Pretty Much Pop #14: UFOs on TV with Investigative Journalist Paul Beban
TV news reporter Paul Beban (https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbeban) (ABC, Al Jazeera, Yahoo, and now featured on the Discovery Network's Contact (https://www.discovery.com/shows/contact) ) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss the appeal of UFO narratives. Do you have to believe to be entertained? What's the connection to humor, religion, and anti-government venom? For more, visit prettymuchp...
39m Oct 08, 2019
39m
Ep. 227: What Is Social Construction? (Hacking, Berger) (Part One)
On Ian Hacking’s The Social Construction of What (1999) and Peter Berger's “Religion and World Construction" (1967). Guest Coleman Hughes from Dilemma (https://thisis42.com/discover/dilemma-podcast.html) joins us to survey the types of social construction arguments: the "culture wars" (e.g. race, gender) and the "science wars" (scientific findings are not read off the world but emerge from hist...
46m Oct 07, 2019
46m
NEM#106: John Colpitts (aka Kid Millions/Man Forever): Heavy Meditations
John founded the Brooklyn space-rock cooperative Oneida in the mid 90s and has put out 13 albums with them plus four as his solo project Man Forever and several others as collaborations or as Kid Millions. We discuss two tracks by Man Forever from Play What They Want (https://amzn.to/3571D5S) (2017): "You Were Never Here" and "Twin Torches" (feat. Laurie Anderson), then Oneida's "All in Due Tim...
1hr 13m Oct 04, 2019
1hr 13m
Pretty Much Pop #13: TV Revivals Revived!
Revivals (not to be confused with reboots) can bring us back to the comfort of old friends, who are now really old. But is reviving a show really ever a good idea? Mark, Erica, and Brian consider some successes, failures, and hypotheticals. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast i...
40m Oct 01, 2019
40m
Ep. 226: Francis Bacon Invents Science (Part Two)
Continuing on Sir Francis Bacon's New Organon (1620). We cover more of Bacon's "idols" and how Bacon divides religion from science (and what this means politically). We then move on to book 2, including Bacon's novel update of the term "form," and take a look at Bacon's method of doing science by filling out tables before actually doing experiments. Start with part one (https://partiallyexamine...
1hr 4m Sep 30, 2019
1hr 4m
Pretty Much Pop #12: Once Upon a Tarantino Film
Wes Alwan (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/author/wes/) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood in the context of Tarantino's other films (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino_filmography#Film) . We consider T's strange sense of pacing, his comic violence, his historical revisionism, and casting choices. Is this a brilliant film ...
47m Sep 24, 2019
47m
Ep. 226: Francis Bacon Invents Science (Part One)
On Sir Francis Bacon's New Organon (1620). Bacon claims to have developed a new toolset that will open up nature to inquiry in a way that wasn't possible for ancient and modern natural philosophy. Mark, Wes, and Dylan consider how much what Bacon describes resembles modern scientific method, talk through Bacon's "four idols" that interfere with impartial inquiry, and consider how Bacon's method...
44m Sep 23, 2019
44m
NEM#105: Wayne Hussey (The Mission): Salad Daze to Mission Accomplished
Wayne started in the late 70s, was on the first Dead or Alive Album, made his name as guitarist for The Sisters of Mercy's first full album, then led The Mission UK from 1986 through 11 albums plus two solo albums and some collaborations. We discuss "Wither on the Vine" from Songs of Candlelight & Razorblades (2014), then two Mission songs: "Phantom Pain" from Another Fall from Grace (2016) and...
1hr 19m Sep 20, 2019
1hr 19m
Pretty Much Pop #11: The Live Music Experience
Dave Hamilton (from Gig Gab (https://www.giggabpodcast.com/) ) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to weigh concert-going (and theater-going) against the technological alternatives. Why are tickets so pricey? Do tribute bands fulfill our needs? Should audiences ideally be on drugs? These are but a few of the questions we breeze through. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . H...
49m Sep 17, 2019
49m
Ep. 225: Simone Weil on War and Oppression (Part Two)
Continuing on Simone Weil's essays "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" (1939) and "Analysis of Oppression" (1934) with guest Corey Mohler (https://existentialcomics.com/) . We talk about the self-contradictions of power, why oppression and war are so intractable, and her positive solution (what there is of it here). Weil cuts through our left-right political dichotomy in a way that might interest...
