The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion, including a supporter-exclusive part three to this episode coming out next week.

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

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

If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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

Show notes

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.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion about cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and more.

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

Show notes

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.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

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

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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).

Sponsor: Check out Drilled, a true-crime podcast about climate change.

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

Show notes

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.

Sponsors: Get 50% off the #1 Meal Kit for Eating Clean (plus free shipping) at greenchef.com/pel50 (promocode pel50). Give more effectively via GiveWell.org (and let them know we sent you!). Check out the Articles of Interest podcast.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

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

Show notes

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.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

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

Show notes

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)!

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

PREMIUM-PEL Tech Nightcap July 2023 Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

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?

If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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

Show notes

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.

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