NEM#61: Richard X. Heyman Is Incognito (Yet a Cornerstone)
Richard garnered early fame as drummer for -60s New Jersey garage band The Doughboys and has put out 11 albums, largely as a one-man band, since 1988. We discuss the title tracks from Incognito (2017) and Cornerstone (1998) and “Agnostic’s Prayer” from Tiers and Other Stories (2011). End song: "And Then" from Incognito. Intro: "Falling Away" from Hey Man! (1990). Learn more at richardxheyman.co...
1hr 17m Dec 11, 2017
1hr 17m
Nietzsche as Social Critic: Twilight of the Idols (Part Two)
Continuing on Nietzsche's 1888 book. Is there any ground from which we could judge life as a whole to be good or bad? Is N. more about saying "yes" to life or saying "no" to all the numerous things that piss him off? We also talk Becoming, whether producing great art is more important than being nice to everyone, and whether Nietzsche is ultimately someone we'd want to hang around. End song: "...
1hr 9m Dec 10, 2017
1hr 9m
Nietzsche as Social Critic: "Twilight of the Idols" (Part One)
On Friedrich Nieztsche's 1888 book summarizing his thought and critiquing the founding myths of his society: traditional morality, free will, Socratic reason, and the idiocy of "Deutschland Uber Alles!" Nietzsche defends instinct as the source of values, but these instincts must be "spiritualized" into frenzied creativity. Nietzsche as artist is an appealing figure to us, but he also praises N...
56m Dec 04, 2017
56m
Guest Russ Roberts on Adam Smith and Emergent Order (Part Two)
Continuing with the Econtalk host on the moral aspects of economics, focused by Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations and Theory of Moral Sentiments. Should we sacrifice ourselves to the machine of the economy? Smith wasn't just all about monetary gain: how does his idea of virtue and talk of the "impartial spectator" line up with economic growth? If growth is the key to long-term happiness for t...
1hr 16m Nov 27, 2017
1hr 16m
NEM#60: Alejandro Escovedo's Hard Road
Alejandro started as a punk guitarist for the The Nuns, moved to Austin in the '80s and became a songwriter with True Believers. He has since put out 14+ solo albums of story-driven, lyrically intense, stylistically varied Texas rock. We discuss "Beauty and the Buzz" from Burn Something Beautiful (2016), "Sally Was a Cop" from Big Station (2012), and "Pissed Off 2AM" from With These Hands (1996...
1hr Nov 27, 2017
1hr
Guest Russ Roberts on Adam Smith and Libertarian Economics (Part One)
The host of Econtalk provides his take on our ep. 174 on The Wealth of Nations, and explores with us the idea of emergent economic order. As preparation, we all listened to a June 2017 episode of Econtalk that featured Russ, Mike Munger, and Don Boudreaux, so you should too! For a graphic introduction to this idea, see wonderfulloaf.org. Is the economy profitably thought of as a machine? Like ...
55m Nov 20, 2017
55m
NEM#59: Annie Haslam's Renaissance: Sing Now, Figure it Out Later
Annie fronted British symphonic rock band Renaissance for nine albums starting in 1971 but only in the late 80s became a lyricist. She's now released eight studio albums and two new Renaissance albums. We discuss "Blessing in Disguise," the title track from her 1994 album; "Grandine il Vento", the title track from Renaissance's 2013 album, and “Precious One” from Annie's The Dawn of Ananda (200...
1hr 9m Nov 20, 2017
1hr 9m
Situationism in Psych: Milgram & Stanford Prison Experiments (Part Two)
Continuing with Dave Pizarro on articles by Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, and John Doris about situationism, which entails that people's level of morality will vary by situation, as opposed to virtue ethics, which posits that how people will act in a novel situation will be determined by the quality of their character. We get into Doris's article, "Persons, Situations, and Virtue Ethics" (...
1hr Nov 13, 2017
1hr
NEM#58: John Jughead Pierson's Semi-Famous Theatrics
John gained semi-fame playing guitar with pop-punk Chicago-area legends Screeching Weasel starting in 1986 but became a band-leader/songwriter with eclectic-acoustic Even in Blackouts in 2002, featuring singer Liz Eldredge. He's also an author, playwright, and juggler. We discuss "Rapture in the Third Person" and "Motives Misunderstood in the Key of C" from EIB's Thresholds from the Basement (2...
