Precognition of Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia
Seth Paskin introduces Anarchy, State, and Utopia about libertarianism and the limits of legitimate government power. Watch for the full discussion to be released in a couple of weeks.#nozick #anarchy #state #utopia #justice
12m Oct 12, 2014
12m
Emerson on Wisdom and Individuality
On Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” lecture (1837) and his essays “Self-Reliance” and “Circles” (1841). How should we live? Emerson thinks that conformity, which includes most of what passes for ethics, jobs, and scholarship, makes us less than truly human. Be true to yourself! But since we’re all ever-changing, that’s a moving target, right? But Emerson thinks that when you get re...
2hr 6m Sep 20, 2014
2hr 6m
Maimonides on God
On Guide for the Perplexed (1168). What is God? Central to Judaism, at least, is the idea that He’s a unity: “God is One.” Maimonides thinks that this means you can’t attribute properties to God at all. Why? Because (according to M’s Aristotelian metaphysics, anyway) size, color, spatial and temporal location, mental state, etc. are really parts of a thing. Unity = no parts = no properties, no...
1hr 41m Sep 01, 2014
1hr 41m
Plato’s Symposium Live Celebration!
Mark, Seth, Wes, Dylan, and Philosophy Bro walk a live audience through Plato’s dialogue about love, sex, self-improvement, and ancient Greek pederasty. You can also choose to watch this on video. (go to blog for link) Is love just a feeling, or does it make the world go ’round? Does love make you better, or make you weak? What’s the difference between good love and bad love (and is any love b...
2hr 28m Aug 15, 2014
2hr 28m
Looking Back on 100 Discussions and 5+ Years
What have we learned? How has our take on the PEL project changed? What are our future plans? On the eve before our big live-in-front-of-an-audience ep. 100, we four sat down in Dylan’s living room together (with recurrent guest Daniel Horne to provide some semi-outisder perspective) to reflect on what we’ve been doing here. Folks new to PEL may want to listen to any other PEL episode before l...
1hr 49m Aug 11, 2014
1hr 49m
Guest Michael Sandel on the Limits of Markets
On his book What Money Can’t Buy: the Moral Limits of Markets (2012), and also bringing Sandel into the discussion begun without him in our last episode about his first book, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice. Free economic transactions are supposed to benefit both the buyer and the seller, so why not allow prostitution, vote buying, pay-to-immigrate, selling ad space on your house or body,...
1hr 28m Jul 26, 2014
1hr 28m
Michael Sandel on Social Justice and the Self
On his book Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (1982), mostly ch. 1 & 4. Classical liberalism from Locke to Rawls focuses on rights as primary: a good government is one that protects people from violations of their rights, and that’s what social justice amounts to, though of course, there’s some disagreement about what counts as a “right.” Sandel thinks that there’s a idea about the self be...
1hr 45m Jul 19, 2014
1hr 45m
Oppenheimer and the Rhetoric of Science Advisers
Discussing Lynda Walsh’s book Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy (2013) with the author, focusing on Robert J. Oppenheimer. We also read a speech from 1950 he gave called “The Encouragement of Science.” What is the role of the science adviser? Should scientists just “stick to the facts,” or can only someone with technical knowledge make decisions about what to actually do? After le...
2hr 5m Jul 01, 2014
2hr 5m
Gödel on Math
On Kurt Gödel’s essays, “Some Basic Theorems on the Foundations of Mathematics and their Implications” (1951) and “The Modern Development of the Foundations of Mathematics in Light of Philosophy” (1961). Gödel is famous for some “incompleteness theorems” of direct interest only to those trying to axiomatize mathematics. What are the implications for the rest of philosophy? Gödel thought that, ...
