Are comedians the philosophers of our time?

[xyla]

Thinking back to Aristotle and crew in ancient Greek, the public would often turn to them for solutions and enlightenment.

I would say that today's democracies are missing a role like this. Back in the day, it was a combination of science and literacy, people who studied society and shared perspective on public matters.

I don't want to deify modern comedians, most certainly are far from perfect human beings themselves.

Still instead of using science and philosophy, today's comedians are more likely to use entertainment mixed with social matters of our times.

And it's also not every comedian.
For every George Carlin and Dave Chappelle you will find dozens of comedians that are "just" entertainers but in the best case scenario they are able to change and expand how you view the world and society.

Feel free to share shows that fall into this category or start a discussion on how you don't agree at all.

 

[Jegriva]

Comedians are pretty overrated.

The fact that they can tell you stories that make you laugh doesn't mean they are right.

 

[LewieP]

Some of them certainly are. Bill Hicks was.

 

[toastyToast]

The issue is more that you need some level of celebrity for people to even listen to what you say. People's entertainment and media consumption in general is highly personalized and segregated nowadays.

What major platforms to philosophers have these days? Who was the thinker to rise to prominence?

You'd have to seek them out but people want things to come to them. That's why it requires a Dave Chappelle, world famous comedian, to think and reflect because he'll be right there on Netflix front page or trending on Twitter.

 

[nosewings]

Philosophers still exist, though.

 

[Deleted member 543]

No, philosophers are the philosophers of our time.

 

[teruterubozu]

The ancient Greeks had comedians too. And they were just as topical.

 

[PeskyToaster]

I feel like a lot of philosophers were also famous for their wit so maybe that intersection has always been there.

 

[skeezx]

in the abstract... sure i suppose

 

[-Peabody-]

What no not even close.

 

[Zampano]

Obviously speaking about a few specific comedians I honestly feel like the prevalence of comedians running podcasts is one of the main contributing factors to the phoney culture war. Their constant stream of content and viewing everything through the lens of "right to offend" = free speech. You're got millions of people walking around pumping endless nonsense into their ears about how someone being critical of a joke someone said on stage means that cultural Marxists are coming to overthrow western civilisation.

 

[Kurita]

Do you think philosophers are extinct?

 

[Deleted member 28523]

i'm 14 and this is deep

 

[iAmPossum]

Sometimes they can have interesting cultural insights, yes.

 

[Deleted member 16136]

 

[acheron_xl]

The ancient Greeks had comedians too. And they were just as topical.

Click to shrink...

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

Comedians say things that sound insightful because they're funny, but it doesn't necessarily make them truly insightful. For instance they must often be reductive and simplistic to make delivery work. Even smart comedy is still entertainment.

Maybe it's more that as society becomes authoritarian comedians are one of the few who can remain widely known while stating facts inconvenient to an anti-intellectual culture or socially conservative culture.

Some do offer thought beyond that.

 

[Spinluck]

Comedians are pretty overrated.

The fact that they can tell you stories that make you laugh doesn't mean they are right.

Click to shrink...

You have no idea what you're talking about.

Whether they are right or wrong is irrelevant, to question how much goes into being a good comedian is just ignorant on your part.

To answer the OP they aren't philosophers, they're simply comedians.

 

[CKDexterHaven]

No not at all.Unless Carrot Top .

 

[Deleted member 1248]

Do you think philosophers are extinct?

Click to shrink...

No, but they are fairly useless with all these scientists around.

 

[PJV3]

I think Stewart Lee vomiting into the gaping anus of Jesus is probably the best answer to this question.

 

[Deleted member 31199]

If a comedian does not make me think, he is not a good comedian in my eyes. This is why I like Bill Hicks, Doug Stanhope, and of course George Carlin.

 

[Borgus]

I feel like the world of comedy (stand-up especially) has become pretty warped over the years, which has guided a lot of comics into putting themselves onto this weird pseudo-intellectual pedestal at times. I'm all for comedians exploring more challenging topics but man, some of these guys (and its mostly older white-male comedians) write some stupid misinformed bullshit. Hearing comedians moan about "cancel culture" is especially brutal.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

We used to have philosophers. We still do, but we used to too.

 

[Deleted member 6230]

No, philosophers are the philosophers of our time. Comedians are just people with severe depression who learned to laugh at themselves as a manner of copping

 

[bionic77]

I think comedians, high school dropouts on AM radio and GIFs and YT videos is how a lot of people develop their viewpoints on things that are actually important.

Which just means that we are really stupid.

 

[Zombine]

We used to have philosophers. We still do, but we used to too.

Click to shrink...

Legend 😎

 

[Masterspeed]

We used to have philosophers. We still do, but we used to too.

Click to shrink...

It's you isn't it? You're the last one!

