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
Nov 10, 2023 • 10min
PREMIUM-Ep. 328: Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part Three)
Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth discuss Mounk's book 'The Identity Trap' and evaluate ideologies. They explore evaluating intellectual ideas, characterizing culture, and critiquing ideologies like wokeness. The hosts delve into liberalism, government's role in imposing values, and arbitrating different intuitions. Support the podcast.
4 snips
Nov 6, 2023 • 58min
Ep. 328: Guest Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part Two)
Yascha Mounk, an Author and Scholar, discusses the debate between classical liberalism and identity politics. The topics covered include cultural appropriation, free speech, racial segregation in schools, and the importance of empathy and imagination. The speaker reflects on the significance of this debate and argues for the importance of holding on to basic liberal notions.
16 snips
Oct 30, 2023 • 51min
Ep. 328: Guest Yascha Mounk Against Identity Politics (Part One)
Guest Yascha Mounk, an intellectual historian and defender of philosophical liberalism, discusses the drawbacks and dangers of identity politics, the use of essentialist notions of identity in contemporary politics, the problematic relationship to truth, the relationship between ideas and ideological critiques, the challenges of identity politics and the response of liberal democratic structures, and a discussion on standpoint theory and authentic voices.
Oct 28, 2023 • 12min
PREMIUM-PEL Fall Nightcap 2023
Topics discussed include bullshit in philosophy, expressing truths through bodily movement, horror movies, and the role of identity politics in hypocritical behavior.
Oct 23, 2023 • 52min
Ep. 327: Harry Frankfurt on Bullsh*t and Authenticity (Part Two)
Delving into Harry Frankfurt's essay on bullshit and authenticity, they explore the significance of truth, sincerity, and honesty. They discuss the importance of what we care about and its role in personal projects, relationships, and ideals. They delve into volitional necessity and its association with freedom, as well as the relationship between caring and the will. The podcast also explores belief, rituals, and bullshit psychology, and discusses surprising essays and definitions of deception.
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.