1hr 50m Jun 16, 2014
1hr 50m
Precognition of Oppenheimer’s Rhetoric
Guest Lynda Walsh describes her book Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy, focusing on J. Robert Oppenheimer’s conflicted position after WWII as science advisor and anti-nuke spokesman.#Oppenheimer #Rhetoric #Science #Prophets
12m Jun 07, 2014
12m
Schopenhauer on Reading, Writing and Thinking - Partially Examined Life
On Arthur Schopenhauer’s essays, “On Authorship and Style,” “On Thinking for Oneself,” and “On Genius” (all published 1851). Is the best way to do philosophy (or any art) to self-consciously build on the work of others to advance the genre? Schopenhauer says no! Geniuses are solitary, original, authentic, naive thinkers. They write because they have something to say, not because they’re being ...
1hr 39m May 23, 2014
1hr 39m
Precognition of Gödel on Math
Guest Adi Habbu lays out Kurt Gödel’s famous incompleteness theorems and describes some highlights from “Some Basic Theorems on the Foundations of Mathematics and their Implications” (1951) and “The Modern Development of the Foundations of Mathematics in Light of Philosophy” (1961).#Gödel #Incompleteness #Math #Habbu #Goedel #GodelGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/05/22/...
9m May 22, 2014
9m
Strawson (vs Strawson) on Free Will - Partially Examined Life
On P.F. Strawson’s “Freedom and Resentment” (1960), Galen Strawson’s “The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility” (1994), and Gary Watson’s “Responsibility and the Limits of Evil: Variations on a Strawsonian Theme” (1987). Do we ordinarily act with the right kind of freedom so that blame is justified? Galen Strawson says no: our choices stem from our character, which is not something we chose (...
1hr 36m May 03, 2014
1hr 36m
Bergson on Metaphysics - Partially Exmained Life
On “An Introduction to Metaphysics” (1903) How does metaphysics differ from science? While Kant had dismissed metaphysics as groundless speculation about things beyond human knowledge, Bergson sees it as a matter of grasping things “from the inside.” He calls this “intuition”: the kind of understanding we have of our own inner lives. If you try to describe this with concepts or images, you fal...
1hr 38m Apr 12, 2014
1hr 38m
Precognition of Ep. 93: Free Will (via Strawsons)
Guest Tamler Sommers (from the Very Bad Wizards podcast) summarizes Galen Strawson’s “The Impossibility of Moral Responsibility” (1994) and his father P.F. Strawson’s “Freedom and Resentment” (1960).#freewill #tamler #sommers #strawson #philosophy
14m Apr 08, 2014
14m
Transhumanism and Response to Brin - Partially Examined Life
Continuing discussion of David Brin’s novel Existence (without him) and adding Nick Bostrom’s essay “Why I Want to Be a Posthuman When I Grow Up” (2006). Are our present human capabilities sufficient for meeting the challenges our civilization will face? Should we devote our technology to artificially enhancing our abilities, or would that be a crime against nature, a God-play that would proba...
1hr 32m Mar 29, 2014
1hr 32m
Brin on Sci-Fi and Philosophy - Partially Examined Life
Discussing David Brin’s novel Existence (2012) with the author. What’s the point of thinking? Brin sees the future as a pressing threat, and Existence speculates that the reason we don’t see evidence of life on other planets is that no species survives its technological adolescence. The solution? We need to be smarter than our parents and work to give our kids the tools to be smarter than we a...
1hr 34m Mar 26, 2014
1hr 34m
Precognition of Ep. 90: Sci-Fi and Philosophy with David Brin
Introductory salvo by Mark Linsenmayer before our interview with author David Brin.
8m Mar 25, 2014
8m
Precognition of Episode 92: Bergson on Metaphysics
Guest Matt Teichman (from the Elucidations podcast) introduces Bergson’s essay “An Introduction to Metaphysics"#bergson #teichman #metaphysicsGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/03/20/precognition-of-ep-92-henri-bergson/
16m Mar 20, 2014
16m
Berkeley on Ideas - Partially Examined Life
On Bishop George Berkeley’s Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous (1713). While only a goon would deny the real existence of things like tables and chairs, does “real” existence have to mean existence as matter, i.e. as something that could exist in the absence of any mind to think about it? Berkeley says no! Tables and chairs are ideas! But not just my ideas, or yours, as they obviously...
