Monday, January 18, 2016

Resource: 8-Bit Philosophy

I have been a fan of 8-Bit Philosophy for a few years now and believe it's a great resource for people learning popular culture.  The video series on YouTube takes deep philosophical topics and ideas and breaks down what they actually mean, but most often they use characters, plots, and motifs from video games--particularly old school video games of the 1980s and 1990s.  I often find myself coming to 8-Bit Philosophy when I want to get a strong and easy to understand approach to discussing a specific philosophy or concept.  Here is an example: 




This particular video helps us to understand the basics of a very complex theory: marxism.  I found it useful because marxist ideology is strongly bound informed by the development of mass-production (via the Industrial Revolution) and therefore has often used in exploring critiques of popular culture.  In particular, it makes me think about our roles as fans of popular culture, which makes us de facto consumers who often spend our limited resources (because we would often be understood as "workers" in Marxism) on elusive things that benefit capitalists.  That is not to say I entirely believe this is the case, but in looking to understand Marxism, such ideas are what stem from extending the theory to our modern life.  


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