1hr 2m Sep 16, 2019
1hr 2m
Pretty Much Pop #10: The Handmaid's Tale
Mark, Erica, and Brian take on both Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel plus the TV series, getting into the transition from page to screen, taking the work as political speech vs. art, Atwood's phenomenology and neologisms (prayvaganza!), plus the roles of race and (lack of) comic relief in the story. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode ...
47m Sep 10, 2019
47m
Ep. 225: Simone Weil on War and Oppression (Part One)
On Simone Weil's essays "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" (1939) and "Analysis of Oppression" (1934). How do circumstances oppress and dehumanize us? Weil describes the mechanisms that keep people at war and maintain oppression even through revolutions as inherent to the logic of power. With guest Corey Mohler (https://existentialcomics.com/) . Don't wait for part two; get the full, ad-free Cit...
48m Sep 09, 2019
48m
NEM#104: Dave Schramm: The Return of the Schramms
Dave was the original guitarist for Yo La Tengo in the mid '80s and left to lead The Schramms for six albums plus two solo albums while being an in-demand guitarist supporting artists like Freedy Johnston, Richard Buckner, Kate Jacobs and Chris Stamey. We discuss three Schramms songs, "Faith is a Dusty Word" from Omnidirectional (2019), "I'll Believe" from 100 Questions (2000), and "Wild Innoce...
56m Sep 07, 2019
56m
Pretty Much Pop #9: Cartoons with Dee Bradley Baker (Clone Wars, American Dad)
Are cartoons an inherently juvenile art form? A guilty pleasure when viewed by adults? Dee (https://www.deebaker.com/) , whose voice can be heard in substantial portion of today's cartoons (especially animal/monster noises like Boots in the new big-screen adaptation of Dora the Explorer or Momo and Appa in The Last Airbender), defends cartoons as providing primal delights of humor, justice, and...
55m Sep 03, 2019
55m
Ep. 224: Kierkegaard Critiques The Present Age (Part Two)
Continuing on "The Present Age" (1846), plus Hubert Dreyfus’s "Nihilism on the Information Highway: Anonymity vs. Commitment in the Present Age" (2004) with guest John Ganz (https://muckrack.com/john-ganz) . Does K's critique actually apply to our present age? We address K's view of humor, romance, authenticity, actual community vs. "the public," the leveling that occurs without anyone specific...
1hr 6m Sep 02, 2019
1hr 6m
Pretty Much Pop #8: Spider-Man: Far From Home (and Elsewhere)
Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss the function of super-hero films and how this new one fits in. Do we need "realism" in such stories? When does a premise like this get too old to keep recycling? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast is part of the Par...
50m Aug 27, 2019
50m
Ep. 224: Kierkegaard Critiques The Present Age (Part One)
On Soren Kierkegaard's essay "The Present Age" (1846) and Hubert Dreyfus’s "Nihilism on the Information Highway: Anonymity vs. Commitment in the Present Age" (2004). What's wrong with our society? Kierkegaard saw the advent of the press and gossip culture as engendering a systematic passivity and shallowness in his fellows, and Dreyfus thinks this is an even more apt description of the Internet...
49m Aug 26, 2019
49m
Pretty Much Pop #7: Native Representation with Jonathan Joss (King of the Hill, Parks & Rec)
Jonathan (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0430885/) built his career playing 19th century Indians on horseback, was John Redcorn III in King of the Hill, Chief Ken Hotate in Parks and Recreation, was featured in The Magnificent Seven and True Grit, and is currently playing Sitting Bull in Annie Get Your Gun (http://www.baystreet.org/calendar/annie-get-your-gun/) (also featuring Erica) in Sag Harbor...
41m Aug 20, 2019
41m
Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part Two)
We talk with Ned about a second Blockheads (2019) article, Michael Tyle's “Homunculi Heads and Silicon Chips: The Importance of History to Phenomenology," which provides a variation off of the David Chalmers fading qualia argument, and then Mark, Seth, Dylan, and Wes continue exploring the details uncovered by our interview after Ned leaves. Listen to part one (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com...
56m Aug 19, 2019
56m
NEM#103: Homer Flynn on The Residents' 50 Years
The Residents were formed in 1969 and have released around 50 albums of theatrical, experimental music with humor and humanity. They're great to freak people out with. The band is anonymous; Homer is the head of their management arm, The Cryptic Corporation. We discuss "Good Vibes" from Intruders (2019), "Blue Rosebuds," from Duck Stab (1978) and the live Shadowland (2014), "Kiss of Flesh" from...
