So Phi Podcast

TikTok is not merely the motherlode of cringe content. It is India’s fastest growing social media application: Indians spent 5.5 billion hours on the app in 2019.

TikTok is allowing a whole new India, one that lives in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, one that does those jobs that we consider ourselves too dignified to do, a chance to live a life that need not be defined by caste, class or religion. Content creation it seems now, is no longer an upper-middle class kink. Nonetheless, it is not without its myriad issues: India has continually tried to ban TikTok over concerns of privacy, pornography and Chinese spying.

What does the app say about the way certain forms of creativity and expression are considered cringe while others are deemed woke? And what do these countless complexities, of privacy, class and identity, both philosophical and political mean for our democracy? Is TikTok a great liberator or merely the new opium of the masses?

Atharva and Atish discuss these questions and more over the two part episode. They are joined for the first time, in the history of So Phi Podcast, by a guest. Amrita Kashyap, is her own words, "is an unpaid TikTok enthusiast and a part-time musician (𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥)." She is studying journalism but considering today's economy, hopes to make money off the finer arts (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘬𝘛𝘰𝘬).

Let us know your thoughts, by emailing us at [email protected], or reach out to us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

TikTok is not merely the motherlode of cringe content. It is India’s fastest growing social media application: Indians spent 5.5 billion hours on the app in 2019. 

TikTok is allowing a whole new India, one that lives in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, one that does those jobs that we consider ourselves too dignified to do, a chance to live a life that need not be defined by caste, class or religion. Content creation it seems now, is no longer an upper-middle class kink. Nonetheless, it is not without its myriad issues: India has continually tried to ban TikTok over concerns of privacy, pornography and Chinese spying.

What does the app say about the way certain forms of creativity and expression are considered cringe while others are deemed woke? And what do these countless complexities, of privacy, class and identity, both philosophical and political mean for our democracy? Is TikTok a great liberator or merely the new opium of the masses?

Atharva and Atish discuss these questions and more over the two part episode. They are joined for the first time, in the history of So Phi Podcast, by a guest. Amrita Kashyap, is her own words, "is an unpaid TikTok enthusiast and a part-time musician (𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥)." She is studying journalism but considering today's economy, hopes to make money off the finer arts (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘬𝘛𝘰𝘬).

Let us know your thoughts, by emailing us at [email protected], or reach out to us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

In this episode, Atharva and Atish explore the many manifestations of the notion of honour. What precisely is honour? Is it merely an archaic formulation that is today the force for such evils as bigotry, sexism, and honour killings; or does it masquerade as something else, something novel and essential today, in these post-industrial times?

How's honour related to and distinct from duty, and self-esteem? We discuss these questions and more, with special regard to the Indian subcontinent's long history of understanding these concepts in all their multitudes.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected]! Or DM us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

In this episode, Atharva and Atish explore the many manifestations of the notion of honour. What precisely is honour? Is it merely an archaic formulation that is today the force for such evils as bigotry, sexism, and honour killings; or does it masquerade as something else, something novel and essential today, in these post-industrial times? 

How's honour related to and distinct from duty, and self-esteem? We discuss these questions and more, with special regard to the Indian subcontinent's long history of understanding these concepts in all their multitudes.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected]! Or DM us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

In this podcast on the topic of intolerance, Atharva and Atish question whether tolerance is an absolutely desirable, virtuous pursuit.

In doing so, they discuss the broader philosophical conception of society itself and how the social contract is founded upon a cornerstone of exclusion and intolerance.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected]! Or DM us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

In this podcast on the topic of intolerance, Atharva and Atish question whether tolerance is an absolutely desirable, virtuous pursuit. 

In doing so, they discuss the broader philosophical conception of society itself and how the social contract is founded upon a cornerstone of exclusion and intolerance.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected]! Or DM us on our handle @sophipodcast on Instagram!!

In  the second part of our discussion on language, Atharva and Atish underline the implications that the arbitrary nature of language might have on our daily existence, and the very nature of philosophical exploration itself. In attempting to comprehending these implications, the hosts discuss the ideas laid out by Ludwig Wittgenstein and Jacques Derrida.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected] !!

In the first part of our discussion on language, Atharva and Atish lay out the foundation to the slippery slope that is human language, with a focus on the revolutionary claims made by Ferdinand De Saussure. 

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected] !!

In our second bonus episode, we discuss Buddhist and Advaita thought, with a focus on the philosopher Sankara and his ideas on the question of "What is a 'thing'?".

Is a 'thing' constant or is it ever-changing?

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected] !!

In our first bonus episode, we discuss David Hume and his ideas on the question of "What is a 'thing'?". 

Is a thing merely its properties? Or is there an essence to it?

We'd love to know your thoughts on the episode, hit us up at [email protected] !!