PREVIEW-Ep. 274: Schelling on Self-Consciousness (Part Two)
Concluding on Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), Parts 1 and 2. What sort of self is created in the act of self-consciousness that according to Schelling grounds all knowledge? We further consider this primordial act. To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/07/17/ep274-2-schelling-self-consciousness-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at parti...
9m Jul 26, 2021
9m
PEL Presents NEM#152: Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) Builds His Capacity
Glen led smooth alt rock legends Toad the Wet Sprocket from '88 to '97 through six albums, has released 7 often folky solo albums (and 3 more Toad albums since their reunion) since then plus various side projects. We discuss "Old Habits Die Hard (https://amzn.to/3kIVRkX) " by Toad (a 2020 single), "Leaving Oldtown" from Swallowed by the New (https://amzn.to/3hXLZ55) (2016), and "One Wind Blows...
1hr 12m Jul 23, 2021
1hr 12m
Ep. 274: Schelling on Self-Consciousness (Part One)
On Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), Parts 1 and 2. What is self-consciousness, and how did Schelling think that it grounds all of knowledge? Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Get it now (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/07/17/ep274-2-schelling-self-consc...
52m Jul 19, 2021
52m
PEL Presents PMP#100: Directing Comedies w/ Heather Fink
Director/writer/sound operator Heather Fink (https://www.heatherfink.com/) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the role of the director in making a good comedy, covering TV vs. film, sex scenes, not telling actors how to read their lines, editing, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/prettym...
50m Jul 19, 2021
50m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Prestidigitocracy in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
The Wizard of Oz is supposed by the land’s inhabitants to be its most powerful magician. But far from having any actual power, he is not even native to the place in which real magic is in plentiful supply. Oddly, this supernatural world seems to be secretly governed by mundane sleight of hand, and growing up, for Dorothy, involves uncovering the flimsy basis of adult authority. Which magic is m...
1hr 17m Jul 18, 2021
1hr 17m
Philosophy vs. Improv: An Introductory Trailer
What is Philosophy vs. Improv? Hear about the new podcast by Mark Linsenmayer (The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/) ) and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio (https://chicagoimprovstudio.com/) , The Complete Improviser (https://amzn.to/3rsL9jP) author). Go listen to the show at philosophyimprov.com (https://philosophyimprov.com/)  or subscribe via ...
2m Jul 18, 2021
2m
PREVIEW-Ep. 273: Friedrich Schelling's Foundationalist Idealism (Part Two)
Continuing on the Introduction to Friedrich Schelling's System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), focusing on the harmony between mind and world and imputing intelligence to nature. To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/06/20/ep272-2-fichte-theology-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
10m Jul 12, 2021
10m
Ep. 273: Friedrich Schelling's Foundationalist Idealism (Part One)
On Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling’s System of Transcendental Idealism (1800). What's the relationship between mind and world? Schelling thought that our minds produce the world, but also that the perceiver-world dichotomy comes to us as a single piece. "Transcendental philosophy" is an exploration of the internal logic of that revelation. Part two of this episode is only going to be avail...
53m Jul 05, 2021
53m
PEL Presents NEM#151: Cathal Coughlan (Fatima Mansions, Microdisney): Pyschogeographic Tales
Cathal started in Ireland in 1980 with Microdisney, and after five albums with then broke that up to form Fatima Mansions in 1988. After seven albums with them, he started a solo career and has now after a decade-long hiatus (during which he released a few collaborations) has come back with his sixth solo release Song of Co-Acklan (https://amzn.to/2UE6Cu4) . We discuss "Unrealtime" and (in clos...
1hr 8m Jul 05, 2021
1hr 8m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Formulated Phrases in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”: Part 2
Wes & Erin continue their analysis of T. S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” In Part 1, they covered roughly the first third of the poem. In Part 2, they begin with a discussion of Prufrock’s coffee spoons, and then continue on to: his allusions to John the Baptist, Lazarus, and Hamlet; the disjointed portrait of his probable love interest; and the twinning of aging and fantasy in...
1hr 32m Jul 04, 2021
1hr 32m
PEL Presents PMP #97: The Girl in the Wooder: Our Mare of Easttown Show!
What distinguishes this small-town Pennsylvania murder mystery from the many other crime dramas on TV? Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the plot structure, casting, and other creative choices and try to figure out how the show relates to Broadchurch, The Undoing, etc. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/pr...
