The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Ep. 354: Guest Tim Williamson on Philosophic Method (Part One) Nov 04, 2024

Oxford philosophy professor Timothy Williamson talks to us about his new book, Overfitting and Heuristics in Philosophy.

How can we best apply the insights of philosophy of science to philosophy itself? Maybe some alleged philosophical counter-examples are just the result of psychological heuristics gone wrong.

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PEL Presents PvI#84: Interesting? w/ Lorraine Besser Nov 03, 2024

Lorraine teaches at Middlebury college and has recently written The Art of the Interesting: What We Miss in Our Pursuit of the Good Life and How to Cultivate It. How does "the interesting" fit into human flourishing? How do we know when some attractive stimulation is really in our interest and really good?

Can we find something interesting even the most tedious, repetitive tasks? Is it interesting to start an improv scene by declaring that your scene-mates are dealing with alcoholism and divorce? Certainly it is rude. Also, Happiness 12 Step Programs.

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Ep. 353: Reid on Visual Knowledge (Part Two) Oct 28, 2024

Concluding our treatment of "Of Seeing" in Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense.

We continue to hammer at this idea of "resemblance" between mental contents and physical objects, consider more carefully Reid's level of support for the primary/secondary quality distinction, how he treats non-signifying feelings like pain and warmth, and his comparison of sense experience to testimony.

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PEL Presents NEM#224: Steve Dawson (Dolly Varden) Elevates Americana Oct 26, 2024

Steve fronted Chicago's Dolly Varden for six albums from the '90s through 2013. He also started releasing albums under his own name 2003 and has just released his seventh.

We discuss "A Mile South of Town" (and listen at the end to "Oh, California") from Ghosts (2024), the title track from The Dumbest Magnets by Dolly Varden (2000), and "Bronko Nagurski," a 1989 recording by the early iteration of Varden, Stump the Host. Intro: "Saskatchewan to Chicago" by Dolly Varden from For a While (2013). More at stevedawsonmusic.com.

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Ep. 353: Reid on Visual Knowledge (Part One) Oct 21, 2024

We're continuing our treatment of Thomas Reid's Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (1764), now discussing ch. 6: "Of Seeing."

Does vision provide the exception to Reid's point that our sensations do not resemble objects in the world? Images surely seem to do so! What does this mean for Reid's epistemology?

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PEL Presents PMP#183: Classic Universal Monster Movies Oct 20, 2024

It's our Halloween episode! Brucker Nourse from the Autopsy of a Horror Movie podcast joins the gang about a wave of 1930's films including Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Are these actually enjoyable to modern audiences?

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.

PEL Presents PvI#83: Half Philosophizing (Season 4 Premiere) Oct 18, 2024

Welcome to the beginning of a new round of shenanigans on Philosophy vs. Improv. Let the senior slump begin!

Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett here talk a blazin' stream of consciousness and then have a pretty long improv scene. Are we already always philosophizing?

Watch the proceedings unedited on YouTube.

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Ep. 352: Thomas Reid on Smelling and Knowledge (Part Two) Oct 14, 2024

Continuing on Inquiry into the Human Mind, getting further into the chapter on smelling as well as the conclusion and Reid's exchange with Hume.

What exactly is our relation with objects in the world according to Reid?

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PEL Presents SUBTEXT: Love Dishonored in Euripides' "Medea" - Part 6 Oct 13, 2024

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of Ancient Greece’s most notorious battle of the sexes, and Euripides’ rumination on the question of whether the Athenian ideals of rationality and moderation sufficiently honor the instinctual side of human nature.

To hear all the previous parts of this, just go check out subtextpodcast.com.

Ep. 352: Thomas Reid on Smelling and Knowledge (Part One) Oct 07, 2024

On Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (1764): the introduction, conclusion, ch. 2 "Of Smelling" ch. 4 "Of Hearing," and some correspondence between Reid and Hume.

According to Reid, the big mistake of "modern" philosophy is thinking that objects in the world need to resemble the sensations we have of them. Smelling is supposed to give us an obvious counter-example: the scent of a rose in no way resembles a physical rose.

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PEL Presents PMP#182: Tim Burton: Shtick Macabre Oct 07, 2024

In light of the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, we discuss the films of director (and occasional writer) Tim Burton since his career was firmly established by his early work in the '80s including the original 1988 Beetlejuice.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al have very mixed reactions to the new film, but we agree that the animation style that characterizes his vision is very rich and has had a massive cultural impact. We discuss his stop-motion work, his Batman films, his Disney commissions, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.

PREMIUM-Ep. 351: Sophie Grace Chappell on Transgender (Part Two) Oct 05, 2024

Mark, Seth and Dylan continue talking about philosophy surrounding trans phenomena in light of our interview with Sophie Grace about Trans Figured.

In this supporter-exclusive discussion, we get into sex and gender as cluster concepts, ethical theory in equity discussions, and the practical matters you'd expect: sports participation, pronouns, bathrooms and dress codes.

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Ep. 351: Guest Sophie Grace Chappell on Transgender (Part One) Sep 30, 2024

Mark, Seth, and Dylan interview this British philosophy prof about her new book, Trans Figured, and philosophy's role in discussing the phenomena of transgender (which, yes, can be used as a noun, according to Sophie).

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Part two of this episode (with just the PEL guys) will only be available to PEL supporters. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get this along with our massive package of ad-free episodes and bonus content.

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Ep. 350: Rorty on Justification and Essentialism (Part Two) Sep 23, 2024

Concluding on "Universality and Truth" from Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism. It it coherent to simply not have a theory of truth? Rorty claims that he's not a relativist; he's just avoiding some useless parts of philosophy that just cause problems, including inculcating the respect for a non-human absolute, and this attitude undermines democracy.

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PEL Presents PvI#82: LIVE in Personability w/ James Whittington Sep 21, 2024

Chicago's iO Theater was graced on August 21 by Mark, Bill, and special guest theater educator James Whittington, who spoke about embodiment (see Maurice Merleau-Ponty), the possible disconnect between meaning and tone, and being in the physical presence of greatness. They acted out scenes (while still sitting!) about an unsuccessful party and Experiences-R-Us.

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Ep. 350: Rorty on Justification and Essentialism (Part One) Sep 16, 2024

On "Universality and Truth" and "Pan-Relationalism," which are lectures 3-5 in Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism.

How do we justify democracy? Rorty says we don't have to refer to transcendent Truth or Good to do this. He also denies the disinction between essential and accidental properties, and in fact between substance and property: Everything is just described in terms of its relations to other things, and which relations are important are not intrinsic to the thing, but a matter of a speaker's purposes.

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Ep. 349: Rorty's Pluralistic Pragmatism (Part Two) Sep 09, 2024

Continuing on Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism, ch. 1, "Pragmatism and Religion" and 2, "Pragmatism as Romantic Polytheism."

Rorty evaluates past pragmatists' approaches to religion, arguing contra James that it can't be "privatized," that democratic social goals involve shared rationality, which means that all of our beliefs are open to the judgment of our peers.

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PREMIUM-Closereads: Merleau-Ponty on the Body Sep 06, 2024

We begin a long series on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's "Phenomenology of Perception" (1945), focusing on Part I, "The Body": "Experience and Objective Thought."

To get the whole recording, you can become a PEL Citizen, or simply go subscribe to the Closereads: Philosophy with Mark and Wes podcast at closereadsphilosophy.com. You can also watch the proceedings on YouTube. To get future parts of our treatment of this text, you'll need to support Closereads, either at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy, or combine your support for PEL and Closereads at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife.

Ep. 349: Rorty's Pluralistic Pragmatism (Part One) Sep 02, 2024

On Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism (1997), ch. 1-2 about religion. Should democracy be defended on absolutist grounds, e.g. by reference to God-given or natural rights, the nature of Man, or the dictates of Reason?

Rorty says no! Democracy, ethics, and even truth itself are a matter for societies to decide for themselves. Monotheistic religion provides a negative model for ceding authority on these matters no something non-human.

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Ep. 348: Tim Williamson's Knowledge-First Epistemology (Part Two) Aug 26, 2024

Continuing on "Knowledge First Epistemology" (2011), "Justifications, Excuses, and Sceptical Scenarios" (2015), and "Morally Loaded Cases in Philosophy" (2019).

How does knowledge-first epistemology relate to reliabilism? What are its moral implications? Does W. have a good argument against relativism and skepticism?

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PREMIUM-PEL End-of-Summer Nightcap 2024 Aug 25, 2024

Mark, Wes, and Dylan again talk politics, including conspiracy theorist psychology, whether post-modernism is responsible for current "post-truth" discourse on the Right (see the PvI David Shields episode), our previous guest John Ganz who now has a bestselling book, and finally the relief at actually having some Presidential choice that is not past their expiration date.

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Ep. 348: Tim Williamson's Knowledge-First Epistemology (Part One) Aug 19, 2024

On "Knowledge First Epistemology" (2011), "Justifications, Excuses, and Sceptical Scenarios" (2015), and "Morally Loaded Cases in Philosophy" (2019).

Is knowledge basic, or is it dissolvable into more basic ingredients such as justification, truth, and belief? Williamson argues that these latter things should instead be defined in terms of knowledge.

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Ep. 347: Nyaya Sutra Against Buddhist Skeptics (Part Two) Aug 12, 2024

Mark, Seth, and Dylan now turn to ch. 4 of Dasti/Phillips' Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries about the self. Buddhism famously claims that there is no self, and the Nyaya philosophers respond with both common-sensical arguments (e.g. psychological properties must be possessed by something) and religious (without a soul, what persists through reincarnation?).

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Ep. 347: Nyaya Sutra Against Buddhist Skeptics (Part One) Aug 05, 2024

We're continuing to explore Nyaya epistemology, in this part focusing on ch. 3, "In Defense of the Real," in Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries (2017).

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Ep. 346: Nyaya Sutra on Knowledge (Part Two) Jul 29, 2024

Continuing on ch. 1, "Knowledge Sources," of the Matthew Dasti/Stephen Phillips presentation of the Nyaya-Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries.

We finish up perception and then talk about inference and testimony. Are these all independent sources, or do they, e.g. all reduce ultimately to perception as Western empiricists claim?

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Enrollment is now open for Mark's Big Books in Continental Philosophy fall class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Learn about the PEL book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 346: Nyaya Sutra on Knowledge (Part One) Jul 22, 2024

On The Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries, originally by Gautama (ca. 150 CE), plus explanations by Vatsyayana (450 CE), Uddyotakara (550), and Vācaspatimiśra (900), and the editors Matthew Dasti and Stephen Phillips (2017).

We discuss "knowledge sources," mostly in this part the various kinds of perception, which is supposed to be inerrant and non-linguistic. Illusions aren't bad perceptions; they aren't perceptions at all.

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Enrollment is now open for Mark's Big Books in Continental Philosophy fall class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Learn about the PEL book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 345: William James on Religious Experience (Part Two) Jul 15, 2024

Continuing on The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). Does James' claim that science and culture shouldn't ignore the subjective point of view really mean that the religious objects that motivate people are metaphysically real? Is the "unseen realm" part of our common world?

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Ep. 345: William James on Religious Experience (Part One) Jul 08, 2024

On The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), focusing on lectures 1-3 and 20. What is religion and how should philosophers study it?

James describes it as a sincere, full-life reaction to the world, more emotional than intellectual, and conveys the experiences of the extreme "religious geniuses" that are merely received second or third hand by the believing masses.

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Check out Mark's Big Books in Continental Philosophy fall class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

PREMIUM-PEL Mid-Summer Nightcap 2024 Jul 05, 2024

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk about worries about the utility of various subgenres or explanation types in philosophy, Dr. Drew's recent interview with Seth and Seth's writing project about non-linguistic communication, accuracy in historical or scientific details in philosophy, and our current political moment (our candidate choices, the debate, etc.).

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Ep. 344: Gettier and Goldman on Justified True Belief (Part Two) Jul 01, 2024

On "What Is Justified Belief?" (1979) by Alvin Goldman, where he tries to come up with a "function" for justification: If a belief has such-and-such non-epistemic properties, then it counts as justified.

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Learn about Mark's Big Books in Continental Philosophy Fall online class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Learn about the PEL book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 344: Gettier and Goldman on Justified True Belief (Part One) Jun 23, 2024

On "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?" (1963) by Edmund Gettier, "What Is Justified Belief?" (1979) by Alvin Goldman, and "The Inescapability of Gettier Problems" (1994) by Linda Zagzebski.

What is knowledge? Even if a belief is true and justified, does that make it knowledge? Gettier came up with exceptions, and other philosophers tried to figure out how to revise "justification" to rule these out.

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Ep. 343: Plotinus the Neo-Platonist (Part Two) Jun 17, 2024

Continuing with guest Chris Sunami, mostly discussing "The Good or The One," though we start off by completing "The Descent of the Soul" about why there is something rather than nothing, given that materiality is so undesirable compared to The One.

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PEL Presents NEM#217: Richard Thompson's Moments in Time Jun 14, 2024

Richard started as guitarist in the folk-rock staple Fairport Convention in 1967 but left in 1970 after five albums. He then recorded his debut solo album, six as Richard and Linda Thompson, and has since recorded 20 more solo albums of lyrically inventive, stylistically varied tunes that nearly always feature very skilled guitar work.

We discuss "Freeze," the first single from his new album Ship to Shore, "The Ghost of You Walks" from You? Me? Us? (1996), and "Don't Take It Lying Down" from Still/Variations EP (2015). End song: "When I Get to the Border" by Richard and Linda Thompson from I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974). Intro: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" from Rumor and Sigh (1991). More at richardthompson-music.com .

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Ep. 343: Plotinus the Neo-Platonist (Part One) Jun 10, 2024

On selections from the Enneads (270 C.E.), as presented by Elmer O'Brien as the first four essays in The Essential Plotinus: "Beauty," "The Intelligence, Ideas and Being," "The Descent of the Soul," and "The Good or The One." Featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth, and guest Chris Sunami.

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Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book (which Chris edited).

Ep. 342: Zhuangzi on Knowledge and Virtue (Part Two) Jun 03, 2024

We're concluding our treatment of the Daoist sage, focusing on the relation between metaphysics and ethics. Is a "wu wei" (non-action) philosophy compatible with fighting for justice? Does it even necessitate kindness?

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Listen to Mark's new band, including the ending song to this episode, "I Insist," at marklint.bandcamp.com.

Ep. 342: Zhuangzi on Knowledge and Virtue (Part One) May 27, 2024

More on the Zhuangzi, books 1-6 and 17-19 with guest Theo Brooks.

We discuss epistemology (Can we know the mind of someone else? How can virtue make truth more accessible?), metaphysics (Is the world constantly changing such that we can't actually refer to anything? Does each thing somehow contain its opposite in virtue of being defined by its contrast with all that it is not?), and ethics (What constitutes the Utmost Person, i.e. the sage?).

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Ep. 341 Supplemental: Zhuangzi for Closereads Evergreen Network Launch May 20, 2024

Mark and Wes read through and discuss the first couple of pages of ch. 19, "Fathoming Life," following up on ep. 341.

How does Daoism compare to Stoicism, Aristotelianism, and Existentialism? How can being a Daoist sage keep one from harm? How is a really effective cicada catcher such a sage?

Get more on Zhuangzi at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Sign up for the new Closereads public feed at evergreen.com/closereadsphilosophy, and check out Evergreen's other cool shows. For an ad-free experience with many extra episodes, sign up to support Closereads at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy, or combine your support for PEL and Closereads at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife.

Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 341: Guest Karyn Lai on Daoism in the Zhuangzi May 13, 2024

Mark, Dylan, Seth, and Theo Brooks discuss the Zhuangzi (ca. 325 BCE) UNSW Sydney prof. Karyn, co-author of the History of Philosophy Podcast Chinese series.

We talk through Daoist advice about virtue, political action, perspectivism, and more.

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Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 340: Brian Ellis on the Implications of Essentialism (Part Two) May 06, 2024

Concluding on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002) with guest Chris Heath.

Are we OK with the metaphysical necessity of natural laws? How do Ellis' mind-independent fundamental objects in the world relate to higher level things, whether biological species or human nature or even things like colors?

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Ep. 340: Brian Ellis on the Implications of Essentialism (Part One) Apr 29, 2024

Continuing on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism.

Ellis' essentialism about physics and chemistry says that, for example, atoms of various elements are truly and unambiguously different and behave in ways that make them what they are. What does this entail?

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PEL 15th Anniversary and Book Release Apr 22, 2024

Your four hosts plus book editor Chris Sunami reflect on doing the podcast for 15 years and making the new book, which you should order on April 25.

Plus, the three rules, future ambitions, and more.

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Learn more about the book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 339: Brian Ellis on the Metaphysics of Science (Part Two) Apr 15, 2024

Continuing on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002) with guest Chris Heath.

We get further into the text about metaphysical realism, criteria for a natural kind, properties vs. predicates, and much more.

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Learn about the new PEL book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book. Make a note on your calendar to purchase it on Thursday, April 25.

Ep. 339: Brian Ellis on the Metaphysics of Science (Part One) Apr 08, 2024

On The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002). What kind of metaphysics underlies chemistry and physics? Ellis argues that items such as chemical elements and physical particles have essences, and that these essential properties determine their behavior, which is characterized by scientific laws. Thus, these laws are necessary; they apply in all possible worlds.

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Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 338: Aristotle on Potential vs. Actual and the Unmoved Mover (Part Two) Apr 01, 2024

To conclude our discussion of Aristotle's Metaphysics, we finish discussing potency by talking about the potential to learn (the Meno problem), the metaphysical priority of the actual over the merely potential, and how the Unmoved Mover motivates all primary beings to strive toward their full actualization.

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Ep. 338: Aristotle on Potential vs. Actual and the Unmoved Mover (Part One) Mar 25, 2024

We read portions of books 9 (Theta) and 12 (Lambda) of Aristotle's Metaphysics, first on "being-at-work" (actuality) vs. mere potency, then on Aristotle's famous argument for the existence of God.

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Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap w/ Chris Sunami (March 2024) Mar 22, 2024

Mark, Seth, and Dylan are joined by the editor of our new book (see partiallyexaminedlife.com/book) to talk a bit about his background, meeting celebrities (or being met qua celebrity) and more generally how a writer or performer's real personality relates to their work, various things we're reading and watching, scientists' attitudes towards philosophy, and the usual musings about future episodes.

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Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part Two) Mar 18, 2024

Continuing on Aristotle's Metaphysics, Book 7 (Zeta), on essences and what sorts of things have them.

Contrasting with Plato, Aristotle believes that some changing, visible things have forms. How do they get them? Well, they're received from some previous thing that has a comparable form, e.g. a child from its parents, or perhaps a form could come from a creator's mind.

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Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part One) Mar 11, 2024

Continuing for our third session on Aristotle's Metaphysics, now covering Book 7 (Zeta).

What exactly is the type of being that is the chief reason why we call anything being? Aristotle says its the substantial form present in an individual animal or plant.

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Ep. 336: Aristotle on Being and Non-Contradiction (Part Two) Mar 04, 2024

Continuing on Book 4 (Gamma) of the Metaphysics. We discuss further the relations between the logical and metaphysical versions of the principle of non-contradiction and how Aristotle characterizes relativists like Protagoras who he claims violate non-contradiction.

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PEL Presents NEM#212: Graham Parker's Hard Graft Mar 02, 2024

Graham has released 25+ studio albums of soul-infused British singer-songwriter goodness since 1976, first with the Rumour, but often in the second half of his career playing live entirely solo.

We discuss "Lost Track of Time" by Graham Parker and the Goldtops from Last Chance to Do the Twist (2023), "Going There" by Graham Parker & The Rumour from Mystery Glue (2015), "She Wants So Many Things" from Struck By Lightning (1991), and "Between You and Me" by Graham Parker & The Rumour from Howlin' Wind (1976). Intro: "Local Girls" from Squeezing Out Sparks (1980). Hear more at GrahamParker.net

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Ep. 336: Aristotle on Being and Non-Contradiction (Part One) Feb 26, 2024

On Aristotle's Metaphysics, book 4 (aka Gamma) (ca. 340 BCE). What does studying "being" entail? It involves claiming that all beings are distinct individuals, as opposed to, for instance, an undifferentiated flux. They're thus subject to the law of non-contradiction, which Aristotle defends against objectors.

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Ep. 335: Aristotle on Fundamental Explanations (Part Two) Feb 19, 2024

Continuing on Aristotle's Metaphysics, book 1. We get seriously into Aristotle's four types of causation and how previous philosophers in leaving out one or most of these made a mistake. This includes a critique of Platonic forms, which as eternal, unchanging patterns can't actually explain why change occurs in the world.

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Ep. 335: Aristotle on Fundamental Explanations (Part One) Feb 12, 2024

On Aristotle's Metaphysics, book 1 (aka Alpha) (ca. 340 BCE). What constitutes a basic explanation of the universe?

We talk about how mere practical knowledge of how things in fact work is not enough; there's greater wisdom in knowing the theoretical underpinnings. Various philosophers before Aristotle had given different kinds of explanations of what the universe is at bottom, but for a complete explanation, Aristotle says we'll need to include all four types of causation: material, formal, efficient, and final.

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PREMIUM-PEL Long Winter's Nightcap (Jan-Feb 2024) Feb 03, 2024

We anticipate our upcoming series on Aristotle's Metaphysics by talking through some preliminary issues about the text including what translations we're reading. Is this book really "timeless," or is it like old, outdated science? Also, what kind of person becomes an ancient philosophy student?

Plus (in the full discussion), we talk more about Mounk, Presidential disqualification, and more.

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Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel's Christian Existentialism (Part Two) Jan 29, 2024

Continuing on "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933), we talk more about problems vs. mysteries: The latter implicate OURSELVES; we are not merely witnesses, but our involvement complicates things. Also, what makes Marcel an existentialist?

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Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel's Christian Existentialism (Part One) Jan 22, 2024

Discussing "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933) about our need for meaning. Marcel asserts that our need for "mystery" is much more primal than the scientific, technical point of view that breaks down problems into component parts for easy analysis. In fact, this more modern-seeming way of looking at the world presupposes and relies on the more originary position.

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PEL Presents NEM#209: Bruce Hornsby Is a Lifelong Student Jan 20, 2024

Bruce is best known for his first album The Way It Is (1986), but has come light years since then through 18+ albums, experimenting with different styles, playing over 100 shows with the Grateful Dead, and scoring numerous projects for Spike Lee. He's won three Grammys and recorded with music royalty including Elton John, Ornette Coleman, Branford Marsalis, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, etc.

We discuss "Sidelines" (feat. Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend) from 'Flicted (2022), "My Resolve" (feat. James Mercer of The Shins) from Non-Secure Connection (2020), and a new live version of "Shadow Hand" from the 25th Anniversary Edition of Spirit Trail. End song: "Cast-Off" (feat. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver) from Absolute Zero (2019). Intro: "The Way It Is" (Live from Köln, 2019). More at brucehornsby.com

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon.

Sponsors: Visit GreenChef.com/60Nakedly (use code 60Nakedly) to get 60% off your first box from America's #1 Meal Kit for eating clean (plus 20% off for the next two months) Get the ultimate gift: A custom-written song from Songfinch. Use songfinch.com/NEM to get free Spotify streaming for your song. Listen to the song Mark commissioned.

Ep. 333: Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling" on Faith (Part Two) Jan 15, 2024

Continuing on Kierkegaard's perhaps most famous book, this time focusing largely on "Problem One: Is There a Teleological Suspension of the Ethical?"

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Ep. 333: Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling" on Faith (Part One) Jan 08, 2024

To wrap up our coverage of Kierkegaard, we consider his religious stage of development through this 1843 text analyzing the Biblical story of Abraham. Can we understand, much less admire, an attitude whereby you think God has commanded you to kill your son and you gladly go along with it? How does this sort of "greatness" relate to ethics?

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PREMIUM-PEL Winter Nightcap (Concluding 2023) Jan 07, 2024

Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan set ourselves as part of our ongoing Kierkegaard reading to re-listen to our 2010 episode 29 on Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death. This leads us to our personal histories regarding faith and how the idea of faith intersects with our philosophy studies.

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Ep. 332: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Ethical Self (Part Two) Jan 01, 2024

Concluding our discussion of Either/Or, still this time considering "The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality" on how the ethical helps us to develop a self.

What is this ideal self that Kierkegaard wants us to aim for, but yet which is within us as individuals already? How can each of us merge with the universal ethically yet assert our individuality?

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Ep. 332: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Ethical Self (Part One) Dec 25, 2023

On the second half of "The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality" from Vol. 2 of Either/Or (1843). How do we "absolutely" form a coherent self by embracing ethical conventions like marriage, friendship, and having a job?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 331: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Ethical Life (Part Three) Dec 22, 2023

Mark and Wes talk in more details about the "stages of despair" Kierkegaard lays out in “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Either/Or.

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Ep. 331: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Ethical Life (Part Two) Dec 18, 2023

Continuing on "The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality," with a critique of (Hegelian) philosophy and concrete advice for how to build yourself in an optimal way.

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Ep. 331: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Ethical Life (Part One) Dec 11, 2023

On "The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality" from Vol. 2 of Soren Kierkegaard's Either/Or (1843).

What is choice? Kierkegaard's character Judge William criticizes the aesthete from our previous episode on the earlier part of this book: The aesthete doesn't make any authentic choices and so doesn't develop a coherent self.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 330: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Aesthetic Life (Part Three) Dec 08, 2023

Mark, Wes, and Seth read through more of Kierkegaard's Diapsalmata, translated as "Refrains," which are the aphorisms that begin the book and demonstrate the aesthetic point of view.

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Ep. 330: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Aesthetic Life (Part Two) Dec 04, 2023

Continuing on "Diapsalmata" and "Rotation of Crops" from the "Either" portion of Kierkegaard's pseudonymous book.

We talk through more of K's aphorisms, his narrator's solution to boredom, and we take the critique personally: Is this Romantic view described one that we held as younger people (or now)?

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PEL Presents PvI#66: Legacy Mops w/ Kevin Allison Dec 01, 2023

Kevin is the creator and host of the storytelling podcast RISK! and is the alphabetically foremost member of the MTV-televised, newly reformed, celebrity-infested sketch comedy troupe The State. But can he improvise? Mark and Bill surprise Kevin into a scene about a suspicious hotel.

How does one engineer one's legacy? Will history inevitably either reduce your greatest contributions to mere noise or reinterpret them in light of your final, embarrassing moments? Perhaps the legendary comedy team of Ricky and Lester can serve as a scenic example; let's let them say a little about who they are and how their career reached its current nadir.

Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com.

Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. You'll see there the link to the video version of this. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff.

Ep. 330: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Aesthetic Life (Part One) Nov 27, 2023

On the aphorisms ("Diapsalmata") that begin Soren Kierkegaard's Either/Or (1843), plus the essay also in the first volume, "Rotation of Crops." What is it to live your life as if it were a work of art? K thinks such a life is unserious and unsatisfying.

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PEL Presents (SUB)TEXT: The Emptiness of Signification in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" (Part 1 of 6) Nov 26, 2023

When King Leontes accuses his pregnant wife of adultery, the nobleman Antigonus assumes that Leontes has been “abused and by some putter-on”—in other words, some Iago-like villain has been putting malevolent ideas into his head. In fact, Leontes is the father of his own misconceptions, just as he is the father of his wife’s children. But unlike his children, his ideas might be said to have no mother; they lack corroboration, which is to say, collaboration with a source outside himself. How, then, do we account for the seemingly spontaneous generation of his thoughts? How can false apprehensions arise out of nothing? And what price must one pay for bearing these misconceptions, these “nothings,” into the world? In this episode, the first part of a six part discussion, Wes & Erin discuss one of Shakespeare’s last plays, "The Winter’s Tale."

Ep. 329: Kierkegaard on Irony (Part Three/Closereads Part One) Nov 25, 2023

Mark and Wes Closeread the conclusion to Soren Kierkegaard's On the Concept of Irony (1841), "Irony as a Controlled Element, the Truth of Irony." The discussion starts with the role of irony in good art, and then moves on to discuss the proper role of irony as an existential strategy in a well-grounded, thoughtful life.

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Ep. 329: Kierkegaard on Irony (Part Two) Nov 20, 2023

Continuing with On the Concept of Irony, defined as "infinite absolute negativity." K criticizes his Romantic peers of taking irony too far. So what is healthy, well-grounded irony?

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Ep. 329: Kierkegaard on Irony (Part One) Nov 13, 2023

Discussing On the Concept of Irony (1841).

Kierkegaard builds up to telling us what irony is by showing how Socrates invented irony, as characterized by his wholly negative project of showing others that their beliefs inherited from society are wrong.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 328: Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part Three) Nov 10, 2023

Mark, Wes, Dylan, and now Seth too discuss further Mounk's project in The Identity Trap and what philosophically we can glean from it.

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Ep. 328: Guest Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part Two) Nov 06, 2023

Continuing on The Identity Trap (2023). Which works better to achieve social progress; classical liberalism, or strategies involving emphasis of identity group membership? Do we even have to pick a side, or can we pragmatically choose strategies from whichever philosophy most effectively addresses the situation in question?

We discuss cultural appropriation, free speech, standpoint epistemology, and more.

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Ep. 328: Guest Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part One) Oct 30, 2023

On The Identity Trap (2023), an intellectual history of wokeness (aka "the identity synthesis") and defense of philosophical liberalism against this set of ideas. Are our differences more important than that which unites us?

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PREMIUM-PEL Fall Nightcap 2023 Oct 28, 2023

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk more about bullshit, Derrida and other difficult and arguably bullshitty philosophy, expressing truths through bodily movement, horror movies, and our coverage of author-guests and works that provide an introductory roadmap to some philosophical area.

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Ep. 327: Harry Frankfurt on Bullsh*t and Authenticity (Part Two) Oct 23, 2023

On Frankfurt's essay "The Importance of What We Care About" (1982), which distinguishes the question of what to value from ethical questions and explores the extent to which deciding what to care about is a free act.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion getting more into bullshit, hypocrisy, and more.

Ep. 327: Harry Frankfurt on Bullsh*t and Authenticity (Part One) Oct 16, 2023

Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth discuss the celebrated 1986 essay "On Bullshit."

Does bullshit necessarily involve lying? Frankfurt defines it as instead indifferent to truth, though still deceptive about what kind of speech act the audience is supposed to think that it is.

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PEL Presents PvI#63: Virtual Socrates w/ David Chalmers Oct 14, 2023

The New York University Prof and author of many influential books including the new Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy joins Mark and Bill to simulate debates about AI, cybersex, actor vs. character, and keeping children safe from reality.

Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com.

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Ep. 326: Michael Tomasello on the Evolution of Agency (Part Two) Oct 09, 2023

Wes, Dylan, and guest Chris Heath continue to discuss The Evolution of Agency (2022) in light of our interview with the author.

We relate examples from the book of animals of various levels of complexity making deliberative decisions, exhibiting rationality, experiencing causality, or otherwise engaging in agentive behaviors.

