The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey
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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
6 snips
Oct 16, 2023 • 41min
Ep. 327: Harry Frankfurt on Bullsh*t and Authenticity (Part One)
Philosopher Harry Frankfurt, author of 'On Bullshit,' joins the hosts to delve into the concept of bullshit, its relation to truth and deception, and whether it can serve a civic purpose. They analyze examples like the trolley problem and the play frame, discuss the use of irony and ambiguity, and explore the prevalence of bullshit in the media.
Oct 14, 2023 • 58min
PEL Presents PvI#63: Virtual Socrates w/ David Chalmers
David Chalmers, NYU Prof and author, joins Mark and Bill to simulate debates on AI, cybersex, actor vs. character, and keeping children safe from reality. They explore living in a simulation, investing emotions in virtual reality, and the blurred line between reality and fiction. They also discuss the potential of VR and brain computer interfaces, philosophical argumentation, and the connection between philosophy and improv.
Oct 9, 2023 • 52min
Ep. 326: Michael Tomasello on the Evolution of Agency (Part Two)
Wes, Dylan, and guest Chris Heath continue to discuss The Evolution of Agency (2022) in light of our interview with the author. We relate examples from the book of animals of various levels of complexity making deliberative decisions, exhibiting rationality, experiencing causality, or otherwise engaging in agentive behaviors. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Learn about St. John's College at sjc.edu/pel.
Oct 2, 2023 • 45min
Ep. 326: Guest Michael Tomasello on the Evolution of Agency (Part One)
Michael Tomasello investigates the evolution of agency in animals and the behaviors that constitute agency. The podcast explores the concept of agency, normativity, and evolution. It also discusses social interaction and cooperation, levels of agency and metacognitive monitoring, the role of agency in evolution, and the influence of agency on constructing an objective world.
Sep 25, 2023 • 56min
Ep. 325: Paul Grice on Meaning and Conversation (Part Two)
Steve Gimbell, a philosopher, discusses Paul Grice's work on meaning and conversation. They explore the difficulties of understanding conversations through transcripts and the limitations of fixed meaning in communication. They analyze the emergence of early analytic philosophy and its response to rising fascism. The significance of Grice's work in cognitive science and AI is explored, highlighting the challenges of programming computers to understand contextual nuances. They also discuss the idea of intentionally violating language rules in conversation and the importance of understanding conversational norms. The concept of conventional and nonconventional conversation is analyzed, questioning the scope of discourse and considering intentional deception in a theory of meaning.
Sep 18, 2023 • 47min
Ep. 325: Paul Grice on Meaning and Conversation (Part One)
Steve Gimbell, an expert in the field of meaning and conversation, joins the hosts to discuss Paul Grice's theories of meaning. They explore the complexities of communication, the power of imperatives, and unconventional language use in successful communication.
Sep 13, 2023 • 11min
PREMIUM-Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Three)
Mark and Wes do a Closeread on the latter part of the dialogue, where Socrates argues to Cratylus that even if names (words) were devised to somehow depict the things they stand for, that wouldn't guarantee that they ACCURATELY describe the world. You can't look at the definitions of words to learn about the world; you have to actually investigate the world directly. Closereads supporters (see patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy) can watch video for this episode and get all the Closereads content: 13 episodes so far, including new episodes on Epictetus' Discourses. This Closeread and some others are also being made available to PEL supporters. If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, you can sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
Sep 11, 2023 • 46min
Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Two)
Continuing on Plato's mid-period dialogue about language. Is attaching a word to a thing, i.e. naming it, like other activities such as carpentry or sewing that can go wrong? Can we put the "form" of a thing into letters and syllabus of its name? We go through many examples where Socrates claims to have done just that. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion.
Sep 4, 2023 • 45min
Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part One)
Exploring Plato's Cratylus, the podcast discusses language and its connection to reality, the concept of imitation, universal grammar, and language development. They also delve into the nature of change and fixed essences, the stability of forms, and Cratylus' claims about names. The podcast touches on meal kit options and charitable giving opportunities before exploring Cratylus' influence on Plato and the concept of convention. Finally, they discuss the connection between supervision, language, and Plato's dialogues.
Aug 29, 2023 • 10min
PREMIUM-PEL End-of-Summer Nightcap 2023
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.
