French TikToker uses pop culture to teach students about philosophy

Is Porn artwork? Did Jeffrey Dahmer have free will? And will all of us grow to be vegan? 

These are simply a number of the questions requested on a brand new philosophy TikTok account that's making waves in France's academic system.

The “serial thinker” presently has over 100,000 followers on the social media app.

Lev Fraenckel, a 41-year-old trainer, began the account in Could from his Strasbourg condo. He makes use of popular culture as an instance his philosophical factors in his movies, a change from how he initially taught his classes in his in-person classroom.

"I discovered a sure type of frustration as a trainer, to have college students who got here [to the classroom] in opposition to their will,” Fraenckel says. “And I assumed that with movies, it might make them need to search for philosophical solutions on their very own."

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@serial.thinker Dahmer avait-il le choix ? #dahmer#déterminisme#librearbitre#philosophie#serialkiller#spinoza♬ son unique - Philosophie Serial Thinker

Fraenckel initally began posting movies on YouTube, the place he gained modest consideration.

However after shifting to TikTok, his quick three-minute movies rapidly gained a whole bunch of 1000's of views, lots of whom had been excessive schoolers flocking to the content material whereas cramming for his or her philosophy exams.

Cyril Hadef, an 18-year-old medical pupil, was one of many college students who used Fraenckel's movies as an academic instrument. He bought 19 out of 20 on his examination in June.

"I feel it is because of him as a result of, throughout my cramming interval, I did not take a look at my trainer's lectures in any respect,” he says. “I simply watched the movies, took notes of the examples, realized them, and simply added little private tradition left over from my literature examination. It turned out fairly nicely."

Fraenckel is presently on go away from the French schooling system, giving himself a 12 months to make a dwelling from TikTok.

And he's additionally releasing a ebook entitled, 'To assist Terminale college students cross the philosophy baccalaureate.'

Try the video above for extra on Fraenckel and his TikTok vids.