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Ep. 326: Guest Michael Tomasello on the Evolution of Agency (Part One) Oct 02, 2023

On The Evolution of Agency (2022), with the author, and guest panelist Chris Heath.

What is human agency? How would we determine whether an animal is a legitimate agent, as opposed to just acting automatically? Tomasello investigates this by thinking about what capabilities and behaviors constitute agency and the degree to which near-human animals have these.

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Ep. 325: Paul Grice on Meaning and Conversation (Part Two) Sep 25, 2023

Continuing on "Meaning" (1957), "Utterer’s Meaning and Intentions" (1969), and "Logic and Conversation" (1975) with guest Steve Gimbell.

We tie the articles together, talk more about the rules implicit in conversation, and try to relate Grice's project to other parts of philosophy.

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Ep. 325: Paul Grice on Meaning and Conversation (Part One) Sep 18, 2023

On "Meaning" (1957), "Utterer’s Meaning and Intentions" (1969), and "Logic and Conversation" (1975), featuring Mark, Seth, Dylan, and guest Steve Gimbell.

Grice tries to give a rigorous analysis of what it means for a speaker (as opposed to a sentence) to mean something in particular. Let the increasingly elaborate potential counter-examples commence!

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PREMIUM-Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Three) Sep 13, 2023

Mark and Wes do a Closeread on the latter part of the dialogue, where Socrates argues to Cratylus that even if names (words) were devised to somehow depict the things they stand for, that wouldn't guarantee that they ACCURATELY describe the world. You can't look at the definitions of words to learn about the world; you have to actually investigate the world directly.

Closereads supporters (see patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy) can watch video for this episode and get all the Closereads content: 13 episodes so far, including new episodes on Epictetus' Discourses.

This Closeread and some others are also being made available to PEL supporters. If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, you can sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Two) Sep 11, 2023

Continuing on Plato's mid-period dialogue about language. Is attaching a word to a thing, i.e. naming it, like other activities such as carpentry or sewing that can go wrong? Can we put the "form" of a thing into letters and syllabus of its name? We go through many examples where Socrates claims to have done just that.

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Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part One) Sep 04, 2023

On Plato's mid-period dialogue from around 388 BCE. How do words relate to the things they represent? Socrates first argues that words represent things, and so doing etymology is a way of learning philosophical truths, then seemingly reverses himself.

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PREMIUM-PEL End-of-Summer Nightcap 2023 Aug 29, 2023

Mark, Seth, Dylan, and eventually Wes talk about traveling, Barbie, gender, evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and more.

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Ep. 323: Acquiring Language: Tomasello vs. Chomsky (Part Two) Aug 28, 2023

Continuing on Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003), as contrasted with Chomsky universal grammar (the flag that Steven Pinker continues to carry). With guest Christopher Heath.

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Ep. 323: Acquiring Language: Tomasello vs. Chomsky (Part One) Aug 21, 2023

On Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003). With guest Christopher Heath.

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PEL Closereads: Emerson's Oversoul (New Podcast Premiere) Aug 14, 2023

Are we underlyingly all really a single, unified organism? Or do we just have a lot in common? PEL's most verbose hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Wes Alwan begin unraveling this puzzling claim by reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1841 essay "The Over-Soul" and explaining it line-by-line. Watch this episode on video at YouTube. We encourage you to read along in the essay with us.

This is the first of four parts. To hear the others as they are released this week, plus weekly episodes going forward and three episodes already posted, please support this new effort at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy (or support PEL and Closereads together via support at the $10 level at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife).

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Enrollment is now open for Mark's Core Philosophy Texts class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

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Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part Three) Aug 07, 2023

Mark and Wes conclude with some close reading of Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), section 3: "Relation of Art to Philosophy." Schelling thinks that art enables us to do intuitively what philosophy tries to do with concepts.

We're providing this typically supporter-exclusive content for all of you in anticipation of the new Closereads: Philosophy with Mark and Wes project that we'll be unveiling next week.

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There are still spots available in Mark's Core Philosophy Texts class this fall. See partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part Two) Jul 31, 2023

Continuing on "On the Relation Between the Plastic Arts and Nature" (1807) and Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800).

We talk sculpture vs. painting and why art is the direct, intuitive way to achieve the insight that philosophy can only approximate using concepts.

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Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part One) Jul 24, 2023

Discussing "On the Relation Between the Plastic Arts and Nature" (1807) and Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800).

Is the goal of art to imitate nature? Only if that means showing the divine, ideal, dynamic aspect of the subject matter (and the artist)!

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PREMIUM-PEL Tech Nightcap July 2023 Jul 21, 2023

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk about how we might cover philosophy of technology, and other areas like medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, etc. Do we remember things that we recorded a few years back? What summer films are we looking forward to? Finally, can we cover David Foster Wallace?

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Ep. 321: August Schlegel on Beauty (Part Two) Jul 17, 2023

We continue on Theory of Art, getting more into sections of the text about the relationship between beauty and purposiveness, genius, unconscious vs. conscious creation, style vs. manner, and art imitating nature.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion largely about philosophy of technology.

Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Ep. 321: August Schlegel on Beauty (Part One) Jul 10, 2023

Covering the elder Schlegel brother's Theory of Art (ca. 1800). How does our experience of Beauty relate to the infinite? Schlegel provides a Romantic response to Kant on knowing the divine, inner essences of things through art, how genius works, and the relationship between art and nature.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part Three) Jul 08, 2023

Mark and Wes conclude our discussion of the younger Schlegel brother by going through more of his critical fragments, largely published in 1797 in the journal Lyceum Tier Schonen Kunste.

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Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part Two) Jul 03, 2023

We continue on Schlegel's "Dialogue on Poesy" (1799) and "Concerning the Essence of Critique" (1804).

How can Romantic art always aim at some common source of our humanity yet also require originality? How can having some sort of common mythology help artists be original in this way, and how can we embrace mythology as modern people?

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Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part One) Jun 26, 2023

On selected fragments from 1797-1801, "Dialogue on Poesy" (1799), and "Concerning the Essence of Critique" (1804).

What makes art "Romantic"? Schlegel sees good art as uniquely, authentically reaching out to a divine source that underlies and connects each of us.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part Three) Jun 23, 2023

We complete our treatment of On the Aesthetic Education of Man by considering its final letters in more detail.

Does Reason really make us more moral? And does the embrace of Beauty really point us to Reason, or does self-consciousness rule out immersion in art?

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Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part Two) Jun 19, 2023

Starting with letter 20 in On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), we tell more of the story of how art is supposed to get us from sensation to thinking.

Aesthetic perception ends up being essential to any conceptualization (thinking) whatsoever!

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Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part One) Jun 11, 2023

On the second half of Friedrich Schiller's On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), getting into the mechanics of how aesthetic experience work in giving us a midpoint between animality and pure rationality where we can feel free. Also, does art reveal truth?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part Three) Jun 10, 2023

Mark and Wes dive deeper into the text of the first several letters of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795).

Are verbal descriptions of art destined to fall short? What is it to put yourself forward as a representative of your species? These and many more of Schiller's puzzling proclamations are debated in detail!

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Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part Two) Jun 05, 2023

We continue working through letters 1-15 of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), helped by Markus Reuter.

We get clearer on what Schiller means by Beauty, and how two contrary drives toward matter and form somehow cancel each other out to combine in a "play drive" that is at the heart of appreciating and creating art.

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Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part One) May 29, 2023

Can art make us better people? Musician Markus Reuter joins Mark, Wes, and Seth to discussion the first half of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795).

Given the failure of the French Revolution, this famous German poet wondered what could make the masses capable of governing themselves? His answer: Beauty! Aesthetic appreciation puts us at a distance from our savage desires, enables the abstract thought necessary for Kantian rationalist morality, and yet keeps us in touch with our feelings so that we don't just become cogs in the industrial machine.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 317: Character Philosophies in Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" (Part Two) May 22, 2023

To conclude our discussion of the novel, we turn to the philosophies of Dmitri and Ivan, plus the Biblical book of Job and our takeaways. Do we need some philosophy of transcendence to cope?

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Ep. 317: Character Philosophies in Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" (Part One) May 15, 2023

Following up on our live episode, we further ponder the 1869 novel, revisiting the "problem of evil" arguments and how the various brothers cope with an imperfect world. Plus, we relate Dostoevsky to other existentialists.

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Ep. 316: Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov": PEL Live in NYC (Part Two) May 08, 2023

Continuing on Dostoevsky's 1880 novel, we respond to some objections to the Christian arguments that the characters Alyosha and Zosima put forward to respond to Ivan's "Rebellion" and "Grand Inquisitor" arguments. Most of these objections come from the audience Q&A.

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Ep. 316: Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov": PEL Live in NYC (Part One) May 01, 2023

On Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1880 existentialist novel, focusing mostly on the "Rebellion" and "Grand Inquisitor" chapters.

How can we reconcile ourselves to the existence of evil and suffering? The character Ivan argues that we can't, that children's suffering can't be justified by any alleged Divine Plan. Dostoevsky's answer to this challenge is practical, concrete love and service to others, but does this really address or merely sidestep Ivan's challenge?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part Two) Apr 24, 2023

To conclude our treatment of this seminal Confucian text, we consider a particularly puzzling passage about ethics and then move to politics and economics.

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Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part One) Apr 17, 2023

Continuing from ep. 314, we go further into the collected teachings of this early Confucian (aka Ruhist) from the late 4th century BCE. What's the best way to be a virtuous person and hence an effective leader?

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap April 2023 Apr 14, 2023

Recorded 4/3/23 as we prepped for our live show, Mark, Wes and Dylan talk about The Last of Us and possible future episodes on animal ethics and/or animal consciousness, the death drive, plus the already tentatively scheduled episodes about the Romantics and Kierkegaard. In the course of this, we consider the relationship between philosophy and scientific fact.

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Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part Two) Apr 10, 2023

Continuing on the teachings of Mengzi from ca. 350 BCE, without our guest.

We go into textual quotes, covering the "sprouts" of virtue, whether human nature is good or simply malleable, whether tastes are universal, and more.

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Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part One) Apr 03, 2023

On the greatest early philosopher interpreting and expanding on Confucius, from ca. 350 BCE. with guest Krishnan Venkatesh of the St. John's College Eastern Classics program.

We talk about the challenges of connecting ancient Chinese and Greek philosophies and explore Mencius' distinctively Chinese take on respecting your parents.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part Three) Apr 02, 2023

We get into quotes from Mozi about his arguments against fatalism and Confucianism, support for meritocracy and identifying with superiors, and description of the Will of Heaven.

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Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part Two) Mar 27, 2023

Continuing on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho.

We talk about Mozi's ideas about encouraging morality, preventing war, restricting music and elaborate funerals, plus the Will of Heaven, identification with one's superiors, and fatalism.

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Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part One) Mar 20, 2023

On selections of the central Mohist text, from ca. 430 B.C.E., with guest Tzuchien Tho.

Mozi claims that we should regard everyone on the same level as our family and believe whatever doctrines will be most beneficial to the people.

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap Late March 2023 Mar 20, 2023

Mark, Seth, and Dylan talk about what makes for a fitting tribute for those departed, mourning customs, how Daoism has personally affected us, and more.

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Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part Two) Mar 13, 2023

Concluding our discussion of the Daodejing with guest Theo Brooks. We cover some more ambiguous cosmological passages and return to political philosophy.

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Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part One) Mar 06, 2023

For our second full discussion on the Daodejing by Laozi, we talk about the actions and attitudes that characterize the Daoist sage. With Theo Brooks.

Topics include being virtuous vs. just following rules, Daoist tranquility, achieving without trying too hard, and more.

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap Early March 2023 Mar 05, 2023

Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth reflect on the interpretive challenges of the Daodejing, and in the full Nightcap, take on the question of whether philosophy works as self-help.

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Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part Two) Feb 27, 2023

Continuing on the central Daoist text with guest Theodore Brooks. We explore practical vs. metaphysical interpretations of the Dao, the relation of things to their opposites, emptiness, and "straw dogs."

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Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part One) Feb 20, 2023

On the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) by Laozi (ca. 500 BCE), with guest Theodore Brooks.

We talk about the wildly different, interpretive translations of this foundational Daoist (Taoist) text, its political views, and what the Dao might actually be.

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap February 2023 Feb 18, 2023

Mark, Wes, and Seth anticipate our Dao De Jing and Dostoevsky recordings and talk about Russian literature. In the full episode, we also talk about covering Hebrew ethics, and, of course, Chat f-ing GPT.

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Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part Two) Feb 13, 2023

Concluding our discussion of On Certainty, with guest Chris Heath.

We try one last time to get a handle on Wittgenstein's philosophy of science. How do people actually change their minds about fundamental beliefs?

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Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part One) Feb 06, 2023

We continue with Ludwig Wittgenstein's On Certainty (written 1951), with guest Christopher Heath.

What is Wittgenstein's philosophy of science as it's reflected in this book? We talk about Weltbilds (world pictures) and how these relate to language games, relativism, verification, paradigms, testimony, and more.

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap January 2023 Jan 31, 2023

We compare translations of Dostoyevsky in prep for our April live show, discuss future show topics, and go over insights from our past discussions on Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations.

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Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part Two) Jan 30, 2023

Continuing to discuss On Certainty, we get deeply into textual quotes.

How does he actually respond to Moore's argument about his hand? How does he extend his account to talk about mathematical and scientific statements? Is Wittgenstein a pragmatist?

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Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part One) Jan 23, 2023

Discussing the notes Ludwig Wittgenstein made at the end of his life in 1951 that were published as On Certainty in 1969.

Can we coherently doubt propositions like "physical objects exist," "the world is more than 50 years old," and "this is my hand"? Wittgenstein looks at these questions via his framework of language games. Is doubting one of these a legitimate move in a game?

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Ep. 308: Moore's Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two) Jan 16, 2023

We quickly complete our treatment of G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and move on to consider "Certainty" (1941).

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Ep. 308: Moore's Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part One) Jan 09, 2023

On G.E. Moore’s "Proof of the External World" (1939) and "Certainty" (1941).

Moore shows you his hands and says "these are my hands, which are physical objects, and thus the external world exists!" Does this defeat skepticism?

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap 2022 Wrap-Up Jan 05, 2023

Recorded by Mark, Wes, and Dylan before our Moore discussion, we play one more listener appreciation clip that leads us into an examination of whether you listeners should try to read the texts we cover yourselves.

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Ep. 307: G.E. Moore Defends Common Sense (Part Two) Jan 02, 2023

Continuing on "A Defense of Common Sense" (1925). Moore argues that physical facts are not dependent on minds and considers the various ways of analyzing the act of seeing and identifying your hand. Yes, he really does this!

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Ep. 307: G.E. Moore Defends Common Sense (Part One) Dec 26, 2022

On "A Defense of Common Sense" (1925), featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan.

Moore defends our pre-philosophical certainty in beliefs about the existence of physical objects and other minds against skeptics and idealists. Is his apparently simple argument effective or just glib?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part Three) Dec 24, 2022

Concluding on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2021) Supreme Court decision. We talk more about the rationale for the decision and in particular the dissent by Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan.

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Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part Two) Dec 19, 2022

Continuing on Ronald Dworkin's "Unenumerated Rights: Whether and How Roe Should be Overruled" (1992) and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) decision featuring guest Robin Linsenmayer.

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Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part One) Dec 12, 2022

Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right to an abortion? We discuss Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) and Ronald Dworkin's "Unenumerated Rights: Whether and How Roe Should be Overruled" (1992). With guest Robin Linsenmayer.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part Three) Dec 10, 2022

To conclude our discussion of Blood Meridian, we talk about the roles of maturation and regression in the novel, plus more on Judge Holden's philosophy, and more.

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Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part Two) Dec 05, 2022

Continuing on McCarthy's 1985 novel, we discuss the philosophy of war held by the character Judge Holden, plus whether the book's violence is gratuitous and why it might be unfilmable.

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Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part One) Nov 28, 2022

On McCarthy's 1985 anti-Western novel, featuring Wes, Seth, and Dylan.

How does violence play a role in the way the world works? This novel about a rogue band of scalp hunters presents a pessimistic, nihilistic philosophy where violence is central to the human condition and is the way to self-knowledge.

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PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap November 2022: Listener Testimonials Nov 27, 2022

We recently put out a call among our supporters for some short audio clips of folks telling us about their relationship to PEL, and here they are. Mark, Seth, and Dylan play and respond to some of these.

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Ep. 304: Dworkin v. Hart on Legal Judgment (Part Two) Nov 21, 2022

Continuing on Roland Dworkin's "The Model of Rules" (1967) and Scott J. Shapiro's "The 'Hart-Dworkin' Debate: A Short Guide for the Perplexed" (2007), plus some of Dworkin's "Hard Cases" (1977).

How do Hartians respond to Dworkin's initial attack? Can Hart's theory incorporate the fact that judges consult their culture's moral standards without making the law dependent on morality?

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Ep. 304: Dworkin v. Hart on Legal Judgment (Part One) Nov 14, 2022

On Ronald Dworkin's "The Model of Rules" (1967) and Scott J. Shapiro's "The 'Hart-Dworkin' Debate: A Short Guide for the Perplexed" (2007).

How do judges make decisions in hard cases? When the law "runs out" and doesn't definitively decide an issue, do judges then just draw on their personal moral judgments? Dworkin says no, that moral principles are (contra Hart) built into the legal principles which guide judges, even if these principles are not written out in legal rules.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part Three) Nov 11, 2022

On The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 6, "Foundations of a Legal System," on Hart's concept of a rule of recognition that ultimately determines what will count as a law in a given society. This ends up being more complicated than merely "The Constitution," but the action itself of officials respecting, obeying, and enforcing that Constitution.

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Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part Two) Nov 07, 2022

Continuing on "Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals" (1958) and The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 5 and 6.

If law is not based on morality, then why obey the law? What makes a legal system exist at all, as opposed to a lawless state? Is saying something is legally required just a way of predicting that people will generally obey it?

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Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part One) Oct 31, 2022

On "Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals" (1958) and The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 5 and 6.

What's the relationship between law and morality? If law isn't founded on morality, what is it founded on? Hart's legal positivism makes a sharp distinction between law as a human invention and morality.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part Three) Oct 29, 2022

Mark, Wes, and eventually Dylan recap The Praise of Folly, getting into Erasmus' ambivalent take on asceticism.

In the full episode, we get seriously personal and cover his sexism and comments on love, the folly of fandom, and the role of humor in philosophy.

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Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part Two) Oct 24, 2022

Continuing on The Praise of Folly with guest Nathan Gilmour.

Can foolishness actually make us more prudent? Is it necessary for us to all get along in the world and accomplish things? Erasmus critiques pretentious, performative theologians among many others.

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Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part One) Oct 17, 2022

On Desiderius Erasmus' The Praise of Folly (1509), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Nathan Gilmour from the Christian Humanist podcast. Does some amount of foolishness enhance life?

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PREMIUM-PEL Representation Nightcap October 2022 Oct 14, 2022

Mark, Wes, and Dylan explore the question, "Is it necessary for us to have representatives of an affected group with us as guests when we talk about an issue in philosophy that affects that group?" What do you think?

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PEL Presents PvI#40: Rules and Voices with Stephen West (Philosophize This!) Oct 13, 2022

Stephen West from the juggernaut Philosophize This! podcast joins Mark and Bill to learn to say no and talk about reason vs. emotion in grounding ethics. What do the voices in your head (or at your lunch table) say to you?

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Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Three) Oct 10, 2022

Jenny Hansen joins us to cover "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" by Mary Anne Warren (1973), with more thoughts on "A Defense of Abortion" (1971) by Judith Jarvis Thomson.

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Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Two) Oct 03, 2022

Continuing on Judith Jarvis Thomson's "A Defense of Abortion" (1971), plus Don Marquis' "Why Abortion is Immoral" (1989) and a summary of Mary Anne Warren's "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" (1973), which we'll continue next week in part three with Jenny Hansen.

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PEL Presents NEM#181: Robyn Hitchcock Forgets Himself, Sharply Sep 30, 2022

Robyn has been producing a distinctive flavor of very British rock with surrealist lyrics for 35+ albums since 1979.

We discuss "The Raging Muse" (and close by listening to "The Shuffle Man") from Shufflemania (2022), "Mad Shelly's Letterbox" from Robyn Hitchcock (2017), "Television" from Spooked (2004), and "Glass" from Fegmainia! (1985). Intro: "I Wanna Destroy You" by The Soft Boys from Underwater Moonlight (1980). More at robynhitchcock.com.

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Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part One) Sep 26, 2022

We discuss widely read papers about abortion, including an excerpt from Roe v. Wade (1973) and Judith Jarvis Thomson's "A Defense of Abortion" (1971).

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PREMIUM-Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part Three) Sep 23, 2022

Mark, Wes, and Dylan conclude our discussion of “On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life” (1874). What is the practical upshot of Nietzsche's recommendations for using history well and not letting it overwhelm you?

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Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part Two) Sep 19, 2022

Continuing on "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" (1874), we get into the antiquarian use of history and the critical approach to history and Nietzsche's humanistic goals in his essay. How can we use history to help refine human nature?

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Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part One) Sep 12, 2022

In this live-streamed show, we discuss “On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life” (1874), aka Untimely Meditation #2.

What is the healthiest way to relate to our history? Nietzsche describes some approaches to history which meet human needs but which can also become oppressive.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part Three) Sep 03, 2022

Mark, Wes, and Dylan conclude our discussion of Shakespeare's play. Chiefly, we talk about the exchanges about art in the play: How does art relate to life and to commerce?

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Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part Two) Aug 29, 2022

Continuing to discuss the play, now with guest Sarah Manton. We get into Cynicism, the Alcibiades sub-plot, a feminist angle on the play, and more.

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Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part One) Aug 22, 2022

Jonathan Bate, editor of the new RSC complete Shakespeare, joins us to talk about the role of money in the play, the psychology, cynicism, and more.

Listen to our performance of the play first.

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Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" Audioplay (Part Two) Aug 15, 2022

Continuing our performance of William Shakespeare's play, finishing things up with acts 4 and 5 plus some post-performance discussion with the cast. Start with part one.

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We'll be live-streaming video for our big ep. 300 on Friday, Aug. 19 at 8pm ET. More info at partiallyexaminedlife.com/pel-live.

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Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" Audioplay Feat. Jay O. Sanders, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Tow (Part One) Aug 08, 2022

The PEL players do an unrehearsed reading of Shakespeare's least popular play, which is about money and cynicism. This part includes Acts 1-3.

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PREMIUM-Ficino-Flavored Nightcap Early August 2022 Aug 05, 2022

Mark and Wes consider more passages from Ficino's Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love, getting into Ficino's religious psychology and how this relates to Kierkegaard's.

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Ep. 298: Marsilio Ficino on Love (Part Two) Aug 01, 2022

Continuing on Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love with guest Peter Adamson. We consider F's views on beauty and fill out his neo-Platonic epistemology.

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Ep. 298: Marsilio Ficino on Love (Part One) Jul 25, 2022

On Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love (1475), with guest Peter Adamson. What is the role of love in the universe? Ficino tries to combine Plato's theory of love as reproduction in the presence of beauty with an unorthodox take on Christian theology.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part Three) Jul 23, 2022

Concluding our close reading of Being and Time, on ch. 3, sec. 15 and 16 on the world as "ready to hand" or equipment.

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Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part Two) Jul 18, 2022

We continue on Being and Time, now in ch. 2 on what "the world" is in our Being-in-the-World and so what it is for us to encounter objects and how this is different than, e.g. the interaction of two physical objects.

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Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part One) Jul 11, 2022

We continue on Being and Time (1927), now into ch. 1 (sec. 9) on Existenz and how our way of Being is different than that of the objects of science, and what this means for authenticity and choice.

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Ep. 296: Heidegger Questions Being (Part Two) Jul 04, 2022

Continuing with our close reading of Being and Time, we talk about why time is the focus of Heidegger's analysis of the human condition, what are phenomena, and so what his phenomenological method looks like and why it must investigate us in our "average everydayness."

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Ep. 296: Heidegger's Questions Being (Part One) Jun 27, 2022

Continuing from our overview in ep. 32, we do a close reading on selections from the introduction of Martin Heidegger's Being and Time to consider Heidegger's Being in relation to Aristotle's Categories, what questioning means, and some of Heidegger's basic terms.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part Three) Jun 18, 2022

Concluding on Kant's "Perpetual Peace," plus Jurgen Habermas' "Kant's Idea of Perpetual Peace, with the Benefit of Two Hundred Years' Hindsight."

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Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part Two) Jun 13, 2022

Continuing on Immanuel Kant's essay "Perpetual Peace," we go further into how Kant's politics relate to his ethics and consider his actual policy proposals: each state must be a republic, they should join in a federation, and we all owe each other hospitality as a cosmopolitan right.

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Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part One) Jun 06, 2022

On Immanuel Kant's essay "Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch" (1795).

Do nations have the "right" to go to war? What principles ground just international relations, and are there structures and agreements that we can embrace to prevent prevent future wars?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part Three) Jun 03, 2022

Concluding on W.V.O. Quine's "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969).

We talk more about the attempt to found epistemology on psychology.

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Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part Two) May 30, 2022

Continuing on "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969), we work further through the text, getting into what this new psychology-rooted epistemology might look like and how Quine changed empiricism. Plus, more of us trying to figure out his claims about the indeterminacy of translation.

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Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part One) May 23, 2022

On W.V.O. Quine's "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969). What justifies scientific theory?

Not theory-free observations, as Quine shows us by considering how we figure out foreign languages. Instead of basing science on epistemology, Quine thought we need to make epistemology part of science.

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Philosophy vs. Improv #32: "On the Standard of [Bad] Taste" w/ Babette Babich May 22, 2022

Babette teaches at Fordham and recently edited the collection "Reading David Hume's 'On The Standard of Taste,'" which Mark made use of for PEL#289. So, more philosophically beefy than our typical PvI episode, and yet also live and hence unpredictable. Taste it!

Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 293: Donna Haraway on Feminist Science (Part Two) May 16, 2022

Continuing on "Situated Knowledges" and other essays with guest Lynda Olman. We try to get at the practical import of Olman's scheme and get further into her use of metaphors and what those mean for her critical stance.

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Ep. 293: Donna Haraway on Feminist Science (Part One) May 09, 2022

On "Situated Knowledge" (1988), "A Cyborg Manifesto" (1985), etc. featuring guest Lynda Olman.

What is scientific objectivity? Haraway rejects both relativism and traditional, "god's eye" objectivism in favor of a "cyborg" view that looks for alternate ways of seeing and acknowledges the ways that science and technology are tied to politics.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 292: Langer on Symbolic Music (Part Two) May 02, 2022

Concluding on Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key (ch. 8-10). We continue discussing whether and how music is symbolic. Sing along with us!

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Ep. 292: Langer on Symbolic Music (Part One) Apr 25, 2022

On Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key (1942), ch. 8-10. Is music (the supposedly non-representational artform) a language? If it's "expressive," what exactly does it express?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 291: Cassirer and Langer on Myth and Ritual (Part Two) Apr 18, 2022

Continuing our discussion on the symbolic value of religion and its antecedents, primary at this point discussing Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key, ch. 7.

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Ep. 291: Cassirer and Langer on Myth and Ritual (Part One) Apr 11, 2022

On Ernst Cassirer's An Essay on Man (1944), ch. 6-7, and Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key (1942), ch. 6-7. Why do people produce ritual, mythology, and religion? According to our authors, these are spontaneous, symbolic modes of self-expression. They're not opposed to rational, scientific thought, but are necessary preconditions for it.

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PEL Presents NEM#170: Bob Mould From Hüsker Dü to Sugar to Now Apr 11, 2022

Bob has released 20+ albums since the early '80s. We discuss "Forecast of Rain" from Blue Hearts (2020), "I Don’t Know You Anymore" from Beauty & Ruin (2014), "JC Auto" by Sugar from Beaster (1993), and "In A Free Land" by Hüsker Dü, 1982 singe remixed for Savage Young Du (2017). End song: the title track to his new acoustic EP, The Ocean. Intro: "If I Can't Change Your Mind" by Sugar from Copper Blue (1992). For more see bobmould.com.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 290: Susanne Langer on Our Symbol-Making Nature (Part Two) Apr 04, 2022

Continuing on Philosophy in a New Key (1942), ch. 1-5. Is symbolism the software running on the hardware of our senses, or are symbols baked even into that hardware? We talk pictures vs. symbols, types of symbol-pictures, and what it means for experience to be symbolic.

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Ep. 290: Susanne Langer on Our Symbol-Making Nature (Part One) Mar 28, 2022

On Philosophy in a New Key (1942), ch. 1-5, plus as background most of us looked at Ernst Cassirer's An Essay on Man (1944), ch. 1-5. What does it mean to say that humanity is homo symbolicus, the symbol-making creature?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 289: Aesthetic Sense Theory: Hume (Part Two) Mar 21, 2022

We get into more detail on David Hume's "The Standard of Taste" (1760). How does he resolve the paradox that it seems both that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet some judgments about beauty are obviously wrong?

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Ep. 289: Aesthetic Sense Theory: Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Hume (Part One) Mar 14, 2022

How do we know what opinions about beauty are correct? We read The Moralists: A Philosophical Rhapsody (1709) by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, aka the third Earl of Shaftesbury, Part III section 2 "Beauty," and An Inquiry Concerning Beauty, Order, Harmony, Design (1725) by Francis Hutcheson, and "The Standard of Taste" by David Hume (1760).

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PEL Presents Philosophy vs. Improv #28: Enhanced Interrogation w/ Adal Rifai Mar 11, 2022

Today's episode is about questioning: how one might question, what sets the parameters for a proper answer, and how to give those answers in an informative and/or dramatically effective way. Watch out for dream pigs! Also, how to get into the VIP room at Stuckey's. Perhaps a pair of paralegals can help.

In the post-game, included JUST THIS ONCE for public enjoyment, we reflect on improv in the real world and some potential spin-off improv podcasts from our episode.

Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 288: Scruton on Ethical Art (Part Two) Mar 07, 2022

Concluding on Beauty (2009). Why would we be attracted to beauty if on Scruton's account it takes so much work? We consider the form/function distinction as it applies to architecture and human beauty.

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Ep. 288: Scruton on Ethical Art (Part One) Feb 28, 2022

On Roger Scruton's Beauty (2009), ch. 5-9. Scruton argues against aesthetic relativism on moral grounds: That the "flight from beauty" in modern art and the crassness of popular art deny important things about being human.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 287: Roger Scruton on Beauty (Part Two) Feb 21, 2022

Continuing on Beauty (2009), ch. 1-4. Does apprehending beauty really have to involve reason, or can it be merely sensory?

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Ep. 287: Roger Scruton on Beauty (Part One) Feb 14, 2022

On Beauty (2009), ch. 1-4. What truths about beauty does any theory of beauty have to acknowledge? Scruton argues that appreciating beauty is a cognitive act: something we argue about, and not just "in the eye of the beholder."

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PREMIUM-Ep. 286: Malebranche on Causality and Theology (Part Three) Feb 07, 2022

Concluding on On Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), with consideration of his explanation for why we can't prove the existence of the external world, but that we can reasonably take this on faith. Also, theodicy!