 

[NoblesseOblige]

We literally have philosophers still, but also anyone is capable of philosophizing.

 

[Chairman Yang]

No, but they are fairly useless with all these scientists around.

Click to shrink...

I'd say that's definitely not true. The philosopher Nick Bostrom, for example, identified a bunch of issues related to existential risk (including AI risk) and that's what prompted scientists to look into those issues in the first place.

 

[Westbahnhof]

"Our phones keep getting smarter, why can't we?"
-Seinfeld the Wise

 

[Zombine]

What if Friends isn't a good show, and the act of watching Friends keeps all of us from actually being friends? How can we meet and become friends if we are busy watching Friends on Netflix? 🤔

Please learn about me in college and use me when trying to pick up people at the bar.

 

[xyla]

Comedians are pretty overrated.

The fact that they can tell you stories that make you laugh doesn't mean they are right.

Click to shrink...

I like the ones that tell you stories that make me think. And laugh.

No, philosophers are the philosophers of our time.

Click to shrink...

Of course but they are not an integral part of our societal system anymore, are they? If you are not studying and are actively seeking them out, chanc is you never come across their thoughts.

Do you think philosophers are extinct?

Click to shrink...

Yes. Wait no. Of course they are not - but like I said above - I think they don't really have a huge impact on the world anymore.

Maybe I phrased my thoughts rather poorly.

My thesis is that a few comedians have a status that is comparable to philosophers of old. Not that every comedian = philosopher.

 

[Deleted member 543]

I like the ones that tell you stories that make me think. And laugh.

Of course but they are not an integral part of our societal system anymore, are they? If you are not studying and are actively seeking them out, chanc is you never come across their thoughts.

Yes. Wait no. Of course they are not - but like I said above - I think they don't really have a huge impact on the world anymore.

Maybe I phrased my thoughts rather poorly.

My thesis is that a few comedians have a status that is comparable to philosophers of old. Not that every comedian = philosopher.

Click to shrink...

The general population may not pay attention to contemporary philosophers but their philosophy trickles through out society - and ends up in comedy.

Someone mentioned Bill Hicks above, but Hicks was often reiterating postmodernist or post-structuralist thought that had been around in academic discourse for decades. Comedians usually reiterate ideas that are already in our culture - I'm not trying to undermine what they actually do, because the do have a reach which shapes it, but it's very rare for them to come up with some original thought. They're simply repackaging it as entertainment which might stick with a person and encourage them to think more deeply about it.

I do think you're overselling the reach of stand up though. I think Slavoj Zizek has much more of a direct reach than Carlin or Chapelle.

 

[Jakten]

Not anymore, Twitter and Vine stars took that throne. Now even those are out of date and and lost their way so now we most rely on Tik-Tokers. That's just how it is.

 

[Sanka]

Might be the reason everything sucks so much if thats the case.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

It's ironic

 

[RedSparrows]

I think Stewart Lee vomiting into the gaping anus of Jesus is probably the best answer to this question.

Click to shrink...

Stewart Lee is about as close as you'll get, I think. But he, I reckon, sees himself as a clown. A clown can serve a very powerful discursive and philosophical role, but it ain't a philosopher per se.

Philosophers live (mostly) in the academy. The route from academy to society is often long and tangled and not always obvious, but just because people can't name a philosopher does not mean they didn't have an effect.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

A lot of comedians are really fucking dumb and/or terrible at the introspection needed for philosophy. There are some that are really profound (Carlin was ahead of his time) but the profession as a whole? No.

 

[8byte]

No.

 

[AuthenticM]

No, philosophers are the philosophers of our time.

Click to shrink...

.

 

[Leland Palmer]

Doug Stanhope kinda is

 

[Wackamole]

Some of them do have that element in their show

 

[Westbahnhof]

I will say this though:
While not all comedians are philosophers, some are.
And on the flipside, some philosophers are definitely clowns.

 

[Lupo]

Hasn't this always been the freedom afforded to the role of the jester in centuries past: to be able to speak truths directly to the king that no one else could get away with saying?

 

[TooFriendly]

I think you are completely underestimating how stringent the constraints of good philosophy are.

do good comedians point out the inequalities of modern life and put them in perspective? Yes
do they explain why with axioms and definitions? probably not.

This is a good podcast, that you might like:

Home | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast | A Philosophy Podcast and Blog

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast and philosophy blog by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a short text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don\'t have to...

partiallyexaminedlife.com

 

[Advance.Wars.Sgt.]

All I can say is that all of Chris Rock's relationship material has got truth to it. So maybe not philosophers but purveyors of contemporary reality, sure.

 

[Hopewell]

 

[nsilvias]

comedians arent philosophers but a comedian can be a philosopher

 

[Lothar]

No. Well only Gilbert Gottfried. That's it.