TEDX Video Review – An Insight of Philosophy

              The video of TEDX comprises many kinds of video, one of them is about how philosophy can connect with technology, even can give wider access to people from different age groups to learn about philosophy. However, it assumes that not many people falls deep into philosophy, due to the fact that this subject emphasizes subjectivity, instead of scientific or logical answers. For instance when you want to buy an iPhone, logically the first thing you would want to know is the specifications, and how iPhone can help you doing with your schoolwork and connect with people. Nevertheless, in Indonesia, many people wants to buy iPhone in order to be cool, and just to ‘fit in’ with people. Although the phone is very expensive and they may not have specific utilities on using iPhone, however they still want to buy iPhone. As a result many people buys iPhone in order to join the community, as well as posting statuses on mainstream social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Path, and so on. So what does this phenomenon has to do with philosophy? And why do we need to see something deeper about this? Philosophy can give insights to see how people develops until who they are.

                Based on what Amy Leaks said, the philosopher on TEDX, philosophy is like plumbing. It twirls around the house, sometimes when we look at it the pipe flow might be confusing. Plumbing can be broken, but it can be repaired and changed until it is working again. Same like philosophy. People gives different opinion based on personal experiences and shared values, in addition people needs to question the reasons why, because of the dilemmas that people need to face. Although there might be a clash of different opinion among people, in the end people can make a new, different conclusion as a way to perceive the world in a different perspective. The fundamental challenge of learning philosophy is to see the subjectivity, for the reason that life problems aren’t just a rocket science problem and solution. What writer mean is that people has some contradictions as they see a problem. Just look at the problem of buying an iPhone. The price is quite expensive, particularly in Indonesia. The buyer named K grew up in a poor family, who is a conservative Muslim. She works as a customer service but at the same time she needs to provide a living for her family. On the contrary she really wants to buy iPhone in order to make people see her as a cool and credible person in a college society. Her salary couldn’t help her afford iPhone, as a result her mind puts her in a choice whether she needs to add extra shift or being a gold digger as an instant way of boosting her status, although she knows that the society might label her as a whore.

In writer’s opinion, philosophy might shape a person to become a more stable person, or at least rethink of what is the best prophecy or solution to deal with certain ethical dilemmas. It drives people to think more critical in order to get the best solution, and at the same time they need to take a dangerous risk. Also, philosophy helps people understand life better by just seeing the changes in people and when we deal with life decisions.