54m Nov 06, 2017
54m
Situationism in Psych: Milgram & Stanford Prison Experiments (Part One)
Psychologist Dave Pizarro of the Very Bad Wizards joins us to discuss Stanley Milgram's "Behavioral Study of Obedience" (1963; read it), Philip Zimbardo’s "Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison" (1973; read it), and John Doris’s "Persons, Situations, and Virtue Ethics" (1998). Do difficult situations make good people act badly? Are there really "good" and "bad" people, or are we all abo...
50m Nov 06, 2017
50m
TEASER-Episode 175: Blade Runner (Part Two)
Do you want the WHOLE discussion on the new Blade Runner 2049, the original 1982 film, and the idea packed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1967) by Philip K. Dick? If you do, show your love to the podcast by signing up to be a supporter at the $1-or-higher level at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife, or better yet become a PEL Citizen and get every podcast we've ever recorded plus bonus di...
2m Nov 06, 2017
2m
Blade Runner: Androids and Humanity (Part One)
The value your boss and landlord extract from your labor is more detrimental to you than taxation On Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1967) and the films Blade Runner 2049 (2007) and Blade Runner (1982). What makes us human? Dick's novel about androids emphasized their lack of empathy, while the movie adaptations portrayed the "replicants" as plenty capable of emotion, b...
48m Oct 30, 2017
48m
NEM#57: Richard Amp's Exploratory Atmospheres
Richard F. Walker has released 20+ albums, usually with his London space-rock band Amp. We discuss "Just Get It (Why Don’t You)" and "Les Ombres Sur la Lune" from Q Factors (A Mixtape) (2017) and "Tomorrow" from Stenorette (1988), and listen to "Levil Devil" from US (2005). Opening music is from Transmissions (part 1) (2005), and closing music is from "Mort Irritées" from AMP Studio's Uncertain...
1hr 10m Oct 22, 2017
1hr 10m
Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" (Part Two)
"Continuing on the foundational text of economics. Is Smith's position the equivalent of "greed is good?" (No.) What's the deal with the "invisible hand?" We talk about Smith's picture of the (sort of) self-regulating economy, and why he thinks we shouldn't have tariffs or guilds or other restrictions on the mobility of goods, workers, or capital. We rant a bit in ways that will hopefully be c...
1hr 7m Oct 22, 2017
1hr 7m
Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" (Part One)
On Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. We discuss the foundational text of modern economics, first published in 1776. How does the division of labor and our instinct to exchange lead to the growth of wealth? Is the economy sufficiently machine-like to enable us to manipulate its output, or at least to tell us how not to screw it up? The selections we re...
58m Oct 16, 2017
58m
Relating to American Indian Philosophy (Part Two)
We go further into "Philosophy of Native Science" by Gregory Cajete and "What Coyote and Thales Can Teach Us: An Outline of American Indian Epistemology" by Brian Yazzie Burkhart, plus process philosophy, propositional vs. procedural knowledge, and what we owe to nature. With guest Jim Marunich. End song: “Circle’s Gotta Go” by Kim Rancourt, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #52. #phil...
1hr 2m Oct 09, 2017
1hr 2m
NEM Ep 56: "Dr. Frank" Portman Writes His Inner Teenager
Frank has led punk band The Mr. T Experience in the Bay Area since 1985, and has also released three successful music-related books for teens since 2006. We discuss "Down With the Universe" from King Dork Approximately (2016), "Big, Strange, Beautiful Hammer" from Yesterday Rules (2004), and "More Than Toast" from Our Bodies Our Selves (1993). We conclude by listening to "Even Hitler Had a Girl...
1hr 17m Oct 08, 2017
1hr 17m
Relating to American Indian Philosophy (Part One)
Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan are joined by PEL fan Jim Marunich, who got his M.A. in this area. As with our Confucius episode, we were faced here with a radically different point of view, unconnected with the founding figures of Western philosophy that may systematically prejudice our thinking, formulated in languages that may even involve different underlying ontological assumptions: While we sa...
53m Oct 02, 2017
53m
Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part Two)
Continuing with Drew Pinsky on “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore. Fonagy claims we gain the ability to emotionally self-regulate as a result of achieving secure attachment with a caregiver as infants. Schore claims that if this fails, we can end up fundamentally disengaged. So what are the philosophical implic...
