Edinburgh Review: Alex Farrow – Philosophy A-Level
[usr 3]
Alex Farrow interweaves philosophical concepts and reasoning techniques into his material in such a way that makes philosophy accessible to his audience, rather than isolating those who don’t have a background in the subject. In doing this, Farrow shines a light on how philosophy exists in all aspects of our daily lives. For example, he shows how socratic reasoning has become a common method of communication by using it in recurring jokes through his set.
Farrow then goes onto recount his time spent as an A-Level philosophy teacher, and it is very interesting to be enlightened to the teacher’s perspective, rather than the student’s. The comic shows great sensitivity when discussing race and religion, and in doing so he is able to take the show to places where other comics might not dare. This is because he is regaling his own interactions with young people and coming at it from the objective of helping them think independently, rather than mocking them for what they believe to be true.
The stand-up is intersected with a few rather cheesy, but very well-received, trivia quizzes, a favourite being ‘Who said this? Kelly Clarkson or Nietzsche?’. In a similar vein are the song puns he sprinkles throughout the hour, particularly referencing Kelis’ Milkshake. A little out-dated, perhaps, but they lighten the quite heavily message-orientated show.
Overall, Alex Farrow successfully argues the case for the importance of philosophy in our education system, and he does so in a smart, yet empathetic way. Catch the show at Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire at 12.15pm throughout August.
