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 11m Jul 22, 2019
1hr 11m
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 33m Jun 10, 2019
2hr 33m
(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 48m Jun 03, 2019
1hr 48m
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...
59m Jun 02, 2019
59m
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 6m May 17, 2019
1hr 6m
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
NEM#97: Taking Danny Seraphine Back to Chicago
Danny drummed with Chicago from its founding in 1967 through 1990 and wrote several songs for the band during the mid-late 70s, often with David "Hawk" Wolinski. We discuss "Little One" (and our intro music, "Take Me Back to Chicago") from Chicago XI (1977), "Street Player" from Chicago 13 (1979), and "Devil's Sweet" from Chicago VII (1974). End song: "The Real World" by California Transit Auth...
1hr 37m May 03, 2019
1hr 37m
Episode 214: More Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part One)
On the remainder of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885). How can we keep our spirits up and avoid nihilism? We consider Nietzsche's "solution" of eternal recurrence, why he uses a poetic, allegoric style, and more. Don't wait for part 2. Get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/04/29/ep214-nietzsche-citizen/) now. Please support PEL! (http://...
51m Apr 29, 2019
51m
Glimpse: Nietzsche's Last Man (for Partially Examined Life #213)
Is technology making us complacent? Are we in danger of becoming Nietzsche's famed "last men" who are no longer capable of creativity and independent thought? Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast lays out Nietzsche's idea and argues that on the contrary, having our basic needs met by technology can free us up to pursue the creative endeavors that Nietzsche saw as...
8m Apr 22, 2019
8m
Episode 213: Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part Two)
Continuing on Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, books 1 and 2 (1883). We talk through Nietzsche's symbolism (tightrope walkers and gravediggers and snakes, oh my!), the path toward the overman, his screed against the state, the Will to Power as the will to overcome oneself by reconciling oneself with the past, and more. Listen to part one (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/04/1...
1hr 15m Apr 22, 2019
1hr 15m
PREVIEW-(sub)Text#6: Melanie Klein's "Notes on Some Schizoid Mechanisms"
Wes Alwan is joined by Dr. Glenn Mobray to discuss this classic 1946 psychoanalytic text. This is a preview of a 63-minute discussion. You can listen to the whole thing by becoming a PEL Citizen (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/04/20/subtext6-klein/) or $5 Patreon supporter (https://www.patreon.com/posts/26267619) . Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to learn how. Listen to more (su...
10m Apr 21, 2019
10m
NEM#96: Andrew McMahon Throws in All His Favorite Things
Andrew has put out nine albums and a few EPs under of piano-and-vocal-based pop using various band names since he was in high school in the late 90s. We discuss two of his Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness tracks: "Blue Vacation" from Upside Down Flowers (2018) and "Synesthesia" from The Pop Underground EP, then "Me and the Moon" by Something Corporate from North (2003), and conclude by listenin...
1hr 10m Apr 19, 2019
1hr 10m
Episode 213: Nietzsche's Zarathustra (Part One)
On Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, books 1 and 2 (1883). What is wisdom? In this text whose style parodies the Bible, we get pithy advice and allegorical imagery to guide us away from self-defeating, life-denying attitudes and orient us towards creative self-overcoming (i.e. exertion of the Will to Power). The Last Man who no longer knows how to give birth to a dancing star is a r...
56m Apr 15, 2019
56m
Glimpse: Sartre on Literature (for Partially Examined Life #212)
  Should literature be political? Jean-Paul Sartre thought that all literature is political, because of what literature is. That's a very weird-sounding view. Mark Linsenmayer from the Partially Examined Life philosophy podcast tries to make it sound like something you should at least consider. This is but a Glimpse. To hear the full Partial Examination of this book, visit partiallyexaminedlife...
8m Apr 11, 2019
8m
Episode 212: Sartre on Literature (Part Two)
Continuing on What is Literature? (1948). Sartre gives a phenomenology of reading and writing that makes reading into a creative act of completing the writer's work, and calls this cooperation ethical: the work is an appeal to the reader's freedom, and also the reader's responsibility to then know what the work reveals. Are you shirking, all you skimmers? Start with part one (https://partiallye...