59m Sep 25, 2017
59m
NEM Ep 55: Don Preston, Mother of Keyboard Invention
Don has composed and played jazz since the 50s, was a Frank Zappa sideman through his classic 60s albums and beyond, and has since released 20+ albums, scored 20 films, and has performed with artists including John Lennon, Lou Rawls, and Nat King Cole. He has also been called "the father of modern synthesis" for his work in electronic music. We discuss "Winds of Change" (3rd movement, 2001), "P...
1hr 1m Sep 20, 2017
1hr 1m
Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part One)
Radio legend and PEL fan Dr. Drew Pinsky introduces us to some psychology papers on the theory of mind and the establishment of the sense of self: “Attachment and reflective function: their role in self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and Mary Target (1997)“Attachment and the regulation of the right brain” by Allan N. Schore(2000)“Right-Brain Affect Regulation" by Allan N. Schore (2009) "Theory...
45m Sep 18, 2017
45m
Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part Two)
Continuing on Why Buddhism Is True. We discuss the "no self" doctrine as articulated in Buddha's so-called Second Discourse, the "Anatta-lakkhana Sutta: The Discourse on the Not-Self Characteristic" and the modularity-of-mind psychological theory that Bob claims supports the Buddhist position. What's the ethical implication of the no-self doctrine, and do we really need meditation to instill et...
1hr 11m Sep 11, 2017
1hr 11m
NEM Ep 54: Kaki King's Guitar Progression
www.nakedlyexaminedmusic.com
54m Sep 07, 2017
54m
Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part One)
Bob joins Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan to discuss his new book Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment. Bob is a best-selling author and scholar in the area of evolutionary psychology (as well as a podcaster: check out bloggingheads.tv). His past books like Nonzero and The Moral Animal lay down foundations for talking about the evolutionary reasons why we...
55m Sep 04, 2017
55m
NEM#53: David Brookings Is Obsessed
David has recorded seven albums since 2000. Usually one wants to avoid the term "Beatlesque," but David is a Beatles freak who once recorded his performances all 209 Beatles songs over 209 days. We discuss "Time to Go" from David Brookings and the Average Lookings (2016), "Dead Battery" from Chorus Verses the Bridge (2005), and the title track from Obsessed (2007). We conclude by listening to "...
58m Sep 01, 2017
58m
Second Opinions: Leftists on "Society of the Spectacle"
By popular demand, here's part 3 of discussion of Debord. Does PEL have the cred to discuss neo-Marxism? Do we just not GET IT, what with our bourgeois outlooks that always split the difference between extremes and so espouse moderation? Are we perhaps too blinded by the spectacle to even see it? Well, Mark and Seth use this extra hour to ask some leftist podcasters what they think of Debord ...
1hr 11m Aug 28, 2017
1hr 11m
Episode 170 Second Opinions: Leftists on "Society of the Spectacle" (Citizen Edition)
http://partiallyexaminedlife.com
1hr 7m Aug 28, 2017
1hr 7m
Guy Debord's "Society of the Spectacle" (Part Two)
More on the 1967 Situtationist book. Do we buy Debord's critique? Is any merely partial critique (i.e., not calling for revolution) just more spectacle? Is technology inherently dehumanizing? Haven't some of these passivity/anti-technology arguments even been launched back in history against things like books? Could Debord's model of authenticity be mass produced, i.e., is this something that ...
1hr 13m Aug 21, 2017
1hr 13m
NEM#52: Kim Rancourt's Authentic NYC Rock n' Roll
Kim is a poet, archivist, and New York City tour guide. We discuss his album plum plumfeaturing “The Dream Band”: his producer friend Don Fleming, Joe Bouchard (Blue Öyster Cult), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and NEM guest Gary Lucas. We discuss “Circle’s Gotta Go” and “Arizona Burning,” and conclude with “Claudine.” We also discuss “I Comb My Hair with My Hand” by Jad Fair and the Shapir-O’Rama...
50m Aug 21, 2017
50m
Guy Debord's "Society of the Spectacle" (Part One)
On the 1967 neo-Marxist, Situtationist book. What is culture? In modern capitalism, Debord thinks that it's all about the economy. It's not just our jobs that keep us trapped, but our life outside of working hours is also demanded by "the system" via our activity as consumers, and this commoditization infiltrates every corner of our lives. Debord wants us to WAKE UP, break our chains, and liv...
