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
NEM#90: Sam Phillips Brings Intuition Out of Dreams
Sam has released sixteen albums of catchy, textured pop music since 1983. We discuss "I Want to Be You" and "Tears in the Ground" from World on Sticks (2018), "How to Dream" from Fan Dance (2001), and conclude by listening to "When I’m Alone" from Push Any Button (2013). Intro: "Baby I Can’t Please You" from Martinis and Bikinis (1994). For more, visit samphillips.com (https://samphillips.com/)...
1hr 1m Jan 25, 2019
1hr 1m
Episode 207: Herder on Art Appreciation (Part Two)
Continuing on Johann Gottfried von Herder's “The Causes of Sunken Taste among the Different Peoples in Whom It Once Blossomed” (1775), then moving to “On the Influence of the Belles Lettres on the Higher Sciences” (1781), “Does Painting or Music Have a Greater Effect? A Divine Colloquy” (1785), and and some of Critical Forests: Fourth Grove (written 1769). With guest rock god John "Jughead" Pie...
1hr 25m Jan 21, 2019
1hr 25m
Episode 207: Herder on Art Appreciation (Part One)
On Johann Gottfried von Herder's “The Causes of Sunken Taste among the Different Peoples in Whom It Once Blossomed” (1775), “On the Influence of the Belles Lettres on the Higher Sciences” (1781), “Does Painting or Music Have a Greater Effect? A Divine Colloquy” (1785), and some of Critical Forests: Fourth Grove (written 1769). With guest rock god John "Jughead" Pierson. What is aesthetic taste,...
57m Jan 14, 2019
57m
PREVIEW-Ep 206 Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part Three)
http://partiallyexaminedlife.com
14m Jan 13, 2019
14m
Episode 206: Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part Two)
More on Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things from the first century BCE. We talk more about how macroscopic phenomena are supposed to come out of the interaction of atoms, including mind and its processes of knowledge and illusion, including the illusion of love. One conclusion: life after death is not possible. Can the properties of the atoms themselves be explaine...
1hr 13m Jan 07, 2019
1hr 13m
NEM#89: Dusty Wright's Metaphysical Americana
After starting in the '80s with the Trolls and the Bastards of Execution, Dusty has released six albums as a solo artist since 1997. We discuss a new, unreleased song "Pardon My Love," then "Man in the Mirror" from Gliding Toward Oblivion (2018) and "High Flyin' Bird" by GIANTfingers from around 2003. We conclude by listening to "(Art at) the Speed of Life" by the Dusty Diamonds from 1994. Intr...
1hr 9m Jan 06, 2019
1hr 9m
Episode 206: Lucretius's Epicurean Physics (Part One)
On Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things a.k.a. De Rerum Natura from the 1st century BC. How does the world work? Lucretius presents a system that is surprisingly modern, and raises philosophical issues that are still on point today: What are the basic building blocks of the universe? How could these give rise to minds? What ethical views does a mechanistic world-vie...
58m Dec 31, 2018
58m
PREVIEW-Ep 205 Durkheim et al on Suicide (Part Three)
Mark and Wes discuss Durkheim's Suicide (1897), getting into more of the details of his account and exploring comparative modes of explanation: Are there really "sociological facts" distinct from mere generalizations about psychological facts? Get the full discussion as a PEL Citizen (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2018/12/20/ep205-follow-up-durkheim-citizen/) or $5 Patreon supporter (https:...
20m Dec 31, 2018
20m
Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part Two)
http://partiallyexaminedlife.com
55m Dec 22, 2018
55m
NEM#88: Lincoln Barr's Off-Center Vulnerability
Lincoln established the Seattle-based singer/songwriter vehicle Red Jacket Mine in 2003, made three albums and an EP with them, and in 2017 released his first solo album, the jazzy, live-in-studio Trembling Frames. We examine "Desperate Tormentors" and hear "How To Escape" and a bit of "Memory Up and Die" from that album, and discuss Red Jacket Mine: "Apricot Moon" from Lovers Lookout (2009) an...
1hr 5m Dec 19, 2018
1hr 5m
Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part One)
We are rejoined by Drew Pinsky to discuss philosophical and psychological readings by Seneca, Arthur Schopenhauer, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Albert Camus, plus two 2017 survey papers on predictors of suicide. Is suicide ever morally permissible? If it's a symptom of mental illness rather than a chosen behavior, is it even appropriate to morally evaluate it? Check the PEL Store (https://par...
