The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

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Episode 206: Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part Two) Jan 07, 2019

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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

Show notes

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

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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?

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Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part Two) Dec 22, 2018

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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

Show notes

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?

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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

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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!

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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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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PREMIUM-Ep 202 Follow-Up: Close Reading of Kristeva's "Approaching Abjection" Nov 18, 2018

Show notes

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.

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