48m Jun 29, 2021
48m
PREVIEW-Ep. 272: Fichte's Idealist Theology (Part Two)
Continuing on The Vocation of Man (1799), Book II. We focus on how ethics fits in with Fichte's epistemology in a unified theology with humans literally united (in this world or the next) in a shared, divine Will. To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/06/20/ep272-2-fichte-theology-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
9m Jun 28, 2021
9m
Ep. 272: Fichte's Idealist Theology (Part One)
Our second full discussion on The Vocation of Man (1799). What are the ethical implications of believing that the world is all in our minds? You could be a solipsistic nihilist, but Fichte thinks the path of faith is unavoidable for a reasonable person: faith that the world is real and matters, that other people have moral status, and yes, he's going to argue for God and heaven, though unconve...
1hr 3m Jun 21, 2021
1hr 3m
PEL Presents NEM#150: Josh Caterer (Smoking Popes): Punk + 40s Melodies (+ Occasional Jesus)
Josh released three albums and some EPs in the 90s with his brothers as the Chicago-area punk band Smoking Popes, then became a Christian and released an album and a half as Duvall, then reformed the Smoking Popes to release three more albums since 2008. He's also released some religious material as a solo artist, and his new album is composed of live covers of classic songs and reworkings of h...
1hr 13m Jun 21, 2021
1hr 13m
PEL Presents: (sub)Text: Disturbing the Universe in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot
It was T. S. Eliot’s first published poem. Written when he was only in his early 20s, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” rode the crest of the wave of literary Modernism, predated World War I, and presaged an age of indecision and anxiety. The poem is the dramatic interior monologue of the title character, a middle-aged man whose passivity and ambivalence are threaded with artistic allusions...
1hr 3m Jun 20, 2021
1hr 3m
PREVIEW-Ep. 271: Johan Gottlieb Fichte's Transcendental Idealism (Part Two)
Continuing from part one on The Vocation of Man (1799), Book II. In this preview, we clarify whether Fichte is trying to keep the notion of a "real world" beyond our experience or not. It's part of the progression of the text that while at first he assumes that there must be something real behind this experienced world we as individuals create, he gives up that notion in the middle of Book II....
10m Jun 14, 2021
10m
Ep. 271: Johan Gottlieb Fichte's Transcendental Idealism (Part One)
On The Vocation of Man (1799), Books I and II. What is reality? Fichte's armchair journey starts him considering nature and thus himself as determined, but then he backtracks to say that actually, experience doesn't tell us whether we're determined or free. In Book II, he argues that since our experience is always of something going on in ourselves, then causality, the external world, the self...
58m Jun 07, 2021
58m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: At Home with War in "Apocalypse Now" (1979) by Francis Ford Coppola
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore doesn’t flinch for enemy fire, loves the smell of napalm in the morning, and would literally kill for good surfing and a beachside barbecue. His attempts to re-create home within the theater of war render him the perfect foil to a certain upriver madman, who seems intent on making high culture serve the purposes of primitive horror. And yet Kurtz is ready to argu...
1hr 14m Jun 06, 2021
1hr 14m
PEL Presents NEM#149: Rod Abernethy's Return to Acoustic (from Video Game Soundtracks)
Rod released his first album "Solo" in 1975, played in some bands, but after losing on Star Search, turned to soundtrack work, emerging only in 2018 with three straight albums of acoustic singer-songwriter and instrumental material. We discuss "My Father Was a Quiet Man" (and listen to "Whiskey & Pie") from Normal Isn't Normal Anymore (https://amzn.to/3geJdXj) (2021), "How to Forget" from The ...
1hr 4m Jun 04, 2021
1hr 4m
PEL Presents PMP#94: Psychology of Video Game Engagement w/ Jamie Madigan
Why do people play video games, and what keeps them playing? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by the host of the Psychology of Video Games podcast (https://www.psychologyofgames.com/podcast/) to discuss player types, motivation vs. engagement, incentives and feedback, as well as the gamification of work or school environments. We touch on Donkey Kong (https://youtu.be/4zhMlFOyZvQ) , Dark Souls...
55m Jun 03, 2021
55m
PREVIEW-Ep. 270: Classical Indian (Vedanta and Nyaya) Design Arguments for God (Part Two)
Continuing (without Stephen Phillips) on God and the World’s Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion. What does this treatment give us that's fundamentally different than the Western version of the design argument? We talk about these readings in the context of liberation and reflect on reason vs. revelation in this milieu. To hear that full second part (https://par...