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PREMIUM-Ep. 286: Malebranche on Causality and Theology (Part Two) Jan 31, 2022

Continuing on Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), dialogue 7 where he gets into his occasionalist theory of causality. How does this relate to mind-body interaction and concepts in physics like inertia? What is the metaphysical relation of natural law to things in the world?

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Ep. 286: Malebranche on Causality and Theology (Part One) Jan 24, 2022

On Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), dialogues 5-7.

We get clearer on M's rationalist epistemology and into his occasionalist theory of causality. Is M's theory as archaic as its theology makes it sound?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 285: Nicolas Malebranche on Knowledge (Part Two) Jan 17, 2022

Continuing on Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), ch. 1-4. We talk about the character of the intelligible world, how we generate general concepts, the existence of God, seeing God, original sin, and more.

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Ep. 285: Nicolas Malebranche on Knowledge (Part One) Jan 10, 2022

On Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), ch. 1-4. We walk through M's rationalist (post-Descartes, pre-Leibniz) epistemology with its surprising implications for the metaphysics of causality and the role of God in nature.

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PEL Special: Nightcap New Year's Party to Welcome 2022 Jan 02, 2022

Welcome to an extra special, intentionally public edition of Nightcap to catch you up on what Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan are all up to personally and intellectually and hash out what we want to potentially cover on the show over the next year.

PREMIUM-Ep. 284: Mark Twain’s Philosophy of Human Nature (Part Two) Dec 27, 2021

Continuing on "What Is Man" (1905). We work through Twain's metaphors for human nature, say what he means by "instinct," contemplate his notion of identity and why he thinks you are apparently different from your body-machine, and gauge the practical upshot of his stances.

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Ep. 284: Mark Twain’s Philosophy of Human Nature (Part One) Dec 20, 2021

On "What Is Man" (1905). Twain describes a person as a machine. We have no free will and always act to win our own self-approval. This was a bleak enough picture that the essay was not printed until after Twain's death.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 283: Alain Badiou on Love (Part Two) Dec 13, 2021

Continuing on "What Is Love?" (1992). We consider B's account of love as resolution of a paradox: The positions of man and woman in no way overlap, yet all truth is generic, i.e. accessible to everyone. Love makes it happen!

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Ep. 283: Alain Badiou on Love (Part One) Dec 06, 2021

On "What Is Love," which is ch. 11 of Conditions (1992). We see what it means to call love a "truth procedure": It's a new way of seeing, through the eyes of the Two, not the merger of two souls or the loving of god through another. Does B's pseudo-mathematical language about this make sense?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 282: Alain Badiou: What Is Philosophy? (Part Two) Nov 29, 2021

Continuing on Conditions, "The (Re)turn of Philosophy Itself."

What makes philosophy possible? The four "conditions," i.e. mathematics, politics, art, and love, generate the truths, and philosophy is the pincers that gather these together in thought. But how exactly?

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Ep. 282: Alain Badiou: What Is Philosophy? (Part One) Nov 22, 2021

On Conditions (1992), Ch. 1 "The (Re)turn of Philosophy Itself."

Against post-structuralists who deny Truth, Badiou argues that truths are generated by the truth conditions (politics, art, love, and science/math) which philosophy then thinks into a unified vision.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 281: Paul Feyerabend's Anarchist Philosophy of Science (Part Two) Nov 15, 2021

Continuing on Against Method (1975) about the non-rational progress of science.

Given that according to F., epistemological conformity can't proceed by an appeal to reason, how does it proceed? Through indoctrination, propaganda, and coercion, even when our goal is to encourage freedom and rationality.

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Ep. 281: Paul Feyerabend's Anarchist Philosophy of Science (Part One) Nov 08, 2021

On Against Method (1975). In dialogue with Lakatos, Feyerabend claimed that scientific progress can not be explained rationally, so how does it progress? Is F. just arguing against the possibility of any philosophy of science?

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PREMIUM-Ep. 280: Imre Lakatos on Scientific Progress (Part Two) Nov 01, 2021

Continuing on "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes" (1970).

We distinguish various kinds of falsificationism and give more details about Lakatos' concept of a scientific research program.

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Ep. 280: Imre Lakatos on Scientific Progress (Part One) Oct 25, 2021

On "Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes" (1970).

In what way is scientific progress rational? Lakatos splits the difference between Popper and Kuhn to argue that some scientific research programs are more progressive than others, meaning that they make dramatic, unexpected predictions.

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PREMIUM-Ep. 279: Aristotle's "Categories" of Being (Part Two) Oct 18, 2021

Continuing on the Categories, considering artifacts, social construction in cutting up the world, different kinds of properties, and more.

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Ep. 279: Aristotle's "Categories" of Being (Part One) Oct 11, 2021

On the Categories (ca. 350 BCE), which purports to describe all the types of entities that exist. We mostly talk about substances, as A's presentation raises interesting questions about, e.g. the status of the species of substance, and the rest of the categories (e.g. quality, quantity, relative) rely on substances existing. So how exactly do these other categories relate to substances, and why does A divide the world the way he does?

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts. Get it now or listen to a preview.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 278: Derrick Bell on the Dynamics of Racism (Part Two) Oct 04, 2021

Continuing on Faces At the Bottom of the Well (1992), with guest Lawrence Ware. We discuss "The Racial Preference Licensing Act" (ch. 3).

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Ep. 278: Derrick Bell on the Dynamics of Racism (Part One) Sep 27, 2021

On Faces At the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism (1992), a foundational text in critical race theory that presents thought experiments in the philosophy of law, including "The Space Traders." With guest Lawrence Ware.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part Two) Sep 06, 2021

Continuing on The Phenomenology of Spirit, ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding."

We start off by considering the players in force: the thing exerting the force and the thing receiving. By arguing that these are not so different, Hegel moves to arguing that knowledge and the world are likewise not sharply distinguished.

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Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part One) Aug 30, 2021

On The Phenomenology of Spirit, ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding."

What is "force" as physics describes it? And scientific law? Do these terms denote objects in the world, or models for how we describe the world?

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PEL Special: Nightcap Early September 2021 Aug 29, 2021

A little political ranting precedes a consideration of what we might read in aesthetics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of sport. What do we remember about emotions? Finally, Seth's morbid interests and Devo.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 276: Hegel on Perception (Part Two) Aug 23, 2021

Focusing on The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 2 "Perception."

Hegel's critique of the adequacy of perceptual knowledge has metaphysical aspects: The relation of substance to properties, properties to each other, and things to other things and to the perceiver all create difficulties that call for more active participation by the mind.

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Ep. 276: Hegel on Perception (Part One) Aug 16, 2021

On The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 1 "Sense Certainty" and ch. 2 "Perception."

We walk through the first step in considering Hegel's dialectical analysis of theories of knowledge. Sense-certainty claims that we have direct access to sensory particulars which can act as foundational. But can we really refer or point to a particular thing without bringing some universal concepts to bear, like "this" (which can refer to any number of things), as well as "here", "now" and even "I"?

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PEL Presents Philosophy vs. Improv #7: Meritocracy Now! Aug 15, 2021

Does it make sense to try to have everyone get what they "deserve"? Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio) act out the desert machine but yet get no predictable cake.

Hear more PvI at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get bonus stuff and good karma!

PREMIUM-Ep. 275: Hegel's Project in the "Phenomenology of Spirit" (Part Two) Aug 09, 2021

Continuing on the Introduction, we get into more detail on Hegel's goal and his tricky terminology.

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Ep. 275: Hegel's Project in the "Phenomenology of Spirit" (Part One) Aug 02, 2021

On G.W.F. Hegel's 1807 opus: A series of treatments of various theories in epistemology (among other things), seeing how they're internally incoherent, which then moves us to more sophisticated theories.

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts. Get it now or listen to a preview.

Don't miss Mark's new podcast Philosophy vs. Improv.

PREMIUM-Ep. 274: Schelling on Self-Consciousness (Part Two) Jul 26, 2021

Concluding on Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), Parts 1 and 2.

What sort of self is created in the act of self-consciousness that according to Schelling grounds all knowledge? We further consider this primordial act.

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Philosophy vs. Improv: An Introductory Trailer Jul 22, 2021

What is Philosophy vs. Improv? Hear about the new podcast by Mark Linsenmayer (The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast) and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio, The Complete Improviser author).

Go listen to the show at philosophyimprov.com or subscribe via Apple, Audible, Stitcher, Spotify, or however you get your podcasts.

Get more episodes than are now publicly available plus supporter-only content at patreon.com/philosophyimprov, or you can sign up for a premium subscription to the Mark Lintertainment channel on Apple Podcasts, which gets you bonus content and ad-free episodes for not only this new podcast, but also Mark's other efforts, Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast and Nakedly Examined Music.

Thanks to our announcer, Erica Spyres. Logo by Solomon Grundy.

Ep. 274: Schelling on Self-Consciousness (Part One) Jul 19, 2021

On Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), Parts 1 and 2.

What is self-consciousness, and how did Schelling think that it grounds all of knowledge?

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PREMIUM-Ep. 273: Friedrich Schelling's Foundationalist Idealism (Part Two) Jul 12, 2021

Continuing on the Introduction to Friedrich Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), focusing on the harmony between mind and world and imputing intelligence to nature.

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Ep. 273: Friedrich Schelling's Foundationalist Idealism (Part One) Jul 05, 2021

On Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800).

What's the relationship between mind and world? Schelling thought that our minds produce the world, but also that the perceiver-world dichotomy comes to us as a single piece. "Transcendental philosophy" is an exploration of the internal logic of that revelation.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 272: Fichte's Idealist Theology (Part Two) Jun 28, 2021

Continuing on The Vocation of Man (1799), Book II.

We focus on how ethics fits in with Fichte's epistemology in a unified theology with humans literally united (in this world or the next) in a shared, divine Will.

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Ep. 272: Fichte's Idealist Theology (Part One) Jun 21, 2021

Our second full discussion on The Vocation of Man (1799).

What are the ethical implications of believing that the world is all in our minds? You could be a solipsistic nihilist, but Fichte thinks the path of faith is unavoidable for a reasonable person: faith that the world is real and matters, that other people have moral status, and yes, he's going to argue for God and heaven, though unconventionally.

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PREMIUM-Ep. 271: Johan Gottlieb Fichte's Transcendental Idealism (Part Two) Jun 14, 2021

Continuing on The Vocation of Man (1799), Book II.

In this preview, we clarify whether Fichte is trying to keep the notion of a "real world" beyond our experience or not. It's part of the progression of the text that while at first he assumes that there must be something real behind this experienced world we as individuals create, he gives up that notion in the middle of Book II. So how does he get to his startling reversal?

To hear that full second part, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep. 271: Johan Gottlieb Fichte's Transcendental Idealism (Part One) Jun 07, 2021

On The Vocation of Man (1799), Books I and II. What is reality?

Fichte's armchair journey starts him considering nature and thus himself as determined, but then he backtracks to say that actually, experience doesn't tell us whether we're determined or free. In Book II, he argues that since our experience is always of something going on in ourselves, then causality, the external world, the self, etc. must be our own mental creations. So we're free after all, yet everything is drained of significance!

Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Get it now or listen to a preview.

PREMIUM-Ep. 270: Classical Indian (Vedanta and Nyaya) Design Arguments for God (Part Two) May 31, 2021

Continuing (without Stephen Phillips) on God and the World’s Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion. What does this treatment give us that's fundamentally different than the Western version of the design argument? We talk about these readings in the context of liberation and reflect on reason vs. revelation in this milieu.

To hear that full second part, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep. 270: Classical Indian (Vedanta and Nyaya) Design Arguments for God w/ Stephen Phillips (Part One) May 24, 2021

On God and the World's Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion with one of its translators, Stephen Phillips. Does nature require an intelligent designer? Śaṅkara (710 CE) and Vācaspati Miśra (960 CE), commenting on the Brahma-sūtra (ca. 200 CE) and Nyāya-sūtra (ca. 200 BCE), argue that it does against atheistic Buddhists, Sāṃkhya believers in a primordial matter that acts on its own, and the Mīmāṃsā conservatives who so venerated scripture that they ruled out a God who created it. But if we're all Brahman (God), just trying to discover that we are and so escape the cycle of rebirth, then where is there room for a particular deity who created us?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 269: Arendt on Totalitarianism (Part Two) May 17, 2021

Continuing on two of Hannah Arendt's 1953 essays on totalitarianism. We further discuss its logic and in the full episode get into its relevance for contemporary political movements.

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Ep. 269: Arendt on Totalitarianism (Part One) May 10, 2021

On "On the Nature of Totalitarianism" and On the Origins of Totalitarianism ch. 13 (both from 1953).

Is totalitarianism just an especially virulent form of tyranny, or something unique to the modern age? Arendt says that unlike other forms of government, totalitarianism is not animated by an active psychological principle that motivates its participants. Instead terror is designed to make citizens incapable of agency altogether.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 268: Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" (Part Two) May 03, 2021

Continuing on Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business with guest Brian Hirt. Is the written word really so much more suited for providing context than television?

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Ep. 268: Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" (Part One) Apr 26, 2021

On Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985) with guest Brian Hirt.

How does the form in which we receive media affect how we think? Education theorist Postman (building on Marshall McLuhan) claimed that television has eroded our capacity to reason and given us the expectation that everything in the world must entertain. Is this a viable piece of social construction theory? How does the critique apply to the Internet age?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 267: Avicenna on God and Soul w/ Peter Adamson (Part Two) Apr 19, 2021

Continuing on Avicenna's arguments for the existence of God and on the soul's immateriality. What metaphysical and epistemological picture grounds these views?

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Ep. 267: Avicenna on God and Soul w/ Peter Adamson (Part One) Apr 12, 2021

On selections and commentary about Avicenna's argument from around 1020 C.E. for the existence of God as a necessary being, plus arguments to prove that God has the person-like properties that Islam imputes to him, and his "flying man" argument for the soul's essential independence from matter. Featuring Mark, Dylan, and our guest Peter Adamson from the History of Philosophy podcast.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 266: Jonathan Lear's Plato: Psyche and Society (Part Two) Apr 05, 2021

Continuing on Lear's Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul (1988). Our highlight is about the relation between the three parts of the soul: which (if any) is basic?

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Ep. 266: Jonathan Lear's Plato: Psyche and Society (Part One) Mar 29, 2021

On essays from Lear's Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul (1988): "Inside and Outside the Republic," "Eros and Unknowing: The Psychoanalytic Significance of Plato’s Symposium," and "An Interpretation of Transference," which compares Socrates' questioning with psychotherapy.

Is Plato's analogy between mind and state in The Republic a good one? What can we learn from it about what makes for a stable, healthy character? How does eros (desire) fit into this picture? Lear gives a creative, helpful reading of Plato informed by psychoanalysis.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 265: Plato's "Phaedo": Philosophy as Training for Death (Part Two) Mar 22, 2021

Continuing on the Phaedo, we start with a point from Plato's physics that's supposed to hep prove the immortality of the soul, then lay out his theory of Forms.

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Ep. 265: Plato's "Phaedo": Philosophy as Training for Death (Part One) Mar 15, 2021

On Plato's middle dialogue depicting the death of Socrates (390 BCE) depicting the death of Socrates. Should philosophers fear death?

In the course of giving arguments for the immortality of the soul, we get an elaboration of the recollection theory of knowledge (from the Meno) into Plato's first full account of Forms. But how literally are we supposed to take the words of Socrates as he comforts himself facing mortality?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 264: Plato's "Timaeus" on Cosmology (Part Two) Mar 08, 2021

Continuing on the Timaeus, we consider some quotes and details starting at the beginning of the dialogue where Plato argues for differences between the perceived, created, impermanent world and its perfect model.

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Ep. 264: Plato's "Timaeus" on Cosmology (Part One) Mar 01, 2021

On the later Platonic dialogue from around 360 BCE.

How is nature put together? Plato speaks through the fictional Timaeus (not Socrates) to give a "likely story" about the universe, physics, and biology involving a Craftsman (Demi-Urge) who created everything based on a pre-existing perfect model (the Forms!).

Timaeus derives his whole story from the principle that the world is good, and so the Craftsman must necessarily optimize creation, with any imperfections being introduced only by the necessity involved when a perfect blueprint gets embodied to create ever-shifting, impermanent matter.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 263: Lise Van Boxel's "Warspeak" on Strategies for Valuing (Part Two) Feb 22, 2021

Continuing on Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism with guests Jeff Black and Michael Grenke.

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Ep. 263: Lise Van Boxel's "Warspeak" on Strategies for Valuing (Part One) Feb 15, 2021

On Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism (2020) with Dylan, Seth, and guests Michael Grenke and Jeff Black.

What's a viable counter-ideal to the asceticism that Nietzsche thought is so pervasive? Lise's book works out strategies for re-valuing that emphasize Nietzsche's positive comments about the feminine and the power of words.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 262: Nietzsche on Self-Denial (Part Two) Feb 08, 2021

More on essay three of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals on the meaning of ascetic ideals. How does asceticism fit into N's overall morality, and how does he use it to critique scientists?

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Ep. 262: Nietzsche on Self-Denial (Part One) Feb 01, 2021

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Genealogy of Morals (1887), "Third essay: what do ascetic ideals mean?"

Self-regulation, where we tamp down certain aspects of our personality, is necessary for disciplined action, but it can clearly go too far. Nietzsche uses this concept of asceticism to analyze both geniuses and the masses. It is a chief tool of the will to power, highly dangerous to human flourishing but also unleashing many new capabilities beyond our animal nature. Does this picture of motivation and greatness make sense?

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PREMIUM-Ep. 261: Derek Parfit on Personal Identity (Part Two) Jan 25, 2021

More on Parfit's Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. In this preview, we consider how Parfit deals with Bernard Williams' materialist thought experiment to show that the whole concept of personal identity doesn't make sense. Also, split brains!

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Ep. 261: Derek Parfit on Personal Identity (Part One) Jan 18, 2021

On Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. What makes a person persist over time?

After using various sci-fi examples to test the Lockean (personhood=psychological continuity), physicalist (same brain=same person), and Cartesian (same soul=same person) theories, Parfit concludes that the whole notion is incoherent and isn't actually what we care about when wondering "will I die?"

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PREMIUM-Ep. 260: Locke on Moral Psychology Jan 11, 2021

One last take on John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), covering Book II, ch. 21 and 28.

What makes a moral claim true? Do we have free will? What makes us choose the good, or not? In this coda to our long treatment of Locke's opus, we bring together all he has to say about morality, which is strangely modern yet also just strange.

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Ep. 259: Locke Clarifies Misleading Complex Ideas (Part Two) Jan 04, 2021

More on Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

On relations, then personal identity, with more on substances (spiritual and material), the various ways in which ideas can go wrong, and how mental association can entrench irrationality that disrupts clear thinking.

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition, which will also get you the end-of-year PEL Nightcap that you'll hear a preview for here. Please support PEL!

Ep. 259: Locke Clarifies Misleading Complex Ideas (Part One) Dec 28, 2020

On Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689).

Simple ideas get complex quickly when you put them into words, and can give rise to various philosophical problems that are either easily cleared up when you figure out how the complex idea is built out of simple ideas, or if they can't be so broken down, then we really don't know what we're talking about and should just shut up.

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Mark Lint's PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and Songs Dec 24, 2020

Join the office party, where Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus Ken Stringfellow, Jenny Hansen, and the members of Mark Lint's Dry Folk, whose 12 tunes are presented in succession with nary a partridge in sight. Will these 12 spirits turn you (or Mark) from errant ways? BYOB!

Ep. 258: Locke on Acquiring Simple Ideas (Part Two) Dec 15, 2020

Continuing on Book II (through ch. 20) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689).

How do we acquire our ideas of pain and pleasure, duration and motion? We talk primary (shape, size) and secondary (color, sound) qualities, the former of which are supposed to be actually in objects, and the latter just in our mind. Plus, is Locke really an atomist about experience?

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Ep. 258: Locke on Acquiring Simple Ideas (Part One) Dec 07, 2020

On the first half of Book II of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689).

How do we get our ideas? Simple ideas must come in through perception, but this doesn't just mean the senses; also reflection on our own minds, and this added layer of complexity allows us to bring in memory, concepts, time, and more.

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Ep. 257: Locke Against Innate Ideas (Part Two) Nov 30, 2020

Continuing on Book I of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689).

We consider Locke's arguments that since there are no universally agreed upon principles, therefore there are no beliefs that we're all born with, or that we all (without the need for experience) immediately recognize as true as soon as we gain the use of reason or are otherwise equipped to understand them.

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Ep. 257: Locke Against Innate Ideas (Part One) Nov 23, 2020

On Book I of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689).

How do we know things? Locke thought all knowledge comes from experience, and this might seem uncontroversial, but what are the alternatives? We consider the idea that there are some ideas we're just born with and don't need to learn. But what's an "idea," and how is it different from a principle? Clearly we have instincts ("knowhow") but is that knowledge? We consider occurrent vs. dispositional nativism, the role of reason, and what Locke's overall project is after.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 256: Kropotkin's Anarchist Communism (Part Two) Nov 16, 2020

Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth get into specific points and textual passages from Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892).

In this preview, we start by considering that Kropotkin is right that mutual aid is a natural tendency and so communism is very much feasible, why hasn't it happened already? In the full discussion, we discuss K's version of the "you didn't build that" argument, plus guaranteed minimum income, identity and criminal justice in a stateless world, religion, and more.

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Ep. 256: Kropotkin's Anarchist Communism (Part One) Nov 09, 2020

On Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892).

If we want an egalitarian society, do we need the state to accomplish this? Kropotkin says no, that in fact the state inevitably serves the interests of the few, and that if we got rid of it, our natural tendencies to cooperate would allow us through voluntary organizations to keep everyone not only fed and clothed, but able to vigorously pursue callings like science and art.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 255: Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (Part Two) Nov 02, 2020

If you'd like to hear more of the discussion on Sun Tzu that we started in part one, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Here are some exchanges from part two, where we continue with Brian Wilson working through the text, considering Sunzi's strategies and assumptions, and how these might (or might not) apply to competing in the business world.

Ep. 255: Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" (Part One) Oct 26, 2020

On the Chinese military treatise from around the 5th century BCE.

How does a philosopher wage war? The best kind of war can be won without fighting. The general qua Taoist sage never moves until circumstances are optimal. We talk virtue ethics and practical strategy; how well can Sunzi's advice be applied to non-martial pursuits? With guest Brian Wilson.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 254: Michael Sandel Against Meritocracy (Part Two) Oct 19, 2020

Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth continue the discussion on The Tyranny of Merit to talk further about how social values can and do change, and whether these changes can be engineered in the way that Sandel seems to want.

We interviewed Michael Sandel in part one. To hear this second part, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. This preview includes a couple of exchanges from near the beginning to give you a flavor of what to expect.

Ep. 254: Michael Sandel Interview: Against Meritocracy (Part One) Oct 12, 2020

On The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? (2020).

Do people get the wealth and status they deserve? And if they did, would that be good? Michael critiques the meritocracy: It's not actually fair, leaves most people feeling humiliated, and makes those on the top arrogant and disconnected. The commitment to meritocracy is shared by both political parties and helps explain our current dysfunction.

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PREMIUM-Ep. 253: Leibniz on the Problem of Evil (Part Two) Oct 05, 2020

If you'd like to hear more of the discussion on Gottfried Leibniz’s Theodicy that we started in part one, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

This is just a few tantalizing snippets from part two, wherein we talk about the metaphysical status of evil and about the multi-layered character of will.

Ep. 253: Leibniz on the Problem of Evil (Part One) Sep 28, 2020

On Gottfried Leibniz’s Theodicy (1710).

Why does God allow so many bad things to happen? Leibniz thought that by the definition of God, whatever He created must be the best of all possible worlds, and his theodicy presents numerous arguments to try to make that less counter-intuitive given how less-than-perfect the world seems to us.

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PEL Special: Nightcap Late September 2020 Sep 21, 2020

We're releasing JUST THIS ONE Nightcap to the wider public so induce you all to go support us and so gain the ability to hear these free-wheeling, feeling-sharing, email-reading fiestas between every regular episode.

This time we gripe about Habermas and reflect on what secondary sources we use. We consider whether to have an episode on anarchism and if we should ever have guests on who are hard-core adherents of the philosophy we're discussing. We reveal which reading we've covered has pleasantly surprised each of us the most. Finally, we talk about how to front-load our episodes so that folks who do not sign up to hear the part 2's still get a satisfying, self-contained experience.

PREMIUM-Ep. 252: Habermas on Communication as Sociality (Part Two) Sep 21, 2020

If you'd like to hear more of the discussion on Jürgen Habermas' "Actions, Speech Acts, Linguistically Mediated Interactions, and the Lifeworld" (1998) that we started in part one, you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

We're just sharing a few minutes of part two here to get you all hot and bothered. You're welcome!

Ep. 252: Habermas on Communication as Sociality (Part One) Sep 14, 2020

On Jürgen Habermas' "Actions, Speech Acts, Linguistically Mediated Interactions, and the Lifeworld" (1998), with guest John Foster.

What's the relation between individuals and society? Habermas says that language has ethics built right into it: I'm trying to get you to agree with me, to engage in a cooperative enterprise of mutual understanding.

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Ep. 251: Simone Weil's Ideal Society Sep 07, 2020

On "Theoretical Picture of a Free Society" (1934). What's the ideal living situation for us all, given the peculiarities of human nature? Weil describes fulfillment as coming from being able to picture goals and plans and knowingly put them into effect, so social groups need to maximize that power by being small and cooperative.

End song: "Libreville" by Bill Bruford, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #25.

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Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Part Three) Aug 31, 2020

Concluding on "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943). This time we cover punishment, security, risk, private property, collective property, freedom of opinion, and truth.

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End song: "Even Though the Darkest Clouds" by liar, flower. Mark interviewed KatieJane Garside on Nakedly Examined Music #127.

Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Part Two) Aug 24, 2020

Continuing on "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943). We got started in part one with our need for order, and in this part we add liberty, obedience, responsibility, equality, hierarchy, and honor.

We'll conclude with part 3, covering freedom of speech, punishment and more, but you needn't wait: Get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. and you'll also get our Nightcap recordings.

Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Part One) Aug 17, 2020

On "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943) and "Meditation on Obedience and Liberty" (1937).

What are our needs that should then drive what kind of society would be best for us? Weil says we need liberty yet obedience, equality yet hierarchy, security yet risk... and none of these words mean quite what you'd think. And to start off, why do the many obey the few?

Don't wait for Part Two; get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL! Support for this discussion came from listener Charles, who dedicates it to Temple Grandin.

Ep. 249: Dewey on Education and Thought (Part Two) Aug 10, 2020

Continuing on John Dewey's Democracy and Education (1916) ch. 1, 2, 4, and 24 with guest Jonathan Haber.

How is education different than mere conditioning, and how does it relate to habits and growth? We discuss how much of what Dewey recommends lines up with liberal education and multiculturalism. Also, can education change taste?

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End song: "Too Far to Turn Around" by The Ides of March; Jim Peterik appears on Nakedly Examined Music #126.

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Ep. 249: Dewey on Education and Thought (Part One) Aug 02, 2020

On John Dewey's How We Think (1910) ch. 1 and Democracy and Education (1916) ch. 1, 2, 4, and 24.

What model of human nature should serve as the basis for education policy? Dewey sees learning as growth, and the point of education as to enable indefinite growth. With guest Jonathan Haber.

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Ep. 248: Racism and Policing (Al-Saji, Merleau-Ponty, et al) (Part Two) Jul 27, 2020

Continuing on Alia Al-Saji’s “A Phenomenology of Hesitation” (2014) and other things with guest Phil Hopkins.

Can we restructure our (and the police's) reactions and live with each other? We further explore the psychology of habit and Al-Saji's notion of hesitation. How does it compare to other types of heistation recommended by philosophies and religions?

Start with part one, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Includes a preview of our Citizen Hang.

End song: "Every Man's Burden" by Dusty Wright, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #89.

Ep. 248: Racism and Policing (Al-Saji, Merleau-Ponty, et al) (Part One) Jul 20, 2020

On Alia Al-Saji’s “A Phenomenology of Hesitation” (2014), bits of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception (1945), and Linda Martín Alcoff’s Visible Identities (2006), plus Alex Vitale's The End of Policing (2017).

Is there sub-conscious racism, and how might we root it out and fix our policing problems? Ex-cop Phil Hopkins joins to look at how phenomenology can help.

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Ep. 247: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Emotions (Part Two) Jul 13, 2020

Continuing on the Rhetoric (ca. 335 BCE) book 1, ch. 1–6 and book 2, ch. 1–5, 18–24.

We finish up with enthymemes (rhetorical arguments), maxims, and signs. We then move to emotions, where we chiefly talk about anger: Is it always a matter of status injury, or is frustration equally (or more) foundational?

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End song: "Reason with the Beast" by Shriekback, whose leader Barry Andrews was interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #107.

Ep. 247: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Emotions (Part One) Jul 06, 2020

On the Rhetoric (ca. 335 BCE) book 1, ch. 1-6 and book 2, ch. 1-5, 18-24.

What role does persuasion play in philosophy? Aristotle (contra Plato) argues it can and should be used for good: in law courts, political debates, public speeches. He describes the arguments forms used in rhetoric ("enthymemes") and analyzes the emotions that an audience might have so that speakers know what points are worth dwelling on and how to best argue them.

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Ep. 246: Susan Sontag on Interpreting Art (Part Two) Jun 29, 2020

Continuing on Sontag's essays “On Style” (1965) and "The Death of Tragedy” (1963).

Mark, Wes, Seth and Dylan keep talking about the appropriate distance to retain (or not) to a work of art, which is supposed to be relevant to moral action in the world. We also spell out how this is relevant to our recent episodes on tragedy.

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End song: "Mela" by Julie Slick, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #115.

Ep. 246: Susan Sontag on Interpreting Art (Part One) Jun 22, 2020

On Sontag's essays “Against Interpretation” (1964), “On Style” (1965), and "The Death of Tragedy” (1963).

What is it to understand a work of art? Sontag objects to critics' need to decode art into its "meaning" or "content," divorcing it from how this content is embodied. She argues that the content vs. form distinction isn't tenable; that the style of a work is an essential part of experiencing it. Sontag thinks we're too analytical, too divorced from our instincts, and a direct encounter with art is essential to enliven us.

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Ep. 245: Fashion (Derrida, Foucault, Sontag) w/ Shahidha Bari (Part Two) Jun 15, 2020

We conclude with Foucault's "The Ethics of the Concern of the Self As A Practice of Freedom" (1984) and add Susan Sontag's "On Style" (1965). After our guest's departure, we give some concluding remarks about her book Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes (2020) and Derrida's "The Animal That Therefore I Am" (1999).

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End song: "Clothe Me in Ashes" by K.C. Clifford, interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #121.

Ep. 245: Fashion (Derrida, Foucault) w/ Shahidha Bari (Part One) Jun 08, 2020

On Jacques Derrida's "The Animal That Therefore I Am" (1999), Michel Foucault's "The Ethics of the Concern of the Self As A Practice of Freedom" (1984), and our guest's Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes (2020).

