PEL Presents NEM#156: Emma-Jean Thackray's Modern Mix of Jazz, R&B, and More
Emma-Jean is a trumpeter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and techie who runs her own label. She's had five releases since 2016. We discuss "Say Something" (and listen at the end to "Spectre"  from Yellow (https://amzn.to/3u2dcbv) (2021), "Open - Remix feat. Blu" (a 2020 single (https://amzn.to/3CleK2V) ), and "Um" from Um Yang (https://amzn.to/3ErjHsY) (2020). Intro: "Baro Bop" from Walrus (htt...
1hr 16m Sep 27, 2021
1hr 16m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Sex and Tech in "Alien" by Ridley Scott
The Nostromo is a labyrinthine spaceship, a hulking ore refinery run on a sophisticated computer operating system and manned by a crew of seven. But somehow it’s not the most impressive piece of technology in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien. That distinction belongs to the title character, an organism with blood of acid and two sets of jaws, highly-evolved, adaptable to any climate. Its scientif...
1hr 14m Sep 27, 2021
1hr 14m
PEL Presents PMP#105: The Death of Soap Operas (Is Greatly Exaggerated)
Mark is joined by novelist Sarahlyn Bruck (https://sarahlynbruck.com/) and playwright Kayla Dryesse (https://prettymuchpop.com/2021/02/24/pmp83-disabled-representation/) to discuss the conventions, evolution, and influence of daytime soaps. Are they actually terrible, or is critical dismissal of them largely sexist? Are prestige TV shows like Downton Abbey and White Orchid really just soaps in ...
56m Sep 26, 2021
56m
REISSUE-Ep 36: Hegel on the Social Dimension of Self-Consciousness
For our final 2021 installment on G.W.F. Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, we give you a second episode originally posted in 2011, where Mark and Seth continue from ep. 35 (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/09/13/reissue-ep35-hegel-self-consciousness/) with guest Tom McDonald to cover the rest of chapter 4, focusing on sections 178-230. We cover the famous "master and slave" parable, plus ...
1hr 28m Sep 20, 2021
1hr 28m
PEL Presents PvI#11: The Trolley Opportunity
Bill gets to have the power of live and death, with a bit of moral luck. Is he enthused? Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/) . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com (https://chicagoimprovstudio.com/) . Hear more PvI (http://philosophyimprov.com/) . Support the podcast (https://philosophyimprov.com/support) to get our post-ga...
36m Sep 19, 2021
36m
REISSUE-Ep 35: Hegel on Self-Consciousness (w/ New Intro)
We re-introduce an episode from ten years ago that's long been behind our paywall on G.F.W. Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit, Ch. 4A, "Self-Consciousness," which features guest Tom McDonald. We've removed the "review" section of the old episode (the first half), because it's duplicative of our recent three-episode run (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/08/01/ep275-1-hegel-phenomenology-of-...
1hr 17m Sep 13, 2021
1hr 17m
PEL Presents NEM#155: Melvin Gibbs Protests w/ Bass, Jazz Composition, Production, Sound Design
Melvin has played bass on over 200 albums since 1980 in the worlds of jazz, rock, and hip-hop, and has numerous songwriting credits, playing with Defunkt, Arto Lindsay, Henry Rollins, Bernie Worrell, Vernon Reid, etc. We discuss his solo tune featuring Kokayi "Get Some" from 4+1 Equals 5 for May 25 (https://amzn.to/3BQ6ZCb) (2021), the title track from The Terror End Of Beauty (https://amzn.to...
1hr 11m Sep 13, 2021
1hr 11m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Dead Wall Reveries in "Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville
Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is subtitled a “Story of Wall St.,” yet there is almost nothing in it of the bustle of city life, and entirely nothing in it of the hustle of the trading floor. The story’s walls block out the streets, serving on the one hand as a container for a colorful assortment of human Xerox machines, on the other as a blank projection screen for the reveries of a man w...
