The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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?

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

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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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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?

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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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