Courtney Pouncy
Dr. Oliver
PS 1030-006
25 April 2016
Kanye
West: A Modern Day Philosopher
In our world today, we are exposed to celebrities almost
everyday; whether it be on reality T.V. shows, or blogs we read. In particular,
there is one man that almost everyone has an opinion on and his name is Kanye
West. Kanye West one of the most controversial figures in the world today and
he bases his platforms on his personal beliefs. So to make a long story short…
Where am I going with our beloved Kanye West and philosophy. Well for starters
Mr. West (Kanye) goes by an alias that has upset many people throughout his
career. That alias is called “YEEZUS”; not really having to think about it you
can immediately pick up that YEEZUS is a bit from Jesus Christ himself. So why
does Kanye refer to himself as YEEZUS? Does he think he’s some sort of “god”?
Who knows with his huge ego he probably does, but I personally believe that in
the world today he is one of the most if not most influential people in the
world.
Moving on from Kanye’s god complex I will talk about his
music, and how he get his points across to people in that way. Kanye’s music in
my personal opinion opens the door for many people in different races, genders,
and etc. to listen to and relate to the struggles that everyone goes through in
their everyday life. Not only does Kanye appeal to the hip hop genre, but he
appeals to every genre by incorporating pretty much every song he makes with a
rhythm or beat to a song from a different genre. I think Wests music makes him a
modern day philosopher, because it allows him to connect with others from
around the world and make his voice be heard. Kanye’s music isn’t pop culture,
but he is using his popularity to establish a permanent seat in the industry.
The definition of a philosopher is “a person who
regulates his or her life, actions, judgments, utterances, etc., by the light
of philosophy or reason.” (Dictionary.com). Although Kanye West may voice his
opinions regularly about everything that is on his mind, or how he feels about
certain issues combined with his erratic behavior he is still someone who wants
to make the world a better place. When you think of the great philosophers like
Socrates, Plato, etc. you think of the old times and how they were and how they
are now portrayed in the public light. Not saying that Kanye will have nearly
as much influence when hundreds of years pass by, but who are we to say that he
won’t.
In this next paragraph, I will discuss whether or not I think
Socrates would have appreciated Kanye West if they were both alive during the
same time. Socrates believed in practicality, so he pretty much believed that
people should achieve practical goals to achieve the greater well being of
society. Socrates didn’t believe in perfection; he knew things had to get worse
before they had gotten better. Kanye on the other hand, has said many times
that he is a perfectionist and he will not stop until everything is perfect. I
feel like these two would be complete opposites, but if you look at the bigger
picture you would have to see that Kanye West has played a part in the
influencing in our society today, and I honestly believe that when it is all
said and done his music and voice will continue to travel through the decades,
centuries , and so on.
If influence is the mark of a philosopher, we're in trouble. The best philosophers tend to have relatively little influence, in their own time, while those with the greatest influence tend to be the biggest blowhard know-nothings. (Did someone mention "Drumpf"?)
ReplyDeleteSocrates promoted humility and ignorance. One out of two, Kanye?
I notice that Kanye said he wants to run for President. If Drumpf can, I suppose that makes sense. Socrates' suspicion of democracy will then be fully born out, don't you think?