The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast podcast

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

The Partially Examined Life is a podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a short text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion. For links to the texts we discuss and other info, check out www.partiallyexaminedlife.com. We also feature episodes from other podcasts by our hosts to round out your partially examined life, including Pretty Much Pop (prettymuchpop.com, covering all media), Nakedly Examined Music (nakedlyexaminedmusic.com, deconstructing songs), Philosophy vs. Improv (philosophyimprov.com, fun with performance skills and philosophical ideas), and (sub)Text (subtextpodcast.com, looking deeply at lit and film). Learn about more network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

The Partially Examined Life is a podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a short text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion. For links to the texts we discuss and other info, check out www.partiallyexaminedlife.com. We also feature episodes from other podcasts by our hosts to round out your partially examined life, including Pretty Much Pop (prettymuchpop.com, covering all media), Nakedly Examined Music (nakedlyexaminedmusic.com, deconstructing songs), Philosophy vs. Improv (philosophyimprov.com, fun with performance skills and philosophical ideas), and (sub)Text (subtextpodcast.com, looking deeply at lit and film). Learn about more network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

 

#699

Ep. 357: Feuerbach on the Evolution of Philosophy (Part One)

Mark, Wes, and Dylan continue to look at Ludwig Feuerbach's "Principles of the Philosophy of the Future" (1843), recounting his story about how increasingly mature notions of God should lead philosophy eventually to a materialism where the sensual is the real. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Have up to a $100 donation to effective charities matched at <a title="" href= "https://givewell.org" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">GiveWell.org</a>. Check out the <a href= "https://www.byuradio.org/constant-wonder" target="_blank" rel= "noreferrer noopener">Constant Wonder podcast</a> Learn about Mark's spring Core Texts in philosophy class at <a title="" href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/core-texts-spring-2025/">partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.</a> Buy the PEL book for someone cool at <a title="" href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/book/">partiallyexaminedlife.com/book</a>. ... Read more

16 Dec 2024

49 MINS

49:14

16 Dec 2024


#698

PEL Presents Subtext: The Sublime Mundane in Conrad Aiken’s “Morning Song of Senlin” (Part 1)

Where the repetitions of ordinary life threaten to overwhelm any sense of the sublime, the poet Conrad Aiken seems to suggest that they can be transformed into a way of being connected to it. The mundane order is, after all, just a part of the cosmic. When we get ready to go to work, it is on a “swiftly tilting planet” that “bathes in a flame of space.” The sun is “far off in a shell of silence,” but its light decorates the walls of our homes. We might wonder, in light of modernity’s crisis of faith, if the sublime is meant to replace the divine, and if so whether what Aiken calls “humble offerings” to a “cloud of silence” are enough. Wes & Erin discuss Aiken’s “Morning Song of Senlin,” and whether humanity’s religious impulses can be fully compensated with an aesthetic or ironic relation to nature and cosmic scale.  ... Read more

14 Dec 2024

47 MINS

47:52

14 Dec 2024


#697

PEL Presents PMP#186: From Oz Books to Wicked Film

We're coming up on the 125th anniversary of L. Frank Baum's children's book, The Wizard of Oz, and the film version of (the first half of) the musical Wicked has been released. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al talk about the landmark 1939 film musical, the 1978 film The Wiz, Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked, the stage musical, the other Oz books by Baum, Maguire, et al, and other films like 1985's Return to Oz and 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful. How does this film stack up to other recent Broadway-to-film adaptations? Will there ever be a faithful film or TV adaptation of the books? For more, visit [prettymuchpop.com] (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear this ad-free with bonus content at <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">patreon.com/prettymuchpop</a> or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/mark-lintertainment/id6442569583?id=6442569583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Lintertainment Channel</a>. ... Read more

12 Dec 2024

54 MINS

54:44

12 Dec 2024


#696

Ep. 356: Feuerbach Against Theology (Part Two)