55m Aug 14, 2017
55m
TEASER: Analyzing Hitchcock's "Vertigo" (Part Two)
Some audio tidbits to hint at the analytic glories in the second half of our discussion, getting deeper into the psychoanalytic/existential interpretations of the film. Get the discussion at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife or with a PEL Citizenship.
2m Aug 12, 2017
2m
PEL Special: Combat & Classics on Rousseau's "Discourse on the Arts and Sciences"
A new podcast for the Partially Examined Life Podcast Network! Meet Jeff, Lise, and Brian, who are joined by PEL's Wes and Dylan to discuss Rousseau's claim in the First Discourse on the Arts and Sciences (1750) that the arts and sciences lead to "moral corruption." What is "moral corruption," and what does it mean for a human being to be "whole"? How can a society be structured to allow indiv...
53m Aug 07, 2017
53m
NEM Ep 51: Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash): The Privilege of a Legacy
Britain's Wishbone Ash started in 1969 and has released 25+ albums, with guitarist/singer Andy the sole member left from the original band. We discuss "American Century" from Blue Horizon (2014), "Master of Disguise" from Bare Bones (1999), and "Roads of Day to Day" (1970, released on First Light (2007). End song: “In Crisis” from The Power of Eternity (2007). Intro music: "Blowin' Free" from A...
1hr 34m Aug 04, 2017
1hr 34m
Analyzing Hitchcock's "Vertigo" (Part One)
On the film Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock (1958) and articles analyzing it including Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975) and Robin Wood's "Vertigo" (1965). Hey folks: Part one, here, as always is just the first half of the conversation, but unlike for every previous part one, there will be no part two on the public feed. In a brazenly commercial move designed to reward o...
48m Jul 31, 2017
48m
NEM Ep 50: Anton Barbeau's Neo-Psychedelic Musings
Californian-turned-British singer-songwriter Anton has released over 25 albums since 1993, generally moving from alterna-guitar-pop to colorful-pychedelic, but remaining tuneful. We discuss “High Noon” and (and listen to “Swindon”) from Magic Act (2016), “Dust Beneath My Wings” by Three Minute Tease (2011) and its subsequent incarnations, and the title track from In the Village of the Apple Sun...
1hr 3m Jul 29, 2017
1hr 3m
Darwin's "Origin of Species" (Part Two)
More on Darwin's famous book. Why does it matter for philosophy, beyond providing an alternative to intelligent design? Is it really anti-religious? How can well tell if it's really a scientific theory? Talking about a species evolving trait X to enable survival sounds teleological; is it really, and is that bad? Why would the mind develop through natural selection? Continues from part 1, or ju...
1hr 6m Jul 24, 2017
1hr 6m
NEM Ep 49: Scott McCaughey Minus 5 Plus Young Fresh Fellows Equals Magic
Scott established himself fronting Seattle’s Young Fresh Fellows staring in 1981 and then around 1994 joined R.E.M. as a recording/touring member and started The Minus 5 with R.E.M.’s Peter Buck. We discuss The Minus 5’s “In the Ground” from Dungeon Golds (2015), “All the Time” from their Old Liquidator (1995), and “Weymer Never Dies” from their Of Monkees and Men(2016). We conclude by listenin...
1hr 17m Jul 20, 2017
1hr 17m
Darwin's "Origin of Species" (Part One)
On Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859 with the final edition published in 1872), ch. 1–4, 6, and 14. What are the philosophical ramifications of Darwin's theory of evolution? Our last reading ended with David Hume saying that given the order of nature, the idea of a designer was natural a...
49m Jul 17, 2017
49m
Hume on Intelligent Design (Part Two)
Continuing on David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779), with guest Stephen West. We get further into what’s wrong with the design argument and why Hume thinks that it’s merely a verbal dispute whether we want to say that God designed the orderly universe or just say that the universe is orderly. Also, the problem of evil! Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Cit...
1hr 6m Jul 10, 2017
1hr 6m
NEM Ep 48: Thalia Zedek's Slow Burn Memory Games
Most famous for her 90s New York grunge band Come, Thalia has since 2001 put out six albums and some EPs, with a stripped-down yet not acoustic sound that makes good use of her low, smoky voice and tasteful electric guitar, often accompanied by viola and/or piano with prominent drums. We discuss “Northwest Branch” by The Thalia Zedek Band from Eve (2016); opening music is “Afloat,” also from th...