1hr 33m Mar 12, 2014
1hr 33m
Not School Digest: Sartre, Heidegger, Zizek, Marx, and Theater
"Excerpts from PEL podcaster & listener discussions on Sartre’s Nausea, Heidegger’s “The Question Concerning Technology,” Slavoj Zizek’s Year of Dreaming Dangerously, Marx and Engels’s “Communist Manifesto,” Peter Schaffer’s play Equus, and Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form. Plus an interview with Hillary Sydlowski, leader of the Not School Introductory Readings in ...
1hr 9m Mar 01, 2014
1hr 9m
Partially Examined Life Not School Digest #4: Sartre, Heidegger, Zizek, Marx, and Theater
Excerpts from discussions on Sartre's Nausea, Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology," Slavoj Zizek's Year of Dreaming Dangerously, Marx and Engels's "Communist Manifesto," Peter Schaffer's play Equus, and Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form.
1hr 9m Mar 01, 2014
1hr 9m
Precognition of Ep. 90: David Brin on Sci-Fi & Philosophy
Mark Linsenmayer frames our upcoming discussion with sci-fi author David Brin about his 2012 novel Existence.#brin #scifi #existenceGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/02/24/precognition-90-david-brin/
8m Feb 24, 2014
8m
Anscombe on Moral Language - Partially Examined Life
On Elizabeth Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” (1958), Intention sections 22-27 (1957), and “War and Murder” (1961). No, Anscombe thinks that our moral language was developed in a theistic context, and without a law-giver, the idea of a moral law or obligation doesn’t make sense. However, we can debate about what actions display “justice,” whether some action is “harmful,” whether some task...
1hr 47m Feb 18, 2014
1hr 47m
Precognition of Episode 89: Berkeley's Three Dialogues
Listen to Wes Alwan’s introduction and summary for George Berkeley’s Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous. Read more about the topic and get the text at partiallyexaminedlife.com.#berkeley #idealism #epistemologyGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/02/18/precognition89-berkeley/
21m Feb 18, 2014
21m
Precognition of Ep. 89: Berkeley’s Idealism
Wes Alwan introduces George Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous.
31m Feb 18, 2014
31m
Episode 88: G.E.M. Anscombe: Should We Use Moral Language?
On Elizabeth Anscombe’s “Modern Moral Philosophy” (1958), Intention sections 22-27 (1957), and “War and Murder” (1961). No, Anscombe thinks that our moral language was developed in a theistic context,...Read more »
1hr 47m Feb 18, 2014
1hr 47m
Precognition of Ep. 88: G.E.M. Anscombe
Guest Philosophy Bro introduces Elizabeth Anscombe's "Modern Moral Philosophy," and Intention sections 22-27.
10m Jan 18, 2014
10m
Precognition of Episdoe 88: Anscombe on Morality
Special guest Philosophy Bro introduces us to Elizabeth Anscombe’s essay “Modern Moral Philosophy” and her book Intention (sections 22-27).#anscombe #philosophybro #moralityGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/01/18/precognition-88-anscombe/
10m Jan 18, 2014
10m
Table read of Sartre's "No Exit" with Lucy Lawless and Jaime Murray
In support of our upcoming ep. #87 on Sartre, the PEL Players present our 2nd annual dramatic reading of a work of philosophical theater. Mark Linsenmayer and Wes Alwan are joined by real actresses Lucy Lawless (Xena, Battlestar Galactica, Parks & Recreation, etc.) and Jaime Murray (Defiance, Dexter, Warehouse 13, etc.), who are pals through working together on Spartacus. Warning: This is a c...
