on the one social media platform I use, but which is totally dead, don't anyone tell people on Twitter and such that it's still alive and going.

A. Hallister

Oh, you're absolutely right. Oops. Can't forget to deploy the elenchus :)

I think I may be from earth -0.5. Not quite -1 (but close). I have a whole host of perspectives on myself that have lead me to my beliefs on everything else that also don't line up with what society says I should believe. I suppose that's what being an aphant, anarchist, RA, gender-pudding will get you though... or is my way of thinking what gets me to all of those things?

Sarah dolezal

lead with a question that causes them to begin the conversation which will also cause them to automatically become invested.

Sarah dolezal

Great video Abby! Really engaging and great examples, lots of humour and it made something that's normally fraught through the facts/feeling dichotomy super relatable and understandable. In thinking more on the video, it got me thinking about a philosophy of science unit I took in undergrad, and how much of the debate around social constructs has significant overlap with Althusser's 'aleatory materialism' and Kuhn's concept of the paradigm shift. It's trying to explain to people that at the core, most of the shit we subscribe to for the structure of society and civilisation is quite literally made up. It's not static or innate or "natural"--everything exists in a state of dynamism and is subject to change if the political/social/cultural will exists to do so.

Owen Morawitz

For instance, I've had bad luck using the word "socialism" with some people. They seem to fear the term "socialism" despite their obvious support for socialism's political ends. In such arguments, I rarely get to the point of saying, "What does it mean to be a socialist?", because they've already checked out. And even when I'm not so naïve as to be talking politics specifically, I see people's hackles rise in discussions of distinctions among dog breeds, or even ice-cream flavors. (Hell, one person--special case, I admit-- emitted an almost-scream at my suggestion that ice cream isn't meaningfully different from frozen yogurt.)

....about the politics of metaphysics, as well. You are correct that, though ontologies are humanly constructed, they're so often taken for granted--and dogmatically guarded. In conversation, popping someone's concept-bubble often means starting an unproductive, hot-gas driven argument

Were I teaching an Intro to Philosophy course, I'd show my students this video, even if I didn't also include metaphysics (or the word "metaphysics", at least) on that particular syllabus. I haven't (in my own pitifully limited philosophy education) found a more simultaneously entertaining and edifying primer on the subject. Thank you for the meta-argument

How is every video your best video? Loved it! Whoever chooses your outfits is killing it!

Okay so the platypus and the echidna are both classified as monotremes. A specific ideation, just like marsupials.

This was, I think, my favourite episode so far. And I binged watched almost all your content during the not-hot lockdown summer!

Alexis

That was a great short punchy episode. I hear people talk all the time about "social constructs" but I admit I never actually knew what they were talking about. The multiple earths image was particularly helpful in illustrating the video.

LonMcGregor

I so look forward to your content. Please continue to do this work. It's excellent.

That sign off line hits SO HARD!

Aidan Kelly