11m May 31, 2021
11m
Ep. 270: Classical Indian (Vedanta and Nyaya) Design Arguments for God w/ Stephen Phillips (Part One)
On God and the World's Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion with one of its translators, Stephen Phillips (https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/philosophy/faculty/shp9) . Does nature require an intelligent designer? Śaṅkara (710 CE) and Vācaspati Miśra (960 CE), commenting on the Brahma-sūtra (ca. 200 CE) and Nyāya-sūtra (ca. 200 BCE), argue that it does against atheist...
1hr 7m May 24, 2021
1hr 7m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Unsound Methods in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”
On his journey to the heart of the Congo, Marlow learns of a famed ivory trader named Kurtz— a remarkable man; a “universal genius;” a painter, poet, and musician; a man whose success in his trade has been unparalleled, but whose “unsound methods” have put him at odds with local bureaucrats. When Marlow finally meets Kurtz, he hears firsthand the trader’s essential characteristic: a deep and co...
1hr 28m May 23, 2021
1hr 28m
PEL Presents NEM#148: David Cross (ex-King Crimson): Electric Violin Dinosaur Battles
David played in perhaps the most revered line-up of King Crimson at the end of its original run from '72-'74. He released his first "solo" album (as Low Flying Aircraft) in '87, then eight more under his own name plus several collaborations. We discuss "Predator" by Cross and Jackson from Another Day (https://amzn.to/3ubm39f) (2018), "The Pool" by The David Cross Band from Sign of the Crow (ht...
1hr 21m May 22, 2021
1hr 21m
PREVIEW-Ep. 269: Arendt on Totalitarianism (Part Two)
Continuing on two of Hannah Arendt's 1953 essays on totalitarianism. We further discuss its logic and in the full episode get into its relevance for contemporary political movements. To hear that full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/05/10/ep269-2-arendt-totalitarianism-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Sponsor: Try The Class X Podc...
10m May 17, 2021
10m
PEL Presents PMP#92: Collectibles and Collecting w/ Matt Young
What drives someone to collect Star Wars figures or Transformers or LEGOs or whatever else? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by guest Matt Young of the Hello from the Magic Tavern (https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/) and Improvised Star Trek (https://www.theimprovisedstartrek.com/) podcasts to talk about this potentially expensive and life-eating habit. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (h...
54m May 11, 2021
54m
Ep. 269: Arendt on Totalitarianism (Part One)
On "On the Nature of Totalitarianism" and On the Origins of Totalitarianism ch. 13 (both from 1953). Is totalitarianism just an especially virulent form of tyranny, or something unique to the modern age? Arendt says that unlike other forms of government, totalitarianism is not animated by an active psychological principle that motivates its participants. Instead terror is designed to make citi...
55m May 10, 2021
55m
PEL Presents NEM#147: Steve Almaas: From Punk to the Rodeo
Steve was in one of Minneapolis' first big punk bands, The Suicide Commandos, but after one album in 1977, he soon left for New York City and eventually hit it relatively big with two records on IRS as Beat Rodeo, with a solo career continuing the country-rock style beginning in 1992 through nine albums. We discuss "The Way I Treated You" (and listen to "Goodbye Nicolina," featuring The Jayhaw...
55m May 10, 2021
55m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: On the Lam with “Thelma & Louise”
Two women—one a straight-laced waitress, the other a naive housewife—leave town for a quiet weekend getaway. But after a deadly encounter with a rapist, the two become unlikely...and then increasingly confident...outlaws. Though a kindly police officer tries to convince the women to turn themselves in, their refusal to surrender to a future scripted by forces more powerful than themselves drive...
1hr 28m May 09, 2021
1hr 28m
PREVIEW-Ep. 268: Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" (Part Two)
Continuing on Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business with guest Brian Hirt. Is the written word really so much more suited for providing context than television? To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/04/25/ep268-2-postman-amusing-ourselves-to-death-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
13m May 03, 2021
13m
PEL Presents NEM#146: Nels Cline Writes Fusion (And Plays Guitar for Wilco)
Though best known as lead guitarist for Wilco since 2004, Nels has recorded 30+ instrumental albums, often as band leader. We discuss "Headdress" by The Nels Cline Singers from Share the Wealth (https://amzn.to/3dMD8Bf) (2020), "The Nomad’s Home" from Coward (https://amzn.to/2QvWzoW) (2009), and "Fives & Sixes" from his first solo release, Angelica (https://amzn.to/3aAqzHi) (1987). We conclude ...