57m Sep 11, 2021
57m
PEL Presents PMP#104: King Arthur Reigns O'er Pop Culture
With the recent theatrical release of The Green Knight, Mark and Brian along with Den of Geek's David Crow (https://www.denofgeek.com/author/david-crow/) and the very British Al Baker (https://prettymuchpop.com/2020/06/23/pmp49-conspiracy-theories/) consider the range of cinematic Arthuriana, including Excalibur (1981), Camelot (1967), King Arthur (2004), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)...
59m Sep 09, 2021
59m
PEL Special: Nightcap Early September 2021
A little political ranting precedes a consideration of what we might read in aesthetics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of sport. What do we remember about emotions? Finally, Seth's morbid interests and Devo. If you enjoy this kind of free-form discussion, you can get it on the reg by becoming a PEL Citizen via one of the methods identified at https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
30m Sep 06, 2021
30m
PREMIUM-Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part Two)
Continuing on The Phenomenology of Spirit, ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." We start off by considering the players in force: the thing exerting the force and the thing receiving. By arguing that these are not so different, Hegel moves to arguing that knowledge and the world are likewise not sharply distinguished. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion (htt...
12m Sep 06, 2021
12m
Ep. 277: Hegel on Our Understanding of Physics (Part One)
On The Phenomenology of Spirit, ch. 3, "Force and the Understanding." What is "force" as physics describes it? And scientific law? Do these terms denote objects in the world, or models for how we describe the world? Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts (http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/th...
57m Aug 30, 2021
57m
PEL Presents PMP#103: Queering Video Games w/ Naomi Clark
"Queering" doesn't just mean adding LGBTQ+ representation to games; it's disruption of norms through added player freedom. Mark and guest co-host Tyler engage game designer Naomi Clark (https://gamecenter.nyu.edu/faculty/naomi-clark/) on sandbox games, character creation, how games train us, glitches, speed runs, and more, touching on The Sims, The Last of Us, Cyberbpunk, Mass Effect, and her ...
59m Aug 30, 2021
59m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Cursed Kids or Psych-Au Pair? "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James
The story begins and ends with two variations on the meaning of the title. On the one hand, to give another turn of the screw is to ratchet up the horror of a good ghost story, in this case by involving children in it. On the other, it’s to treat the cause of that horror as if it were just another of life’s many obstacles, to be overcome both by screwing one’s courage to the sticking place, and...
1hr 27m Aug 28, 2021
1hr 27m
PREMIUM-Ep. 276: Hegel on Perception (Part Two)
Focusing on The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 2 "Perception." Hegel's critique of the adequacy of perceptual knowledge has metaphysical aspects: The relation of substance to properties, properties to each other, and things to other things and to the perceiver all create difficulties that call for more active participation by the mind. If you're not hearing the full version of this part ...
11m Aug 23, 2021
11m
PEL Presents NEM#154: Chris Connelly (ex-Revolting Cocks/Ministry): From Apocalyptic Industrials to Poets in Love
Chris started in the Scottish electronic band Finitribe in the early '80s and then moved to Chicago in 1988, doing stints in Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Pigface, et al, before embarking on a 23-album solo career. We discuss "A Phantom Marriage" from The Birthday Poems (https://amzn.to/2W6RQga) (2021) feat. Monica Queen, the title track from Bloodhounds (https://amzn.to/37X9zct) (2018), "De Test...
1hr 18m Aug 20, 2021
1hr 18m
PEL Presents PMP#102: What the Pop? Season 1 Wrap-Up
After 101 episodes and a bit over two years, Mark, Erica, and Brian reflect on what we've learned and set a course for the future. What have we determined about how and why we consume? What's the relation between consumption and creativity? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/) . Hear bonus content for this episode at https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop. Sponsor: Get...
54m Aug 19, 2021
54m
PEL Presents Philosophy vs. Improv #7: Meritocracy Now!