We dig in and start our detailed treatment of Ludwig Feuerbach's essay "Principles of the Philosophy of the Future" (1843). Feuerbach claims that people don't realize that the entity they worship is really just whatever it is about humanity and the world that we value, wrongly posited as an independent entity. So God is a mirror for any given society. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Have up to a $100 donation to effective charities matched at <a title="" href= "https://givewell.org" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">GiveWell.org</a>. Learn about St. John's College at [sjc.edu/pel] (https://sjc.edu/pel) . Learn about Mark's spring Core Texts in philosophy class at <a title="" href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/core-texts-spring-2025/">partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.</a> Buy the PEL book for someone cool at <a title="" href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/book/">partiallyexaminedlife.com/book</a>. ... Read more

09 Dec 2024

51 MINS

51:57

09 Dec 2024


#695

PEL Presents NEM#225: Loudon Wainwright III, the Reporter-Songwriter

Loudon has released 30 albums since 1970. He's the quintessential singer-songwriter, relying on crafty, personal lyrics delivered dynamically and typically solo, though his studio work has varied in production style and orchestration level over the years. We discuss "How Old is 75" from Lifetime Achievement (2022), "Road Ode (Live)" from Career Moves (1993), and "Be Careful There’s a Baby in the House" from Album II (1971). We wrap up by listening to "Missing You" from Last Man on Earth (2001). Intro: "The Swimming Song" from Attempted Mustache (1973). Learn more at <a href= "https://lw3.com/">lw3.com</a>. [Hear more Nakedly Examined Music] (http://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com) . [Support us on Patreon] (http://patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic) . ... Read more

08 Dec 2024

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:12

08 Dec 2024


#694

PEL Presents PvI#86: Friends with App-Platter Benefits w/ Sarah Shockey and Tommy Maranges

It's a TEAM PLAY episode just in time for the holiday season! Returning guests improviser and <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marty-sarah-love-wrestling/id1134012081"> podcaster</a> Sarah and recovering Philosophy Bro Tommy join Mark and Bill to talk AND EXPERIENCE friendship, with our longest single improv scene to date. What is friendship? Do you know your friends enough to imitate them? Does one friendship or fast-casual restaurant have to die so that another may emerge?  [Hear more at philosophyimprov.com] (http://philosophyimprov.com/) . <a href= "https://philosophyimprov.com/support" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Support the and hear this ad-free at podcast at philosophyimprov.com/support</a>. <a href= "https://evergreenpodcasts.com/">Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings</a>. ... Read more

06 Dec 2024

58 MINS

58:37

06 Dec 2024


#693

Ep. 356: Feuerbach Against Theology (Part One)

On Ludwig Feuerbach's "Principles of the Philosophy of the Future" (1843) and the introduction to The Essence of Christianity (1841). What was the original point of religion? Can we retain what was emotionally good about it yet direct our efforts to purely practical matters? Feuerbach says yes, and this was a key influence on Marx. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Have up to a $100 donation to effective charities matched at <a title="" href= "https://givewell.org" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">GiveWell.org</a>. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at [shopify.com/pel.] (https://shopify.com/pel) Learn about Mark's spring Core Texts in philosophy class at <a title="" href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/core-texts-spring-2025/">partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.</a> ... Read more

02 Dec 2024

51 MINS

51:19

02 Dec 2024


#692

PEL Presents PMP#185: Steve Martin: X-Tuple Threat

Steve Martin was the biggest comic celebrity in the late '70s, became a huge movie star, and now delivers gentle comedy and fast banjo licks according to his desired rich guy schedule. In light of the popularity of Only Murders in the Building, we consider his many talents. Our 50ish hosts Mark and Sarahlyn are all in on this guy, but our 40ish hosts Lawrence and Al are not necessarily tickled. For more, visit [prettymuchpop.com] (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear this ad-free with bonus content at <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">patreon.com/prettymuchpop</a> or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/mark-lintertainment/id6442569583?id=6442569583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Lintertainment Channel</a>. ... Read more