Philosophy devalues appearances, but our changing dominant metaphysics (there is no "underneath" but rather a complex built out of appearance itself) should have changed this. Our guest provided us with readings that elaborate this change, arguing for our continuity with animal nature (Derrida) and the ethical importance of self-care (Foucault).

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Ep. 244: Camus on Strategies for Facing Plague (Part Two) Jun 01, 2020

Continuing on Albert Camus's 1947 novel, covering the old functionary Grand, the criminal (or just paranoid?) Cottard, and more of our narrators Dr. Rieux and his doomed friend Tarrou, plus more on the overall message of the book and how it might relate to our current situation.

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End song: "You Will Kill the One You Love" by Jack Hues, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #122.

Ep. 244: Camus on Strategies for Facing Plague (Part One) May 25, 2020

On Albert Camus' existentialist novel The Plague. How shall we face adversity? Camus gives us colorful characters that embody various approaches. Yes, the plague is an extreme situation, but we're all dying all the time anyway, right?

Join Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth to tease out Camus' positions from this bleak yet colorful text.

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Ep. 243: Aristotle's "Poetics" on Art and Tragedy (Part Two) May 18, 2020

Continuing on the Poetics from around 335 BCE, on the structure of plot (every element must be essential!), the moral status of the heroes, Homeric poetry, the difference between tragedy and history, and how Aristotle's formula may or may not apply to modern media.

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End song: "Structure of a Tragedy" by Mark Lint. Read about it.

Ep. 243: Aristotle's "Poetics" on Art and Tragedy (Part One) May 11, 2020

These notes from 335 BCE are still used in screenwriting classes. Aristotle presents a formula for what will move us, derived from Sophocles's tragedies.

What is art? The text describes it as memesis (imitation), and tragedy imitates human action in a way that shows us what it is to be human. Aristotle has lots of advice about how to structure a plot optimized to our sensibilities. Join Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth to see if you think he's right.

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PEL Presents PMP#42: Star Trek Lives Long and Prospers (Intermittently) May 06, 2020

In light of Star Trek: Picard, Brian, Erica, Mark, and Drew Jackson discuss our most philosophical sci-fi franchise. What makes a Trek story? How do you world-build over generations? How did Picard measure up? Plus Trek vs. Wars and step-children like The Orville and Galaxy Quest.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 242: Stanley Cavell on Tragedy via King Lear (Part Two) May 04, 2020

Continuing on Cavell's essay "The Avoidance of Love: A Reading of King Lear" (1969), shifting away from Lear in particular to a more general discussion of tragedy and Cavell's psychological insights.

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End song: "Out of Your Hands" by Gretchen's Wheel, i.e., Lindsay Murray, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #81.

Ep. 242: Stanley Cavell on Tragedy via King Lear (Part One) Apr 27, 2020

On Cavell's essay "The Avoidance of Love: A Reading of King Lear" (1969).

Can money buy you love? What is tragedy? With guest Erin O'Luanaigh.

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Ep. 241: Political Philosophy and the Pandemic Apr 20, 2020

How should we think politically about the current global crisis? Do extreme circumstances reveal truths of political philosophy or do they reinforce whatever it is we already believe? Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan talk about applying philosophical insights to real-life situations rife with unknowns, John Rawls' veil of ignorance and Adam Smith on our interconnectedness, utilitarianism, libertarianism, and more. A source we used was "How Coronavirus Is Shaking Up the Moral Universe" by John Authers.

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End song: "Date of Grace" by Rob Picott, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #80.

Ep. 240: David Lewis on Possible Worlds and Language Games (Part Two) Apr 13, 2020

On "Scorekeeping in a Language Game" (1979) and "Truth in Fiction" (1978).

Lewis's account of possible worlds can be applied to conversation: As we speak, each sentence adds to the "conversational score" (the set of assumptions that enable us to understand each other) while reducing the field of possible worlds that the picture we're painting together could potentially represent. What are the gravitational forces within this kind of scorekeeping? Also, when an author creates a fictive "world," how do facts about that world logically relate to those of the actual world? With guest Matt Teichman.

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End song: "Real Life" by Matt Wilson, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #118.

Ep. 240: David Lewis on Possible Worlds and Language Games (Part One) Apr 06, 2020

On Ch. 4 of Lewis's book Counterfactuals (1973) and the essays “Scorekeeping in a Language Game” (1979) and “Truth in Fiction” (1978).

What makes a sentence about possibility true? Lewis things that we need possible worlds that really exist in order to make sense of our modal intuitions. He uses this possible world talk to make sense of conversations and the worlds created by fiction writers. With guest Matt Teichman from Elucidations.

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Ep. 239: Montesquieu Invents Political Science (Part Two) Mar 30, 2020

Continuing on The Spirit of the Laws (1748) by Charles Louis de Secondat, aka Baron de Montesquieu. Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth talk more about the "motive force" behind each type of government and the separation of powers.

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End song: "King of the Hill" by MINUTEMEN. Listen to Mark interview Mike Watt on Nakedly Examined Music #108.

Ep. 239: Montesquieu Invents Political Science (Part One) Mar 23, 2020

On The Spirit of the Laws (1748) by Charles Louis de Secondat, aka Baron de Montesquieu.

What keeps a society functioning? Montesquieu, though of course not the first political philosopher, was perhaps the first to systematically explore correlations between characteristics of a government, its people, its climate, dominant industries, religion, and other factors. Some of his ideas directly influenced the American Constitution, and some of them are very very weird.

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Ep. 238: Lingering Questions Mar 16, 2020

Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth summarize thoughts about our recent series on social construction, gender and sex, and Judith Butler's notion of "grievable lives." Should we stop covering so much contemporary work and/or political topics?

End song: "The Size of Luv" by Mark Lint from Mark Lint's Dry Folk (2018).

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Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part Two) Mar 09, 2020

Continuing on Benjamin's "Critique of Violence" (1921).

Mark, Wes, and Seth keep trying to figure out this difficult essay. Is Benjamin really advocating a workers' revolution to end the state, or just reflecting on a hypothetical to explore the limits of the concept of violence?

According to Judith Butler's interpretation of the essay, the takeaway is the alternative to motivation through force, i.e. speech, which Benjamin (in other essays) gives some religious significance, but the way he actually concludes the essay is in a discussion of "divine violence" as somehow transcending means-end analysis and the corruption inherent in violence.

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End song: "Jericho" from hackedepiciotto, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #116.

Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part One) Mar 02, 2020

On "Critique of Violence" (1921). What is violence? Benjamin gives us a taxonomy: law-creating, law-preserving, mythological, and divine. Then he deconstructs his own distinctions to demonstrate that all state power is rotten through its being founded on and continually re-established by violence or the threat of it.

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Ep. 236: Judith Butler Interview: "The Force of Nonviolence" Feb 24, 2020

On The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind (2020).

What is it to be nonviolent in political activity? Most ethics allow for self-defense, but Judith has a problem with defining "self" as well as "violence," and offers a full critique of the individualism that underlies typical Western approaches to both ethics and politics.

Mark, Seth, and Wes interview Judith about these issues and the connection to Gender Trouble.

End song: "Dancing with Death," discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #111 with Marty Willson-Piper.

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PEL Presents: PMP#32: Judging "The Good Place" Feb 19, 2020

Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss Michael Schur's NBC TV show. Is it good? Does it actually teach moral philosophy? We talk sit-com tropes, TV finales, the show's convoluted structure, the puzzle of heaven, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 235: Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" (Part Three) Feb 17, 2020

Concluding "Gender Trouble" (1990), with just Mark, Wes, and Seth going carefully through pt I, sec v: "Identity, Set, and the Metaphysics of Substance," and pt III, sec iv: "Subversive Bodily Acts: Bodily Inscriptions, Performative Subversions."

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End song: "I'm a Boy" by Lys Guillorn as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #44.

Ep. 235: Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" (Part Two) Feb 10, 2020

More Gender Trouble (1990) with Jennifer Hansen. We get into the metaphysics of substance (is gender an attribute that a person has, or is there a better way to describe the situation?), performatives, Beauvoir vs. Irigaray on femininity, and the available mechanisms for changing gender norms.

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Ep. 235: Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" (Part One) Feb 03, 2020

On Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990). Is gender socially constructed, and if so, how?

Butler describes gender not as an essential quality of a person, but as "performed," as habits of acting in certain ways in accordance with customs. Her idea of social construction is so totalizing that even biological sex itself is constructed. With guest Jennifer Hansen.

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PEL Presents PMP#29: Martin Scorsese the Auteur w/ Colin Marshall Jan 29, 2020

We consider The Irishman in the context of Scorsese's body of work and the styles and themes that his films tend to exhibit.

Writer/podcaster Colin Marshall joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about connecting with Scorsese's sensibility and their status as "art films." Plus S's use of music, comments on Marvel, CGI age alternation, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 234: Beauvoir on Romance in "The Second Sex" (Part Two) Jan 27, 2020

Concluding Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): "The Woman in Love" and "Myths" with guest Jennifer Hansen.

We continue on the ailments of women under patriarchy as well as the existential problems that we're all subject to. Are we doomed to isolation, or does existentialism allow for intimacy? Is marriage in "bad faith"? We also talk narcissism, abjection, and the film Marriage Story.

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End song: "Easier than Leaving" by Michaela Anne, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #114.

Ep. 234: Beauvoir on Romance in "The Second Sex" (Part One) Jan 20, 2020

On Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): "The Woman in Love" and "Myths" with guest Jennifer Hansen. What is love under patriarchy? We all want to achieve solidity in another's eyes, but the Othered woman wants to live through the man, and the man sees the woman as his rejected corporeal character. Party time!

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PEL Presents PMP#27: For the Love of Star Wars Jan 15, 2020

Mark, Erica, and Brian talk about the unique place these films have in the brains of people of a certain age, how we grappled with the prequels, and why we feel the need to fill in and argue about the details. We focus primarily on The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 233: Plato's "Protagoras" on Virtue (Part Two) Jan 13, 2020

Continuing on the dialogue, where Socrates argues that Protagoras doesn't actually know what virtue is, because he thinks that the various virtues (especially courage) are distinct, a claim that Socrates refutes in several (logically suspect) ways.

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End song: "Make It Clear" by Feelies; hear Glenn Mercer on Nakedly Examined Music #41.

PEL Presents PMP#26: We Watch "Watchmen" w/ David Pizarro (Very Bad Wizards) Jan 08, 2020

Covering Alan Moore's 1986 graphic novel, the new HBO series and the 2009 film.

Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by David, psych prof at Cornell and host of Very Bad Wizards. How does Moore's style translate to the screen? How well did the show handle politics? Should there be a second season?

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 233: Plato's "Protagoras" on Virtue (Part One) Jan 06, 2020

On the Platonic dialogue written around 380 BCE about an encounter between Socrates and one of the leading Sophists of his day.

What is virtue ("the political art" according to Protagoras), and can it be taught? What are the relations of the various virtues to each other? Do they really amount ultimately to one and the same thing, i.e. wisdom? In this entertaining dialogue, Socrates and Protagoras swap positions, and Socrates seems to parody the Sophists' style.

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Sponsor: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL for a free trial of The Great Courses Plus Video Learning Service.

Ep. 232: Simone De Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" (Part Two) Dec 29, 2019

Continuing Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) with guest Jennifer Hansen.

How does one become a Subject and how do women traditionally get shut out of this process? We get into Vol. 2, "Lived Experience" where Beauvoir details how this drama unfolds in various stages of life. Also, religion, logic, the relation of biology to situation, and more. How do we modernize Beauvoir's critique given the evolution in women's positions since the book was written?

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End song: "Wrong Side of Gone" by Beth Kille as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #13.

Ep. 232: Simone De Beauvoir's "The Second Sex" (Part One) Dec 23, 2019

On Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): the intro, conclusion, “Woman’s Situation and Character” and parts of “Lived Experience," with guest Jennifer Hansen.

According to Beauvoir, Woman is historically conceived of by society (and herself) as "Other," as not a Subject who creates and makes decisions. Her life is pre-determined, revolving around marriage and child-bearing, and is so deformed by this situation.

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Ep. 231: Descartes's "Discourse" on Wisdom and Certainty (Part Two) Dec 16, 2019

Continuing on Descartes’s Discourse on Method, looking closely at part 4 (his proto-Meditations) and his "provisional" Stoic ethics.

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End song: "My Real Fantasy" By Joe Louis Walker, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #110.

Ep. 231: Descartes's "Discourse" on Wisdom and Certainty (Part One) Dec 09, 2019

On René Descartes’s Discourse on Method (1637), an overview of his work that distills his method, outlines his famous Meditations, presents a provisional (Stoic) ethics, and considers whether he wants to be a public intellectual. This is all meant as a preface to scientific publications on geometry, optics, and meteors.

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Ep. 230: Bruno Latour on Science, Culture, and Modernity (Part Two) Dec 02, 2019

Continuing on Latour's We Have Never Been Modern (1993) with guest Lynda Olman.

Latour rejects the idea of objective truth totally apart from perceivers, so is he an idealist? We lay out the "Constitution" of modernity that keeps science and politics separate, how it makes it difficult for us to address issues like climate change, and what Latour thinks should replace it.

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End song: "Mono No Aware" by Guy Sigsworth, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #109.

Ep. 230: Bruno Latour on Science, Culture, and Modernity (Part One) Nov 25, 2019

On Latour's We Have Never Been Modern (1993) with guest Lynda Olman.

What's the "modern" ideology of science, and is there something we should critique about it? Latour wants us to think about science not abstractly through the eternal truths it supposedly discovers, but through the concrete practices of scientists. He investigates the Modern Constitution by which science and politics are kept conceptually separate, a myth that he claims we've never fully bought into.

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Ep. 229: Descartes's Rules for Thinking (Part Three) Nov 18, 2019

Concluding René Descartes's Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628).

We finish rule 12 through the end, talking about simples, the faculties of intuition and judgment, perception and imagination, necessary vs. contingent truths, and how to do Cartesian science, including what constitutes a "perfectly understood problem."

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End song: "Perfect Design" by Ian Moore, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #94.

Ep. 229: Descartes's Rules for Thinking (Part Two) Nov 11, 2019

Continuing on René Descartes's Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628), covering rules 7 through the first part of the lengthy rule 12.

We try to figure out what he means by "enumeration;" the faculties of imagination, sense and memory; the virtues of perspicacity and sagacity; his psychology of the senses, the "common sense" where all sense data comes together, and the understanding; how Descartes recommends we do scientific investigation; why syllogisms stink; and whether some people are just better at philosophy than others.

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Ep. 229: Descartes's Rules for Thinking (Part One) Nov 04, 2019

On René Descartes's Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628).

Is there a careful way to approach problems that will ensure that you'll always be right? What if you just never assert anything you can't be sure of? This is Descartes's strategy, modeled on mathematics. We likewise carefully move step-by-step through this text.

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PEL Presents PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell Oct 29, 2019

Are stand-up comedians the Modern Day Philosophers? This is the premise of Daniel's podcast, but really, only some comedians express original claims; many just tell jokes. Are those exceptional comics philosophizing? Does telling the whole, tragic truth rule out being funny? Daniel, Mark, Erica, and Brian consider Carlin, Gadsby, Chappelle, and others.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com.

Sponsor: Visit Keeps.com/EXAMINED for a free month of hair loss treatment.

Ep. 228: Social Construction of Race (Appiah, Mills) (Part Two) Oct 28, 2019

Continuing on Kwame Anthony Appiah's "Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections" (1994), Charles Mills's "But What Are You Really?, The Metaphysics of Race" (1998), and Neven Sesardic's "Race: A Social Destruction of a Biological Concept" (2010) with guest Coleman Hughes.

Racial classifications vary geographically, therefore race is socially constructed. Given this, can we retain the positive aspects of group-identification without hierarchies and what Appiah calls "imperialism of identity?"

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End song: "Tired Skin" by Alejandro Escovedo, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #60.

Ep. 228: Social Construction of Race (Appiah, Mills) (Part One) Oct 21, 2019

On Kwame Anthony Appiah's "Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections" (1994), Charles Mills' "But What Are You Really?, The Metaphysics of Race" (1998), and Neven Sesardic's "Race: A Social Destruction of a Biological Concept" (2010). With guest Coleman Hughes. Please support PEL!

Ep. 227: What Is Social Construction? (Hacking, Berger) (Part Two) Oct 14, 2019

Continuing Ian Hacking’s The Social Construction of What (1999) and Peter Berger's “Religion and World Construction" (1967).

We break down Hacking's typology of construction arguments: Are they exploring where our ideas came from or trying to change things? Are they trying to state facts about nature vs. nurture or essentially political solicitations for us to reconceptualize in healthier ways? Plus, more about the supposed divide between science wars and the culture wars and Berger's picture of the nomos (custom) defining what it is for us to live a meaningful life.

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End song: "The ConstruKction of Light, Part 1" by King Crimson; listen to Mark with Trey Gunn on Nakedly Examined Music #21.

Ep. 227: What Is Social Construction? (Hacking, Berger) (Part One) Oct 07, 2019

On Ian Hacking’s The Social Construction of What (1999) and Peter Berger's “Religion and World Construction" (1967).

Guest Coleman Hughes from Dilemma joins us to survey the types of social construction arguments: the "culture wars" (e.g. race, gender) and the "science wars" (scientific findings are not read off the world but emerge from history). Something can be constructed, yet still be an objective truth we have to deal with.

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Ep. 226: Francis Bacon Invents Science (Part Two) Sep 30, 2019

Continuing on Sir Francis Bacon's New Organon (1620).

We cover more of Bacon's "idols" and how Bacon divides religion from science (and what this means politically). We then move on to book 2, including Bacon's novel update of the term "form," and take a look at Bacon's method of doing science by filling out tables before actually doing experiments.

Start with part one or get the full, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL, like, get Patreon's feed for a mere $1/month.

End song: "Stuck in a Cave" by Chrome Cranks; hear Mark talk to singer/songwriter Peter Aaron on Nakedly Examined Music #93.

PEL Presents PMP#12: Once Upon a Tarantino Film w/ Wes Alwan Sep 24, 2019

Wes joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood in the context of Tarantino's other films. We consider T's strange sense of pacing, his comic violence, his historical revisionism, and casting choices. Is this a brilliant film or a fundamentally misguided idea badly in need of an editor?

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 226: Francis Bacon Invents Science (Part One) Sep 23, 2019

On Sir Francis Bacon's New Organon (1620).

Bacon claims to have developed a new toolset that will open up nature to inquiry in a way that wasn't possible for ancient and modern natural philosophy.

Mark, Wes, and Dylan consider how much what Bacon describes resembles modern scientific method, talk through Bacon's "four idols" that interfere with impartial inquiry, and consider how Bacon's method fits in with his larger political-ethical-religious views.

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Ep. 225: Simone Weil on War and Oppression (Part Two) Sep 16, 2019

Continuing on Simone Weil's essays "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" (1939) and "Analysis of Oppression" (1934) with guest Corey Mohler.

We talk about the self-contradictions of power, why oppression and war are so intractable, and her positive solution (what there is of it here). Weil cuts through our left-right political dichotomy in a way that might interest you. Plus, why the Iliad is so great.

Start with part one or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Throw Down the Sword" from Wishbone Ash; hear Andy Powell on Nakedly Examined Music #51.

Ep. 225: Simone Weil on War and Oppression (Part One) Sep 09, 2019

On Simone Weil's essays "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" (1939) and "Analysis of Oppression" (1934).

How do circumstances oppress and dehumanize us? Weil describes the mechanisms that keep people at war and maintain oppression even through revolutions as inherent to the logic of power. With guest Corey Mohler.

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Ep. 224: Kierkegaard Critiques The Present Age (Part Two) Sep 02, 2019

Continuing on "The Present Age" (1846), plus Hubert Dreyfus’s "Nihilism on the Information Highway: Anonymity vs. Commitment in the Present Age" (2004) with guest John Ganz.

Does K's critique actually apply to our present age? We address K's view of humor, romance, authenticity, actual community vs. "the public," the leveling that occurs without anyone specific actually doing it, and the virtue of silence.

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End song: "Wry Observer" by Aaron David Gleason, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #71.

PEL Presents PMP#8: Spider-Man: Far From Home (and Elsewhere) Aug 27, 2019

Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the function of super-hero films and how this new one fits in. Do we need "realism" in such stories? When does a premise like this get too old to keep recycling?

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 224: Kierkegaard Critiques The Present Age (Part One) Aug 26, 2019

On Soren Kierkegaard's essay "The Present Age" (1846) and Hubert Dreyfus’s "Nihilism on the Information Highway: Anonymity vs. Commitment in the Present Age" (2004).

What's wrong with our society? Kierkegaard saw the advent of the press and gossip culture as engendering a systematic passivity and shallowness in his fellows, and Dreyfus thinks this is an even more apt description of the Internet Age. With guest John Ganz.

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Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part Two) Aug 19, 2019

We talk with Ned about a second Blockheads (2019) article, Michael Tyle's “Homunculi Heads and Silicon Chips: The Importance of History to Phenomenology," which provides a variation off of the David Chalmers fading qualia argument, and then Mark, Seth, Dylan, and Wes continue exploring the details uncovered by our interview after Ned leaves.

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End song: "Your So Dark Sleep/Goodbye" by The Black Watch, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #102.

Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part One) Aug 12, 2019

The climax and denouement of our summer philosophy of mind series: Ned Block visits to fill in the gaps about functionalism and attributing consciousness to machines and discuss essays from Blockheads (2019), focusing here on Brian McLaughlin’s “Could an Android be Sentient?”

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Ep. 222: Debating Functionalism (Block, Chalmers) (Part Two) Aug 05, 2019

Continuing on Ned Block's "Troubles with Functionalism" (1978) and David Chalmers's "Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia" (1995).

What would it be like to be halfway between person and machine? If you think the machine can't have consciousness, then Chalmers thinks that there's no sensible way to describe such an experience, ergo the machine (if functionally equivalent to the person) must have consciousness after all.

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Machine" by Helen Money as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #101.

Ep. 222: Debating Functionalism (Block, Chalmers) (Part One) Jul 29, 2019

On Ned Block's "Troubles with Functionalism" (1978) and David Chalmers's "Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia" (1995).

If mental states are functional states, there couldn't be zombies. Yet Block claims that there could be zombies: for example, a functional duplicate of you whose components are actually citizens of China obeying algorithmic rules. Even if the resulting system acts like you, it obviously isn't conscious. Chalmers argues that you'd then need to explain the experiences of a creature half way between you and the zombie, but you can't, so Block's argument doesn't work and functionalism is left standing. What do you think? Do you hate weird thought experiments like these?

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PEL Presents PMP#3: CONFORM w/ Yakov Smirnoff Jul 23, 2019

Is media trying to brainwash us into being ALL THE SAME? Are the excesses of the mob scaring us into conformity? Mark, Erica, and Brian muse on cultural homogenization and are joined by comedian Dr. Yakov Smirnoff to talk about growing up in a repressive society and the shadow of political correctness over comedy.

For more about this podcast, see prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is curated by openculture.com and The Partially Examined Life Podcast Network.

Ep. 221: Functionalist Theories of Mind (Putnam, Armstrong) (Part Two) Jul 22, 2019

Continuing on functionalism with David M. Armstrong’s "The Causal Theory of the Mind" (1981). Your four hosts start afresh the day after Part One on Putnam to discuss this version of functionalism that is supposed to clear the way for the scientific identification of mental states with brain states. Mental states are defined by their causal relations with other states and with behavior, and the content of a mental state is exhausted by its intentional object, e.g. the content of a perception is the thing you're perceiving which (normally) causes the perception. So what about things like colors and sounds that aren't really out in the world? Can functionalism explain how these seem to us? Listen to part one first or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Pain Makes You Beautiful" by Jeff Heiskell's JudyBats, as featured on Nakedly Examined Music #5.

Ep. 221: Functionalist Theories of Mind (Putnam, Armstrong) (Part One) Jul 15, 2019

On Hilary Putnam's "The Nature of Mental States" (1973).

What is the mind? Functionalist theories identify the mental with not with the brain exactly, but with something the brain does. So some other creature without a brain (maybe a computer) might be able to do that same thing if it could duplicate the structure of what our brains do. Is this a satisfying account of the mind?

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PEL Presents PMP#1: Pop Culture vs. High Culture Jul 09, 2019

What is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both?

Welcome to this new pop culture podcast hosted by Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt. This episode also features Tyler Hislop, our editor. For more, see prettymuchpop.com.

Get involved from the start at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. We'll solicit your input for our episodes, release them early for supporters, and provide bonus content with every episode; there's already some waiting for you now.

Presented by openculture.com and the Partially Examined Life podcast network.

End song: "High Rollin' Cult" written by Mark just for this release, featuring Erica. Theme music by Mark and Erica. PMP logo by Ken Gerber.

Ep. 220: 10-Year Retrospective of The Partially Examined Life Jul 05, 2019

Mark, Seth, Dylan, and Wes reflect on the changing state of podcasting and public philosophy over the last decade, how our goals and interests have changed since we started we started. Why don't colleges pay their faculty to educate the public through regular, broadcasted conversations like ours? If you think we're snarky, take a look at actual philosophy faculty! Should we continue to do more literature, poetry, and other topics that are not strictly philosophy? Also, the stalled state of the PEL book.

Thanks so much to each and every Partially Examined Life listener for making it worth our time to do this!

End song: "High Rollin' Cult" by Mark Lint with Erica Spyres, celebrating a new attempt to capture the fun of the beginning of PEL: Pretty Much Pop.

Ep. 219: The Harder Problem of Consciousness (Block & Papineau) Jul 01, 2019

On Ned Block's "The Harder Problem of Consciousness" (2002) and David Papineau's "Could There Be a Science of Consciousness?" (2003).

What would give us sufficient reason to believe that a non-human was conscious? Block thinks this is a harder problem that we might suspect. We can't know for sure exactly what consciousness in us is, so we can't know for sure what such a being might require (a brain? certain patterns of behavior?) for them to be enough like us that we could safely apply our own experience of our own conscious states to them. Papineau diagnoses this as a fundamental vagueness in the concepts we use to describe our conscious states.

This conversation continues from ep. 218, with guest Gregory Miller from the Panpsycast still with us.

End song: "Mindreader" by Phil Judd as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #98.

Ep. 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers et al) (Part Two) Jun 24, 2019

Continuing on "Consciousness and Its Place in Nature" by David Chalmers (2003).

We finish Chalmers's account of the types of physicialism, then move on to dualism (including epiphenomenalism), and finally dally with panpsychism, the specialty of our guest, Gregory Miller from the Panpsycast.

Listen to part 1 first or listen to the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Georgia Hard" by Robbie Fulks, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #36.

Ep. 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers et al) (Part One) Jun 17, 2019

On "Consciousness and Its Place in Nature" by David Chalmers (2003), with special guest Gregory Miller from the Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast.

Can we explain human experience using the terms of brain physiology? Chalmers thinks not, and lays out the arguments against this and the range of positions philosophers have taken in response to these objections.

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(sub)Text #1: Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”: Poesis as Revenge Forsaken Jun 08, 2019

At last, the full, public release of this discussion between Wes Alwan and Bill Youmans covering Shakespeare's 1611 play about revenge, forgiveness, and authorship. Or maybe it's about exploitation, or how we react to changes in status, or perhaps how a liberal education can give you magical powers! Listen and decide for yourself!

Episode 217: Discussing Calderón's "Life Is a Dream" Jun 03, 2019

On the 1636 comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, considering destiny (Christian vs. Ancient Greek), skepticism, meta-theater, and the ethic of honor. Listen to our performance first. With guests Bill Youmans and Erica Spyres.

End song: "Pulling Apart" by Jonathan Segel. Hear him on Nakedly Examined Music #38.

Glimpse: Machiavellian Politics (for Partially Examined Life #14) Jun 02, 2019

Does politics have to be Machiavellian? Do you have to be ruthless to succeed?

Given our treatment of Game of Thrones and Life Is a Dream, and the way in which end-justifying-the-means logic plays endlessly in our real-life political situation, it's time we looked back on our episode 14 on Machiavelli. Mark Linsenmayer reviewed that episode and recorded a little essay about practicing Machiavellian politics to get you back in this spirit.

PEL Audioplayers: "Life Is a Dream" by Pedro Calderón de la Barca May 27, 2019

Your hosts are joined by real actors to do an unrehearsed read of Calderón's 1636 comedy La Vida Es Sueño, using Stanley Appelbaum's 2002 translation. Ep. 217 will cover the philosophical issues the play raises.

Recorded in NYC on 4/7: Talene Monahon (Rosaura), David Epstein (Segismundo), Bill Youmans (Clotaldo), Erica Spyres (Estrella), Chris Martin (Basilio), Mark Linsenmayer (Clarín), Seth Paskin (Astolfo), Dylan Casey (soldier 1 and servant 1), and Wes Alwan (soldier 2 and servant 2).

Music by Jonathan Segel, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #38.

Please help us to do more audioplays by supporting PEL.

PREMIUM-Ep 216 Game of Thrones' Fantasy Politics (Part Two) May 23, 2019

Get teased re. Mark and Wes's post-finale, spoiler-filled continuation of the discussion of the show.

How does its conclusion affect its overall political message? Does it make sense to be performing feminist critiques on a show based on the premise of people murdering each other for power?

To hear the full discussion, become a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter. For more about these options see partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Listen to our part one first, of course.

Episode 216: Game of Thrones' Fantasy Politics May 20, 2019

Discussing the TV show (2011-2019) based on the books by George R.R. Martin.

What's the role of a mass-consumed fantasy series in today's society? Is it our "fantasy" to have all these horrible things happen to us? Is this an edifying prompt to engage in public moral thinking, or a spectacular distraction of the kind that those Marxist theorists keep warning us about?

We get into the function of fantasy and how a more "realistic" show plays with that, the extent to which we're supposed to identify with the characters, depiction of moral complexity, low art vs. high art, identity issues, and more. With guest Sabrina Weiss.

End song: "Fire and Blood" by Sacrifice Feat. Mark Lint; hear the interview on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Don't miss the Citizen-only spoiler-filled follow-up discussion between Mark and Wes.

Episode 215: Brave New World: PEL Live 10th Anniversary Show May 13, 2019

On Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel, recorded at Manhattan's Caveat on 4/6/19, with audience participation.

If we harness the power of society to employ available technologies to really focus on making people happy, what would the result be? This is Huxley's thought experiment, but is it in all respects a dystopia, and is it a fair test of the ideal of social improvement or merely of a flawed view of human nature? You can watch this episode instead.

End song: "Brave New World" by Mark Lint. Read about it.

Get the commemorative T-shirt, and save $10 with the coupon code revealed at the beginning of the Citizen Edition of this episode. Please support PEL! Contact us to share your PEL stories.

Episode 214: More Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part Two) May 06, 2019

Concluding Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885).

What's the wise way to live? We start in earnest into part three, treating the "spirit of gravity" where socially-imposed values cover over your uniqueness, omni-satisfaction vs. being choosy, "Old and New Tablets" where Nietzsche explores various ethical and meta-ethical issues (e.g. is self-overcoming a matter of one-time self-actualization or is it continual?), and more on the Overman and eternal recurrence.

