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
Aug 29, 2013 • 31min
PREMIUM-Episode 81: Jung on the Psyche and Dreams
On Carl Jung's "Approaching the Unconscious" from Man and His Symbols, written in 1961. What's the structure of the mind? Jung followed Freud in positing an unconscious distinct from the conscious ego, but Jung's picture has the unconscious much more stuffed full of all sorts of stuff from who knows where, including instincts (the archetypes) that tend to give rise to behavior and dream imagery that we'd have to call religious. We neglect this part of ourselves at our psychological peril! Looking for the full Citizen version?
Aug 28, 2013 • 14min
Precognition of Ep. 81: Jung
An introduction to Carl Jung's Man and His Symbols, read by Wes Alwan.
Aug 23, 2013 • 44min
Partially Examined Life Not School Digest #3: Work, Blood Meridian, Mind, and Heidegger
Excerpts of discussions about Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian, Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, and Martin Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism."
Aug 8, 2013 • 30min
PREMIUM-Episode 80: Heidegger on our Existential Situation
On Martin Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism" (1949). What's our place in the world? What is it, really, to be human? Heidegger thought that being human hinges on having a proper relationship to Being, which is more basic than particular beings like people and tables and such, yet it being so close, Heidegger thinks it's hardest to see, and easy to be distracted from. Looking for the full Citizen version?
Aug 7, 2013 • 13min
Precognition of Ep. 80: Heidegger
A short summary of Heidegger's "Essay on Humanism," read by Seth Paskin.
12 snips
Jul 15, 2013 • 30min
PREMIUM-PEL Ep 79: Heraclitus on Understanding the World
Eva Brann, an insightful author known for her work on Heraclitus, explores the philosopher's intriguing ideas. She discusses the concept of 'Logos' and the nature of flux, emphasizing how conflict and contradiction shape our understanding of the universe. Brann contrasts Heraclitus’s views on reality with those of Parmenides. She also delves into the relationship between chaos and order, highlighting their vital role in existence. This rich dialogue invites listeners to reflect on the balance of unity and diversity in their own lives.
Jul 1, 2013 • 31min
PREMIUM-Episode 78: Ayn Rand on Living Rationally
On Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (1967) and "The Objectivist Ethics" (1961). First Rand grounds everyday human knowledge, largely by dismissing the concerns of other philosophers (even those whom she unknowingly parrots) as absurd. Then she uses this certainty to argue for her semi-Nietzschean vision of Great Men who master their emotions and rely only on themselves. Looking for the full Citizen version?
Jun 9, 2013 • 30min
PREMIUM-Episode 77: Santayana on the Appreciation of Beauty
On George Santayana's The Sense of Beauty (1896). What are we saying when we call something "beautiful?" Are we pointing out an objective quality that other people (anyone?) can ferret out, or just essentially saying "yay!" without any logic necessarily behind our exclamation? The poet and philosopher Santayana thought that while aesthetic appreciation is an immediate experience--we don't "infer" the beauty of something by recognizing some natural qualities that it has--we can nonetheless analyze the experience after the fact to uncover a number of grounds on which we might appreciate something. Looking for the full Citizen version?
May 14, 2013 • 32min
PREMIUM-Episode 76: Deleuze on What Philosophy Is
On Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's What Is Philosophy? (1991). How is philosophy different from science and art? What's the relationship between different philosophies? Is better pursued solo, or in a group? Deleuze described philosophy as the creation of new concepts, whereas science is about functions that map observed regularities and art is about creating percepts and affects. With guest Daniel Coffeen. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.
Apr 19, 2013 • 33min
PREMIUM-Episode 75: Lacan & Derrida Criticize Poe’s “The Purloined Letter”
On Jacques Lacan's "Seminar on 'The Purloined Letter'" (1956), Jacques Derrida's "The Purveyor of Truth" (1975), and other essays in the collection The Purloined Poe: Lacan, Derrida, and Psychoanalytic Reading. How should philosophers approach literature? Lacan read Edgar Allen Poe's story about a sleuth who outthinks a devious Minister as an illustration of his model of the psyche, and why we persist in self-destructive patterns. Derrida thought this reading not only imposed a bunch of psychobabble onto the story, but demonstrated that Lacan just didn't know how to read a text. Get the full discussion at partiallyexaminedlife.com.