1hr 27m Jan 02, 2014
1hr 27m
Episode 87: Sartre on Freedom and Self-Deception
On Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism is a Humanism” (1946), “Bad Faith” (pt. 1, ch. 2 of Being & Nothingness, 1943), and his play No Exit (1944)....Read more »
1hr 56m Jan 01, 2014
1hr 56m
Thomas Kuhn on Scientific Progress - Partially Examined Life
On The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, published mostly in 1962. Does scientific knowledge simply accumulate as we learn more and more, coming closer and closer to a full and truthful picture of the world? Kuhn says no! Instead, each scientific sub-culture has its own “paradigm,” or model for what constitutes legitimate science, which includes what problems to study, what to counts as a r...
1hr 28m Dec 24, 2013
1hr 28m
Precognition of Ep. 87: Sartre on the Human Condition
Mark Linsenmayer lays out some themes from Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism is a Humanism” and the “Bad Faith” chapter (Part 1, Ch. 2) of Being & Nothingness.#Sartre #Existentialism #Humanism #badfaithGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/12/20/precognition87-sartre/
9m Dec 20, 2013
9m
John Rawls' on Social Justice - Partially Examined Life
On John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice (1971), most of ch. 1-4. What makes for a just society? Rawls gives us a thought experiment: Imagine you don’t know whether you’re rich or poor or any of the other specifics of your situation (he calls this going behind “the veil of ignorance” into the “original position”). Now what principles would you pick to determine basic social institutions? Would you ...
1hr 46m Dec 07, 2013
1hr 46m
Precognition of Episode 86: Kuhn on Scientific Revolutions - Partially Examined Life
Dylan Casey lays out Thomas Kuhn’s thesis in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The full PEL episode on this book will be released in a few weeks. A transcript is available on our Citizen site’s Free Stuff page.#kuhn #science #paradigmGo to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/12/07/precognition-of-ep-86-thomas-kuhn/
6m Dec 07, 2013
6m
Precognition of Episode 85: John Rawl's Theory of Justice - Partially Examined Life
On the evening of 11/10, we’re discussing John Rawls. What is justice? Rawls interpreted this question as asking what basic social rules and structures would result in a society that we’d consider fair. Justice is fairness, on a social level. Fairness, of course, is an intuitive notion, and begs for a philosophical definition, but instead of doing some sort of old fashioned search for a defini...
11m Nov 10, 2013
11m
Frithjof Bergmann Q&A on New Work - Partially Examined Life
"In light of our ep. 83, many listeners had questions on Frithjof’s social/political/economic proposals for creating a post-job, pro-meaningful-work world. Mark Linsenmayer here pitches a number of these questions (culled from our blog and Facebook group) to Frithjof. What would a future New Work world look like? How do first-world folks fit into the project? How can I make MY calling economic...
58m Nov 01, 2013
58m
Frithjof Bergmann on Work - Partially Examined Life
Talking with Frithjof Bergmann, Prof. Emeritus from U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor about his book New Work, New Culture (2004, English release coming soon). Frithjof is a world-renowned ex-Hegel/Nietzsche scholar who has worked since the early 80s on projects to realize the goal of “New Work,” which is an alternative to the current, dysfunctional job system. New Work enables people to do work (whic...
1hr 30m Oct 11, 2013
1hr 30m
Popper on Science - Partially Examined Life
On Conjectures and Refutations (1963), the first three essays. What is science, and how is it different than pseudo-science? From philosophy? Is philosophy just pseudo-science, or proto-science, or what? Popper thinks that all legitimate inquiry is about solving real problems, and scientific theories are those that are potentially falsifiable: they make definitely predictions about the world t...
1hr 52m Sep 24, 2013
1hr 52m
Precognition of Episode 83: Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture - Partially Examined Life
An introduction to and summary of Frithjof Bergmann’s New Work, New Culture, read by Mark Linsenmayer. The full episode on this topic will be posted in a few weeks. #Bergmann #Work #Culture Go to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/09/15/precognition83-frithjof-bergmann/
13m Sep 16, 2013
13m
Jung on the Psyche and Dreams - Partially Examined Life
On Carl Jung’s “Approaching the Unconscious” from Man and His Symbols, written in 1961. What’s the structure of the mind? Jung followed Freud in positing an unconscious distinct from the conscious ego, but Jung’s picture has the unconscious much more stuffed full of all sorts of stuff from who knows where, including instincts (the archetypes) that tend to give rise to behavior and dream imager...
