Tommy LeeI got 6 YouTube channels that I like to watch and you might fancy as well. They focus on the very large like the Universe to somewhere in the middle about Human Condition, after that to the very small such as cells doing the work on our Immune Systems protecting us from virus and bacteria.
They are fun to watch and easy to pick up enough information and knowledge surrounding a topic of interest. So, you can go and do a deep dive into the rabbit hole in Google. The videos aren’t hard nor dull but fun and entertaining with what they have in common are calming narration voice-over other than the interview animation in After Skool.
Table of Contents
Channels
I personally love Academy of ideas because of the in-depth research that went into each video to explain the topic. Dense yet easy to understand. And if I want to watch some cute animation and am in for some science stuff I head over to the Kurzgesagt channel.
If you are in need of a fun intellectual binge on YouTube channels, why not give these 6 channels a go and see where it leads?
Kurzgesagt
The channel tries to answer the big questions from the very small to the very big in scales. From viruses, stars system, alien, climate, and what-if scenarios. These are well researched and animated dense chunk of information but is produced into an easy to absorb format.
Don’t worry about getting bored or uninterested. You will be entertained all the way while learning science. You might get some existential crisis on some of the how the universe going to end, nuke, climate, and stars. You know, the usual existential crises. I revel in this stuff.
One thing you could play along with as you watch is where they hide the black duck in every video. It’s kind of fun to find the black duck with yellow beak either hidden somewhere among other objects or floating around in between.
In a nutshell: It’s about science, good animation, learning, and big questions.
Pursuit of wonder
Just like what the channel name had suggested. You would go on a period of awe, introspection or go “hmmmmmmmmmmmm” 🤔 which I think has achieved its objective marvelously because it provokes thought and with that, it is how change begins.
Even the about page describes its objective as such, have a look. “We cover a wide range of topics related to things like social, emotional, and intellectual wellbeing, with a variety of formats including video essays, short stories, guided experiences, and much more.”.
If those are within your interests. Go watch it!
I love their what-if storytelling videos that aim to impart a lesson or give me a new perspective to see if I am ever in such a situation. The 2 videos below are great examples of what I am talking about.
In a nutshell: It’s about existential, smooth voice over, makes you go hmmmmmm, entertaining video essay
Aperture
It seems like his uploads depend on what captures the author’s mind at the time and every time he managed to produce something great to watch. The voice-over narration is especially good. I think he might have a very good microphone set up in a soundproof room for the recording.
The content is interesting to me because he touches on a wide array of topics from philosophy, science, probability, finance, human society, and condition. The combination of his selection of stock footage, soothing narration, and the topic at hand make it a good video to watch.
Maybe you could let the channel play when you are asleep at night like some kind of ASMR 🤣
In a nutshell: It’s about big questions, reality, smooth voice-over, entertaining videos.
Academy of ideas
This is really the OG channel you should watch if you are deeply interested in human conditions and how society shapes the individual. I think it is an underrated channel even though it crosses the 1 million subscribers mark.
I think society will be more compassionate if more people are exposed to the ideas this channel is illustrating. A dim light shining through a small crack within everyone’s inner sanctum and hopefully, that will give enough drive for any one person to live a better life who chance upon this channel.
One thing I noticed is that the author is always ready to comment on current affairs via his video releases but will leave out the exact pinpointing. These videos will give an overall analysis of what is happening just as in reality it is being played out in front of our eyes. I think this is great because I can see what is happening but cannot put it in a video essay as eloquently as the video he is making on the subject as it is unfolding.
He is smart on not being too specific for which it would attract unwanted attention and censorship either from YouTube or any powerful entity.
You will learn a lot! Don’t let the arts in the video and text quotes fool you that this is another boring channel!
In a nutshell: It’s about psychology, analysis, essay, living better, understanding yourself, self-realization, deep understanding are needed
Freedom in thoughts
This channel looks like a marriage of Academy of Idea together with Kurzgesagt. The ideas being discussed are leaning toward the human conditions but the animation looks almost indistinguishable to Kurzgesagt. Maybe they hired the same design team? 🤔
In a nutshell: It’s about practicality, productivity, philosophy, psychology, and living better.
After Skool
The channel takes the most influential and mind-bending talks, lectures, TEDx or interviews then draws it out over on a whiteboard to illustrate the idea. I quite like this channel as I found some people and talks I have no idea about.
For instance, I didn’t know that Ram Dass give talks with content similar to Alan Watts lectures. I’m a big-time fan of Alan Watts and had been listening to that guy for quite some time now and every time I gain new insight listening to him with his large repository of recorded audio.
In a nutshell: It’s about psychology, human conditions, human nature, talk, speech, philosophy is presented in a colorful drawing on a whiteboard.
Take away
These are awesome channels in my opinion as they are on the verge of subjects that I’m deeply interested in. If you ever have a question about your very own existence, mind, thoughts, science, the universe, philosophy, society, civilization to some of the biggest questions in life. Then, these channels will greatly help you in that regard.
Commentary
I think I would continue to update this list if any other good ones come up. So, keep this page bookmarked somewhere!
The first step to living a better life is by learning to make better decisions. To do that, you need nutritious food to feed your brain. A healthy and flexible mind will help to enable you to discern a little better and hopefully, things will look clearer as time progresses.
Go check my mental clarity post that Master Shi Heng Yi talks about the 5 hindrances from a Buddhist perspective.
Tommy Lee