Listen to part one first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Upright Man" by Rachel Taylor Brown, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #91.

Episode 214: More Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part One) Apr 29, 2019

On the remainder of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885).

How can we keep our spirits up and avoid nihilism? We consider Nietzsche's "solution" of eternal recurrence, why he uses a poetic, allegoric style, and more.

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Glimpse: Nietzsche's Last Man (for Partially Examined Life #213) Apr 22, 2019

Is technology making us complacent? Are we in danger of becoming Nietzsche's famed "last men" who are no longer capable of creativity and independent thought?

Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast lays out Nietzsche's idea and argues that on the contrary, having our basic needs met by technology can free us up to pursue the creative endeavors that Nietzsche saw as the pinnacle of human achievement

This is but a Glimpse. To hear the full Partial Examination of this book, visit partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Episode 213: Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part Two) Apr 22, 2019

Continuing on Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, books 1 and 2 (1883).

We talk through Nietzsche's symbolism (tightrope walkers and gravediggers and snakes, oh my!), the path toward the overman, his screed against the state, the Will to Power as the will to overcome oneself by reconciling oneself with the past, and more.

Listen to part one first or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

PREMIUM-(sub)Text#6: Melanie Klein's "Notes on Some Schizoid Mechanisms" Apr 21, 2019

Wes Alwan is joined by Dr. Glenn Mobray to discuss this classic 1946 psychoanalytic text.

This is a preview of a 63-minute discussion. You can listen to the whole thing by becoming a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to learn how.

Listen to more (sub)Text.

Episode 213: Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part One) Apr 15, 2019

On Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, books 1 and 2 (1883).

What is wisdom? In this text whose style parodies the Bible, we get pithy advice and allegorical imagery to guide us away from self-defeating, life-denying attitudes and orient us towards creative self-overcoming (i.e. exertion of the Will to Power). The Last Man who no longer knows how to give birth to a dancing star is a rotten egg!

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Glimpse: Sartre on Literature (for Partially Examined Life #212) Apr 11, 2019

Should literature be political? Jean-Paul Sartre thought that all literature is political, because of what literature is.

That's a very weird-sounding view. Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast tries to make it sound like something you should at least consider.

This is but a Glimpse. To hear the full Partial Examination of this book, visit partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Episode 212: Sartre on Literature (Part Two) Apr 08, 2019

Continuing on What is Literature? (1948).

Sartre gives a phenomenology of reading and writing that makes reading into a creative act of completing the writer's work, and calls this cooperation ethical: the work is an appeal to the reader's freedom, and also the reader's responsibility to then know what the work reveals. Are you shirking, all you skimmers?

Start with part one, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Things I Shouldn't Have Told You" by Sam Phillips, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #90.

Episode 212: Sartre on Literature (Part One) Apr 01, 2019

On Jean-Paul Sartre's What is Literature (1948), ch. 1 and 2.

What's the purpose of literature? Why write prose as opposed to poetry? Sartre argues that while poetry is about the words themselves, prose is about the ideas, so it's necessarily political. A written work is essentially an ethical appeal for a reader to apply his or her own faculties and experiences to complete the work through the act of reading.

Please support PEL!

Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part Three) Mar 25, 2019

Moving finally on to Jean-Paul Sartre's "Black Orpheus" (1948), where he introduces a book of black poetry by praising its revolutionary spirit as embodied in "negritude." Is this a legitimate consciousness-raising exercise or a weird fetishization of blackness?

Listen to parts one and two first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition, which will also get you access to (sub)Text#5 on Checkhov's Uncle Vanya Please support PEL!

End song: "Punch Bag" by Godley & Creme as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #3.

Sponsor: Visit TheGreatCoursesPLUS.com/PEL for two months of unlimited learning for 99 cents.

Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part Two) Mar 18, 2019

Continuing on Jean-Paul Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (1946).

Is there an "authentic" way to respond to persecution? As part of his critique of anti-semitism, Sartre criticized the responses of some Jews to this situation, e.g. denying that the persecution exists, pretending to not be Jewish, or in any way accepting the terms of anti-semitism and setting up one's life in reaction to it. Sartre instead recommends solidarity and "concrete liberalism," which we try to figure out.

Listen to part one first. Please support PEL!

Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part One) Mar 11, 2019

On Jean-Paul Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (1946) and "Black Orpheus" (1948).

How can we best understand the psychology of racism? Sartre condemns anti-Semitism as denying the facts of the human condition: the responsibility for fixing problems and not blaming them on a demonized other. But he also criticizes "the democrat" for a humanism that pretends we're in a post-racial world, calling instead for "concrete liberalism" that treats Jews not as abstract individuals but as real people in an an oppressed situation.

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PEL Presents Constellary Tales #6: Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report" w/ Mark Linsenmayer Mar 11, 2019

PEL's Mark Linsenmayer joins hosts Ken Gerber and Brian Hirt to weigh in on the philosophical implications of precognitive crime fighting in Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report." Brian quizzes Mark and Ken on PKD movie trivia.

Get more Constellary Tales podcasts, and read original sf in the magazine at constellary.com. Listen to PEL #175 on Blade Runner.

Episode 210: Frantz Fanon's Black Existentialism (Part Two) Mar 04, 2019

Continuing on Black Skin White Masks (1952), starting with the influential ch. 4 "The Fact of Blackness." Are the successive coping strategies to racism (including "anti-racist racism" and embrace of negritude) that Fanon describes necessary steps in a dialectic which should be encouraged, or would it be best to learn from his "mistakes" and jump right to the humanistic end-point? With guest Lawrence Ware.

Start with part 1 or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Malaika" by John Etheridge and Vimala Rowe; hear John interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #85.

Episode 210: Frantz Fanon's Black Existentialism (Part One) Feb 25, 2019

On Black Skin White Masks (1952).

How does growing up in a racist society mess people up? Fanon's "clinical study" includes phenomenology, poetry, and a lot of existentialism, which means that the "let's embrace negritude in the face of bigotry" solution isn't ultimately available to him: We're all radically free, with no race-specific essence, whether positive or negative. With guest Lawrence Ware.

Please support PEL!

Podchaser Interview of Mark Linsenmayer: Partially Examined Life and Nakedly Examined Music Feb 23, 2019

Morgan DeLisle, writer for the PodChaser "Behind the Streams Blog," interviewed Mark for a feature of our podcasts. Learn about the origins of PEL and NEM, how we make the shows, and what's coming up.

Listen to all of the PEL network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com, or subscribe to them individually on Apple Podcasts or via your preferred player.

Episode 209: Francis Fukuyama on Identity Politics (Part Two: Discussion) Feb 18, 2019

Continuing on Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018).

Fukuyama recommends a "creedal national identity" as a solution for tribalism; does this work? Is this "demand for recognition" that he describes foundational for the act of making an ethical claim? For self-consciousness itself? How does ideology prejudice the sort of theorizing that Fukuyama engages in?

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Cornerstone" by Richard X. Heyman, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #61.

Episode 209: Guest Francis Fukuyama on Identity Politics (Part One) Feb 11, 2019

Talking to the author about Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018).

What motivates people? Frank points to thymos, the demand for recognition, as at the root of both the "end of history" (i.e., democracy as demand for equal recognition) and our current tribalist stalemates, involving desires to be seen—in virtue of group membership—as superior. Thymos may in fact be central to self-consciousness, ethics, and the origins of political association.

Please support PEL!

Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part Two) Feb 04, 2019

More on the ethics-related fragments of Epicurus and accounts by Martha Nussbaum and Tim O'Keefe.

What would a purely therapeutic philosophy consist of? Does philosophy as pursuit of pleasure mean that you eschew political action or other substantial goals? Mark, Wes, and Dylan try to figure out which of our desires are vain and whether society is compatible with human happiness.

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "The Language of the Body" by Ant-Bee as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #68.

Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part One) Jan 28, 2019

On the extant fragments of Epicurus (341–270 BCE) dealing with ethics, including his "Letter to Menoceus," “The Principal Doctrines,” and “The Vatican Collection of Epicurean Sayings.” Plus Tim O’Keefe’s Epicureanism (2010) and Martha Nussabum’s The Therapy of Desire (1994).

How are we supposed to act once we understand nature as atoms bouncing and swerving around in the void, temporarily producing order through fortuitous collisions? Ruling out demanding gods means ethics is dictated by human nature: we avoid pain and pursue pleasure. However, we're very bad at this, and Epicurus wants to fix all of us!

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Episode 207: Herder on Art Appreciation (Part Two) Jan 21, 2019

Continuing on Johann Gottfried von Herder's “The Causes of Sunken Taste among the Different Peoples in Whom It Once Blossomed” (1775), then moving to “On the Influence of the Belles Lettres on the Higher Sciences” (1781), “Does Painting or Music Have a Greater Effect? A Divine Colloquy” (1785), and and some of Critical Forests: Fourth Grove (written 1769). With guest rock god John "Jughead" Pierson.

What grounds good taste in a society? Can an aesthetic education ground abstract thought? What would such an education consist in? Which is more affecting, music or painting?

Start with part 1, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

Episode 207: Herder on Art Appreciation (Part One) Jan 14, 2019

On Johann Gottfried von Herder's “The Causes of Sunken Taste among the Different Peoples in Whom It Once Blossomed” (1775), “On the Influence of the Belles Lettres on the Higher Sciences” (1781), “Does Painting or Music Have a Greater Effect? A Divine Colloquy” (1785), and some of Critical Forests: Fourth Grove (written 1769). With guest rock god John "Jughead" Pierson.

What is aesthetic taste, and why do some societies (e.g. ancient Greece) seem particularly rife with genius? Herder has some definite ideas about aesthetic, sensual education as grounding for abstract thinking, rages against attempts to copy another culture's art-forms, and likes melody over harmony. Plus he coined the term "zeitgeist!"

Continue with part two or get the full, unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

PREMIUM-Ep 206 Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part Three) Jan 13, 2019

Mark and Wes go into more textual detail re. Lucretius’s take on atomism and the metaphysical and epistemological problems it entails. Start with Part one.

This is a preview; become a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter to get the full, 50 minute conversation.

Episode 206: Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part Two) Jan 07, 2019

More on Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things from the first century BCE.

We talk more about how macroscopic phenomena are supposed to come out of the interaction of atoms, including mind and its processes of knowledge and illusion, including the illusion of love. One conclusion: life after death is not possible. Can the properties of the atoms themselves be explained?

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition; this will also get you the follow-up discussion. Please support PEL.

End song: "Came Round" by Mark Lint. Read about it and get the new album.

Episode 206: Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part One) Dec 31, 2018

On Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things a.k.a. De Rerum Natura from the 1st century BC.

How does the world work? Lucretius presents a system that is surprisingly modern, and raises philosophical issues that are still on point today: What are the basic building blocks of the universe? How could these give rise to minds? What ethical views does a mechanistic world-view imply?

Continued on part two, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition, as well as the Citizen-only follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

PREMIUM-Ep 205 Durkheim et al on Suicide (Part Three) Dec 31, 2018

Mark and Wes discuss Durkheim's Suicide (1897), getting into more of the details of his account and exploring comparative modes of explanation: Are there really "sociological facts" distinct from mere generalizations about psychological facts?

Get the full discussion as a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter!

Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part Two) Dec 22, 2018

More on philosophical and psychological interpretations of and judgments about suicide with guest Drew Pinsky.

Is suicide an epidemic or a choice? Could it be both? Socrates didn't fear death and inspired Stoics and others to see suicide in some circumstances as brave. Or is it always cowardly? Does meaninglessness motivate suicide?

Listen to part one first or get the Citizen Edition, which will also get you access to the follow-up discussion.

End song: "Disappear" by Chris Cacavas as heard on Nakedly Examined Music #87. Please support PEL!

Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part One) Dec 17, 2018

We are rejoined by Drew Pinsky to discuss philosophical and psychological readings by Seneca, Arthur Schopenhauer, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Albert Camus, plus two 2017 survey papers on predictors of suicide.

Is suicide ever morally permissible? If it's a symptom of mental illness rather than a chosen behavior, is it even appropriate to morally evaluate it?

Check the PEL Store for new offerings including Mark's new album, tutoring, and your very own Personal Philosophy.

Visit DrDrew.com. He has interviewed Wes and Mark.

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Episode 204: The Bhagavad Gita's Hindu Theology (Part Two) Dec 10, 2018

More on this classic text by (perhaps) Vyasa, with guest Shaan Amin. Should we acquire good karma or behave "beyond good and evil"? How can everything be Krishna while Krishna is also the an element of virtue we're supposed to pursue? How does this compare with Stoicism? Plus, behold Krishna unveiled and be freaked out!

Listen to part one first or get the full, unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL.

End song: "Om Hari Om 1" by Tim Jordan Kirtan feat. Michael Manring. Hear Michael on Nakedly Examined Music #31.

Episode 204: The Bhagavad Gita's Hindu Theology (Part One) Dec 03, 2018

On the classic Hindu text (ca. the 3rd century B.C.E.), part of the Indian Epic poem Mahabharata, attributed to Vyasa, using Keya Maitra's 2018 translation/commentary.

What is it to live wisely? What grounds duty? Listen as the supreme God Krishna convinces archer hero Arjuna that it's OK for him to kill his relatives because, you know, reincarnation and determinism and caste-related duties. Lots of metaphysical complications! With guest Shaan Amin.

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Episode 203: Kristeva vs. Lovecraft on Horror and Abjection (Part Two) Nov 26, 2018

Concluding on Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror (1980) and focusing on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928). Does Lovecraft's presentation of nameless terror capture (or improve upon) what Kristeva means by "abjection"?

End song: "The Other" by Mark Lint feat. Lucy Lawless from Mark's Lint's Dry Folk.

Listen to part one first, or go back to ep. 202 first. Become a PEL Citizen to get the full, ad-free experience. Please support PEL!

Episode 203: Kristeva vs. Lovecraft on Horror and Abjection (Part One) Nov 19, 2018

More on Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror (1980) plus H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928).

What is the object of fear? Mark, Seth, and Dylan get clearer on Kristeva's view of the establishment and loss of the integrity of the self, what the "object" of abjection is, and what this all might have to do with feminism.

Most of the Lovecraft goodness is in part 2. Please support PEL to get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition, along with Mark's Kristeva Close Reading.

Sponsor: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL for a one-month free trial of The Great Courses Plus Video Learning Service.

PREMIUM-Ep 202 Follow-Up: Close Reading of Kristeva's "Approaching Abjection" Nov 18, 2018

Mark takes a very close look at pages 1–4 of the first chapter of On Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980) as a supplement to episode 202.

Get the full, 55-minute experience as a PEL Citizen, or get it by supporting us on Patreon for a mere $1!

Episode 202: Julia Kristeva on Disgust, Fear and the Self (Part Two) Nov 12, 2018

Continuing on Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, ch. 1 and 2. We try to get clearer on Kristeva's talk of "object," the relationship between language and abjection, how Kristeva is advancing on Freud, how to be a mom that allows a kid to separate in a healthy way, and how abjection plays into religion and writing.

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition, and don't miss Mark's Close Reading, available to Citizens and $1+ Patreon members.

End song: "Eyes of Fire" by Jill Freeman, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #28.

Episode 202: Julia Kristeva on Disgust, Fear and the Self (Part One) Nov 05, 2018

On Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980), ch. 1 and 2.

Kristeva writes about "abjection," where we violently reject things like corpses, bodily wastes and other fluids, and the Lovecraftian unnameable that lurks at the edge of our awareness. Her book is also all about the self, suggesting modifications to Freud's Oedipal complex and Lacan's mirror-stage story. With guest Kelley Citrin.

Continue on part 2, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition, as well as Mark's Close Reading, which we've made available to Patreon supporters at the $1 level. Please support PEL!

PREMIUM-Ep 201 Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" (Part Three) Nov 05, 2018

Mark and Seth get further into the specifics of Marcus's metaphysics and how this is supposed to relate to behavior. Can his directives really come solely "from reason" as he claims? How does this interact with the behaviors that we pursue "by nature," i.e., without conscious deliberation required?

Seth is concerned with how individualistic the philosophy is. Mark is concerned that if you discard the metaphysics (as modern skeptics largely do), why should you expect the rest of the philosophy to be coherent?

Become a supporter to get the full discussion.

Episode 201: Marcus Aurelius's Stoicism with Ryan Holiday (Part Two) Oct 29, 2018

More on The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (ca. 180 CE) plus Ryan's The Daily Stoic (2016).

We talk Stoicism as "pre-mourning," love of fate, the divine plan, political ethics, ethical models, and overwriting your brain with the Stoic operating system.

Hear part 1 first, or get the full, unbroken Citizen Edition, as well as the follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

End song: "Any Way the Wind Blows" by MIR; listen to Mark talk with Asif Illyas on Nakedly Examined Music #33.

Episode 201: Marcus Aurelius's Stoicism with Ryan Holiday (Part One) Oct 22, 2018

On The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (ca. 180 C.E.) plus Ryan's The Daily Stoic (2016).

What does Stoicism look like in practice, in both ancient and modern contexts? You might think that eschewing the shallow, out-of-our-control trappings of fame and wealth in favor of personal cultivation would make one unambitious, but Ryan uses Marcus as a prime example of how to be a Stoic while trying to accomplish great things.

Continue on part 2, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now along with the Citizen-only follow-up discussion getting more into the text of Marcus. Please support PEL!

Episode 200: Kant/Mendelssohn/Foucault on Enlightenment (Part Two) Oct 15, 2018

Continuing on "What Is Enlightenment" by Immanuel Kant (1784), "On Enlightening the Mind" by Moses Mendelssohn (1784), and "What Is Enlightenment" by Michael Foucault (1984).

We finish up Kant (the courage to know!) and lay out the Mendelssohn (cultivation vs. enlightenment) and Foucault (ironically heroize the present!). Will this conversation enlighten you? Who knows?

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Holy Fool" by Love and Rockets. Listen to singer Daniel Ash on Nakedly Examined Music #35.

Episode 200: Kant/Mendelssohn/Foucault on Enlightenment (Part One) Oct 08, 2018

On "What Is Enlightenment" by Immanuel Kant (1784), "On Enlightening the Mind" by Moses Mendelssohn (1784), and "What Is Enlightenment" by Michael Foucault (1984).

At the end of the historical period known as The Enlightenment, a Berlin newspaper asked what exactly that is, and Kant and Mendelssohn responded. Both were concerned with whether too much enlightenment among the public can cause social unrest, and so whether there should be freedom of speech and opinion. Foucault thinks that we're not yet Enlightened, that it's an ongoing process of critique.

Continue on part 2, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

Bonus: (sub)Text#4: Freud's "Mourning and Melancholia" (Part One) Oct 08, 2018

Wes Alwan is joined by Tracy Morgan and Louis Scuderi to discuss Freud's classic 1917 essay.

Note: Part two will NOT be appearing on this feed. Become a PEL Citizen to get the full discussion. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to learn how.

Listen to more (sub)Text.

Episode 199: Elizabeth Anderson on Equality (Part Three: Discussion) Oct 01, 2018

Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan continue to discuss “What Is the Point of Equality?” (1999) and how it lays foundations for Private Government (2017). What is democratic equality, and can a Rawlsian/liberal/neutral-with-regard-to-defining-the-good state consistently advocate for this ideal?

Our interview starts in Part One. You can get all three parts together, and more with a PEL Citizenship or $5 Patreon pledge. Please support PEL!

End song: "Straight Job" by Rod Picott. Hear him on Nakedly Examined Music #80.

Episode 199: Guest Elizabeth Anderson on Private Government (Part Two) Sep 24, 2018

Continuing on Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (2017) and “What Is the Point of Equality?” (1999).

Should the amount of respect that a worker gets be proportional to his or her market value? Our guest tells us more about how all citizens have the right to have their interests considered and what this means for how the relationship between employers and employees might change. We talk health care, income inequality, Tyler Cowen, libertarianism, and more.

Start with part one. We'll do some post-guest discussion in part 3, but you needn't wait: Get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL.

If you enjoyed Mark's music on our episodes 1–149, please contribute to the new album through patreon.com/marklint.

Episode 199: Guest Elizabeth Anderson on Private Government (Part One) Sep 17, 2018

The U. of Michigan prof joins us to discuss Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don't Talk about It) (2017) and “What Is the Point of Equality?” (1999).

What is a government? Liz argues that this includes companies, and that we should thus apply political science concepts in evaluating their power. Her egalitarianism involves everyone retaining a minimum level of inalienable autonomy, and we should resist encroachments on this not just by the state but from employers as well.

Continue on parts two and three, or get them together via the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

PREMIUM-Ep 198 Plato's "Parmenides" (Part Three) Sep 13, 2018

Mark and Seth continue our conversation from ep. 198 by going through the arguments in the second half of the dialogue.

This puzzling section is largely a monologue by the character Parmenides, with the stated aim of showing the implications from first, the assumption that the One exists, and then that the One does not exist. But is this really Parmenides’s One or the Platonic Form of Oneness? Can these be the same thing?

Episode 198: Plato's Forms in the "Parmenides" (Part Two) Sep 10, 2018

We get down to the specific questions considered this perplexing Platonic dialogue: Are there forms for all adjectives? Does the form of a property itself have that property? How do Forms connect with particulars? How can we mortals have any connection to heavenly Forms anyway?

Listen to part one first or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition along with the follow-up episode. Please support PEL!

End song: "Young and Lovely" by Jherek Bischoff. Hear him on Nakedly Examined Music #65.

Episode 198: Plato's Forms in the "Parmenides" (Part One) Sep 03, 2018

On the most peculiar Platonic dialogue, from ca. 350 BCE. Are properties real things in the world, or just in the mind?

Plato is known for claiming that these "Forms" are real, though otherworldly. Here, though, using Parmenides as a character talking to a young Socrates, Plato seems to provide objections here to his own theory. What's the deal?

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Bonus: (sub)Text #3: Spielberg's "AI: Artificial Intelligence": What Is It to Be Human? (Part One) Sep 02, 2018

Wes discusses the film by Steven Spielberg with philosophy professor David Kyle Johnson. What is there to fear in artificial intelligence? How does this shed light on what it means to be fully human?

Note: Part two will NOT be appearing on this feed. Become a PEL Citizen to get the full discussion. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to learn how.

Episode 197: Parmenides on What There Is (Part Two) Aug 27, 2018

Continuing with guest Peter Adamson with "On Nature" (475 BCE).

We finally get to fragment 8, which describes why Being must be singular and eternal, given that the notion of Non-Being is nonsense. But how could we as individuals be asking these questions then? Does his "Way of Seeming" work to explain the appearances, as opposed to reality?

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Circle" by Gareth Mitchell, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #4.

Episode 197: Parmenides on What There Is (Part One) Aug 20, 2018

On the fragments referred to as "On Nature" from ca. 475 BCE, featuring guest Peter Adamson from the History of Philosophy without Any Gaps podcast.

Parmenides gives "the Way of Truth," which is that there is only Being, and talking of Non-Being is nonsense. So everything you experience is wrong!

Continue on part two or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

Episode 196: Guest Simon Blackburn on Truth (Part Two) Aug 13, 2018

Continuing with Simon on his book On Truth (2018).

We move to part two of the book, where we get down to the procedures used to obtain truth in art, ethics, and science. Yes, truth is objective, but it's not best described as correspondence, and in fact this elaboration of how truth is actually obtained is more enlightening than any abstract definition meant to cover all the different types of truth-seeking.

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition, and also Wes's bonus conversation on Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.

End song: "with you/for you" from the new cold/mess EP by Prateek Kuhad, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #79.

Episode 196: Guest Simon Blackburn on Truth (Part One) Aug 06, 2018

The Cambridge/etc. prof joins Mark, Wes, and Dylan to discuss his book On Truth (2018).

What is truth? Simon's view synthesizes deflationism and pragmatism to avoid relativism by fixing on the domain-specific procedures we actually engage in to establish the truth of a claim, whether in ethics, science, art, or whatever. A gift of clarity after two episodes threshing through the jungles of analytic philosophy!

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Episode 195: Truth-The Austin/Strawson Debate (Part Two) Jul 30, 2018

Continuing on "Truth" by J.L. Austin and "Truth" by P.F. Strawson both from 1950.

We proceed to the Strawson article, which critiques the notion of a "fact" as explaining why a sentence might be true. A "fact" is not a thing in the world! So what do we add when we change "The cat is on the mat" to "'The cat is on the mat' is true?"

Listen to Part One first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Troof" by Shawn Phillips, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #77.

Episode 195: Truth-The Austin/Strawson Debate (Part One) Jul 23, 2018

On two articles in the "ordinary language" tradition of philosophy called "Truth" from 1950 by J.L. Austin and P.F. Strawson.

Is truth a property of particular speech acts, or of the propositions expressed through speech acts? Does truth mean correspondence with the facts, or does the word "fact" make this definition totally uninformative? Does saying "is true" add any information content to a sentence over and above just stating that sentence?

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Episode 194: Alfred Tarski on Truth (Part Two) Jul 16, 2018

Continuing on Tarski's “The Semantic Conception of Truth and the Foundations of Semantics" (1944), Hartry Field's “Tarski's Theory of Truth” (1972), and Donald Davidson's “The Folly of Trying to Define Truth” (1977).

What was Tarski really doing? What are the implications of his project? Does it even make sense to define "truth," and what should a definition look like?

Listen to part one first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Look out for the Citizen-only bonus discussion of Shakespeare's Tempest, posting soon! Please support PEL!

End song: "In Vino Vertias" by Sunspot; Mark interviewed Mike Huberty on Nakedly Examined Music #64.

Episode 194: Alfred Tarski on Truth (Part One) Jul 09, 2018

On Tarski's “The Semantic Conception of Truth and the Foundations of Semantics" (1944), Hartry Field's “Tarski's Theory of Truth” (1972), and Donald Davidson's “The Folly of Trying to Define Truth” (1977).

What is truth? Tarski gives a technical, metaphysically neutral definition for truth within a particular, well-defined language. So how does that apply to real languages? He thought he was defining truth (a semantic concept) in terms of more primitive (physical?) concepts, but Field and Davidson think that actually, truth as a general concept is indefinable, even though it's still helpful for Tarski to have laid out the relations among various semantic concepts.

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PREMIUM-Eps 192-193 Allan Bloom & Liberal Education Follow-Ups Jul 07, 2018

Hear highlights from two supporter-only discussions: Allan Bloom on Nietzsche/Freud/etc. and Leo Strauss vs. Richard Rorty on liberal education and democracy.

Episode 193: The Theory and Practice of Liberal Education (Part Two) Jul 02, 2018

Continuing with Pano Kanelos on articles on liberal education by Jacob Klein, Sidney Hook, and Martha Nussbaum.

What's the practical application of a liberal education? Is it really liberating or indoctrinating? We continue discussion of the Great Books model.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition along with the follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

End song: "Preservation Hill" by The Bevis Frond; Mark interviewed Nick Saloman on Nakedly Examined Music #75.

Episode 193: The Theory and Practice of Liberal Education (Part One) Jun 25, 2018

Pano Kanelos, the president of St. John's College, Annapolis joins us to discuss Jacob Klein's “The Idea of a Liberal Education” (1960) and “On Liberal Education” (1965), plus Sidney Hook’s “A Critical Appraisal of the St. John’s College Curriculum” (1946) and Martha Nussbaum’s “Undemocratic Vistas” (1987).

What constitutes a liberal education? Should we all read the Western canon? Klein (and our guest) think that we need to wonder at the familiar, to explore the ancestry of our current concepts in order to avoid their sedimentation.

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Episode 192: "The Closing of the American Mind": Allan Bloom on Education (Part Two) Jun 18, 2018

Continuing on Allan Bloom's 1987 book critiquing the current fragmented structure of the university that promotes technical and professional education over the ability to think philosophically. Does Bloom's vision require aristocracy, or can a Great Books education be available for all?

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Your Citizenship will also get you access to an exclusive follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

End song: "Greatness (The Aspiration Song)" by Colin Moulding's TC&I, explored on Nakedly Examined Music #74.

Episode 192: "The Closing of the American Mind": Allan Bloom on Education (Part One) Jun 11, 2018

On Allan Bloom's 1987 best-selleing polemic. What is the role of the university in our democracy? Bloom thinks that today's students are conformist, relativistic, and nihilistic, and that great books and thinking for thinking's sake are the cure.

Continued on part 2, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition plus an exclusive follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

Episode 191: Conceptual Schemes: Donald Davidson & Rudolf Carnap (Part Two) Jun 04, 2018

Finishing Davidson's "On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme" (1974) and moving on to Carnap's "Empiricism, Semantics, and Ontology" (1950).

Carnap claims that we talk about mathematical objects or subatomic particles or whatever, we're not really (contra Quine) making metaphysical claims. Ontological questions like "Are there really numbers?" are just pretentious nonsense. With guest Dusty Dallman.

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End Song: "Shut Up" by Chandler Travis, as heard on Nakedly Examined Music #46.

Episode 191: Conceptual Schemes: Donald Davidson & Rudolf Carnap (Part One) May 28, 2018

On Davidson's "On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme" (1974) and Carnap's "Empiricism, Semantics and Ontology" (1950).

What does it mean to say that we grasp the world through a conceptual scheme? Are schemes different between cultures or even individuals, such that we can't really understand each other? Davidson thinks that this doesn't make sense.

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PREMIUM-Ep 189: Authorial Intent (Part Three) May 26, 2018

Listen here to a few highlights from a recent discussion between Mark and Wes: We chase down some issues from ep. 189, relating authorial intent to philosophy of language more generally.

Get the full discussions by becoming a PEL Citizen or $5/month Patreon supporter.

Episode 190: Film Analysis: "mother!" May 21, 2018

On Darren Aronofsky's philosophical 2017 film about humanity's relationship to nature. We discuss the philosophical content of the film (Gnosticism, anyone?) and explore the relation between meaning and the sensuous aspects of an artwork. Can a work be both allegorical and yet have fully fleshed out characters and the other elements that make a film feel real? This was a very polarizing film; how do the circumstances of viewing affect reception? With guest Tim Nicholas.

End song: “The Day of Wrath, That Day,” by Sarah McQuaid, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #72.

Please support PEL! Citizens and $5 Patreon supporters will get access to a bonus discussion on identity politics this week.

Episode 189: Authorial Intent (Barthes, Foucault, Beardsley, et al) (Part Two) May 14, 2018

Continuing on "The Death of the Author" by Roland Barthes (1967) and "What Is an Author?" by Michel Foucault (1969), and finally getting to “Against Theory” by Steven Knapp and Walter Benn Michaels (1982).

What could it mean to say that a text, once written, speaks itself? We get into Foucault's critique of the cult of the author and the reader-centric types of analysis he proposes in its place. Plus, Knapp and Michaels's poem written by natural forces on a rock. Crazy stuff!

Listen to part 1 first, or get the Citizen Edition plus citizen access to part 3.

End song: "The Auteur" by David J (2018). Listen to Mark's interview with him soon at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com.

