[The Typing Baker] Classical Philosophy Meets YouTube and Wikipedia

Ogawa Hitoshi 'People Who Work Well Think Philosophically'

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] As science and technology advance rapidly, the importance of convergent thinking is growing accordingly. The development of science and technology means that the pace of environmental changes faced by humans is accelerating. Consequently, humans must quickly and accurately assess the changed environment. While science and technology have made the human body more comfortable, they have made the mind more fatigued.

This book, titled "People Who Work Well Think Philosophically," presents a kind of methodology to cope with such chaotic situations. The author explains the basic principles of the latest trends by linking them with 30 philosophical theories and describes how to utilize them. For example, YouTube is connected with the philosophy of the British empiricist philosopher Francis Bacon (1561?1626).

YouTube dominates our daily lives through videos. Videos have a greater visual impact than photos or text. Bacon spoke about the concept of 'Idola,' which excites human emotions. 'Idola' means 'idol.' Bacon mentioned several types of Idola. In particular, he explained that humans are greatly influenced immediately after encountering a certain extreme, calling this the 'Idola of the Theater.' YouTube can be seen as a modern-day 'Idola of the Theater.'

Wikipedia aligns with the theory of German philosopher of phenomenology Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770?1831). Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Anyone with internet access can write Wikipedia articles. Because anyone can write, the information may be inaccurate. Sometimes controversies or suspicions arise. However, on the other hand, since anyone can write, errors can also be corrected.

Through collective intelligence, information is increasingly expanded, refined, and detailed. Hegel's dialectic resembles Wikipedia's collective knowledge. Hegel argued that when a problem arises, accepting the problem can lead to further development. Wikipedia also allows anyone to write articles, so the risk of errors always exists. However, anyone can correct those errors, making problem-solving possible.

The author emphasizes that Wikipedia-style thinking might be necessary for us today. Instead of striving to present perfect ideas from the start, it is more suitable for today's fast-paced society to first present raw ideas and gradually develop them.

3D printers are linked to the thinking of German Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724?1804), who said that humans understand objects because the concepts of time and space are given from the beginning.

The author, Ogawa Hitoshi, is a leading popular philosopher in Japan and an associate professor at Yamaguchi University's School of International and Interdisciplinary Studies. After graduating from Kyoto University's Faculty of Law, he had a unique career path, working as a general trading company employee, a freelance worker, and a city hall official before becoming a philosopher.

Whether his thoughts and ideas can be a definite solution to the current situation remains uncertain. However, it is certainly an interesting attempt.

As the era becomes more complex, people's thirst for convergent thinking based on philosophy is growing. Last year, the book "How Philosophy Becomes a Weapon for Life" became a bestseller and gained great popularity.

Philosophical thinking also provides an opportunity to reflect on our present selves. For example, "People Who Work Well Think Philosophically" offers a somewhat chilling interpretation of the Internet of Things (IoT) by linking it with the concept of the 'Panopticon' by French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926?1984). The Panopticon refers to an all-seeing surveillance device. In the IoT world, everything is connected, and humans become the source of all actions. The author points out that humans are included in the concept of 'things' contained in IoT, meaning all human actions can be monitored.

(People Who Work Well Think Philosophically / Written by Ogawa Hitoshi / Translated by Eun-ah Jo / Fandom Books)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.