January opened the year at PEL with a mix of social and political philosophy, close textual interpretation, cultural criticism, and more. The month featured engagements with figures such as Frantz Fanon, Bruno Latour, David Hume, and Graham Harman, and discussions spanning film, television, music, and Shakespeare. Below is a full roundup of everything published across the network in January, listed in order of occurrence.
(sub)TEXT: The Third Man
Jan 5, 2026
The hosts turn their interpretive lens to Carol Reed’s classic 1949 film The Third Man, using its cinematography, postwar atmosphere, and moral ambiguity as a springboard for philosophical reflection.
Announcement: Mark’s Big Books in Continental Philosophy – Spring 2026 Class
Jan 8, 2026
An announcement outlining Mark’s upcoming Spring 2026 course on major figures and texts in Continental philosophy. The post sketches the class structure, key readings, and intellectual arc students will follow, including material from Hegel, Sartre, Arendt, Schopenhauer, and others.
Philosophy vs. Improv #109: Choose Your Own Failure w/ Rich Baker
Jan 10, 2026
Rich Baker joins Philosophy vs. Improv for an episode that uses improvised scenarios to explore failure, decision-making, and the unexpected lessons that arise when things go wrong. Through playful scenes and reflective discussion, the episode probes how failure can illuminate norms, expectations, and practical reasoning.
Closereads: Fanon on Hegel
Jan 10, 2026
A close reading of Frantz Fanon’s engagement with Hegel, focusing on how concepts of recognition, freedom, and selfhood are reworked in the context of colonialism. The discussion highlights Fanon’s critique of Hegelian universality and his effort to account for the psychological and political realities of racialized domination.
Ep. 383: Freud on Love and the Primal Horde (Part One)
Jan 12, 2026
The first part of a multi-episode exploration of Freud, focusing on love, group formation, and the notion of the primal horde. The conversation examines Freud’s speculative account of early social organization, erotic attachment, and the origins of authority and prohibition.
Pretty Much Pop #213: Stranger Things Grown Familiar
Jan 13, 2026
The hosts revisit Stranger Things, reflecting on how the series has evolved across seasons and how its mix of nostalgia, genre homage, and emotional stakes holds up over time.
Hume’s Third Prong
Jan 18, 2026
We know two types of reasoning pass muster with David Hume. One is found in logic and the other in experience. But what if there’s a third? The philosopher Joe Campbell explains in an essay illuminating the lesser noticed “third prong” of Hume’s naturalist approach.
Ep. 383: Freud on Love and the Primal Horde (Part Two)
Jan 19, 2026
Continuing the discussion on Freud, the hosts explore how he links desire, authority, and shared psychic structures, extending his speculative account of early human social life.
Nakedly Examined Music #245: Darren Michael Boyd
Jan 20, 2026
A conversation with Darren Michael Boyd. The Ontario guitarist has released six albums of concise instrumentals since 2019, often using metal guitar tones and tropes, but with a great range of tones and often catchy melodies.
Closereads: Latour on Materialism
Jan 20, 2026
A close-reading session devoted to Bruno Latour’s approach to materialism, examining how his work reconfigures relationships between humans, objects, and networks of agency.
(sub)TEXT: Julius Caesar
Jan 23, 2026
Wes and Erin turn their attention to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, reading the play as a meditation on rhetoric, loyalty, betrayal, and political judgment.
Philosophy vs. Improv #110: Memories of 2026 w/ Mark and Mary
Jan 23, 2026
Mark and Mary reflect on the early weeks of 2026 through a mix of improv, personal recollection, and philosophical musing. The episode touches on memory, narrative, and the role of reflection in shaping how we understand both ideas and lived experience.
Ep. 384: Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology (Part One)
Jan 25, 2026
The first part of a discussion of Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology, focusing on the claim that objects exist independently of human access. The hosts explore how Harman reframes metaphysics by centering objects and their relations.
There’s more to come in February!
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