48m Dec 17, 2018
48m
The Bhagavad Gita's Hindu Theology (Part Two)
More on this classic text by (perhaps) Vyasa, with guest Shaan Amin. Should we acquire good karma or behave "beyond good and evil"? How can everything be Krishna while Krishna is also the an element of virtue we're supposed to pursue? How does this compare with Stoicism? Plus, behold Krishna unveiled and be freaked out! Listen to part one (https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2018/12/03/ep204-1-bh...
1hr 1m Dec 10, 2018
1hr 1m
NEM#87: Chris Cacavas Fronts His Depression
Chris rose to fame on keys for Arizona's country punks Green on Red from '81-'87 and has since then been fronted 12 albums while doing session keyboard work. We discuss "Pale Blonde Hell" by Chris Cacavas and Junkyard Love from Pale Blonde Hell (1994), "Do Me No Favors" from Anonymous (1997), and "Don't Think Twice" from Bumbling Home from the Star (2002). We listen to "I Won't Feel Well" from ...
1hr 23m Dec 08, 2018
1hr 23m
The Bhagavad Gita's Hindu Theology (Part One)
On the classic Hindu text (ca. the 3rd century B.C.E.), part of the Indian Epic poem Mahabharata, attributed to Vyasa, using Keya Maitra's 2018 translation/commentary. What is it to live wisely? What grounds duty? Listen as the supreme God Krishna convinces archer hero Arjuna that it's OK for him to kill his relatives because, you know, reincarnation and determinism and caste-related duties. Lo...
59m Dec 03, 2018
59m
Kristeva vs. Lovecraft on Horror and Abjection (Part Two)
Concluding on Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror (1980) and focusing here on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928). Does Lovecraft's presentation of nameless terror capture (or improve upon) what Kristeva means by "abjection"? For the full Cthulhu experience, listen to the Phi Fic discussion of the story. If you're really hardcore, we recommend you listen to the H.P. Lovecraft Literary ...
1hr 10m Nov 26, 2018
1hr 10m
Kristeva vs. Lovecraft on Horror and Abjection (Part One)
More on Julia Kristeva's Powers of Horror (1980) plus H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928). What is the object of fear? In our last episode, we outlined Kristeva's view that it's ultimately the disintegration of self. Our purpose in this further episode (featuring Mark, Seth, and Dylan, who couldn't attend last time) was to clarify her account of how self-integrity is accomplished and...
55m Nov 19, 2018
55m
The Other by Mark Lint Feat Lucy Lawless
Support this project at patreon.com/marklint!https://patreon.com/marklint
2m Nov 18, 2018
2m
PREVIEW-Ep 202 Follow-Up: Close Reading of Kristeva's "Approaching Abjection"
Mark takes a very close look at pages 1–4 of the first chapter of On Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980) as a supplement to episode 202. Get the full, 55-minute experience as a PEL Citizen, or get it by supporting us on Patreon for a mere $1!
17m Nov 18, 2018
17m
NEM#86: Seth Swirsky Provides Instant Pleasure
Seth Swirsky was a highly successful staff songwriter for over 20 years and has put out three solo albums and three albums as The Red Button since 2004. He's a huge Beatles fan and has released a Beatles documentary Beatles Stories and has multiple books about psychology and baseball. We discuss his heavily covered and sound-tracked tune "Love Is a Beautiful Thing"; you'll hear the version by A...
1hr 10m Nov 18, 2018
1hr 10m
Julia Kristeva on Disgust, Fear and the Self (Part Two)
Continuing on Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, ch. 1 and 2. We try to get clearer on Kristeva's talk of "object," the relationship between language and abjection, how Kristeva is advancing on Freud, how to be a mom that allows a kid to separate in a healthy way, and how abjection plays into religion and writing. Don't miss Mark's Close Reading of the beginning of this text that allows...
1hr 19m Nov 12, 2018
1hr 19m
Julia Kristeva on Disgust, Fear and the Self (Part One)
"On Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (1980), chapters 1 and 2. What is horror? Kristeva's book is about a process she calls "abjection" where we violently reject things like corpses, bodily wastes and other fluids, and the Lovecraftian unnameable that lurks at the edge of our awareness, hideously inhuman and indifferent to our suffering. The book is also all about the self, suggesting ...
50m Nov 05, 2018
50m