From Specialized Knowledge to Public Conversation: Aristotelian Rhetoric in the Digital Popularization of Philosophy: A Case Study of Fahruddin Faiz's Ngaji Filsafat on the MJS Channel, YouTube

Violita Noor Haiza; Anang Sujoko; Reza Safitri

doi:10.58421/misro.v5i3.2063

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58421/misro.v5i3.2063

Authors

Violita Noor Haiza Universitas Brawijaya
Anang Sujoko Universitas Brawijaya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4943-8284
Reza Safitri Universitas Brawijaya

Keywords:

Digital knowledge communication, Knowledge popularization, Neo-Aristotelian, Public engagement, Rhetorical Criticism, YouTube

Abstract

As philosophy migrates from lecture halls to comment sections, a pressing question emerges: how does specialized knowledge survive and thrive outside its native institutional habitat? This study addresses this question by examining Fahruddin Faiz's Ngaji Filsafat, a YouTube-based philosophy discussion program with substantial digital audience visibility in Indonesia. Rather than treating popularization as mere simplification, this study foregrounds rhetoric as an active mechanism through which specialized philosophical discourse is reconstructed for public communication. Employing a qualitative descriptive-interpretive approach grounded in Neo-Aristotelian Rhetorical Criticism, the study analyzes how ethos, pathos, and logos are constructed in Fahruddin Faiz's verbal discourse across ten Ngaji Filsafat episodes broadcast in 2025. Episodes were purposively selected based on broadcast period, viewership, thematic diversity, data completeness, and the availability of audience comments for contextual triangulation. The analysis examines how rhetorical appeals emerge through argumentation, narrative framing, diction, analogical reasoning, and audience-oriented address. The findings demonstrate how philosophical knowledge is rearticulated rather than merely simplified as it enters digital public discourse, with rhetorical appeals connecting specialized concepts to audiences' everyday experiences and concerns. The study concludes that Aristotelian rhetoric provides a useful lens for understanding how specialized knowledge negotiates accessibility, credibility, and audience resonance in participatory digital spaces, contributing to scholarship on digital knowledge communication and public engagement.

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