1hr 2m Apr 08, 2019
1hr 2m
NEM#95: R. Stevie Moore Just Happens... Frequently!
Stevie has been recording pop tunes and/or wild experiments nearly continually since the late 60s, with hundreds of albums, many of them compilations of home recordings. We discuss "Pop Music" and "Take Back" from Afterlife (2019) and "The House Is Not in Order" by R. Stevie Moore and Alan Jenkins and the Kettering Vampires from The Embodiment of Progressive Ideals (2018) and conclude by listen...
1hr 7m Apr 05, 2019
1hr 7m
Episode 212: Sartre on Literature (Part One)
On Jean-Paul Sartre's What is Literature (1948), ch. 1 and 2. What's the purpose of literature? Why write prose as opposed to poetry? Sartre argues that while poetry is about the words themselves, prose is about the ideas, so it's necessarily political. A written work is essentially an ethical appeal for a reader to apply his or her own faculties and experiences to complete the work through the...
53m Apr 01, 2019
53m
PREVIEW-(sub)Text#5: Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya"
Wes Alwan is joined by Monica McCarthy of the Happier Hour podcast (https://www.thehappierhour.org/podcast) to discuss Anton Checkhov's 1898 play about family dysfunction and potentially wasting your life. This is a preview of a 54-minute discussion. You can listen to the whole thing by becoming a PEL Citizen (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/03/25/subtext5-chekhov-citizen/) or $5 Patreon...
8m Apr 01, 2019
8m
Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part Three)
Moving finally on to Jean-Paul Sartre's "Black Orpheus" (1948), where he introduces a book of black poetry by praising its revolutionary spirit as embodied in "negritude." Is this a legitimate consciousness-raising exercise or a weird fetishization of blackness? Listen to parts one and two (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2019/03/18/ep211-2-sartre/) first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen...
1hr 8m Mar 25, 2019
1hr 8m
NEM#94: Ian Moore Grown Far Beyond Blues-Rock
Ian has released 10 studio albums and 3 EPs since 1993, starting as an Austin guitar hero and evolving into an eclectic, subtle Seattle songwriter who teaches songwriting courses. We discuss "1000 Blackbirds" from Toronto (2018), the title track from Strange Days (2017), and "Abilene" from Luminaria (2004). End song: "Sad Affair" from El Sonido Nuevo (2011). Intro: "Satisfied" from Ian Moore (1...
1hr 10m Mar 22, 2019
1hr 10m
Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part Two)
Continuing on Jean-Paul Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (1946). Is there an "authentic" way to respond to persecution? As part of his critique of anti-semitism, Sartre criticized the responses of some Jews to this situation, e.g. denying that the persecution exists, pretending to not be Jewish, or in any way accepting the terms of anti-semitism and setting u...
48m Mar 18, 2019
48m
Episode 211: Sartre on Racism and Authenticity (Part One)
On Jean-Paul Sartre's Anti-Semite and Jew: An Exploration of the Etiology of Hate (1946) and "Black Orpheus" (1948). How can we best understand the psychology of racism? Sartre condemns anti-Semitism as denying the facts of the human condition: the responsibility for fixing problems and not blaming them on a demonized other. But he also criticizes "the democrat" for a humanism that pretends we'...
59m Mar 11, 2019
59m
Constellary Tales #6: Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report" (PEL Crossover Special)
PEL's Mark Linsenmayer joins hosts Ken Gerber and Brian Hirt to weigh in on the philosophical implications of precognitive crime fighting in Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report." Brian quizzes Mark and Ken on PKD movie trivia. Get more Constellary Tales (http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/constellary-tales/) podcasts, and read original sf in the magazine at http://constellary.com. Listen to PEL...
59m Mar 11, 2019
59m
NEM#93: Peter Aaron Lives in the Blues-Punk Moment
Peter started in hardcore punk and used the blues to add depth for his band the Chrome Cranks, which released four studio albums and a live album in the mid-1990s then another in 2012. Since then he's been a music journalist and author, writing about the Ramones, the Band, and others, with occasional musical projects. We discuss his new single "Bomb Train Blues" (2018) with the band Young Skull...