1hr 20m Aug 16, 2019
1hr 20m
Pretty Much Pop #6: Adults Playing Video Games
Ian Maio (who's worked in e-sports marketing) joins Erica, Brian and Mark to talk about why adults play video games, types of gamers, gaming disorders, gamer shaming, inclusivity, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast is part of the Partia...
58m Aug 13, 2019
58m
Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part One)
The climax and denouement of our summer philosophy of mind series: Ned Block visits to fill in the gaps about functionalism and attributing consciousness to machines and discuss essays from Blockheads (2019), focusing here on Brian McLaughlin’s “Could an Android be Sentient?” Don't wait for part 2! Get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/08/12/ep223-ned...
52m Aug 12, 2019
52m
NEM#102: John Andrew Fredrick (The Black Watch): Literary Anglophilia
John has released 17 albums and 5 EPs of guitar-based post-punk as the Black Watch since 1988. He's also an English professor who's published 5 books.   We discuss "Eustacia's Dream" from Magic Johnson (2019), "Emily, Are You Sleeping?" from Led Zeppelin Five (2011), "Inner City Garden" from The Hypnotizing Sea (2005), and premiere "Much of a Muchness" from the forthcoming Crying All the Time E...
1hr 7m Aug 10, 2019
1hr 7m
Pretty Much Pop #5: True Crime with Lucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless (Xena the Warrior Princess, currently starring in My Life Is Murder) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to think about the true crime genre, of both the documentary and dramatized variety. What's the appeal? Why do women in particular gravitate to it? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at http...
53m Aug 06, 2019
53m
Ep. 222: Debating Functionalism (Block, Chalmers) (Part Two)
Continuing on Ned Block's "Troubles with Functionalism" (1978) and David Chalmers's "Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia" (1995). What would it be like to be halfway between person and machine? If you think the machine can't have consciousness, then Chalmers thinks that there's no sensible way to describe such an experience, ergo the machine (if functionally equivalent to the person) m...
56m Aug 05, 2019
56m
Pretty Much Pop #4: "Chernobyl" and the Art of Suffering
Mark, Erica, and Brian consider the HBO mini-series, plus "based on a true story" and why do we enjoy witnessing suffering? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/) podcast net...
45m Jul 30, 2019
45m
Ep. 222: Debating Functionalism (Block, Chalmers) (Part One)
On Ned Block's "Troubles with Functionalism" (1978) and David Chalmers's "Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia" (1995). If mental states are functional states, there couldn't be zombies. Yet Block claims that there could be zombies: for example, a functional duplicate of you whose components are actually citizens of China obeying algorithmic rules. Even if the resulting system acts like...
53m Jul 29, 2019
53m
Room 20 Podcast Promo by The Partially Examined Life
A sample of a cool, new podcast you might like, relevant to our current philosophy of mind series. Look for the Room 20 podcast on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/room-20/id1473207217) , Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wondery/room-20) , or wherever you get your podcasts. Room 20 is a podcast by wondery.com (https://wondery.com/shows/room-20/) , a sponsor of The...
9m Jul 29, 2019
9m
NEM#101: Helen Money (Alison Chesley): Rock Cellist
Alison was studying classical music when she joined Jason Narducy in 1994 in a duet that grew into two Verbow albums. She's since recorded four solo cello albums and been a guest musician on over 100 albums, playing with Bob Mould, Superchunk, Anthrax, Broken Social Scene, etc. We discuss "Become Zero" and "Vanished Star" from Become Zero (2016), then "Beautiful Friends" from Arriving Angels (2...
58m Jul 27, 2019
58m
Pretty Much Pop #3: CONFORM w/ Yakov Smirnoff
Is media trying to brainwash us into being ALL THE SAME? Are the excesses of the mob scaring us into conformity? Mark, Erica, and Brian muse on cultural homogenization and are joined by comedian Dr. Yakov Smirnoff to talk about growing up in a repressive society and the shadow of political correctness over comedy. For more about this podcast, see prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . ...
1hr 14m Jul 23, 2019
1hr 14m
Ep. 221: Functionalist Theories of Mind (Putnam, Armstrong) (Part Two)
Continuing on functionalism with David M. Armstrong’s "The Causal Theory of the Mind" (1981). Your four hosts start afresh the day after Part One (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/07/15/ep221-1-functionalism-putnam/) on Putnam to discuss this version of functionalism that is supposed to clear the way for the scientific identification of mental states with brain states. Mental states are d...
