So… some of Philosophy Tube’s Greatest Hits. Before I start, keep in mind that a “Greatest Hits” package for Philosophy Tube could contain all sorts of different things; this is just what I chose that I felt particularly relevant and/or poignant. These aren’t necessarily the absolute best that Philosophy Tube has done, but ones that I felt made a particular impact.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcsKdvERZA. Trump & the Problem with Politics. Posted in November 2016, this was a slap in the face. Thorn talks about how Trump’s anti-immigration and anti-Muslim and anti-trans rhetoric has changed the game of politics in the US, and how this rhetoric echoes Carl Schmitt’s political theories… and where those theories end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlLgvSduugI What was Liberalism? #1; 2017 - The first of a series of posts on what liberalism - in a European sense - is. One of those posts that shows just how liberalism (and in later posts, capitalism) isn’t a “default” ideology, but just one of many.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwS_FMZ3nQ The Philosophy of Antifa; 2017. Antifa has gotten some negative press over the years; this paints the goals and reasoning in a much different light.
These videos, made in 2018 and 2019, are Thorn exploring her own trauma. Not for the faint of heart, but incredibly powerful. These videos also explain why the style of Thorn’s videos changed so radically in such a short time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxqdhZkxCo Transphobia: An Analysis; 2018. An analysis of transphobia, and the tricks transphobes use to try to justify their bigotry, and to keep the arguments going long after points have been settled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAFbpWVO-ow Antisemitism: An Analysis; 2020. This video analyzes the irrationality and structure of antisemitic views and arguments. For one, quite potent; for another, its lessons have parallels for other forms of bigotry - such as racism, homophobia, and transphobia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNhj_s8flUk Amy Coney Barrett; 2020. In analyzing Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice, Originalism as a method of interpreting legal text is examined.
A New Girl In Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AITRzvm0Xtg Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story; 2021. Abigail Thorn’s Coming Out Video. This will generate a visceral reaction out of any trans person - because it comes from the heart. The stories of trans people are never the same, but there are a few bars that sound similar, and those bars will resonate. (When the actor playing Thorn says “I can’t live another 60 years like this”, I stopped - because I’d said the same thing, almost word-for-word except for the number, around my 40th birthday.) A must-see for any trans person, or anyone trying to understand a trans person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_SYW1ElDb8 The Hidden Rules of Modern Society; 2022. A discussion of social contract theory, and where exactly people like me (or other marginalized groups) fit into that. It’s a wake-up call to anyone seeking a middle ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1eWIshUzr8 I Emailed My Doctor 133 Times: The Crisis In The British Healthcare System; 2022. Hooboy. Thorn absolutely eviscerates the state of trans healthcare, in particular the UK’s NHS. That it has somehow become worse than this in the years since this was made is absolutely horrifying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVilpxowsUQ I Read The Most Misunderstood Philosopher In The World; 2024. An analysis of Judith Butler’s work. After this, I went out and got a copy of “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” It’s a painful watch and read for any trans person - because it goes into the tactics and interconnectedness of the bigots arrayed against us. I think my Catholic faith finally died for good on reading Butler’s work. (There’s also Thorn’s conversation with her past self, which is a must-see.)
So… some of Philosophy Tube’s Greatest Hits. Before I start, keep in mind that a “Greatest Hits” package for Philosophy Tube could contain all sorts of different things; this is just what I chose that I felt particularly relevant and/or poignant. These aren’t necessarily the absolute best that Philosophy Tube has done, but ones that I felt made a particular impact.
The Early Years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHz_-CgvAw0 . Rene Descartes; 2013. Where Philosophy Tube started, talking about how “I Think, Therefore I Am” came to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcsKdvERZA. Trump & the Problem with Politics. Posted in November 2016, this was a slap in the face. Thorn talks about how Trump’s anti-immigration and anti-Muslim and anti-trans rhetoric has changed the game of politics in the US, and how this rhetoric echoes Carl Schmitt’s political theories… and where those theories end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlLgvSduugI What was Liberalism? #1; 2017 - The first of a series of posts on what liberalism - in a European sense - is. One of those posts that shows just how liberalism (and in later posts, capitalism) isn’t a “default” ideology, but just one of many.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHADWHsjGUk 2017. A eulogy to her philosophy teacher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwS_FMZ3nQ The Philosophy of Antifa; 2017. Antifa has gotten some negative press over the years; this paints the goals and reasoning in a much different light.
A Change Is Gonna Come…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AuFvboGKrQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQNw2FBdpyE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeGEv0YVLtw
These videos, made in 2018 and 2019, are Thorn exploring her own trauma. Not for the faint of heart, but incredibly powerful. These videos also explain why the style of Thorn’s videos changed so radically in such a short time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxqdhZkxCo Transphobia: An Analysis; 2018. An analysis of transphobia, and the tricks transphobes use to try to justify their bigotry, and to keep the arguments going long after points have been settled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2W7P3wGBI8 Why does Britain Still Have A Queen?; 2018. Trust me; you will never see the British monarchy the same way again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAFbpWVO-ow Antisemitism: An Analysis; 2020. This video analyzes the irrationality and structure of antisemitic views and arguments. For one, quite potent; for another, its lessons have parallels for other forms of bigotry - such as racism, homophobia, and transphobia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNhj_s8flUk Amy Coney Barrett; 2020. In analyzing Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice, Originalism as a method of interpreting legal text is examined.
A New Girl In Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AITRzvm0Xtg Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story; 2021. Abigail Thorn’s Coming Out Video. This will generate a visceral reaction out of any trans person - because it comes from the heart. The stories of trans people are never the same, but there are a few bars that sound similar, and those bars will resonate. (When the actor playing Thorn says “I can’t live another 60 years like this”, I stopped - because I’d said the same thing, almost word-for-word except for the number, around my 40th birthday.) A must-see for any trans person, or anyone trying to understand a trans person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATITdJg7bWI Ignorance and Censorship; 2021. Understanding why censoring information is so damaging and so wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_SYW1ElDb8 The Hidden Rules of Modern Society; 2022. A discussion of social contract theory, and where exactly people like me (or other marginalized groups) fit into that. It’s a wake-up call to anyone seeking a middle ground.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1eWIshUzr8 I Emailed My Doctor 133 Times: The Crisis In The British Healthcare System; 2022. Hooboy. Thorn absolutely eviscerates the state of trans healthcare, in particular the UK’s NHS. That it has somehow become worse than this in the years since this was made is absolutely horrifying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVilpxowsUQ I Read The Most Misunderstood Philosopher In The World; 2024. An analysis of Judith Butler’s work. After this, I went out and got a copy of “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” It’s a painful watch and read for any trans person - because it goes into the tactics and interconnectedness of the bigots arrayed against us. I think my Catholic faith finally died for good on reading Butler’s work. (There’s also Thorn’s conversation with her past self, which is a must-see.)