The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 202: Julia Kristeva on Disgust, Fear and the Self (Part Two) Nov 12, 2018

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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