1hr 11m Jul 09, 2017
1hr 11m
Hume on Intelligent Design (Philosophize This! Crossover) (Part One)
On David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). How would a scientifically minded person argue for the existence of God? In Hume’s dialogue, a character named Cleanthes argues from this point of view for God’s existence based on the complexity and order apparent in nature: It looks designed. But how good is that argument, and is it enough to prove an infinite God of the traditiona...
48m Jul 03, 2017
48m
Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Part Two)
Concluding on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) and Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics, reason, and revelation? What could "faith" possibly mean to a hard-core rationalist like Spinoza? Is it possible to buy into the non-denominational "true religion" without believing any of the dogmas of traditional religion at all? And what kinds of limits on free spee...
1hr 35m Jun 26, 2017
1hr 35m
Spinoza on Politics and Religion (Part One)
On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 12-20 and the Tractatus Politicus (1677). What's the relationship between ethics and political power? Given that religious factions tend to create strife, what's the optimal role of the government in mitigating that damage? Is theocracy in any way a good idea? In ep. 165 we outlined Spinoza's project in the book and looked cl...
54m Jun 19, 2017
54m
NEM Ep 47: Jason Falkner: Mid-Fi One-Man Moments
After stints with The Three O'Clock and Jellyfish, Jason co-fronted The Grays and then worked solo, also playing with Beck, Aimee Mann, Paul McCartney, etc. and acting as one-man-backing-band/producer for other artists. Songs: "Sincero Amore" and (ending with) "Horror Show" from Make It Be (2017) with R. Stevie Moore, "The Lie in Me" from All Quiet on the Noise Floor (2009), and "Both Belong," ...
1hr 6m Jun 19, 2017
1hr 6m
NEM Ep 46: Chandler Travis: Strongman of North America
Chandler was a comedian in the ’70s, launched a rock group in the ’80s, and has released dozens of albums, fronting multiple bands at a time. We discuss “The Strongman of North America” by The Chandler Travis Philharmonic from Waving Kissyhead Vol. 2 & 1 (2017), “The Crutch of Music” by the Catbirds from Catbirds Say Yeah (2012), and “Fluffy” by the Philharmonic from Llama Rhymes (2003). We con...
1hr 1m Jun 12, 2017
1hr 1m
Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part Two)
Continuing on the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, ch. 1–11. We go more into natural laws vs. ordinances; does it make sense to say that God makes rules for people? Spinoza claims that laws were given to the ancient Hebrews because they were needed for that society, but what's the nature of this necessity? Also, how does Spinoza deal with alleged miracles given that natural laws are absolute re...
1hr 8m Jun 12, 2017
1hr 8m
Spinoza on Biblical Criticism (Part One)
On Benedict de Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11. What's the proper relationship between church and state? That seems like a no-brainer to us now, but that's thanks to a long intellectual tradition that fed directly out of Spinoza, and a Spinoza-like take on, say, Islam is badly needed in many parts of the world today. Spinoza, despite what his critics said, was not an...
1hr 6m Jun 05, 2017
1hr 6m
Spinoza on God and Metaphysics
On Baruch Spinoza's Ethics (1677), books 1 and 2. Time warp to 2010 when Mark, Seth, and Wes recorded this lo-fi burst of energy, made available to you now to kick of our June Spinoza-fest, with two full discussions coming out over the next four weeks on Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Dylan and Mark have recorded a new introduction connecting the two works. Our main focus Spinoza's...
1hr 49m May 29, 2017
1hr 49m
Nakedly Examined Music: Steve Hackett, Nik Kershaw, Ken Stringfellow, Robbie Fulks
PEL Network crossover magic, with spring highlights from Mark's other podcast, featuring one song with interview/explanation each from four of our biggest guests: Robbie Fulks, our "ambassador of country," meaning that he's a highly literate northerner who belies any preconceptions you might have about the genre. We discuss "America Is a Hard Religion" from his current album Upland Stories. He...
1hr 14m May 26, 2017
1hr 14m
Dostoyevsky’s “The Idiot” on Perfection (Part Two)
More on the novel with guest Corey Mohler, considering Dostoyevsky explicitly as an existentialist in terms of his analysis of the crisis of meaning and his consequent views on religion. Listen to part 1 first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. End song: "Don Quixote" (acoustic, 2010) by Nik Kershaw, as interviewed on the Nakedly Examined Music podcast #37. Don Quixote is Myshkin'...
1hr 24m May 22, 2017
1hr 24m