Episode 189: Authorial Intent (Barthes, Foucault, Beardsley, et al) (Part One) May 07, 2018

On four essays about how to interpret artworks: “The Intentional Fallacy” by W. K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley (1946), "The Death of the Author" by Roland Barthes (1967), "What is an Author?" by Michel Foucault (1969), and “Against Theory” by Steven Knapp and Walter Benn Michaels (1982). When you're trying to figure out what, say, a poem means, isn't the best way to do that to just ask the author? Most of these guys say no, and that's supposed to reveal something about the nature of meaning.

Support us for access to the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition plus a one-hour follow-up conversation.

Episode 188: Discussing "Lysistrata" and Politics with Lucy and Emily (Part Two) Apr 30, 2018

Concluding our discussion of Aristophanes's play with Lucy Lawless and Emily Perkins. We focus on trying to connect its lessons to the here and now: Is Lysistrata's victory properly described as the ascension of some kind of "feminine spirit" over warlike values, and how does that actually relate to women's struggles now to attain positions of power?

Listen to our performance and then part one of the discussion before listening to this (or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition).

Episode 188: Discussing "Lysistrata" and Politics with Lucy and Emily (Part One) Apr 23, 2018

We are rejoined by actresses Lucy Lawless and Emily Perkins to discuss Aristophanes's bawdy play. Listen to us perform it first.

Supplementary readings included Jeffery Henderson's introduction to his 1988 translation of the play; "Sexual Humor and Harmony in Lysistrata" by Jay M. Semel (1981); and "The 'Female Intruder' Reconsidered: Women in Aristophanes' Lysistrata and Ecclesiazusae" by Helene P. Foley (1982).

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"Lysistrata" w/ Lucy Lawless, Emily Perkins, Erica Spyres, Bill Youmans & Aaron Gleason Apr 16, 2018

The PEL Players return to perform a "cold read" of Aristophanes's play about using a sex strike to end war, first performed in 411 BCE. Jeffrey Henderson's translation makes this very accessible, and it's still really damn funny. Your hosts are joined by five real actors from TV, film, and Broadway. We will be following this up in ep. 188 with a full discussion of the play and the issues it raises.

We're pleased to bring you this performance without commercial interruptions. Why not respond in loving kind by tipping some pennies into the hat?

PREMIUM-Episode 187: The Limits of Free Speech (Part Three) Apr 14, 2018

Three substantial chunks of a follow-up conversation to our free speech episode. Mark and Wes discuss Jordan Peterson on speech, organizations' promoting certain speech (as opposed to restricting), insults vs. arguments, offense vs. harm, "incoherence" arguments like Fish's, fundamental principles in ethics, and more.

Get the full discussion by becoming a PEL Citizen or Patreon supporter.

Episode 187: The Limits of Free Speech (Part Two) Apr 09, 2018

Continuing our free form discussion, trying to make sense of Stanley Fish's “There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech, and It’s a Good Thing, Too” (1994) and other potential rationales for prohibiting hate speech. How might the same sentence or idea be used in different speech acts, some of which might be legitimately censured but others not?

Listen to part one first, or get the Citizen Edition, along with the full-length follow-up discussion by Mark and Wes.

Episode 187: The Limits of Free Speech (Part One) Mar 29, 2018

A free-form discussion drawing on Stanley Fish's “There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech, and It’s a Good Thing, Too” (1994), Joel Feinberg’s “Limits to the Free Expression of Opinion” (1975), and other sources.

What are the legitimate limits on free speech? Feinberg delves into the harm and offense principles. Fish argues that every claim to free speech has ideological assumptions actually favoring some types of speech baked into it. A lively back and forth ensues!

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Episode 186: J.L. Austin on Doing Things with Words (Part Two) Mar 26, 2018

Continuing on How to Do Things with Words (lectures from 1955), covering lectures 5-9.

Austin tries and fails to come up with a way to grammatically distinguish performatives from other utterances, and so turns to his more complicated system of aspects of a single act: locutionary, illocutionary, perlocutionary. In doing so, he perlocutionarily blows our minds.

Listen to part one first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "The Promise" by When In Rome; hear singer Clive Farrington on Nakedly Examined Music #40.

Episode 186: J.L. Austin on Doing Things with Words (Part One) Mar 19, 2018

On How to Do Things with Words (lectures from 1955). What's the relationship between language and the world? Austin says it's not all about descriptive true-or-false statements, but also includes "performatives" like "I promise…" and "I do" (spoken in a wedding) that are actions unto themselves. They can't be true or false, but they can be "unhappy" if social conventions aren't fulfilled (e.g., you try to marry a pig). Austin thinks performatives will change your whole view of language and of linguistically expressed philosophical problems!

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Episode 185: Ethics in Homer's "Odyssey" Feat. Translator Emily Wilson (Part Two) Mar 12, 2018

Continuing with Emily Wilson on her translation of the Greek epic poem. We discuss the "oikos" or estate, built on violence, and its connection to "xenia," or hospitality, which serves to forge military alliances. Also: status distinctions and the role of the gods in the text.

Listen to part one first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Tiny Broken Boats" by Arrica Rose, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #66.

Episode 185: Ethics in Homer's "Odyssey" Feat. Translator Emily Wilson (Part One) Mar 05, 2018

On the classic Greek epic poem, written ca. 750 BC and translated by our guest Emily Wilson in 2018.

Does this story of "heroes" have anything to teach us about ethics? Wilson wrote an 80-page introduction to her new translation laying out the issues, including "hospitality" as a political tool, the value for status and identity of one's home (including your family and slaves), and the tension between strangeness and familiarity. Can time and change really be undone?

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Episode 184: Pascal on Human Nature (Part Two) Feb 25, 2018

Continuing on Pascal's Pensées. More on our human desire and how God is supposed to address that, plus Pascal's views on political philosophy, the relation between faith, reason, and custom... and finally the wager! Why not just be a skeptic? Is Pascal right that people suck?

Listen to part 1 first or get the unbroken, ad-free, Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

End song: "44 Days" by Dutch Henry, written and sung by Todd Long, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #34.

Episode 184: Pascal on Human Nature (Part One) Feb 19, 2018

On Blaise Pascal's Pensées (1670). Is it rational to have religious faith? You're likely familiar with "Pascal's Wager," but our wretchedness is such that we can't simply choose to believe and won't be argued into it. Pascal thinks Christianity is the only religion to accurately describe the human condition.

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Episode 183: Mill on Liberty (Part Two) Feb 12, 2018

Continuing on John Stuart Mill's On Liberty. For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here). We discuss "partial truths," whether "truth will out," whether we can discard some "experiments in living" as established failures, how Mill compares to Nietzsche, education, "barbarians," and more.

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Flavor" by Tori Amos with strings by John Philip Shenale, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #12.

Episode 183: Mill on Liberty (Part One) Feb 04, 2018

Discussing John Stewart Mill's On Liberty (1859). For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here).

If we disapprove of certain behaviors, when is it okay to prohibit them legally? What about just shaming people? Mill's "harm principle" says that we should permit anything (legally and socially) unless it harms other people. But what constitutes "harm"? And how can we discourage someone from, e.g., just being drunk all the time?

Mark, Wes, and Dylan bring this debate to current issues and explore some of the weirder aspects of Mill's view.

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PREMIUM-Episode 182: Reflections on PEL 2017 (Part Two) Feb 04, 2018

The PEL guys get personal and political and tell you in brief about things like Planet of the Apes, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Vine Deloria Jr. in the second half of our year-in-review discussion.

Here you get a taste. You can only hear the meat with the full, ad-free episode, posted for PEL Citizens (see partiallyexaminedlife.com/support!) or at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife.

Episode 182: Reflections on PEL 2017 (Part One) Jan 29, 2018

To what extent has our podcast changed in reaction to current politics? Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan reflect back on our year, discuss how we select texts, and give some thumbnail sketches of potential topics. Also, does authorial intent matter, and how to talk philosophically about works that aren't philosophical texts.

Attention: Only the first 45 min of this discussion will be posted on the blog feed. If you like PEL, consider becoming a PEL Citizen or supporting us via Patreon to get the whole thing now.

Episode 181: Hannah Arendt on the Banality of Evil (Part Two) Jan 22, 2018

Continuing on Eichmann in Jerusalem, on how ordinary people can do--or acquiesce to--horrific things. How do people rationalize this? What can we apply from this to ourselves? Also, how was genocide a new type of crime, and what's the best rationale for punishing it? We talk justice, revenge, and ways that we too might be morally mass-confused.

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Hiding from the Face of God" from Judybats 2000; listen to me interview singer/songwriter Jeff Heiskell on Nakedly Examined Music eps. 5 and 63.

Episode 181: Hannah Arendt on the Banality of Evil (Part One) Jan 15, 2018

On Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963).

Are we still morally culpable if our entire society is corrupt? Arendt definitely thinks so, but has a number of criticisms of the handling of the 1961 trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. The Israelis were committed to the view that Eichmann was a monster, when the reality, says Arendt, is more frightening.

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Episode 180: More James's Psychology: Self and Will (Part Two) Jan 08, 2018

Concluding on William James's Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892). We briefly cover emotions and spend the bulk of our time on will.

James’s introspective method allows us to distinguish reflex or coerced actions from voluntary, free-seeming ones, and gives us the vocabulary to attribute moral virtue to those who have enough willpower to keep those inconvenient truths in mind (if you eat this, you’ll get fat!) that allow us to successfully resist temptation.

Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Support PEL!

End song: "Join the Zoo/Live Again" by Craig Wedren; listen to him on Nakedly Examined Music #15.

Episode 180: More James's Psychology: Self and Will (Part One) Jan 01, 2018

On Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), chapters on "The Self," "Will," and "Emotions."

Continuing from ep. 179, we talk about the "Me" (the part of me that I know) vs. the "I" (the part of me that knows), including personal identity. James thinks that emotions are just our experience of our own physiology. Finally, we tackle will, veering into ethics, free will, and more.

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Episode 179: William James's Psychology (Part Two) Dec 25, 2017

Continuing on Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), completing "The Stream of Thought" and covering the chapter on "Habit."

James thinks that psychologists focus too much on those parts of consciousness that get picked out by substantive words. He describes habit as part of a general natural pattern that things that happen once tend to create pathways for themselves in surrounding material to allow the same thing to happen again more easily. Be careful what you do, because your organism is recording all of your bad behavior and corrupting your character!

Start with part one or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Drowning Mind (feedback overload)" by AMP, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #57.

Episode 179: William James's Introspective Psychology (Part One) Dec 18, 2017

On The Principles of Psychology (1890) chapters 1 & 7, and Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), the chapters on "The Stream of Thought," "Habit," and some of "The Self."

Can we talk about the mind in a way that is both scientific and also does justice to our everyday experiences? James thought his method, which involved both introspection and physiology, yielded more accurate descriptions of the mind than associationism ("the mind is made up of ideas") or spiritualism ("the mind is a faculty of the soul"). Consciousness is a stream, not a concatenation of ideas!

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Episode 178: Nietzsche as Social Critic: Twilight of the Idols (Part Two) Dec 10, 2017

Continuing on Nietzsche's 1888 book. (For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here). Is there any ground from which we could judge life as a whole to be good or bad? Is N. more about saying "yes" to life or saying "no" to all the numerous things that piss him off? We also talk Becoming, whether producing great art is more important than being nice to everyone, and whether Nietzsche is ultimately someone we'd want to hang around.

End song: "Oblivion" by Tyler Hislop, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition.

Episode 178: Nietzsche as Social Critic: "Twilight of the Idols" (Part One) Dec 04, 2017

On Friedrich Nieztsche's 1888 book summarizing his thought and critiquing the founding myths of his society. (For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here). He defends "spiritualized" instinct and frenzied creativity, but also Napoleon and war. We try to figure out what kind of social critic he'd be today. Would we actually like him?

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Episode 177: Guest Russ Roberts on Adam Smith and Libertarian Economics (Part Two) Nov 27, 2017

Continuing with the Econtalk host on the moral aspects of economics, focused by Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Should we sacrifice ourselves to the machine of the economy? How does Smith's idea of virtue and talk of the "impartial spectator" line up with economic growth?

Listen to part 1 first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL! Learn how to install the Citizen feed on your mobile device.

End song: "Needle Exchange" by Fritz Beer, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #2.

Episode 177: Guest Russ Roberts on Adam Smith and Libertarian Economics (Part One) Nov 20, 2017

The host of Econtalk provides his take on our ep. 174 on The Wealth of Nations, and explores with us the idea of emergent economic order. Is the economy more like a machine or a garden or what?

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Episode 176: Situationism in Psych: Milgram & Stanford Prison Experiments (Part Two) Nov 13, 2017

Continuing with Dave Pizarro on articles by Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, and John Doris about situationism, which entails that people's level of morality will vary by situation, as opposed to virtue ethics, which posits that how people will act in a novel situation will be determined by the quality of their character.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Doing the Wrong Thing" by Kaki King, as heard on Nakedly Examined Music #54.

Episode 176: Situationism in Psych: Milgram & Stanford Prison Experiments (Very Bad Wizards Crossover) (Part One) Nov 06, 2017

On Stanley Milgram's "Behavioral Study of Obedience" (1963), Philip Zimbardo’s "Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison" (1973), and John Doris’s "Persons, Situations, and Virtue Ethics" (1998).

Do difficult situations make good people act badly? Are there really "good" and "bad" people, or are we all about the same, but put in different situations? With guest David Pizarro from the Very Bad Wizards podcast.

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PREMIUM-Episode 175: Blade Runner (Part Two) Nov 06, 2017

Do you want the WHOLE discussion on the new Blade Runner 2049, the original 1982 film, and the idea packed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1967) by Philip K. Dick?

If you do, show your love to the podcast by signing up to be a supporter at the $1-or-higher level at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife, or better yet become a PEL Citizen and get every podcast we've ever recorded plus bonus discussions, ad-free!

Episode 175: Blade Runner: Androids and Humanity (Part One) Oct 30, 2017

On Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1967) and the films Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Blade Runner (1982).

What makes us human? Dick's story about androids emphasized their lack of empathy, while the movie adaptations portrayed the "replicants" as plenty capable of emotion, but unjustly treated as servants or targets.

Attention: This second half of this special bonus episode is available only to supporters. You should go ahead and get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. You can also hear it with a $1 or more pledge at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife.

Episode 174: Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" (Part Two) Oct 22, 2017

Continuing on the foundational text of economics. We talk "invisible hand," "greed is good," tariffs, unproductive labor, city vs. country, and the education racket.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "With My Looks and Your Brains" by The Mr. T Experience. Hear about the singer/songwriter on Nakedly Examined Music #56.

Episode 174: Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" (Part One) Oct 16, 2017

On the foundational, 1776 text of modern economics. How does the division of labor and our instinct to exchange lead to the growth of wealth? Is the economy sufficiently machine-like to enable us to manipulate its output, or at least to tell us how not to screw it up?

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Episode 173: Relating to American Indian Philosophy (Part Two) Oct 09, 2017

We go further into "Philosophy of Native Science" by Gregory Cajete and "What Coyote and Thales Can Teach Us: An Outline of American Indian Epistemology" by Brian Yazzie Burkhart, plus process philosophy, propositional vs. procedural knowledge, and what we owe to nature. With guest Jim Marunich.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Circle’s Gotta Go” by Kim Rancourt, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #52.

Episode 173: Relating to American Indian Philosophy (Part One) Oct 02, 2017

What is wisdom? We discuss articles by Brian Burkhart, Gregory Cajete, and Anne Waters, plus Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt (1932) and some traditional stories. With guest Jim Marunich; we read his master's thesis, "Process Metaphysics in the Far West: American Indian Ontologies."

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Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part Two) Sep 25, 2017

Continuing with Drew Pinsky on “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

Fonagy claims we gain the ability to emotionally self-regulate as a result of achieving secure attachment with a caregiver as infants. Schore claims that if this fails, we can end up fundamentally disengaged. So what are the philosophical implications?

Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Anything but Love" by Steve Hackett, as featured on Nakedly Examined Music #45.

Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part One) Sep 18, 2017

Radio legend Dr. Drew Pinsky talks with us about “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-Organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

The focus is "theory of mind"; how do we develop the ability to impute thoughts and intentions to others? What in our upbringing can interfere with this development? We relate this back to previous episodes (Hegel, Buber, etc.) on recognition by others of the self.

Listen to more Dr. Drew at DrDrew.com, especially his interview of Wes!

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Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part Two) Sep 11, 2017

Continuing on Why Buddhism Is True. We discuss the "no self" doctrine as articulated in Buddha's Second Discourse and the modularity-of-mind theory that Bob claims supports it.

What are the ethical implications, and do we really need meditation to achieve its alleged ethical benefits?

Continued from part 1, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Alphalpha Bhang" by Anton Barbeau, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 50.

Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part One) Sep 04, 2017

Bob joins the PEL four to discuss his new book Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment.

Bob applies his expertise in evolutionary psychology to corroborate Buddhism's claims that we are deluded: about our desires, emotions, the unity of our selves, and the "essences" we project on things and people. And he thinks meditation can instill in the diligent the ability to see things more clearly. But does it really?

Continue with part 2, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

Episode 170 Second Opinions: Leftists on "Society of the Spectacle" Aug 28, 2017

Mark and Seth ask Doug Lain (Zero Squared), Brett O'Shea (Revolutionary Left Radio), and C. Derick Varn (Symptomatic Redness) what they think of Debord and PEL's treatment of the book on Ep #170.

End song: "Open Your Eyes (Wake Up)" from Tyler Hislop, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Episode 170: Guy Debord's "Society of the Spectacle" (Part Two) Aug 21, 2017

More on the 1967 Situtationist book. Do we buy Debord's critique? Is any merely partial critique (i.e. no revolution) just more spectacle? Is technology inherently dehumanizing? Don't these passivity/anti-technology arguments even apply to books? Could Debord's model of authenticity catch on in society as a whole?

Start with part 1, or get the Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Millionaire" by The Mekons (1993); Jon Langford appears on Nakedly Examined Music #22.

Episode 170: Guy Debord's "Society of the Spectacle" (Part One) Aug 14, 2017

What is culture? In modern capitalism, Debord’s 1967 book describes it as all about the economy. It’s not just our jobs that keep us trapped, but our life outside of working hours is also demanded by “the system” via our activity as consumers, and this commoditization infiltrates every corner of our lives. Debord wants us to WAKE UP, break our chains, and live lives of immediacy, vitality, and authenticity.

Continue with part 2 or get your unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

PEL Special: Combat & Classics on Rousseau's "Discourse on the Arts and Sciences" Aug 07, 2017

A new podcast for the PEL Podcast Network! Meet Jeff, Lise, and Brian, who are joined by Wes and Dylan to discuss Rousseau's claim that the arts and sciences lead to "moral corruption." Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org.

Become a PEL Citizen to attend a C&C online seminar on Nietzsche's ”Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” on Aug. 14, 8pm EST. Your support for PEL helps the PEL network!

Visit bombfell.com/pel for $25 off your first clothing order. Get in on fall online courses starting Aug. 28 at the New School opencampus.newschool.edu. Get 20% off your first pair of underwear plus free shipping meundies.com/pel.

Episode 169: Analyzing Hitchcock's "Vertigo" Jul 31, 2017

On the 1958 film and articles including Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975) and Robin Wood's "Vertigo" (1965). What's the nature of love/lust? Are we really just loving an image we've built while remaining fundamentally isolated? And is it just an illusionary social construct that keeps us all from feeling fundamental vertigo? Lacan, existentialism, and more!

Part 2 is for supporters only! Get the full discussion now at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife or through a PEL Citizenship.

Episode 168: Darwin's "Origin of Species" (Part Two) Jul 24, 2017

More on Darwin's famous book. Why does it matter for philosophy, beyond providing an alternative to intelligent design? Is it really anti-religious? How can well tell if it's really a scientific theory? Talking about a species evolving trait X to enable survival sounds teleological; is it really, and is that bad? Why would the mind develop through natural selection?

Continues from part 1, or just get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "I Live" by Jason Falkner, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #47.

Episode 168: Darwin's "Origin of Species" (Part One) Jul 17, 2017

On Charles Darwin's 1859 book, ch. 1-4, 6, and 14. What are the philosophical ramifications of Darwin's theory of evolution? We go through Darwin's arguments, compare his views to other theories of evolution like Lamarck's, and talk about how an evolutionary way of looking at things has influenced philosophers.

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Episode 167: Hume on Intelligent Design (Part Two) Jul 10, 2017

Continuing on David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779), with guest Stephen West. We get further into what’s wrong with the design argument and why Hume thinks that it’s merely a verbal dispute whether we want to say that God designed the orderly universe or just say that the universe is orderly. Also, the problem of evil!

Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Here Comes the Flood" by The Security Project; one of its leaders Trey Gunn appeared on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 21.

Episode 167: Hume on Intelligent Design (Philosophize This! Crossover) (Part One) Jul 03, 2017

On David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). How would a scientifically minded person argue for the existence of God?

In Hume’s dialogue, a character named Cleanthes argues from this point of view for God’s existence based on the complexity and order apparent in nature: It looks designed. But how good is that argument, and is it enough to prove an infinite God of the traditional sort? With guest Stephen West.

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Episode 166: Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Part Two) Jun 26, 2017

Concluding on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) and Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics, reason, and revelation? What could "faith" possibly mean to a hard-core rationalist like Spinoza? Is it possible to buy into the non-denominational "true religion" without believing any of the dogmas of traditional religion at all? And what kinds of limits on free speech is Spinoza committed to?

Continued from part one or get the ad-free Citizen Edition.

Episode 166: Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Part One) Jun 19, 2017

On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 12-20 and the Tractatus Politicus (1677).

What’s the relationship between ethics and political power? Given that religious factions tend to create strife, what’s the optimal role of the government in mitigating that damage? Is theocracy in any way a good idea?

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Episode 165: Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part Two) Jun 12, 2017

Continuing on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11. We go more into natural laws vs. ordinances; does it make sense to say that God makes rules for people? Also, how does Spinoza deal with alleged miracles given that natural laws are absolute regularities?

Continued from part 1, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

End song: "Spinoza's Dream" by Dave Nachmanoff, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #20.

Episode 165: Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part One) Jun 05, 2017

On Benedict de Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11. For Spinoza, the Bible was a political issue, and he was interested in a way to read it that didn't lead to people fighting wars and persecuting each other. Spinoza argues that a respectful reading is one that looks for the central message and doesn't paper over many places where the text was tailored to its original audience's prejudices, or where for historical reasons we can't now really know what it meant to them.

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Nakedly Examined Music: Steve Hackett, Nik Kershaw, Ken Stringfellow, Robbie Fulks May 26, 2017

PEL Network crossover magic, featuring clips (a full song plus explanation) from four recent episodes of Mark's other podcast. Hear the full episodes and many more at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com. Steve was the guitarist for Genesis in the 70s, Nik wrote 80s hits like "Wouldn't It Be Good," Ken played with The Posies, Big Star, and R.E.M., and Robbie will change the way you think about country music. Read the NEM FAQ.

Episode 164: Dostoyevsky’s “The Idiot” on Perfection (Part Two) May 22, 2017

More on the novel with guest Corey Mohler, considering Dostoyevsky qua existentialist in terms of his analysis of the crisis of meaning and his consequent views on religion.

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Get a Dostoyevsky T-shirt!

End song: "Don Quixote" by Nik Kershaw, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #37.

Episode 164: Dostoyevsky’s “The Idiot” on Perfection (Part One) May 15, 2017

On Fyodor Dostoyevsky's philosophical novel from 1869. Could a morally perfect person survive in the modern world? Is all this "modernity," which so efficiently computes our desires and provides mechanisms to fulfill them, actually suited to achieve human flourishing? Dostoyevsky's Russian existentialism says no!

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Episode 163: Guest Stewart Umphrey on Natural Kinds (Part Two) May 08, 2017

Continuing our interview about Natural Kinds and Genesis: The Classification of Material Entities. Buy Stewart's book at www.rowman.com and use the code LEX30AUTH17 to get 30% off.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition.

End song: "Destroy the Box" by Wertico, Cain and Gray from Organic Architecture (2014). Hear Paul Wertico and David Cain interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #30.

Episode 163: Guest Stewart Umphrey on Natural Kinds (Part One) May 01, 2017

On Natural Kinds and Genesis: The Classification of Material Entities (2016). Are general terms like "water" or "dog" just things that we made up to order the world? Aristotle thought that some universals constitute natural kinds, with a nature that explains their behavior. "Kinds" were replaced with "laws," but Stewart wants us to reconsider, and bring back "natural philosophy" in the process.

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PEL Special: Phi Fic on James Baldwin’s Fiction Apr 24, 2017

On the short stories "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" (1960) and "Sonny’s Blues" (1957). Mark joins the Phi Fic crew to supplement PEL ep. 162 by delving into Baldwin's fiction, which is actually pretty similar to his biographical essays.

Episode 162: James Baldwin on Race in America (Part Two) Apr 17, 2017

Continuing on I Am Not Your Negro, "Notes of a Native Son" (1955), and The Fire Next Time (1963). We (and Law Ware) discuss Baldwin's critique of the American dream, how to oppose the inhumanity of others without becoming inhuman yourself, and Baldwin's take on religion. Plus, was the the documentary actually good as a film?

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Episode 162: James Baldwin on Race in America (Part One) Apr 10, 2017

On the film I Am Not Your Negro and the essays "Notes of a Native Son" (1955) and The Fire Next Time (1963). With guest Law Ware. Baldwin diagnoses our racism-related psycho-social maladies, but how can we best translate his observations into generally applicable philosophical theory?

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Episode 161: White Privilege (Peggy McIntosh, Charles Mills, et al) (Part Two) Apr 03, 2017

Continuing with guest Law Ware on the philosophical underpinnings of the rhetoric of white privilege, with readings as listed in part 1.

End song: "Power" by Narada Michael Walden from Thunder 2013, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music ep. 16.

Episode 161: White Privilege (Peggy McIntosh, Charles Mills, et al) (Part One) Mar 27, 2017

Is the rhetoric of "White Privilege" just the modern way of acknowledging historical and systemic truths of racism, or does it point to a novel way for acknowledging injustice, or does it on the contrary obscure these insights by involving confused claims about group responsibility and guilt? Readings include articles by Peggy McIntosh, Charles W. Mills, George Yancy, Tim Wise, Lewis R. Gordon, Lawrence Blum, and John McWhorter. With guest Law Ware.

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Episode 160: Orwell on Totalitarianism and Language (Part Two) Mar 20, 2017

Continuing with 1984. How does the book relate to real-world politics? Is this something that we should actually be afraid our society will turn into? Was he predicting history, or was it satire, or what? We discuss the the realms of intimacy vs. surveillance, how a state might "contain" a mind that it controls, and "doublethink."

Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition.

End song: "Civil Disobedience" by Camper Van Beethoven from New Roman Times (2004), written by Jonathan Segel as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 38.

Episode 160: Orwell on Totalitarianism and Language (Part One) Mar 13, 2017

On the novel 1984 (1949) and the essays “Politics and the English Language” (1946) and “Notes on Nationalism” (1945). What's the relation between language and totalitarianism? Orwell shows us a society where the rulers have mastered the art of retaining power, and one element of this involves "Newspeak," where vocabulary is limited to prevent subversive speech, and ultimately thoughts. Do our linguistic habits and the Orwellian lies of our leaders point to a slippery slope toward the world of 1984?

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Episode 159: Confucius on Virtuous Conduct (Part Two) Mar 06, 2017

Continuing on the Analects without our guest. We cover passages on glibness, using names properly, filial conduct, remonstrance, love of learning, places where he sounds like Socrates, and more!

Listen to part 1 first or just get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition.

End song: "Please Allow Me to Look at You Again," from The Edge of Heaven (2013) by Gary Lucas, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 7.

Episode 159: Confucius on Virtuous Conduct (Part One) Feb 27, 2017

On the Analects, compiled after 479 BCE. How should we act? What's the relation between ethics and politics? Can a bunch of aphorisms written in the distant past for an unapologetically hierarchical culture emphasizing traditional rituals actually give us relevant, welcome advice on these matters? Are we even in a position to determine the meaning of these sayings? With guest Tzuchien Tho.

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Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part Two) Feb 20, 2017

Continuing on the Consolation, chiefly books 3 and 4, on virtue ethics (we all naturally aim at the good but can be mistaken about it or too weak to follow it), theodicy (even the apparent bad is actually good from God's perspective), and the weird way in which those interact (fame, pleasure, wealth are really all the same thing, i.e., happiness, i.e., God).

Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: Carrie Akre's "Last the Evening" from the album of that name from 2007. Hear Carrie interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music Ep. 17.

Episode 158: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy (Part One) Feb 13, 2017

On the Consolation, written as he awaited execution in 524 CE. Do bad things really happen to good people? Boethius, surprisingly, says no, for Stoic (anything that can be taken away can't be of central importance; you can't lose your virtue in this way), Aristotelian (all things tend toward the good, and the best thing for a person is achieving his or her innate potential, which is to be virtuous), and Christian (God's unknowable plan means that even the stuff that seems bad really isn't) reasons.

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Episode 157: Richard Rorty on Politics for the Left (Part Two) Feb 06, 2017

Continuing on Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in 20th Century America (1998). We talk more about Rorty's description of the conflict between the "reformist left" and the "cultural left." Do political-comedy shows serve a a positive political purpose? Can an enlightened political viewpoint really be a mass movement at all? Is it better to pursue specific political campaigns or be part of a "movement?" Can Rorty's diagnosis cure Seth's malaise?

Listen to part 1 first, though you should probably just get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition.

End song: "Wake Up, Sleepyhead," by Jill Sobule, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #11.

Episode 157: Richard Rorty on Politics for the Left (Part One) Jan 30, 2017

On Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in 20th Century America (1998). What makes for efficacious progressivism? Rorty argues that reformism went out of fashion in the '60s in favor of a "cultural left" that merely critiques and spectates, leaving a void that a right-wing demagogue could exploit to sweep in, claiming to be a champion of regular working people. Sound familiar?

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Episode 156: Philosophy and Politics Free-Form Discussion (Part Two) Jan 23, 2017

Continuing our liberal bubble-bursting exercise, the core foursome address more directly the question of how philosophy is supposed to shape one's political views and actions. On a non-partisan "public good" and rhetorical strategies in the face of an apathetic and/or ignorant public.

Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: "Better Days" from The Getaway Drivers' Bellatopia; check out Mark's interview with singer/songwriter Bob Manor on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 11.

Episode 156: Philosophy and Politics Free-Form Discussion (Part One) Jan 16, 2017

How does studying philosophy help you to make sense of the political landscape? Wes, Mark, Dylan, and Seth play pundit and reflect on political rhetoric, elitism, and much more. There is no text for this episode! Freedom!

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Episode 155: Richard Rorty Against Epistemology Jan 02, 2017

On Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), Part II: "Mirroring."

Is a "theory of knowledge" possible? Rorty thinks that any such account will be a fruitless search for foundations. Knowledge is really just a matter of social agreement, and beliefs must be justified from other beliefs, not from any alleged relationship to reality.

End song: "The Ghosts Are Alright" from The Bye-Bye Blackbirds (Houses and Homes, 2008), as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #32.

