February at The Partially Examined Life continued several major threads while branching into new territory across the network. The month featured the conclusion of the Graham Harman series and an extended interview with Harman himself, alongside discussions of Hegel, Shakespearean drama, and musical improvisation. Below is a full roundup of everything published here at PEL in February, listed in order of occurrence.
Closereads: Hegel’s “Unhappy Consciousness”
Feb 2, 2026
This session examines the “Unhappy Consciousness” section of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, where self-consciousness becomes divided against itself. The discussion explores the tension between a changeless standpoint and a conflicted, self-alienated consciousness, illuminating Hegel’s account of inner division and its role in what comes after.
Ep. 384: Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology (Part Two)
Feb 2, 2026
Continuing the discussion of Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology: A New Theory of Everything, the hosts turn to Harman’s account of causality and indirect relations. They examine his critique of reductionism and explore the idea that objects never fully reveal themselves, interacting instead through surface qualities.
Philosophy vs. Improv #111: God Smites Elijah Dann
Feb 8, 2026
Mark and Mary are joined by philosopher and theologian Elijah Dann to discuss his journey from evangelical Christianity to atheism and the arguments surrounding belief and disbelief. Blending conversation with improvised sketches, the episode explores how personal commitments, debate, and humor shape engagement with religion.
Pretty Much Pop #214: South Park Resurgence
Feb 9, 2026
The hosts revisit South Park in light of its latest season, exploring how the long-running series continues to mix crude humor with sharp cultural and political satire. The conversation considers the show’s evolving tone and how its rapid production cycle enables unusually timely commentary.
Ep. 384: Graham Harman’s Object-Oriented Ontology (Part Three)
Feb 9, 2026
Concluding the Harman discussion, the hosts turn to his aesthetic claims. Drawing on his engagement with Jose Ortega y Gasset, they explore how metaphor and artistic experience provide a non-literal access to objects, reevaluating the idea that objects remain partly withdrawn from direct knowledge.
Ep. 385: Guest Graham Harman on Object vs. Continuum (Part One)
Feb 16, 2026
Graham Harman joins the podcast to discuss themes from his book Waves and Stones: On the Ultimate Nature of Reality. The conversation focuses on Harman’s argument that reality cannot be reduced either to discrete particles or to an undifferentiated continuum, examining instead how objects interact through fields such as space and time.
Nakedly Examined Music #246: Robert Deeble in His Talking Voice
Feb 16, 2026
Singer-songwriter Robert Deeble joins the show to discuss his music and creative process. The conversation moves through several of his songs while reflecting on songwriting, performance, and the craft of shaping a musical voice.
Pretty Much Pop #215: Hamnet Dramatizes Shakespeare
Feb 18, 2026
The hosts discuss Hamnet, the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel imagining the life of Shakespeare’s family and the death of his son. The conversation looks at how the story blends historical speculation with intimate family drama while reflecting on how such narratives shape our understanding of Shakespeare and his world.
Philosophy vs. Improv #112: Musical Zoom w/ Jerome Kurtenbach
Feb 19, 2026
Jerome Kurtenbach joins Mark and Mary for an episode focused on musical improvisation. The conversation is interwoven with improvisations, continuing the show’s blend of discussion and spontaneous creative play.
Ep. 385: Guest Graham Harman on Object vs. Continuum (Part Two)
Feb 22, 2026
The interview with Harman continues discussion on themes from Waves and Stones. The topics discussed include Kantian things-in-themselves, the distinction between genuine objects and mere aggregates, natural kinds, and fictional objects, extending the debate over whether reality is best understood in terms of discrete objects.
When a Fallacy Ain’t a Fallacy: The Naturalistic Fallacy
Feb 27, 2026
This essay continues a series examining arguments too quickly dismissed as fallacious. Revisiting G. E. Moore’s naturalistic fallacy and the Open Question Argument, the piece suggests that the charge often functions less as a strict logical error than as a heuristic warning about moving too quickly from facts about the world to conclusions about value.
There’s more to come in March!
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