1hr 36m Aug 29, 2013
1hr 36m
Precognition of Episode 82: Karl Popper's Conjectures and Refutations - Partially Examined Life
A summary of the first three essays in Karl Popper’s collection Conjectures and Refutations, read by Dylan Casey. The full episode on this topic will be posted in a few weeks.#Popper #Philosophy #Epistemology #Knowledge Go to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/08/28/precognition82-popper/
13m Aug 28, 2013
13m
Not School Digest Aug 2013 - Partially Examined Life
"Excerpts of discussions about Frithjof Bergmann’s New Work, New Culture, Cormac McCarthy’s novel Blood Meridian, Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, and Martin Heidegger’s “Letter on Humanism.” Given rising economic productivity, we should all be working less, but we’re not, and the job system is not healthy for ou...
44m Aug 23, 2013
44m
Partially Examined Life Not School Digest #3: Work, Blood Meridian, Mind, and Heidegger
Excerpts of discussions about Frithjof Bergmann's New Work, New Culture, Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian, Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, and Martin Heidegger's "Letter on Humanism."
44m Aug 23, 2013
44m
Precognition of Episode 81: Jung's "Man and His Symbols" - Partially Examined Life
An introduction to Carl Jung’s Man and His Symbols, read by Wes Alwan. We’ll have a full episode to be released in a few weeks. Go to the blog: http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/08/06/precognition81-jung/
14m Aug 06, 2013
14m
PREVIEW-PEL Ep 79: Heraclitus on Understanding the World
Eva Brann discusses her book The Logos of Heraclitus (2011). What is the world like, and how can we understand it? Heraclitus thinks that the answer to both questions is found in “the logos.” Looking for the full Citizen version? (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2013/07/15/ep79-heraclitus-citizen/)
30m Jul 15, 2013
30m
The Logo of Heraclitus (with Eva Brann) - Partially Examined Life
Eva Brann discusses her book The Logos of Heraclitus (2011). What is the world like, and how can we understand it? Heraclitus thinks that the answer to both questions is found in “the logos,” which is a Greek word with multiple meanings: it can be an explanation, a word or linguistic meaning, science, rationality (the Latin word is “ratio”), the principle of exchange between things… So the wor...
1hr 42m Jul 15, 2013
1hr 42m
Precognition of Episode 80: Heidegger's Letter on Humanism - Partially Examined Life
A short summary of Heidegger’s “Essay on Humanism,” which we’ll have a full episode on to be released in a few weeks, read by Seth Paskin. This is a new kind of mini-episode for us, and you should tell us at partiallyexaminedlife.com whether we should keep recording them. Our hope is that this will encourage more people to want to read the text in advance of our full-length discussions, and th...
13m Jul 14, 2013
13m
Aristotle on Virtue - Partially Examined Life
Discussing books 1 and 2 of the Nicomachean Ethics. What is virtue, and how can I eat it? Do not enjoy this episode too much, or too little, but just the right amount. Apparently, if you haven’t already have been brought up with the right habits, you may as well give up. Plus, is Michael Jackson the Aristotelian ideal? #ethics #virtue #aristotle
1hr 41m Jul 02, 2013
1hr 41m
Plato on Justice - Partially Examined Life
Discussing The Republic by Plato, primarily books 1 and 2. What is justice? What is the ideal type of government? In the dialogue, Socrates argues that justice is real (not just a fiction the strong make up) and that it’s not relative to who you are (in the sense that it would always be just to help your friends and hurt your enemies). Justice ends up being a matter of balancing your soul so t...
1hr 36m Jul 02, 2013
1hr 36m