1hr 2m Mar 09, 2019
1hr 2m
Episode 210: Franz Fanon's Black Existentialism (Part Two)
Continuing on Black Skin White Masks (1952), starting with the influential ch. 4 "The Fact of Blackness." Are the successive coping strategies to racism (including "anti-racist racism" and embrace of negritude) that Fanon describes necessary steps in a dialectic which should be encouraged, or would it be best to learn from his "mistakes" and jump right to the humanistic end-point? With guest La...
1hr 3m Mar 04, 2019
1hr 3m
Episode 210: Frantz Fanon's Black Existentialism (Part One)
On Black Skin White Masks (1952). How does growing up in a racist society mess people up? Fanon's "clinical study" includes phenomenology, poetry, and a lot of existentialism, which means that the "let's embrace negritude in the face of bigotry" solution isn't ultimately available to him: We're all radically free, with no race-specific essence, whether positive or negative. With guest Lawrence ...
53m Feb 25, 2019
53m
Podchaser Interview of Mark Linsenmayer: Partially Examined Life and Nakedly Examined Music
Morgan DeLisle, writer for the PodChaser "Behind the Streams Blog," interviewed Mark for a feature (https://blog.podchaser.com/discover/behind-the-streams/mark-linsenmayer-of-partially-examined-life-and-nakedly-examined-music/) of our podcasts. Learn about the origins of PEL and NEM, how we make the shows, and what's coming up. Listen to all of the PEL network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife....
39m Feb 23, 2019
39m
NEM#92: Steve Young (Hedflux): Electronica Breaking Club Conventions
Steve started producing tracks for dance clubs in 2007, changing his style in 2013 to slow down, carve out space for spontaneous performance, and develop "audio alchemy" over a few EPs and two recent albums. We discuss "Equinosis" from the Mercurial EP (2018), "Superluminal Sound" from his Soul Science album (2016), and the title track from his Wanderlust EP (2013). We conclude by listening to ...
1hr 23m Feb 19, 2019
1hr 23m
Episode 209: Francis Fukuyama on Identity Politics (Part Two: Discussion)
Continuing on Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018). Fukuyama recommends a "creedal national identity" as a solution for tribalism; does this work? Is this "demand for recognition" that he describes foundational for the act of making an ethical claim? For self-consciousness itself? How does ideology prejudice the sort of theorizing that Fukuyama engages in? List...
1hr 26m Feb 18, 2019
1hr 26m
Episode 209: Guest Francis Fukuyama on Identity Politics (Part One)
Talking to the author about Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018). What motivates people? Frank points to thymos, the demand for recognition, as at the root of both the "end of history" (i.e., democracy as demand for equal recognition) and our current tribalist stalemates, involving desires to be seen—in virtue of group membership—as superior. Thymos may in fact...
1hr 2m Feb 11, 2019
1hr 2m
NEM#91: Rachel Taylor Brown's Decorated Aphorisms
Portland-based singer-songwriter Rachel has released 10 albums of off-kilter, usually piano-based, lyric-heavy indie rock since the mid '00s. We discuss "Maker" and "God" (plus the intro "Gyre") from Run Tiny Human (2018), "Taxidermy" from World so Sweet (2011), and "Ormolu" from Ormolu (2006), and also listen to "We'll Have A" from Falimy (2014). For more, see racheltaylorbrown.com (http://rac...
1hr 9m Feb 08, 2019
1hr 9m
Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part Two)
More on the ethics-related fragments of Epicurus and accounts by Martha Nussbaum and Tim O'Keefe. What would a purely therapeutic philosophy consist of? Does philosophy as pursuit of pleasure mean that you eschew political action or other substantial goals? Mark, Wes, and Dylan try to figure out which of our desires are vain and whether society is compatible with human happiness. Listen to part...
58m Feb 04, 2019
58m
Episode 208: Epicurus on Seeking Pleasure (Part One)
On the extant fragments of Epicurus (341–270 BCE) dealing with ethics, including his "Letter to Menoceus," “The Principal Doctrines,” and “The Vatican Collection of Epicurean Sayings.” Plus Tim O’Keefe’s Epicureanism (2010) and Martha Nussabum’s The Therapy of Desire (1994). How are we supposed to act once we understand nature as atoms bouncing and swerving around in the void, temporarily produ...
50m Jan 28, 2019
50m