Jeanet Maduro de Polanco on Philosophy in Pop Culture

Jeanet Maduro de Polanco
2 min readJan 26, 2022

Philosophy is one of the most influential subjects in the world. It has shaped many aspects of our society and culture, from political ideologies to art forms. Philosophy in Pop Culture is a topic that has been brought up many times but not often discussed. But what is the interlink between philosophy and pop culture? In this article, we will explore how they correlate.

What is philosophy?

Philosophy is defined as the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind. This definition can be applied to many areas in pop culture, including TV shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, movies like The Matrix Trilogy or Fight Club, artists/bands like Radiohead or the Beatles, and literature like Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

What is pop culture?

Pop culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society or segment thereof. In other words, it’s what we tend to choose from in our everyday lives and how these things influence us — whether they try to or not! You don’t have to be influenced by something for it to affect you consciously.

Interlink between Philosophy and Pop Culture:

Philosophical ideas are often used in pop culture to provide the audience with something more profound than they would receive. To simplify, philosophy is like a giant puzzle, and when pieced together, it makes up our reality — so why not use this idea for entertainment purposes?

By doing so, writers can plant seeds of thought within the audience to make them think about their existence and what’s going on. This can be done through new and old concepts alike — the key is to make it enjoyable.

Philosophy in Pop Culture Example:

Philosophical ideas have influenced the Game of Thrones show. The main character, Tyrion Lannister, constantly questions his reality and existence as he lives through the hardships of life.

Another favorite example is The Matrix trilogy (1999–2003). In these movies, Neo discovers that his reality isn’t what he thought; instead, computers are generated by machines.

Philosophy also appears in literature, for example, Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In it, a character named Ophelia serves as an embodiment of philosophy — she questions her world while at the same time questioning herself.

Conclusion:

Philosophy and pop culture are both essential parts of our life — they can be used to explain and understand the world around us. By studying philosophy, we learn to think deeper about ourselves and what existence is. It’s a journey that takes time, but it will help you discover who you truly are.

Article originally published on JeanetMadurodePolanco.net

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Jeanet Maduro de Polanco

Jeanet Maduro de Polanco is an Italian historian and author with a deep passion for history and historical non-fiction. Read more at JeanetMadurodePolanco.net