1hr 24m May 01, 2021
1hr 24m
Ep. 268: Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" (Part One)
On Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985) with guest Brian Hirt. How does the form in which we receive media affect how we think? Education theorist Postman (building on Marshall McLuhan) claimed that television has eroded our capacity to reason and given us the expectation that everything in the world must entertain. Is this a viable piece of social co...
51m Apr 25, 2021
51m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Spiritual Matters in Chekhov's "The Student" and "A Medical Case"
In Chekhov’s stories, beautiful natural surroundings are often a setting for unnatural lives and ugly social conditions. This sets the stage for a reflection on the relationship between physical and spiritual needs. His story “The Student” suggests that material deprivation--whether it is the exhaustion of the apostle Peter or the poverty of the Russian peasant--can undermine the capacity for f...
1hr 14m Apr 25, 2021
1hr 14m
PEL Presents PMP#90: Godzilla vs. Kong vs. All the Kaiju!
Are giant monsters stomping on cities just stupid fun, or do they channel deep fears of helplessness? Do we care at all about the humans in these films? Are they legit sci-fi or political commentary? Mark, Erica, and Brian reflect on the MonsterVerse films, plus the filmic histories of Godzilla and King Kong, Pacific Rim, Colossal, The Host, Cloverfield, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpo...
50m Apr 25, 2021
50m
PEL Presents NEM#145: Jay Gonzalez: Concise but Colorful
Jay is best known as sideman for Drive-By Truckers since 2008 but has written songs for Athens bands like The Possibilities and Nutria since the 90s and has three solo releases. We discuss the title track (and listen at the end to "I Wanna Hold You") from Back to the Hive (https://jaygonzalez.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-the-hive) (2021), "%!" and "Shenorock Lane" from The Bitter Suite (https://...
1hr 5m Apr 23, 2021
1hr 5m
PREVIEW-Ep. 267: Avicenna on God and Soul w/ Peter Adamson (Part Two)
Continuing on Avicenna's arguments for the existence of God and on the soul's immateriality. What metaphysical and epistemological picture grounds these views? To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/04/10/ep267-2-avicenna-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
9m Apr 19, 2021
9m
PEL Presents PMP#89: The Chicago 7 (and the Aaron Sorkinverse)
Brian, Erica, and Mark consider one of this year's Oscar-nominated films, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the film and TV career of its writer/director Aaron Sorkin. We get into The West Wing, The Social Network, Steve Jobs, The Newsroom, and more, focusing on his recurring characters, plots based on true stories, and whether his speechifying is manipulative in the ways that we enjoy or not. F...
45m Apr 16, 2021
45m
Ep. 267: Avicenna on God and Soul w/ Peter Adamson (Part One)
On selections and commentary about Avicenna's argument from around 1020 C.E. for the existence of God as a necessary being, plus arguments to prove that God has the person-like properties that Islam imputes to him, and his "flying man" argument for the soul's essential independence from matter. Featuring Mark, Dylan, and our guest Peter Adamson from the History of Philosophy podcast (https://hi...
1hr 2m Apr 12, 2021
1hr 2m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Art and Action in Chekhov's "The House with the Mezzanine"
In this story, there are two sisters: one introverted, frail, and bookish; the other dominant, opinionated, and politically active. In meeting them, an accomplished artist seems to be confronted with a dilemma. Should art subordinate itself to the project of creating a just society? Or should it focus on serving more spiritual needs? These questions make Chekhov’s “The House with the Mezzanine”...
1hr 20m Apr 11, 2021
1hr 20m
PEL Presents PMP#88: Indie Animation w/ Benjamin Goldman
Animation is so labor-intensive that it seems designed for corporate domination a la Disney. Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by animator Benjamin Goldman (https://www.benjamingoldmanpictures.com/) to discuss doing animation on your own. What qualifies as "indie?" What are we as adult viewers looking from this medium? How do images relate to narration? How realistic should the animation look?...
48m Apr 11, 2021
48m
PEL Presents NEM#144: Dennis Davison (The Jigsaw Seen): How Much Is Enough?