1hr 12m Jul 22, 2019
1hr 12m
Pretty Much Pop #2: Binge Watching
What counts as binge watching? Why do we do it? Is it bad for us? Mark, Erica, and Brian think about what we get out of binge watching, whether it’s bad for us, what kind of shows taste better in bulk than others, and much more. For more about this podcast, see prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode, and more episodes in advance, at https://www.patre...
55m Jul 17, 2019
55m
Ep. 221: Functionalist Theories of Mind (Putnam, Armstrong) (Part One)
On Hilary Putnam's "The Nature of Mental States" (1973). What is the mind? Functionalist theories identify the mental with not with the brain exactly, but with something the brain does. So some other creature without a brain (maybe a computer) might be able to do that same thing if it could duplicate the structure of what our brains do. Is this a satisfying account of the mind? Don't wait for p...
54m Jul 15, 2019
54m
Pretty Much Pop #1: Pop Culture vs. High Culture
What is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both? Welcome to this new pop culture podcast hosted by Mark Linsenmayer, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt. This episode also features Tyler Hislop, our editor. For more, see prettymuchpop.com. Get involved from the start at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. We'll solicit your input for our episode...
44m Jul 14, 2019
44m
Ep. 220: 10-Year Retrospective of The Partially Examined Life
Mark, Seth, Dylan, and Wes reflect on the changing state of podcasting and public philosophy over the last decade, how our goals and interests have changed since we started we started. Why don't colleges pay their faculty to educate the public through regular, broadcasted conversations like ours? If you think we're snarky, take a look at actual philosophy faculty! Should we continue to do more ...
1hr 13m Jul 05, 2019
1hr 13m
Ep. 219: The Harder Problem of Consciousness (Block & Papineau)
On Ned Block's "The Harder Problem of Consciousness" (2002) and David Papineau's "Could There Be a Science of Consciousness?" (2003). What would give us sufficient reason to believe that a non-human was conscious? Block thinks this is a harder problem that we might suspect. We can't know for sure exactly what consciousness in us is, so we can't know for sure what such a being might require (a b...
1hr 25m Jul 01, 2019
1hr 25m
Episode 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers et al) (Part Two)
Continuing on "Consciousness and Its Place in Nature" by David Chalmers (2003). We finish Chalmers's account of the types of physicialism, then move on to dualism (including epiphenomenalism), and finally dally with panpsychism, the specialty of our guest, Gregory Miller (https://gregmillerphilosophy.com/) from the Panpsycast (https://thepanpsycast.com/) . Listen to part 1 (https://partiallyexa...
53m Jun 24, 2019
53m
NEM#100: Dan Stuart Faces Truth and Writes Fiction in Mexico
Dan fronted Arizona cow-punk band Green on Red from 1979 to 1992, releasing seven albums and three EPs, and has since released four solo albums and some collaborations, growing increasingly literary, with two of his recent albums accompanied by novels. We discuss two tracks from The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings (2018): "A Killer Now" and "Sky Harbor," plus "La Passionaria" from Can o’...
1hr 9m Jun 21, 2019
1hr 9m
Episode 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers et al) (Part One)
>On "Consciousness and Its Place in Nature" by David Chalmers (2003), with special guest Gregory Miller (https://gregmillerphilosophy.com/) from the Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast (https://thepanpsycast.com/) . Can we explain human experience using the terms of brain physiology? Chalmers thinks not, and lays out the arguments against this and the range of positions philosophers have taken in res...
57m Jun 17, 2019
57m
REISSUE-PEL Ep 21: Mind: Turing/Ryle/Nagel/Searle/Dennett (w 2019 Intro)
Discussing articles by Alan Turing, Gilbert Ryle, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, and Dan Dennett. What is this mind stuff, and how can it "be" the brain? Can computers think? What is it like to be a bat? With guest Marco Wise. Plus a new intro by Mark, Wes, and Seth reflecting back on this 2010 discussion, which we're re-releasing to help you prepare for our upcoming episodes in this area. End Song...
2hr 34m Jun 10, 2019
2hr 34m
(sub)Text #1: Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”: Poesis as Revenge Forsaken
At last, the full, public release of this discussion between Wes Alwan and Bill Youmans covering Shakespeare's 1611 play about revenge, forgiveness, and authorship. Or maybe it's about exploitation, or how we react to changes in status, or perhaps how a liberal education can give you magical powers! Listen and decide for yourself!