Does it make sense to try to have everyone get what they "deserve"? Your hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Bill Arnett (Chicago Improv Studio (https://chicagoimprovstudio.com/) ) act out the desert machine but yet get no predictable cake. Hear more PvI at philosophyimprov.com (http://philosophyimprov.com/) . Support the podcast (http://philosophyimprov.com/support) to get bonus stuff and good karma!
39m Aug 16, 2021
39m
Ep. 276: Hegel on Perception (Part One)
On The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), ch. 1 "Sense Certainty" and ch. 2 "Perception." We walk through the first step in considering Hegel's dialectical analysis of theories of knowledge. Sense-certainty claims that we have direct access to sensory particulars which can act as foundational. But can we really refer or point to a particular thing without bringing some universal concepts to bear,...
1hr 3m Aug 16, 2021
1hr 3m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Gentility and Injustice in "Gone with the Wind" (1939)
Gone with the Wind— adjusted for inflation, the highest-grossing film in American history— has undergone several critical reappraisals in the 82 years since its production and release. Certainly the film romanticizes the Antebellum South and the Confederacy while glossing over the evils of slavery and stereotyping many of its black characters. Yet it may also provide a sharp critique or even sa...
1hr 15m Aug 15, 2021
1hr 15m
PEL Presents NEM#153: Steve Kilbey (The Church) Reveals the Secrets to Being Prolific
Steve has written over 1000 songs across 17 Church albums starting in 1980, 13 solo albums and numerous collaborations. His style is theatrical and psychedelic, and his lyrics aim for "maximum ambiguity." We discuss "Love Song Yet to Be Named" from The Hall of Counterfeits (https://amzn.to/2VyRD5o) (2021) and some tunes by The Church: "Another Century" from man woman life death infinity (https...
1hr 28m Aug 13, 2021
1hr 28m
PREMIUM-Ep. 275: Hegel's Project in the "Phenomenology of Spirit" (Part Two)
Continuing on the Introduction, we get into more detail on Hegel's goal and his tricky terminology. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2021/07/30/ep-275-2-hegel-phenomenology-of-spirit-citizen/) , sign up via one of the options described at https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.
12m Aug 09, 2021
12m
Philosophy vs. Improv #5: What Is Bread? Are You Bread?
Two scenes reveal our underlying definitions. How will we overcome the lag between our words? How many beats in an heirloom beet if an heirloom hair-looms beets? Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/) . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com (https://chicagoimprovstudio.com/) . Hear more PvI (http://philosophyimprov.com/) . Supp...
45m Aug 05, 2021
45m
Ep. 275: Hegel's Project in the "Phenomenology of Spirit" (Part One)
On G.W.F. Hegel's 1807 opus: A series of treatments of various theories in epistemology (among other things), seeing how they're internally incoherent, which then moves us to more sophisticated theories. Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or via Apple Podcasts (http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-partially-e...
1hr 1m Aug 02, 2021
1hr 1m
PEL Presents PMP#101: The "Conjuring" Retroverse
Mark, Erica, and Brian delve into this 8-film horror franchise started by James Wan in 2013 through The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Do their demons scare us, and do their Catholic defenses provide a convincing antidote? Is it OK to valorize the Warrens, the supernatural detectives who were most likely hucksters in real life? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com (http://prettymuchpop.com/)...
47m Aug 01, 2021
47m
PEL Presents (sub)Text: Realism as Cruelty in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) by Tennessee Williams
In the transition from stage to screen, A Streetcar Named Desire retained its long-running Broadway cast with a single exception: the role of Blanche Dubois, which passed from Jessica Tandy to Vivien Leigh. Like Blanche, Leigh was the odd woman out. A symbol of the glories of the studio system, married to the symbol of English stage acting, her classical training ran contrary to that of her Met...
1hr 33m Jul 30, 2021
1hr 33m
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