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Episode 154: Wilfrid Sellars on the Myth of the Given Dec 19, 2016

On "Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind" (1956).

Is knowledge based on a "foundation," as Descartes, Locke, et al. thought? Sellars says no: The allegedly basic elements upon which knowledge would be built either have to be propositions, in which case they involve a lot of prior knowledge involved in language use and so aren't really basic, or they're "raw feels," in which case they can't actually serve as reasons for anything; reasons have to be propositional. With guest Lawrence Dallman.

End song: "Senses on Fire" by Mercury Rev. Check out the interview with singer Jonathan Donahue in Nakedly Examined Music ep. 14.

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Episode 153: Richard Rorty: There Is No Mind-Body Problem Dec 05, 2016

On Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), Part I: "Our Glassy Essence."

"The mind" seems to be an unavoidable part of our basic conceptual vocabulary, but Rorty thinks not, and he wants to use the history of philosophy as a kind of therapy to show that many of our seemingly insoluble problems like the relation between mind and body are a result philosophical mistakes by Descartes, Locke, and Kant. With guest Stephen Metcalf of Slate's Culture Gabfest podcast.

End song: "Wall of Nothingness" from Sky Cries Mary from This Timeless Turning (1994). Listen to Mark's interview with the band's frontman, Roderick Romero, in Nakedly Examined Music ep. 9.

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Episode 152: Alexis de Tocqueville on Democracy in America (PEL Live!) Nov 21, 2016

Democracy is in peril! So said Tocqueville in 1835 and 1840 when Democracy is America was published, and it's still true now. Democracy is always just one demagogue away from stripping us of our liberties, though certain structural and cultural features can make that more or less likely. He liked our volunteerism and innovation, but not so much our tendencies toward materialism and isolation and our lack of philosophical curiosity. Recorded live at Brown University 10/27/16 with audience Q&A. Watch the video!

End song: "Shot of Democracy" by Cutting Crew. Listen to Mark's interview with singer/songwriter Nick Eede on Nakedly Examined Music #10.

Episode 151: Edmund Burke’s Conservatism Nov 07, 2016

On Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). What relevance do the concerns of a monarchy-defending aristocrat have for us today? Surprisingly, a lot! The full foursome discuss possible conflicts between freedom, rights, and well-being. What is political freedom without public wisdom? The tyranny of the mob!

End song: "Hard Times of Old England" from Peter Knight's Gigspanner (from Layers of Ages, 2015); listen to Mark's interview with Peter on Nakedly Examined Music #27.

PEL Special: Bill Bruford on Nakedly Examined Music #25 Nov 06, 2016

NEM now features jazz, hip-hop, classical, folk, and more. Check out all the episodes at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com, where you can subscribe and follow on Facebook. Bill was the original drummer for Yes, a default member of King Crimson, and briefly played with Genesis and the late '70s supergroup U.K., but most of his output has been with his own jazz-inflected Earthworks and Bruford, as rock proved too confining for his rhythmic and tonal creativity.

Episode 150: Guest Peter Singer on Famine, Affluence, and Morality Oct 24, 2016

Mark and Wes interview perhaps the world's most influential living philosopher, then the full foursome discusses. We discuss his ongoing work rooted in his 1971 essay "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," about the warped priorities of our consumerist society: We spend money on luxuries while innocent children overseas die from inexpensively preventable causes. For more about Peter, see www.petersinger.info.

End song: "Ann the Word" by Beauty Pill (2015), explored in Nakedly Examined Music #19.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 149: Plato’s “Crito”: A Performance and Discussion Oct 17, 2016

Broadway stars Walter Bobbie and Bill Youmans perform Plato's dialogue in which Socrates awaits his execution. Should Socrates defy the verdict and try to escape the city? Socrates says no; that would be ungrateful to the city whose benefits he's enjoyed. Bill joins the full PEL foursome for a lively discussion.

End song: "Fall Away" by Mark Lint and the Fake from the album So Whaddaya Think? (2000).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 148: Aristotle on Friendship and Happiness Oct 03, 2016

On the final books 8–10 of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics. What does friendship have to do with ethics? With guest Ana Sandoiu.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 147: Aristotle on Wisdom and Incontinence Sep 19, 2016

On the Nichomachean Ethics (ca. 350 BCE), books 6–7. Is intelligence just one thing? Aristotle picks out a number of distinct faculties, some of which are relevant to ethics, and he uses these to explain Plato's puzzle of how someone can clearly see what the good for him is, and yet fail to pursue it due to weakness of the will. This episode continues our discussion from way back in ep. 5.

End song: "I Die Desire" from The MayTricks (1992).

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Episode 146: Emmanuel Levinas on Overcoming Solitude Sep 05, 2016

More Levinas, working this time through Time and the Other (1948). What is it for a person to exist? What individuates one person from another, making us into selves instead of just part of the causal net of events? Why would someone possibly think that these are real, non-obvious questions that need to be addressed?

End song: "Call on You" by Mark Lint from from the 1993 Mark Lint album Spanish Armada: Songs of Love and Related Neuroses.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 145: Emmanuel Levinas: Why Be Ethical? Aug 22, 2016

On "Ethics as First Philosophy" (1984). More existentialist ethics, with a Jewish twist this time! Seth returns to join Mark and Wes in figuring out how to best leave off all this aggressive "knowing" and other forms of individual self-assertion to grasp the more primordial appearance of the Other in all his or her vulnerability, which Levinas thinks makes us wholly responsible for others right off the bat.

End song: "To Valerie" from The MayTricks' So Chewy (1993).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 144: Guest Martha Nussbaum on Anger Aug 01, 2016

On Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice (2016). What role should we allow anger to play in our public life? Should systems of punishment be utilitarian, or should they be retributive? Nussbaum thinks that anger necessarily involves the desire for payback, which is unhelpful. We should instead use anger to prevent future harm. Mark, Wes, and Dylan interview Martha and then discuss issues raised in the interview and the book.

End song: "Forgive the Disco," a Nussbaum-inspired Mark vocal on an instrumental by Sean Beeson, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #23.

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Phi Fic #3 Frankenstein (PEL Crossover Special) Jul 25, 2016

Guest Wes Alwan joins regulars Nathan Hanks, Mary Claire, Daniel St. Pierre, Laura Davis, and Cezary Baraniecki to discuss Mary Shelley's classic novel in this special cross-post from the newest member of the Partially Examined Life podcast network. More Phi Fic.

Episode 143: Plato’s “Sophist” on Lies, Categorization, and Non-Being Jul 11, 2016

On the later Platonic dialogue. What is a sophist? These were guys in Ancient Greece who taught young people the tools of philosophy and rhetoric. They claimed to teach virtue. In Sophist, "the Eleatic Stranger" (i.e., not Socrates) tries to figure out what a sophist really is, using a new "method of division." This Plato era provides a nice transition to the category man Aristotle, and the whole concern with sophistry is certainly still relevant today!

End song: "Dumb," by Mark Lint and the Fake from the album So Whaddaya Think? (2000).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 142: Plato’s “Phaedrus” on Love and Speechmaking Jun 27, 2016

Socrates hangs out in the country flirting with his buddy Phaedrus. And what is this "Platonic" love? Using the enticement of desire not to rush toward fulfillment, but to get you all excited about talking philosophy. Socrates critiques a speech by renowned orator Lysias, who claimed that love is bad because it's a form of madness, where people do things they then regret after love fades. Socrates instead delivers a myth that shows the spiritual benefits of loving and being loved. With guest Adam Rose.

End song: "Summertime" by New People, from Might Get It Right (2013).

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Episode 141: De Beauvoir’s Existentialism: Moral and Political Dilemmas Jun 13, 2016

More on The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947), this time on part III. (For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here). Ep. 140 laid out man's "ambiguity," but what does that mean in terms of practical decision making? B. talks about the practical paradoxes of dealing with oppression and what it might mean to respect the individual, given that there's no ultimate, pre-existent moral rulebook to guide us, nothing we can point to to excuse the sacrifice of someone to a "greater good."

Become a PEL Citizen to listen to the the Aftershow featuring Beauvoir scholar Jennifer Hansen.

End song: "Indiscretion (Mess Things Up)" from the 1993 Mark Lint album Spanish Armada: Songs of Love and Related Neuroses.

Episode 140: De Beauvoir on the Ambiguous Human Condition May 30, 2016

On The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947), parts I and II. For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here. We return to existentialism! Instead of describing our predicament as "absurd," de Beauvoir prefers "ambiguous": We are a biological organism in the world, yet we're also free consciousness transcending the given situation. Truly coming to terms with this freedom means not only understanding that you transcend any label, but also recognizing that your freedom requires the freedom of others. The full foursome discuss whether this attempt to ground an existentialist ethics works.

End song: "Reasonably Lonely," by Mark Lint.

Episode 139: bell hooks on Racism/Sexism May 09, 2016

On Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981) and Black Looks: Race and Representation (1992, Intro, Ch. 3, 11). How do these pernicious forces interact? hooks describes black women as having been excluded from both mainstream historical feminism (led by white women) and black civil rights struggles (permeated with patriarchy), and this "silencing" creates challenges for self-actualization and social justice. The solution: media critique of stereotyped images and personally connecting to a historical narrative of liberation. With guest Myisha Cherry, host of the UnMute Podcast.

End song: "Stories" by Mark Lint and Steve Petrinko (2011).

Episode 138: Guest John Searle on Perception Apr 25, 2016

We interview John about Seeing Things As They Are (2015). What is perception? Searle says that it's not a matter of seeing a representation, which is then related to things in the real world. We see the actual objects, with no mediation. But then how can there be illusions? Well, it's complicated, but not too complicated, just some funny terminology that this episode will teach you.

Searle lays out his theory for us and amusingly dismisses much of the history of philosophy in the first half, and then Mark, Wes, and Dylan continue the discussion to make sure we understood what was just said and chase down some threads of the conversation.

End song: "Flesh and Blood" from The MayTricks' Happy Songs Will Bring You Down (1994).

We interview John about Seeing Things As They Are (2015). What is perception? Searle says that it's not a matter of seeing a representation, which is then related to things in the real world. We see the actual objects, with no mediation. But then how can there be illusions? Well, it's complicated, but not too complicated, just some funny terminology that this episode will teach you.

Episode 137: Bourdieu on the Tastes of Social Classes Apr 11, 2016

On Pierre Bourdieu's Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste (1979), introduction, ch 1 through p. 63, conclusion, and postscript. How do our tastes in music, art, and everything else reflect our social position? This philosophically trained sociologist administered a few detailed questionnaires in 1960s France and used the resulting differences in what people in different classes preferred and how they talked about these preferences to theorize about the role that taste plays in our social games. Featuring guest Tim Quirk of Too Much Joy and recent guest on Mark's Nakedly Examined Music podcast #8.

End song: "When She Took Off Her Shirt" from Tim's band Wonderlick's Topless At The Arco Arena (2005).

Episode 136: Adorno on the Culture Industry Mar 28, 2016

On Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer's "The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception" from Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944), plus Adorno's "Culture Industry Reconsidered" (1963). How does the entertainment industry affect us? Adorno (armed with Marx and Freud) thinks that our "mass culture" is imposed from the top down to lull us into being submissive workers.

End song: "All Too Familiar," from around 1992 with all instruments by Mark Linsenmayer, released on The MayTricks.

Episode 135: Hegel on the Logic of Basic Metaphysical Concepts Mar 14, 2016

A whole second discussion on G.F.W. Hegel's Encyclopedia Logic, hitting sections 78–99 on the dialectic and Understanding vs. Reason. Hegel thinks we can use Reason to objectively come up with basic metaphysical categories, but can we really? With guest Amogh Sahu.

This continues ep. 134. PEL Citizens can listen to the Aftershow.

End song: "Flow" by Gary Lucas and Mark Lint. Listen to Gary interviewed about this instrumental on Nakedly Examined Music #7.

Episode 134: Hegel on Thought & World (or “Logic”) Feb 29, 2016

On G.F.W. Hegel's The Science of Logic (1812–1816), §1–§129 and The Encyclopaedia Logic (1817) §1–§25. "Logic" for Hegel is about how thought interacts with the world. Our thoughts about fundamental metaphysical categories bear the same relations to each other as the the categories themselves do. Just take Hegel's many, many words for it! With guest Amogh Sahu.

End song: "Procrastination" by Steve Petrinko from The MayTricks' Happy Songs Will Bring You Down (1994). Hear Mark interview Steve on Nakedly Examined Music.

PEL Special: Nakedly Examined Music #1 with David Lowery Feb 18, 2016

Welcome to Nakedly Examined Music, our first spin-off of PEL. Hear more at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com or find it via iTunes. Mark interviews songwriters about why and how they do what they do. Think of it as applied philosophy. Four episodes are now posted; this cross-post of our pilot features David Lowery of Camper van Beethoven and Cracker talking through three of his songs. He's as well-spoken and full of ideas as many a decent philosopher, so sit back and turn on your active listening function!

Episode 133: Erich Fromm on Love as an Art Feb 08, 2016

On Fromm's The Art of Loving (1956). What is love, really? This psychoanalyst of the Frankfurt school thinks that real love is not something one "falls" into, but is an art, an activity, and doing it well requires a disciplined openness and psychological health.

End songs: "Kimmy" (1995) and "Kimmy 2002" by Mark Lint.

Episode 132: Living Stoically with Seneca and Massimo Jan 25, 2016

On selected "moral epistles" (from around 65 CE) by Lucius Annaeus Seneca: 4. On the Terrors of Death, 12. On Old Age, 49. On the Shortness of Life, 59. On Pleasure and Joy, 62. On Good Company, 92. On the Happy Life, 96. On Facing Hardship, and 116. On Self Control. We're joined by Massimo Pigliucci of the How to Be a Stoic blog, who for a long time was on the Rationally Speaking podcast. How can one most profitably interpret weird-sounding Stoic recommendations about the emotions and about following nature?

End song: "I Lose Control" by The MayTricks from So Chewy! (1993).

Episode 131: Aristotle’s “De Anima”: What Is the Mind? Jan 11, 2016

Our second discussion of De Anima or On the Soul (350 BCE), this time on book 3. What is the intellect? We talk about its highest part/function: nous, which is a "form of forms," literally nothing until it thinks, survives death and is not actually yours or mine, but just the universal mind!

This continues the discussion from ep. 130 and includes a preview of the Aftershow featuring Rebecca Goldner.

End song: "Wonderful You" (live 2001) by Mark Lint.

Episode 130: Aristotle’s “De Anima”: What Is Life? Dec 28, 2015

On De Anima or On the Soul (350 BCE), books 1 and 2, after some listener mail. What can this ancient text tell us about biological life? What counts as a scientific explanation? A. describes life as "the first actuality of a natural body which has organs," so bodies express their nature only when they're growing and reproducing and all that stuff that bodies do. The body is potential, and life is its actuality. So what the heck kind of explanation is that, and how does it tie into Aristotle's convoluted metaphysics?

End song: "Intermission Song" by Mark Lint from Spanish Armada: Songs of Love and Related Neuroses (1993).

Holiday Special 2015: Mark Lint’s “Songs from the Partially Examined Life” with Many Guest Greetings Dec 24, 2015

Mark is joined by numerous previous guests to catch up and engage the musical part of PEL's past episodes by introducing and playing the entirety of Mark Lint's "Songs from the Partially Examined Life," which you can own, along with the 2016 PEL wall calendar.

Episode 129: Is Faith Rational? Dec 14, 2015

Nathan Gilmour (Christian Humanist podcast) and Rob Dyer (God Complex Radio) join Mark and Wes for to discuss the reasonableness of religious belief reading Antony Flew's "The Presumption of Atheism," Norwood Russell Hanson's “The Agnostic’s Dilemma," Steven Cahn's "The Irrelevance of Proof to Religion," Alvin Plantinga's “Is Belief in God Properly Basic?" Merold Westphal's "Sin and Reason," Basil Mitchell's “Faith and Criticism," Peter van Inwagen's "Clifford's Principle," William Alston's "Experience in Religious Belief," Richard Swinburne's "The Voluntariness of Faith" and “The World and Its Order," and Paul Helm's "Faith and Merit." Read synopses of all these at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

End song: "Let Us Meet" by Mark Lint, setting an old poem by Kim Casey Linsenmayer.

Episode 128: Hilary Putnam on Linguistic Meaning Nov 30, 2015

On "The Meaning of Meaning" (1975). If meaning is not a matter of having a description in your head, then what is it? Hilary Putnam reformulates Kripke's insight (from #126) in terms of Twin Earths: Earthers with H20 and Twin Earthers with a substance that seems like water but is different have the same mental contents but are referring to different stuff with "water," so that word is speaker-relative in a certain way. With guest Matt Teichman.

End song: "In the Boatyard" by Mark Lint & the Madison Lint Ensemble (2004, finished now).

Episode 127: John Dewey on Experience and the World Nov 16, 2015

On Experience and Nature (1925), through ch. 4. What's the relationship between our experience and the world that science investigates? Dewey thinks that these are one and the same, and philosophies that call some part of it (like atoms or Platonic forms) the real part while the experienced world is a distortion are unjustified.

End song: "Uncontrollable Fear" by The MayTricks from So Chewy! (1993).

Episode 126: Saul Kripke on Possibilities, Language & Science Nov 02, 2015

On Naming and Necessity (1980). What's the relationship between language and the world? Specifically, what makes a name or a class term pick out the person or things that it does? Saul Kripke wanted to correct the dominant view of his time (which involved a description in the speaker's mind), and used talk of "possible worlds" to do it! With guest Matt Teichman.

End song: "Reason Enough" by Mark Lint.

Not School Digest: Asimov, Camus, Jaspers, Brecht, Peirce, Historical Jesus Oct 25, 2015

On Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question," Albert Camus's "The Fall," Karl Jaspers's "Truth and Symbol," C.S. Peirce's "The Fixation of Belief," Bertold Brecht's "Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction," and Thomas Sheehan's Stanford lectures on the Historical Jesus.

These are snippets covering topics we haven't had time to cover on the podcast proper. Brief yourself via these 10–15 minute bursts, or become a PEL Citizen to listen to the full discussions.

Episode 125: Hannah Arendt on the Political & Private Oct 12, 2015

On The Human Condition (1958), Prologue and Sections 1 and 2. How has our distinction between the private and public evolved over time? Arendt uses this history, and chiefly the differences between our time and ancient Athens, to launch a critique of modern society. The fab four conducted this podcast live at the Pittsburgh Continental Philosophy Conference.

End song: "Space" by Mark Lint from The Cheese Stands Alone. Read about it.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Q&A with the Partially Examined Life, Pittsburgh 9-25-15 Oct 05, 2015

What is it like to do philosophy in public? As prelude to our ep. 125 appearance at the Pittsburgh Continental Philosophy Network Conference on theory and public space, Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan sat down for questions by moderator Erica Freeman, conference host Justin Pearl, and numerous attendees.

Episode 124: The Stoic Life with Epictetus Sep 21, 2015

On the Manual of Epictetus, aka The Enchiridion (135 CE). What's a wise strategy for life? Stoicism says that the secret is mastering yourself. Nothing external can break your spirit unless you let it. So, how weird and misguided is that advice? With guest Alex Fossella.

End song: "But I Won't" by Mark Lint from Spanish Armada: Songs of Love and Related Neuroses (1993).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 123: Economics with Hayek and Sen (Intro by Seth Benzell) Sep 07, 2015

On F.A. Hayek's "The Use of Knowledge in Society" (1945) and Amartya Sen's On Ethics and Economics (1987). Is economics a pseudoscience? Are its assumptions by necessity too over-simplifying? Hayek objects to the idea of planning an economy, because the planners aren't in a position to know enough. With guest Seth Benzell, who starts us off with a "precognition" of the material.

End song: "People Who Throw Away Love" by Mark Lint from The Cheese Stands Alone.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep 121/122 Aftershow on Augustine feat. James Wetzel Sep 07, 2015

Haven't had enough Augustine? Danny Lobell and Wes Alwan welcome Augustine scholar James Wetzel and PEL Citizens Terra Leigh Bell, Amogh Sahu, and Scott Anderson to discuss our Augustine episodes, covering humility, love, desire, grief, sex, misogyny, degrees of reality, and how love of God fits with relating to other people. Minimally edited, recorded the same day it's being posted, we present a full Aftershow on our public feed for the very first time. (The last?) What do you think?

Get all the aftershows and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 122: Augustine on Mind and Metaphysics Aug 24, 2015

Yet more on The Confessions, now on books 10–13. What is memory and how does it relate to time and being? Augustine thinks that memory is a storehouse, but it contains not just the sensations we put in it, but also (à la Plato's theory of recollection) all legitimate knowledge. It's our route to God, to real Being. Mark, Wes, and Dylan also discuss time, language, knowledge, the existence of evil, and more.

This continues our discussion from ep. 121. Listen to the Aftershow featuring James Wetzel!

End song: "The Past Is Not Real" by Mark Lint from Songs from the Partially Examined Life. Read about it.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Precognition of Ep. 123: Economics (F.A. Hayek and Amartya Sen) Aug 19, 2015

Guest Seth Benzell outlines Hayek's "The Use of Knowledge in Society" (1945) and Sen's On Ethics and Economics (1987).

Episode 121: Augustine on Being Good Aug 10, 2015

On The Confessions (400 CE), books 1–9. The question is not "What is virtue?" because knowing what virtue is isn't enough. The problem, for Aurelius Augustinus, aka St. Augustine of Hippo, is doing what you know to be right.

End song: "I Still Want" by New People, from Impossible Things (2011).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep. 119 Aftershow (PREMIUM) on Nietzsche feat. Greg Sadler Aug 07, 2015

Seth Paskin and Danny Lobell were joined by Dr. Gregory B. Sadler, David Buchanan, Erik Weissengruber, Tom Kirdas, Ken Presting, and Bill Coe. Recorded July 26, 2015. This is the first 15 minutes of a two-hour conversation, available in full to PEL Citizens or free on our YouTube page.

Episode 120: A History of “Will” with Guest Eva Brann Jul 27, 2015

We discuss Un-Willing: An Inquiry into the Rise of Will's Power and an Attempt to Undo It (2014) with the author, covering Socrates, Augustine, Aquinas, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Sartre, compatibilism, the neurologists' critque of free will, and more.

End song: "I Insist" by Mark Lint from Songs from the Partially Examined Life. Read about it.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Ep. 118 Aftershow (PREMIUM) on Songwriting feat. ex-Camper Chris Molla Jul 24, 2015

A highlight from our musician-packed breakdown of our songwriting episode. Featuring a third (ex-) member of Camper Van Beethoven, plus Chase Fiorenza, Mike Wilson, Maxx Bartko, Danny Lobell, Mark Linsenmayer, and (not heard on this preview) Adrian Cho and Fischerspooner's Warren Fischer. We discuss authenticity, the state of the music biz, humor in music, and more.

Episode 119: Nietzsche on Tragedy and the Psychology of Art Jul 06, 2015

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872). Nietzsche thought that you could tell how vital or decadent a civilization was by its art, and said that ancient Greek tragedy was so great because it was a perfect synthesis of something highly formal/orderly/beautiful with the intuitive/unconscious/chaotic. But then Socrates ruined everything! With guest John Castro.

Includes a preview of the Aftershow feat. Greg Sadler.

End song: "Some Act" by Mark Lint and the Fake from "So Whaddaya Think?" (2000).

Ep. 117 Aftershow (PREMIUM) on Antigone with Danny Lobell Jul 05, 2015

Listen to or watch the Aftershow for Episode 117 on Antigone, with Danny Lobell, Wes Alwan, and a bunch of PEL listeners like you. Also, learn about our new Citizen feed: get the full Aftershow delivered right to your smartphone!

Episode 118: The Musical Life with Guests from Camper van Beethoven Jun 29, 2015

Victor Krummenacher and Jonathan Segel join Mark and Wes to discuss songwriting and authenticity in the age of Internet consumerism. This episode prefigured Mark's Nakedly Examined Music podcast.

Includes a preview of the Aftershow featuring more musicians including ex-Camper Chris Molla.

End songs: "The Bastards Never Show Themselves" by the Monks of Doom and Mike Wilson's "RG."

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 117: Discussing Sophocles’s “Antigone” Jun 15, 2015

Philosophically considering the ancient Greek tragedy, which we also performed with Lucy Lawless and Paul Provenza.

End song: "Woe Is Me" (live, 2002) by Madison Lint.

Features a preview of the Aftershow, feat. Wes and host Danny Lobell.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

“Antigone” Read by PEL with Lucy Lawless and Paul Provenza Jun 08, 2015

An unrehearsed, fun read-through of the Greek Tragedy from 441 BCE, plus some discussion with the cast of Greek drama, our selected translation, and other stuff. Enjoy!

PEL Citizens can get an ad-free, extended version.

End song: "Antigone (Choragos Speaks)" by Mark Lint. Read about it.

Episode 116: Freud on Dreams May 25, 2015

On Sigmund Freud's On Dreams (1902) and other stuff. Are dreams just random, or our best key to understanding the mind?

For Wes Alwan's Freud summaries, go here: https://www.philosophysummaries.com.

After you listen to this, check out the Aftershow.

End song: "Sleep" by Mark Lint. Read about it.

Episode 115: Schopenhauer on Music with Guest Jonathan Segel May 11, 2015

The Camper Van Beethoven violinist/composer/multi-instrumentalist joins us to discuss The World as Will and Representation, book 3 selections.

Episode 114: Schopenhauer: “The World Is Will” Apr 27, 2015

On The World As Will and Representation (1818), book 2. The world is a blind, striving force!

Episode 113: Jesus’s Parables Apr 06, 2015

Interpreting the Parables using texts from Paul Ricoeur, John Dominic Crossan, Paul Tillich, et al, with guest Law Ware.

Episode 112: Ricoeur on Interpreting Religion Mar 16, 2015

On Paul Ricoeur's "The Critique of Religion" and "The Language of Faith" (1973), with guest Law Ware. How can we apply hermeneutics to the Bible?

Episode 111: Gadamer’s Hermeneutics: How to Interpret Mar 02, 2015

On Hans-Georg Gadamer's Truth and Method (1960, ch. 4), "Aesthetics and Hermeneutics" (1964), "The Universality of the Hermeneutical Problem" (1966), and "Hermeneutics as Practical Philosophy" (1972).

Close Reading (PREMIUM) of Heidegger on Truth Feb 23, 2015

Mark and Seth go line-by-line through the first half of "On the Essence of Truth" to help you understand Heidegger's language. This is a 17-min preview of a 2 hr, 37-min bonus recording. Citizens, log in and listen now.

Ep. 110 Aftershow (PREMIUM) with Stephen West Feb 22, 2015

Stephen West returns: Citizens should log in and listen to the Aftershow on Whitehead featuring Dylan Casey and David Buchanan. Everyone can listen to the first chunk of the discussion now.

Close Reading (PREMIUM) of Kant on the Sublime Feb 16, 2015

Mark and Wes go line-by-line through a chunk of the Critique of Judgment to help you feel confident decoding Kant and other difficult texts. This is a 13-min preview of a 72-min bonus recording. Citizens, log in and listen now.

Episode 110: Alfred North Whitehead: What Is Nature? Feb 02, 2015

On The Concept of Nature (1920). Nature, i.e. the object of our experience, is events, not things, ya dig?

Precognition of Ep. 110: Whitehead Feb 01, 2015

Mark Linsenmayer outlines Alfred North Whitehead's book The Concept of Nature (1920)

Ep. 109 Aftershow (PREMIUM) with Stephen West Jan 31, 2015

The first chunk of our new after-the-episode discussion, featuring Stephen West from Philosophize This! and Mark Linsenmayer. This is a 20-min preview of a 72-min discussion that can be found in full on our Free Stuff for Citizens page.

Episode 109: Jaspers’s Existentialism with Guest Paul Provenza Jan 19, 2015

On Karl Jaspers's "On My Philosophy" (1941), featuring comedian/actor/director/author Paul Provenza

Precognition of Ep. 109: Karl Jaspers Jan 18, 2015

Mark Linsenmayer introduces Karl Jaspers's existentialist tract, "On My Philosophy." (1941)

Episode 108: Dangers of A.I. with Guest Nick Bostrom Jan 06, 2015

On Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, and Strategies (2014) with the author. What can we predict about, and how can we control in advance, the motivations of the entity likely to result from eventual advances in machine learning? Also with guest Luke Muehlhauser.

Episode 107: Edmund Burke on the Sublime Dec 20, 2014

On A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, where young Burke lays out our knee-jerk aesthetic reactions, including those to scary things at a safe distance. With guest Amir Zaki.

Not Ep. 107: The 12 Interminable Days of Xmas: A Musical Extravaganza Dec 20, 2014

Mark Lint and the PEL Orchestra present the longest, slowest, biggest, fattest, most surreal Christmas carol ever.

Episode 106: Pyrrhonian Skepticism According to Sextus Empiricus Dec 04, 2014

On "Outlines of Pyrrhonism" from 200 C.E. Can you live while suspending judgment about all non-everyday matters? WIth guest Jessica Berry.

Episode 105: Kant: What Is Beauty? Nov 15, 2014

On Critique of Judgment (1790), Part I, Book I. What is beauty? Disinterested pleasure!

Episode 104: Robert Nozick’s Libertarianism Oct 27, 2014

On Anarchy, State & Utopia (1974), ch. 1-3 and 7. What are the moral limits on government power? No redistributive taxation, suckah! With guest Stephen Metcalf.

Precognition of Ep. 104: Robert Nozick Oct 26, 2014

Seth Paskin introduces Anarchy, State, and Utopia about libertarianism and the limits of legitimate government power.

Episode 103: Thoreau on Living Deliberately Oct 14, 2014

On Henry David Thoreau's Walden (1854). Should all true philosophers go live in the woods and seek Truth in nature? Probably YOU should.

Episode 102: Emerson on Wisdom and Individuality Sep 20, 2014

On Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” lecture (1837) and his essays “Self-Reliance” and “Circles” (1841). Be yourself! Don't conform! Realize your oneness with the universe!

Episode 101: Maimonides on God Sep 01, 2014

On Guide for the Perplexed about God's lack of properties, featuring guest comedian Danny Lobell of the Modern Day Philosophers podcast.

Episode 100: Plato’s Symposium Live Celebration! Aug 15, 2014

Our big live episode (also on video) about love, sex, self-improvement, and ancient Greek pederasty! Featuring a set by Mark Lint, plus Philosophy Bro on Plato's "Apology."

Episode 99: Looking Back on 100 Discussions and 5+ Years Aug 11, 2014

What have we learned? How has our take on the PEL project changed? On the eve before our big ep. 100 live show, we sat down to reflect on what we've been doing here. With guest Daniel Horne.

Episode 98: Guest Michael Sandel Against Market Society Jul 26, 2014

Interviewing him on his book "What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets" and continuing the discussion of his first book, "Liberalism and the Limits of Justice."

Episode 97: Michael Sandel on Social Justice and the Self Jul 19, 2014

On "Liberalism and the Limits of Justice" (1982) where Sandel critiques Rawls's version of liberalism as based on a bogus picture of us as purely choosing beings.