1hr 10m Jun 08, 2019
1hr 10m
Episode 217: Discussing Calderón's "Life Is a Dream"
On the 1636 comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, considering destiny (Christian vs. Ancient Greek), skepticism, meta-theater, and the ethic of honor. Listen to our performance first (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/05/27/la-vida-es-sueno-calderon/) . With guests Bill Youmans and Erica Spyres. End song: "Pulling Apart" by Jonathan Segel (https://music.jsegel.com/) . Hear him on Nakedly E...
1hr 49m Jun 03, 2019
1hr 49m
Glimpse: Machiavellian Politics (for Partially Examined Life #14)
Does politics have to be Machiavellian? Do you have to be ruthless to succeed? Given our treatment of Game of Thrones (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/05/20/ep216-game-of-thrones/) and Life Is a Dream (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/05/27/la-vida-es-sueno-calderon/) , and the way in which end-justifying-the-means logic plays endlessly in our real-life political situation, it's ti...
9m Jun 02, 2019
9m
NEM#99: Globelamp (Elizabeth LeFay): Raw, Psychedelic Folk
Elizabeth got her start in the psych-punk band Meowtain in Olympia, WA, emerged as Globelamp in 2011 with an EP, was briefly a touring member of Foxygen, and has put out three albums since 2014. We discuss "Everything's a Spiral" and listen to "Black Tar" from Romantic Cancer (2018), "Controversial/Confrontational" from The Orange Glow (2015), and "Warrior" from Star Dust (2014). Intro: "Hex" f...
1hr Jun 02, 2019
1hr
PEL Players Perform "La Vida Es Sueño" by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Your hosts are joined by real actors to do an unrehearsed read of the 1635 comedy by Calderón, using Stanley Appelbaum's 2002 translation. Ep. 217 will cover the philosophical issues the play raises. Recorded in NYC on 4/7: Talene Monahon (Rosaura), David Epstein (Segismundo), Bill Youmans (Clotaldo), Erica Spyres (Estrella), Chris Martin (Basilio), Mark Linsenmayer (Clarín), Seth Paskin (Astol...
2hr 20m May 27, 2019
2hr 20m
PREVIEW-Ep 216 Game of Thrones' Fantasy Politics (Part Two)
Get teased re. Mark and Wes's post-finale, spoiler-filled continuation of the discussion of the show. How does its conclusion affect its overall political message? Does it make sense to be performing feminist critiques on a show based on the premise of people murdering each other for power? To hear the full discussion, become a PEL Citizen (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/05/23/ep216-fol...
5m May 23, 2019
5m
Episode 216: Game of Thrones' Fantasy Politics
Discussing the TV show (2011-2019) based on the books by George R.R. Martin. What's the role of a mass-consumed fantasy series in today's society? Is it our "fantasy" to have all these horrible things happen to us? Is this an edifying prompt to engage in public moral thinking, or a spectacular distraction of the kind that those Marxist theorists keep warning us about? We get into the function o...
1hr 25m May 20, 2019
1hr 25m
NEM#98: Phil Judd Entertains Himself
Phil founded New Zealand's Split Enz with Tim Finn in 1972, recorded a seminal punk single with Suburban Reptiles, had an Australian #1 hit with The Swingers, then moved to solo and soundtrack work until 2006, since which he's recorded five thickly textured solo albums including extensive one-man-band work. We discuss the title track from Flightless Bird (2019), "Kite Flying Day" from Play It S...
1hr 7m May 17, 2019
1hr 7m
Episode 215: Brave New World: PEL Live 10th Anniversary Show
On Aldous Huxley’s 1932 dystopian novel, recorded at Manhattan's Caveat on 4/6/19, with audience participation. If we harness the power of society to employ available technologies to really focus on making people happy, what would the result be? This is Huxley's thought experiment, but is it in all respects a dystopia, and is it a fair test of the ideal of social improvement or merely of a flaw...
1hr 38m May 13, 2019
1hr 38m
Episode 214: More Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part Two)
Concluding Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885). What's the wise way to live? We start in earnest into part three, treating the "spirit of gravity" where socially-imposed values cover over your uniqueness, omni-satisfaction vs. being choosy, "Old and New Tablets" where Nietzsche explores various ethical and meta-ethical issues (e.g. is self-overcoming a matter of one-time self-ac...
1hr 21m May 06, 2019
1hr 21m