Dennis fronted the Baltimore punk band Ebenezer and The Bludgeons in the late 70s, and after some transitional projects moved to L.A. where his '60s-ish guitar pop band The Jigsaw Seen released nine albums from 1989-2015. We discuss "Museum Piece" (and listen to "Shadow on a Tall Tree" at the end) from his debut solo album, The Book Of Strongman (https://amzn.to/2P221iV) (2020); "Idiots with G...
1hr 3m Apr 10, 2021
1hr 3m
PREVIEW-Ep. 266: Jonathan Lear's Plato: Psyche and Society (Part Two)
Continuing on Lear's Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul (1988). Our highlight is about the relation between the three parts of the soul: which (if any) is basic? To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/03/28/ep266-2-jonathan-lear-plato-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
11m Apr 05, 2021
11m
Ep. 266: Jonathan Lear's Plato: Psyche and Society (Part One)
On essays from Lear's Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul (1988): "Inside and Outside the Republic," "Eros and Unknowing: The Psychoanalytic Significance of Plato’s Symposium," and "An Interpretation of Transference," which compares Socrates' questioning with psychotherapy. Is Plato's analogy between mind and state in The Republic a good one? What can we learn from it about what mak...
57m Mar 29, 2021
57m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Nipped by Love in Chekhov's "The Lady with the Little Dog"
Dmitri Gurov does not take love seriously. His wife annoys him, long-term relationships scare him, and his love life consists of brief affairs with women he meets at vacation resorts. In Anna, he finds someone who appears to be the usual victim—traveling alone, tired of her husband, and unlikely to make any effective demands for intimacy, something that seems to be revealed in the diminutive po...
1hr 9m Mar 28, 2021
1hr 9m
PEL Presents PMP#86: What Irish Means w/ Black 47's Larry Kirwan
St. Patrick's Day has passed: What sort of representation of Ireland has made it to the U.S. through such celebrations? Who gets to decide what's authentically Irish? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by writer and musician (http://www.black47.com/) Larry to talk about his immigrant experience, covering history, music, humor, language, slurs, stereotypes, and his new book Rockaway Blue (https:...
44m Mar 28, 2021
44m
PEL Presents NEM#143: In Search of Eric Dover (Imperial Drag, Slash’s Snakepit, etc.)
After joining Jellyfish in 1993 just before its demise, Eric's big break came when he was asked to sing for Slash's Snakepit. He then returned to Roger Manning from Jellyfish for an album as Imperial Drag, worked as sideman (e.g. for Alice Cooper) and studio guy and had two releases as Sextus. He's now back with Roger in The Lickerish Quartet, which released two EPs. We discuss "The Dream That...
1hr 5m Mar 27, 2021
1hr 5m
PREVIEW-Ep. 265: Plato's "Phaedo": Philosophy as Training for Death (Part Two)
Continuing on the Phaedo, we start with a point from Plato's physics that's supposed to hep prove the immortality of the soul, then lay out his theory of Forms. To hear the full second part (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/03/15/ep265-2-plato-phaedo-citizen/) , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
11m Mar 22, 2021
11m
Ep. 265: Plato's "Phaedo": Philosophy as Training for Death (Part One)
On Plato's middle dialogue depicting the death of Socrates (390 BCE) depicting the death of Socrates. Should philosophers fear death? In the course of giving arguments for the immortality of the soul, we get an elaboration of the recollection theory of knowledge (from the Meno) into Plato's first full account of Forms. But how literally are we supposed to take the words of Socrates as he comfo...
50m Mar 15, 2021
50m
PEL Presents PMP#84: Musician Memoirs w/ Laura Davis-Chanin
Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest memoir author Laura talk about the appeal of this type of book whose production has exploded in recent years. We each read a book, covering Elvis Costello (https://amzn.to/3063V3J) , Carrie Brownstein (https://amzn.to/3kFyzum) , Ozzy Osbourne (https://amzn.to/3sOgbCt) , and Debby Harry (https://amzn.to/3e6KCQ2) respectively. How are these better than a film depicti...
48m Mar 14, 2021
48m
PEL Presents PMP#85: What the WandaVision!? w/ Rolando Nieves
The debut Disney+ Marvel series is... a tribute to classic sit-coms? Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest Rolando (https://www.rolandonievesmedia.com/) try to figure out whether this experiment was successful, whether you have to be a die-hard to get it, and the potential for future oddball superhero outings.. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this...
48m Mar 09, 2021
48m