01 Dec 2024

51 MINS

51:05

01 Dec 2024


#691

PEL Presents SUBTEXT: The Aesthetics of Death in "Beetlejuice" (Part 1)

Adam and Barbara Maitland are dead, but their troubles have just begun. The farmhouse decor of their home is under threat from the pretentious modernism of Delia Deetze, and her plan to remake it in her own image could turn their post-life purgatory into earthbound hell. Solving this problem leaves them with an impossible choice between figuring out how to navigate an intractable netherworld bureaucracy, or seeking the help of a renegade demon whose perverse remedies are worse than what they’re supposed to cure. Their way out of this impasse involves teaming up with Delia’s step-daughter Lydia, whose goth style seems to lend itself to communicating with the dead. Wes and Erin discuss “Beetlejuice,” and what its battle royale between conflicting aesthetic sensibilities—rustic, gothic, and avant-garde—has to say about the connections between love, mortality, and the many pitfalls of growing up. Get more at [subtextpodcast.com] (https://subtextpodcast.com/) . ... Read more

30 Nov 2024

43 MINS

43:29

30 Nov 2024


#690

Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part Two)

Continuing on "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society" with guest Lawrence Dallman. Does capitalism give rise to alienation, or is it alienation that is responsible for capitalism? Does a person (capitalist) have to be responsible for someone's alienation? What would we be like unalienated? Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion, including a supporter-exclusive <a href= "ttps://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2024/11/28/ep355-3-marx-alienation-citizen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part three</a> to this discussion.  Sponsors: Have up to a $100 donation to effective charities matched at <a title="" href= "https://givewell.org" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">GiveWell.org</a>. Check out the <a href= "https://www.byuradio.org/constant-wonder" target="_blank" rel= "noreferrer noopener">Constant Wonder podcast</a>. ... Read more

25 Nov 2024

49 MINS

49:43

25 Nov 2024


#689

PEL Presents PvI#85: Prototype Protoplasm w/ Mike Gorgone

Mike hosts the <a href= "https://improvinaction.com/projects/hitchhikers-and-appetizers/">Hitchhikers and Appetizers podcast</a>, and we recorded this episode a bit before Halloween, before the election and the consequent mass exodus, as a sort of memo to the future, i.e. you. We blister our way through many topics including discovery, hospital dramas, time travel sex, self-experimentation, ancient aliens, sharkNATO, Flintstone furniture, the first Wisconsin Thanksgiving, Subway nation-states, and more. [Hear more at philosophyimprov.com] (http://philosophyimprov.com/) . <a href= "https://philosophyimprov.com/support" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Support the and hear this ad-free at podcast at philosophyimprov.com/support</a>. <a href= "https://evergreenpodcasts.com/">Check out other Evergreen Podcast offerings</a>. ... Read more

21 Nov 2024

51 MINS

51:03

21 Nov 2024


#688

Ep. 355: Marx on Alienation (Part One)

On three of Karl Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, "Estranged Labor," "Private Property and Communism," and "The Power of Money on Bourgeois Society." Featuring guest Lawrence Dallman. What is the plight of the working poor? It's that they are in an unnatural situation with regard to their work, which is supposed to gain them a sense of self but doesn't do so when it's a result of selling one's time. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. If you enjoy our podcast, check out Ghost Town at <a href= "https://www.ghosttownpod.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">ghosttownpod.com</a>. ... Read more

18 Nov 2024

39 MINS

39:09

18 Nov 2024


#687

PREMIUM-PEL Thick-of-Fall Nightcap 2024

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk about horror media and what scares us in light of Halloween. We then give some follow-up discussion re. our Williamson and Chappell interviews. Do we actually want to participate in Williamson's science-minded analytic philosophy of the future? Were we too one-sided in our trans coverage? We respond to an email about our trans episode. If you're not hearing <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2024/11/10/pel-nightcap-fall-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the full version of this discussion</a>, sign up via one of the options described at [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) . ... Read more