Episode 96: Oppenheimer and the Rhetoric of Science Advisers Jul 01, 2014

Discussing Lynda Walsh's book "Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy" (2013) with the author, focusing on Robert J. Oppenheimer.

Precognition of Ep. 96: Oppenheimer’s Rhetoric Jun 29, 2014

Guest Lynda Walsh describes her book Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy, focusing on J. Robert Oppenheimer's conflicted position after WWII as science advisor and anti-nuke spokesman.

Episode 95: Gödel on Math Jun 16, 2014

On two unpublished essays considering the implications of Godel's incompleteness theorems and asserting mathematical realism. With guest Adi Habbu.

Precognition of Ep. 95: Gödel Jun 15, 2014

Guest Adi Habbu lays out Kurt Gödel's famous incompleteness theorems and describes some highlights from "Some Basic Theorems on the Foundations of Mathematics and their Implications" (1951) and "The Modern Development of the Foundations of Mathematics in Light of Philosophy" (1961).

Episode 94: Schopenhauer on Reading, Writing, and Thinking May 23, 2014

On Arthur Schopenhauer's essays, "On Authorship and Style," "On Thinking for Oneself," and "On Genius" (all published 1851).

Episode 93: Freedom and Responsibility (Strawson vs. Strawson) May 03, 2014

On P.F. Strawson's "Freedom and Resentment" (1960), Galen Strawson's "The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility" (1994), and Gary Watson's "Responsibility and the Limits of Evil: Variations on a Strawsonian Theme" (1987). With guest Tamler Sommers.

Precognition of Ep. 93: Free Will (via Strawsons) Apr 29, 2014

Guest Tamler Sommers (from the Very Bad Wizards podcast) summarizes Galen Strawson's "The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility" (1994) and his father P.F. Strawson's "Freedom and Resentment" (1960).

Episode 92: Henri Bergson on How to Do Metaphysics Apr 12, 2014

On Bergson's "An Introduction to Metaphysics" (1903). With guest Matt Teichman.

Precognition of Ep. 92: Henri Bergson Mar 30, 2014

Guest Matt Teichman introduces Bergson's essay "An Introduction to Metaphysics."

Episode 91: Transhumanism (Plus More on Brin) Mar 29, 2014

More on David Brin's novel Existence, plus Nick Bostrom's essay "Why I Want to Be a Posthuman When I Grow Up" (2006). With guest Brian Casey.

Episode 90: Sci-Fi and Philosophy with Guest David Brin Mar 26, 2014

Discussing David Brin's novel Existence (2012) with the author. Also with guest Brian Casey.

Precognition of Ep. 90: Sci-Fi and Philosophy with David Brin Mar 25, 2014

Introductory salvo by Mark Linsenmayer before our interview with author David Brin.

Episode 89: Berkeley: Only Ideas Exist! Mar 12, 2014

On Bishop George Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous (1713).

Precognition of Ep. 89: Berkeley’s Idealism Mar 11, 2014

Wes Alwan introduces George Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous.

Partially Examined Life Not School Digest #4: Sartre, Heidegger, Zizek, Marx, and Theater Mar 01, 2014

Excerpts from discussions on Sartre's Nausea, Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology," Slavoj Zizek's Year of Dreaming Dangerously, Marx and Engels's "Communist Manifesto," Peter Schaffer's play Equus, and Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form.

Episode 88: G.E.M. Anscombe: Should We Use Moral Language? Feb 18, 2014

On Elizabeth Anscombe's "Modern Moral Philosophy" (1958), Intention sections 22-27 (1957), and "War and Murder" (1961). With guest Philosophy Bro.

Precognition of Ep. 88: G.E.M. Anscombe Jan 18, 2014

Guest Philosophy Bro introduces Elizabeth Anscombe's "Modern Moral Philosophy," and Intention sections 22-27.

Sartre’s “No Exit” Read with Lucy Lawless & Jaime Murray Jan 02, 2014

In support of our ep. #87 discussing Sartre, the PEL Players present our 2nd annual dramatic reading of a work of philosophical theater.

Episode 87: Sartre on Freedom and Self-Deception Jan 01, 2014

On Jean-Paul Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism" (1946), "Bad Faith" (pt. 1, ch. 2 of Being & Nothingness, 1943), and his play No Exit (1944).

Precognition of Ep. 87: Sartre Dec 30, 2013

Mark Linsenmayer lays out some themes from Jean-Paul Sartre's "Existentialism is a Humanism" and the "Bad Faith" chapter (Part 1, Ch. 2) of Being & Nothingness.

Episode 86: Thomas Kuhn on Scientific Progress Dec 24, 2013

On The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published mostly in 1962.

Precognition of Ep. 86: Thomas Kuhn Dec 23, 2013

Dylan Casey lays out Thomas Kuhn's thesis in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

Episode 85: Rawls on Social Justice Dec 07, 2013

On John Rawls's A Theory of Justice (1971), most of ch. 1-4.

Precognition of Ep. 85: John Rawls Dec 06, 2013

Seth Paskin summarizes the John Rawls's A Theory of Justice.

PREMIUM-Episode 84: Nietzsche’s “Gay Science” Nov 11, 2013

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Gay Science (1882, with book 5 added 1887).

What is wisdom? Nietzsche gives us an updated take on the Socratic project of challenging your most deeply held beliefs. Challenge not just your belief in God (who's "dead"), but uncover all your habits of thinking in terms of the divine. Realize how little of your life is actually a matter of conscious reflection, and the consequent limits on self-knowledge. The very act of systematization in philosophy overestimates what we can know; instead, we need a "gay" (in the sense of cheerful, carefree, and subversive) science (in the sense of organized knowledge) that chases after fleeting insights and is able to question, i.e. laugh at, the pretensions of its own activity.

Looking for the full Citizen version?

Episode 83 Follow-Up: Q&A with Frithjof Bergmann Nov 01, 2013

In light of our ep. 83, many listeners had questions on Frithjof's social/political/economic proposals for creating a post-job, pro-meaningful-work world.

Episode 83: New Work with Guest Frithjof Bergmann Oct 11, 2013

alking with Frithjof Bergmann, Prof. Emeritus from U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor about his book New Work, New Culture (2004, English release coming soon).

Precognition of Ep. 83: New Work Oct 10, 2013

An introduction to and summary of Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, read by Mark Linsenmayer.

PREMIUM-Episode 82: Karl Popper on Science Sep 24, 2013

On Popper's Conjectures and Refutations (1963), the first three essays.

What is science, and how is it different than pseudo-science? From philosophy? Is philosophy just pseudo-science, or proto-science, or what? Popper thinks that all legitimate inquiry is about solving real problems, and scientific theories are those that are potentially falsifiable: they make definitely predictions about the world that, if these fail to be true, would show that the theory is false.

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Precognition of Ep. 82: Popper Sep 23, 2013

A summary of the first three essays in Karl Popper's collection Conjectures and Refutations, read by Dylan Casey.

PREMIUM-Episode 81: Jung on the Psyche and Dreams Aug 29, 2013

On Carl Jung's "Approaching the Unconscious" from Man and His Symbols, written in 1961.

What's the structure of the mind? Jung followed Freud in positing an unconscious distinct from the conscious ego, but Jung's picture has the unconscious much more stuffed full of all sorts of stuff from who knows where, including instincts (the archetypes) that tend to give rise to behavior and dream imagery that we'd have to call religious. We neglect this part of ourselves at our psychological peril!

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Precognition of Ep. 81: Jung Aug 28, 2013

An introduction to Carl Jung's Man and His Symbols, read by Wes Alwan.

Partially Examined Life Not School Digest #3: Work, Blood Meridian, Mind, and Heidegger Aug 23, 2013

Excerpts of discussions about Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian, Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, and Martin Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism."

PREMIUM-Episode 80: Heidegger on our Existential Situation Aug 08, 2013

On Martin Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism" (1949).

What's our place in the world? What is it, really, to be human? Heidegger thought that being human hinges on having a proper relationship to Being, which is more basic than particular beings like people and tables and such, yet it being so close, Heidegger thinks it's hardest to see, and easy to be distracted from.

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Precognition of Ep. 80: Heidegger Aug 07, 2013

A short summary of Heidegger's "Essay on Humanism," read by Seth Paskin.

PREMIUM-PEL Ep 79: Heraclitus on Understanding the World Jul 15, 2013

Eva Brann discusses her book The Logos of Heraclitus (2011). What is the world like, and how can we understand it? Heraclitus thinks that the answer to both questions is found in “the logos.”

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PREMIUM-Episode 78: Ayn Rand on Living Rationally Jul 01, 2013

On Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (1967) and "The Objectivist Ethics" (1961).

First Rand grounds everyday human knowledge, largely by dismissing the concerns of other philosophers (even those whom she unknowingly parrots) as absurd. Then she uses this certainty to argue for her semi-Nietzschean vision of Great Men who master their emotions and rely only on themselves.

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PREMIUM-Episode 77: Santayana on the Appreciation of Beauty Jun 09, 2013

On George Santayana's The Sense of Beauty (1896).

What are we saying when we call something "beautiful?" Are we pointing out an objective quality that other people (anyone?) can ferret out, or just essentially saying "yay!" without any logic necessarily behind our exclamation? The poet and philosopher Santayana thought that while aesthetic appreciation is an immediate experience--we don't "infer" the beauty of something by recognizing some natural qualities that it has--we can nonetheless analyze the experience after the fact to uncover a number of grounds on which we might appreciate something.

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PREMIUM-Episode 76: Deleuze on What Philosophy Is May 14, 2013

On Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's What Is Philosophy? (1991). How is philosophy different from science and art? What's the relationship between different philosophies? Is better pursued solo, or in a group? Deleuze described philosophy as the creation of new concepts, whereas science is about functions that map observed regularities and art is about creating percepts and affects. With guest Daniel Coffeen. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 75: Lacan & Derrida Criticize Poe’s “The Purloined Letter” Apr 19, 2013

On Jacques Lacan's "Seminar on 'The Purloined Letter'" (1956), Jacques Derrida's "The Purveyor of Truth" (1975), and other essays in the collection The Purloined Poe: Lacan, Derrida, and Psychoanalytic Reading. How should philosophers approach literature? Lacan read Edgar Allen Poe's story about a sleuth who outthinks a devious Minister as an illustration of his model of the psyche, and why we persist in self-destructive patterns. Derrida thought this reading not only imposed a bunch of psychobabble onto the story, but demonstrated that Lacan just didn't know how to read a text. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 74: Jacques Lacan’s Psychology Apr 04, 2013

On Bruce Fink's The Lacanian Subject (1996) and Lacan's "The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience" (1949). What is the self? Is that the same as the experiencing subject? Lacan says no: while the self (the ego) is an imaginative creation, cemented by language, the subject is something else, something split (at least initially) between consciousness and the unconscious. Lacan mixes this Freudian picture with semiotics--an emphasis on systems of linguistic symbols--using this to both create his picture of the psyche and explain how psychological disorders arise. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 73: Why Do Philosophy? (And What Is It?) Mar 23, 2013

Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan share what drove them into philosophy and keeps them there. How is philosophy different than (or similar to) science? Than religion? Art? The consensus seems that philosophy, to us, is inevitable for the curious. It's just inquiry, unbounded (in principle at least) by any fixed assumptions. We did no formal reading for this discussion, but did tell each other to keep in mind Plato's "Apology." Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 72: Terrorism with Jonathan R. White Mar 09, 2013

We're joined by an international terrorism expert to discuss how to define terrorism and whether it can ever be ethical. With readings by Donald Black, J. Angelo Corlett, Igor Primoratz, Karl Heinzen, Bhagat Singh, and Carl von Clausewitz. Looking for the full Citizen version?

PREMIUM-Episode 71: Martin Buber’s “I and Thou” Feb 15, 2013

On Buber's 1923 book about the fundamental human position: As children, and historically, we start fully absorbed in relation with another person (like mom). Before that, we have no self-consciousness, no "self" at all. It's only by having these consuming "encounters" that we gradually distinguish ourselves from other people, and can then engage in what we'd normally consider "experience," which Buber calls "the I-It relation." Buber thinks that unless we can keep connected to this "I-Thou" phenomenon, through mature relationships, art, and nature. With guest Daniel Horne. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 70: Marx on the Human Condition Jan 30, 2013

On Karl Marx's The German Ideology, Part I, an early, unpublished work from 1846. What is human nature? What drives history? How can we improve our situation? Marx thought that fundamentally, you are what you do: you are your job, your means of subsistence. All the rest, this culture, this religion, this philosophy, is just a thin layer over our basic situation. Ideas are not primarily what changes the world; it's economics. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Partially Examined Life Not School Digest Jan 2013 Jan 23, 2013

Excerpts of discussions about Deleuze & Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus, an article on emergence called "More Is Different" by Nobel Prize Winning physicist P.W. Anderson, John Searle's Mind: A Brief Introduction, and Italo Calvino's trippy science fantasy novel Cosmicomics.

PREMIUM-Episode 69: Plato on Rhetoric vs. Philosophy Jan 13, 2013

On Plato's Dialogue, "Gorgias" (380 BCE or so). Why philosophize? Isn't it better to know how to persuade people in practical matters, like a successful lawyer or business leader? Plato (via Socrates) thinks that the "art" of rhetoric isn't an art at all, in the sense of requiring an understanding of one's subject matter, but merely a talent for saying what people want to hear. Looking for the full Citizen version?

Not Episode 69: PEL Players Full Cast Audiobook of Plato’s “Gorgias” (part 1) Jan 12, 2013

Three podcasters and two listeners join to read Plato's fabulous dialogue.

PREMIUM-Episode 68: David Chalmers Interview on the Scrutability of the World Dec 22, 2012

On David Chalmers's book Constructing the World (2012). How are all the various truths about the world related to each other? David Chalmers, famous for advocating a scientifically respectable form of brain-consciousness dualism, advocates a framework of scrutability: if one knew some set of base truths, then the rest would be knowable from them. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Not School Digest Nov-Dec 2012: A Bonus Quasisode Dec 16, 2012

Excerpts of discussions about David Chalmers's The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory, Thomas Nagel's Mind and Cosmos, and Paul Auster's City of Glass.

PREMIUM-Episode 67: Carnap on Logic and Science Dec 07, 2012

On Rudolph Carnap's The Logical Structure of the World (1928). What can we know? Carnap thinks that all the various spheres of knowledge are logically interrelated, that you can translate sentences about any of these into sentences about sets of basic, momentary experiences. This book, aka the Aufbau, is his attempt to sketch out how this system of linguistic reduction can work (it doesn't). With guest Matt Teichman. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 66: Quine on Linguistic Meaning and Science Nov 21, 2012

On W.V.O. Quine's "On What There Is" (1948) and "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" (1951). What kind of metaphysics is compatible with science? Quine sees science and philosophy as one and the same enterprise, and he objects to ontologies that include types of entities that science can't, even in principle, study. Also, troubles with the concept of synonymy, i.e. "same meaning." With guest Matt Teichman. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Celebrating Two Million Downloads: A Highlights Minisode Nov 08, 2012

Our highlight reel in thanks to all you listeners who have brought us to the milestone of approximately two million downloads.

PREMIUM-Episode 65: The Federalist Papers Oct 27, 2012

On Alexander Hamilton/James Madison's Federalist Papers (1, 10-12, 14-17, 39, 47-51), published as newspaper editorials 1787-8, plus Letters III and IV from Brutus, an Anti-Federalist. What constitutes good government? These founding fathers argued that the proposed Constitution, with its newly centralized (yet also separated-by-branch) powers would be a significant improvement on the Articles of Confederation, which had left states as the ultimate sovereigns. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 64: Celebrity, with guest Lucy Lawless Oct 07, 2012

On Fame: What the Classics Tell Us About Our Cult of Celebrity by Tom Payne (2010). What's the deal with our f'ed up relationship with celebrities? Payne says that celebrities serve a social need that's equal parts religion and and aggression. TV's Lucy Lawless (Xena, Spartacus, Battlestar Galactica) joins us to discuss the accuracy of this thesis. Looking for the full Citizen version?

PREMIUM-Episode 63: Existentialist Heroes in Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men” Sep 21, 2012

On philosophical issues in McCarthy's 2005 novel about guys running around with drug money and shooting each other, and about fiction as a form for exploring philosophical ideas. What can morality mean for people who have witnessed the "death of God," i.e. a loss in faith in light of the horrors of war? Who knows what McCarthy himself thinks? With guest Eric Petrie. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 62: Voltaire’s Novel “Candide” Sep 05, 2012

On Candide: or, Optimism, the novel by Voltaire (1759). Is life good? Popular Enlightenment philosopher Leibniz argued that it's good by definition. God is perfectly good and all-powerful, so whatever he created must have been as good as it can be; we live in the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire loads this satirical adventure story up with horrific violence to demonstrate that Leibniz's position is just silly. Life is filled with suffering, and human nature is such that even in peace and prosperity, we're basically miserable. Yet we still love life despite this. Tend your garden! Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 61: Nietzsche on Truth and Skepticism Aug 15, 2012

On Friedrich Nietzsche's "On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense" (1873). What is truth? This essay, written early in Nietzsche's career, is taken by many to make the extreme claim that there is no truth, that all of the "truths" we tell each other are just agreements by social convention. WIth guest Jessica Berry, who argues that that Nietzsche is a skeptic: our "truths" don't correspond with the world beyond our human conceptions; all knowledge is laden with human interests. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Get Wes Alwan's guide to Nietzsche's essay here.

PREMIUM-Episode 60: Aristotle: What’s the Best Form of Government? Jul 23, 2012

On Aristotle's Politics (350 BCE), books 1 (ch 1-2), 3, 4 (ch 1-3), 5 (ch 1-2), 6 (ch 1-6), and 7 (ch. 1-3, 13-15). Aristotle provides both a taxonomy of the types of government, based on observations of numerous constitutions of the states of his time, and prescriptions on how to best order a state. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 59: Alasdair MacIntyre on Moral Justifications Jul 05, 2012

On Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (1981), mostly ch. 3-7 and 14-17. What justifies ethical claims? MacIntyre claims that no modern attempt to ground ethics has worked, and that's because we've abandoned Aristotle. We see facts and values as fundamentally different: the things science discovers vs. these weird things that have nothing to do with science. In Aristotle's teleological view, everything comes with built-in goals, so just as a plant will aim grow green and healthy, people have a definite kind of virtue towards which we do and should naturally strive. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 58: What Grounds Ethical Claims? (Moore, Stevenson, MacIntyre) Jun 20, 2012

On G.E. Moore's Principia Ethica, ch. 1 (1903); Charles Leslie Stevenson's "The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms" (1937), and Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue, ch. 1-2. Is there such a thing as moral intuition? Is "good" a simple property that we all recognize but can't explain like yellow? Or are moral terms just tools we use to convince other people to like things that we like? Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 57: Henri Bergson on Humor May 31, 2012

On Bergson's Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (1900). What is humor? Bergson says that, fundamentally, we laugh as a form of social corrective when others are slow to adapt to society's demands. Other types of humor are derivative from this. With guest Jennifer Dziura. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 56: More Wittgenstein on Language May 15, 2012

Continuing discussion of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, Part I, sections 1-33 and 191-360. With guest Philosophy Bro. On "family resemlances" in concepts, dismissing philosophical puzzles as grammatical mistakes, and the private language argument. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 55: Wittgenstein on Language May 02, 2012

On Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, Part I, sections 1-33 and 191-360 (written around 1946). What is linguistic meaning? Wittgenstein argues that it's not some mysterious entity in the mind, but that it is a public matter: you understand a word if you can use it appropriately, and you know the context in which it's appropriate to use it and how to react when you hear it in that context. W. calls such a context a "language game," and sees language as big heap of these games, spanning a wide range of human activity. With guest Philosophy Bro. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 54: More Buddhism and Naturalism Apr 06, 2012

Continuing our discussion of Owen Flanagan's The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized (2011). Are the basic tenets of Buddhism compatible with a respect for science? We talk (eventually) about talk about karma, nirvana, emptiness, no-self, and the four noble truths. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 53: Buddhism and Naturalism with Guest Owen Flanagan Mar 26, 2012

Discussing The Bodhisattva's Brain: Buddhism Naturalized (2011) with Owen Flanagan. What philosophical insights can we modern folks with our science and naturalism (i.e. inclination against super-natural explanations) glean from Buddhisim? Flanagan says plenty: We can profitably put Buddhist ethics in dialogue with familiar types of virtue ethics. However, we need to be skeptical of any claims to scientific support the superior happiness of Buddhists. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 52: Philosophy and Race (DuBois, Martin Luther King, Cornel West) Mar 17, 2012

On W.E.B. DuBois's "Of Our Spiritual Strivings" (1903), Cornel West's "A Genealogy of Modern Racism" (1982), and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963) and "The Black Power Defined" (1967), plus Malcolm X's "The Black Revolution" (1963). With guest Lawrence Ware. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 51: Semiotics and Structuralism (Saussure, et al) Feb 24, 2012

On Ferdinand de Saussure's Course in General Linguistics (1916) (Part I and Part II, Ch. 4), Claude Levi-Strauss's "The Structural Study of Myth" (1955), and Jacques Derrida's "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences" (1966). What is language? What is the relation between language and reality? With guest C. Derick Varn. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 50: Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” Feb 03, 2012

On Robert M. Pirsig's philosophical, autobiographical novel from 1974. What's the relationship between science and values? Pirsig thinks that modern rationality, by insisting on the fundamental distinction between objects (matter) and subjects (people), labels value judgments as irrational. Society therefore largely ignores aesthetic considerations in the buildings and machines that litter our landscape. With guest David Buchanan. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

PREMIUM-Episode 49: Foucault on Power and Punishment Jan 11, 2012

Discussing Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish (1975), parts 1, 2 and section 3 of part 3. With guest Katie McIntyre.

PREMIUM-Episode 48: Merleau-Ponty on Perception and Knowledge Dec 17, 2011

Discussing Maurice Merleau-Ponty's "Primacy of Perception" (1946) and The World of Perception (1948).

PREMIUM-Episode 47: Sartre on Consciousness and the Self Dec 01, 2011

Discussing Jean-Paul Sartre's The Transcendence of the Ego (written in 1934).

PREMIUM-Episode 46: Plato on Ethics & Religion Nov 17, 2011

Discussing Plato's "Euthyphro." With guest Matt Evans.

PREMIUM-Episode 45: Moral Sense Theory: Hume and Smith Oct 29, 2011

Discussing parts of David Hume's Treatise of Human Nature (1740) and Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). With guest Getty Lustila.

PREMIUM-Episode 44: New Atheist Critiques of Religion Oct 11, 2011

Discussing selections from Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel C. Dennett.

PREMIUM-Episode 43: Arguments for the Existence of God Sep 15, 2011

Discussing the arguments by Descartes, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, Kant, and others, as analyzed in J.L. Mackie's The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (1983), chapters 1-3, 5-6, 8, and 11. With guest Robert Scott.

PREMIUM-Episode 42: Feminists on Human Nature and Moral Psychology Sep 05, 2011

Discussing Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s utopian novel Herland (1915) and psychologist Carol Gilligan's In a Different Voice (1983). With guest Azzurra Crispino.

PREMIUM-Episode 41: Pat Churchland on the Neurobiology of Morality (Plus Hume’s Ethics) Jul 19, 2011

Patricia Churchland on her new book Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Morality. We also discussed David Hume's ethics as foundational to her work, reading his Treatise on Human Nature (1739), Book III, Part I and his Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), Section V, Parts I and II.

PREMIUM-Episode 40: Plato’s Republic: What Is Justice? Jul 11, 2011

Discussing The Republic by Plato, primarily books 1 and 2.

PREMIUM-Episode 39: Schleiermacher Defends Religion Jun 10, 2011

Discussing Friedrich Schleiermacher's "On Religion; Speeches to its Cultured Despisers" (1799, with notes added 1821), first and second speeches. With guest Daniel Horne.

PREMIUM-Episode 38: Bertrand Russell on Math and Logic May 25, 2011

Discussing Russell's Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy (1919), ch. 1-3 and 13-18. With guest Josh Pelton.

PREMIUM-Episode 37: Locke on Political Power May 06, 2011

Discussing John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690). With guest Sabrina Weiss.

PREMIUM-Episode 36: More Hegel on Self-Consciousness Apr 11, 2011

Part 2 of our discussion of G.F.W. Hegel's "Phenomenology of Spirit," covering sections 178-230 within section B, "Self-Consciousness."

PREMIUM-Episode 35: Hegel on Self-Consciousness Apr 02, 2011

On G.F.W. Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), Part B (aka Ch. 4), "Self-Consciousness," plus recapping the three chapters before that (Part A. "Consciousness"). With guest Tom McDonald.

PREMIUM-Episode 34: Frege on the Logic of Language Mar 13, 2011

On Gottlob Frege's "Sense and Reference," "Concept and Object" (both from 1892) and "The Thought" (1918). With guest Matt Teichman.

PREMIUM-Episode 33: Montaigne: What Is the Purpose of Philosophy? Feb 18, 2011

Discussing Michel de Montaigne's Essays: "That to Philosophize is to Learn to Die," "Of Experience," "Of Cannibals," "Of the Education of Children," and "Of Solitude" (all from around 1580) with some discussion of "Apology for Raymond Sebond."

PREMIUM-Episode 32: Heidegger: What is “Being?” Feb 08, 2011

Discussing Martin Heidegger's Being and Time (1927), mostly the intro and ch. 1 and 2 of Part 1.

PREMIUM-Episode 31: Husserl’s Phenomenology Jan 10, 2011

Discussing Edmund Husserl's Cartesian Meditations (1931).

PREMIUM-Episode 30: Schopenhauer on Explanations and Knowledge Dec 19, 2010

Discussing Arthur Schopenhauer's On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, published in 1847 (as an expansion of his doctoral thesis from 1813).

PREMIUM-Episode 29: Kierkegaard on the Self Nov 21, 2010

On Soren Kierkegaard's "The Sickness Unto Death" (1849). With guest Daniel Horne.

PREMIUM-Episode 28: Nelson Goodman on Art as Epistemology Nov 01, 2010

Discussing Goodman's Ways of Worldmaking (1978). With guest painter Jay Bailey.

PREMIUM-Episode 27: Nagarjuna on Buddhist “Emptiness” Oct 10, 2010

Primarily discussing "Reasoning: The Sixty Stanzas" and "Emptiness: The Seventy Stanzas," by the 2nd century Indian Buddhist Nagarjuna. With guest Erik Douglas.

PREMIUM-Episode 26: Freud on the Human Condition Sep 25, 2010

Discussing Freud's Civilization and its Discontents (1930). Get the full episode at partiallyexaminedlife.com. For Wes Alwan's summary of this book, go here).

PREMIUM-Episode 25: Spinoza on Human Nature Sep 10, 2010

Discussing Spinoza's the Ethics, Books II through V.

PREMIUM-Episode 24: Spinoza on God and Metaphysics Aug 24, 2010

Discussing Spinoza's Ethics (1677), books 1 and 2.

PREMIUM-Episode 23: Rousseau: Human Nature vs. Culture Jul 29, 2010

Discussing Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Discourse in Inequality (1754) and book 1 of The Social Contract (1762).

PREMIUM-Episode 22: More James’s Pragmatism: Is Faith Justified? What is Truth? Jul 18, 2010

Discussing William James's "The Will to Believe".

PREMIUM-Episode 21: What Is the Mind? (Turing, et al) Jun 28, 2010

Discussing articles by Alan Turing, Gilbert Ryle, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, and Dan Dennett. With guest Marco Wise.

PREMIUM-Episode 20: Pragmatism – Peirce and James Jun 09, 2010

On Pragmatism (1907) by William James and "The Fixation of Belief" (1877) and "How to Make Our Ideas Clear" (1878) by Charles Sanders Peirce.

PREMIUM-Episode 19: Kant: What Can We Know? May 14, 2010

Discussing Immanuel Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics (1783). With guest Azzurra Crispino.

PREMIUM-Episode 18: Plato: What Is Knowledge? Apr 21, 2010

Discussing Plato's Theatetus and Meno.

PREMIUM-Episode 17: Hume’s Empiricism: What Can We Know? Mar 29, 2010

On David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748).

PREMIUM-Episode 16: Danto on Art Mar 04, 2010

Discussing three essays by Arthur Danto from The Philosophical Disenfranchisement of Art (1986): the title essay, "The Appreciation and Interpretation of Works of Art," and "The End of Art."

Episode 15: Hegel on History Feb 24, 2010

Discussing G.W.F Hegel's Introduction to the Philosophy of History (1837).

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 14: Machiavelli on Politics Feb 07, 2010

Discussing Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince (1532) and Ch. 1-20 of The Discourse on the First Ten Books of Titus Livy.

Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Episode 13: What Are the Metaphysical Implications of Quantum Physics? Jan 03, 2010

On Werner Heisenberg’s Physics and Philosophy. Dylan Casey's first appearance (as a guest).

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Episode 12: Chuang Tzu’s Taoism: What Is Wisdom? Dec 06, 2009

On the Chuang Tzu, Chapters 2, 3, 6, 18, and 19. With guest Erik Douglas.

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Episode 11: Nietzsche’s Immoralism: What Is Ethics, Anyway? Nov 10, 2009

Discussing The Genealogy of Morals (mostly the first two essays) and Beyond Good and Evil Ch. 1 (The Prejudices of Philosophers), 5 (Natural History of Morals), and 9 (What is Noble?).

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Episode 10: Kantian Ethics: What Should We Do? Oct 19, 2009

Discussing Fundamental Principles (aka Groundwork) of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785).

Episode 9: Utilitarian Ethics: What Should We Do? Sep 18, 2009

Discussing Jeremy Bentham’s An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation chapters 1-5, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, and Peter Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality."

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Episode 8: Wittgenstein’s Tractatus (and Carnap): What Can We Legitimately Talk About? Sep 04, 2009

Continuing last ep's discussion of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with some Rudolph Carnap from his 1935 book Philosophy and Logical Syntax.

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Episode 7: Wittgenstein’s Tractatus: What Is There and Can We Talk About It? Aug 19, 2009

Discussing the beginning (through around 3.1) of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921).

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Episode 6: Leibniz’s Monadology: What Is There? Jul 31, 2009

Discussing Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz's Monadology (1714).

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Episode 5: Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Jul 16, 2009

Discussing Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Books I and II.

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Episode 4: Camus and the Absurd Jun 22, 2009

Discussing Camus's "An Absurd Reasoning" and "The Myth of Sisyphus" (1942).

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Episode 3: Hobbes’s Leviathan: The Social Contract Jun 07, 2009

Discussing Hobbes's Leviathan, Chapters 13-15.

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Episode 2: Descartes’s Meditations: What Can We Know? May 14, 2009

On Descartes's Meditations 1 and 2.

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Episode 1: “The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living.” May 13, 2009

Discussing Plato's "Apology." Does studying philosophy make you a better person? No.

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Episode 0: Introduction to the Podcast May 11, 2009

What are we trying to do here? Why should you bother to listen to us?

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