17 Nov 2024

10 MINS

10:17

17 Nov 2024


#686

PEL Presents (SUB)TEXT: A Strange Fashion of Forsaking in the Poetry of Thomas Wyatt (Part 1)

As an advisor to Henry VIII and ambassador to France and Italy, poet Thomas Wyatt was something of a professional court-surfer, practiced in riding the peaks and troughs of royal favor. Such were his verbal and diplomatic gifts that, though twice accused of and imprisoned for treason, he was twice released. His poetry reflects all the intrigue, paranoia, airlessness, and downright cruelty of the Tudor Court, where a misplaced word or an ill-timed look might see you not just out of favor, but a head shorter. In two of his most celebrated poems—which might draw upon the affair he might have had with Anne Boleyn—certainty is suspect, irony thick, allegiance changeable, and hunters apt to find they’ve become the hunted. Wes & Erin discuss Thomas Wyatt’s “Whoso List to Hunt” and “They Flee from Me.” Get more at [subtextpodcast.com] (https://subtextpodcast.com/) . ... Read more

16 Nov 2024

52 MINS

52:17

16 Nov 2024


#685

Ep. 354: Guest Tim Williamson on Philosophic Method (Part Two)

We continue talking with Tim about Overfitting and Heuristics in Philosophy (2024), considering Tim's overall project and view of what philosophy should be doing and with what tools. We get into modeling, ethics, public philosophy, and more. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion, including a supporter-exclusive PEL <a href= "https:/partiallyexaminedlife.com/2024/11/10/pel-nightcap-fall-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nightcap</a> further reflecting on this episode. Sponsor: Apply for convenient term life insurance from Fabric by Gerber Life at <a title="" href= "https://meetfabric.com/PEL" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">meetfabric.com/PEL</a>. ... Read more

11 Nov 2024

41 MINS

41:13

11 Nov 2024


#684

Ep. 354: Guest Tim Williamson on Philosophic Method (Part One)

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. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at [shopify.com/pel.] (https://shopify.com/pel) ... Read more

04 Nov 2024

42 MINS

42:33

04 Nov 2024


#683

PEL Presents PMP#184: !BREAKING! Comedy News

Many people use shows like Last Week Tonight or The Daily Show to not just satirize the news but to provide us with our news. Late night shows, SNL, and many other shows get in on this, and conservative media is catching up via Gutfield! How does the comedy news format relate to panel shows, podcasts, and other light-hearted political talk? For more, visit [prettymuchpop.com] (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear this ad-free with bonus content at <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">patreon.com/prettymuchpop</a> or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the <a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/mark-lintertainment/id6442569583?id=6442569583" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Lintertainment Channel</a>. ... Read more

03 Nov 2024

50 MINS

50:14

03 Nov 2024


#682

Ep. 353: Reid on Visual Knowledge (Part Two)

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. Get more at <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/">partiallyexaminedlife.com</a>. Visit [partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support) to get ad-free episodes and bonus content. Sponsor: Check out the <a href= "https://www.byuradio.org/constant-wonder" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Constant Wonder podcast</a>. Have you subscribed to the other podcasts by PEL hosts? Check out <a href= "https://evergreenpodcasts.com/closereadsphilosophy" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Closereads</a>, <a href= "https://evergreenpodcasts.com/philosophy-vs-improv" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Philosophy vs. Improv</a>, <a href= "https://subtextpodcast.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">SUBTEXT</a>, [Nakedly Examined Music] (https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/) , and [Pretty Much Pop] (https://prettymuchpop.com/) . <a href= "https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/book/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Buy the PEL book</a>. ... Read more

28 Oct 2024

47 MINS

47:49

28 Oct 2024


#681

PEL Presents NEM#224: Steve Dawson (Dolly Varden) Elevates Americana

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 <a href= "https://stevedawsonmusic.com">stevedawsonmusic.com</a>. [Hear more Nakedly Examined Music] (http://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com) . [Support us on Patreon] (http://patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic) . ... Read more

26 Oct 2024

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:24

26 Oct 2024