The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog

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Episode 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers, et al) (Part One)

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On “Consciousness and Its Place in Nature” by David Chalmers (2003), with special guest Gregory Miller from the Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast.

Can we explain human experience using the terms of brain physiology? Chalmers thinks not, and lays out the arguments against this and the range of positions philosophers have taken in response to these objections. 

Don’t wait for part 2! Get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

Sponsor: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL for a free trial of The Great Courses Plus Video Learning Service.

Episode 218: The Hard Problem of Consciousness (Chalmers, et al) (Citizen Edition)

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>On “Consciousness and Its Place in Nature” by David Chalmers (2003), with special guest Gregory Miller from the Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast.

Can we explain human experience using the terms of brain physiology? Chalmers thinks not, and lays out the arguments against this and the range of positions philosophers have taken in response to these objections.

End song: “Georgia Hard” by Robbie Fulks, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #36.

Pretty Much Pop #1: Pop Culture vs. High Culture (Advance Citizen Release)

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What is pop culture? Does it make sense to distinguish it from high culture, or can something be both?

Hear in advance of the actual release the new pop culture podcast hosted by Mark, Erica Spyres, and Brian Hirt.

Get involved from the start at patreon.com/prettymuchpop. This episode is available there FREE for one and all, and there’s already bonus content up there for PMP supporters.

REISSUE-Ep. 21: What Is the Mind? (Turing, et al) w/ New Intro

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Discussing articles by Alan Turing, Gilbert Ryle, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, and Dan Dennett. What is this mind stuff, and how can it “be” the brain? Can computers think? What is it like to be a bat? With guest Marco Wise.

Plus a new intro by Mark, Wes, and Seth reflecting back on this 2010 discussion, which we’re re-releasing to help you prepare for our upcoming episodes in this area.

End Song: “No Mind” by Mark Lint and the Fake Johnson Trio (1998).

Become a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter for more energized conversations like this, including the the Not School discussion on David Chalmers’s book The Conscious Mind.

Sponsors: Read Neal Stephenson’s Fall or Dodge in Hell. Visit the St. John’s College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi.

REISSUE-Ep. 21: What Is the Mind? (Turing, et al) w/ New Intro

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Discussing articles by Alan Turing, Gilbert Ryle, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, and Dan Dennett. What is this mind stuff, and how can it “be” the brain? Can computers think? What is it like to be a bat? With guest Marco Wise.

Plus a new intro by Mark, Wes, and Seth reflecting back on this 2010 discussion, which we’re re-releasing to help you prepare for our upcoming episodes in this area.

End Song: “No Mind” by Mark Lint and the Fake Johnson Trio (1998).

Episode 217: Discussing Calderón’s “Life Is a Dream”

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On the 1636 comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, considering destiny (Christian vs. Ancient Greek), skepticism, meta-theater, and the ethic of honor. Listen to our performance first. With guests Bill Youmans and Erica Spyres.

End song: “Pulling Apart” by Jonathan Segel. Hear him on Nakedly Examined Music #38.

Please fill out our bonus material survey at partiallyexaminedlife.com/bonus. Please support PEL!

Sponsors: Visit TheGreatCoursesPLUS.com/PEL for a free month of online learning. Visit the St. John’s College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi.

NEM#99: Globelamp (Elizabeth LeFay): Raw, Psychedelic Folk

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Elizabeth got her start in the psych-punk band Meowtain in Olympia, WA, emerged as Globelamp in 2011 with an EP, was briefly a touring member of Foxygen, and has put out three albums since 2014.

We discuss “Everything’s a Spiral” and listen to “Black Tar” from Romantic Cancer (2018), “Controversial/Confrontational” from The Orange Glow (2015), and “Warrior” from Star Dust (2014). Intro: “Hex” from Meowtain (2012). For more, see facebook.com/globelamp.

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon.

PEL Audioplayers: “Life Is a Dream” by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

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Your hosts are joined by real actors to do an unrehearsed read of Calderón’s 1636 comedy La Vida Es Sueño, using Stanley Appelbaum’s 2002 translation. Ep. 217 will cover the philosophical issues the play raises.

Recorded in NYC on 4/7: Talene Monahon (Rosaura), David Epstein (Segismundo), Bill Youmans (Clotaldo), Erica Spyres (Estrella), Chris Martin (Basilio), Mark Linsenmayer (Clarín), Seth Paskin (Astolfo), Dylan Casey (soldier 1 and servant 1), and Wes Alwan (soldier 2 and servant 2).

Music by Jonathan Segel, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #38.

Please help us to do more audioplays by supporting PEL.

Sponsor: St. John’s College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi.

PEL Audioplayers: “Life Is a Dream” by Pedro Calderón de la Barca (Citizen Edition)

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Your hosts are joined by real actors to do an unrehearsed read of the 1636 comedy by Calderón’s 1636 comedy La Vida Es Sueño, using Stanley Appelbaum’s 2002 translation. Ep. 217 will cover the philosophical issues the play raises.

Recorded in NYC on 4/7: Talene Monahon (Rosaura), David Epstein (Segismundo), Bill Youmans (Clotaldo), Erica Spyres (Estrella), Chris Martin (Basilio), Mark Linsenmayer (Clarín), Seth Paskin (Astolfo), Dylan Casey (soldier 1 and servant 1), and Wes Alwan (soldier 2 and servant 2).

Music by Jonathan Segel, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #38.

PREVIEW-Ep 216 Game of Thrones’ Fantasy Politics (Part Two)

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Get teased re. Mark and Wes’s post-finale, spoiler-filled continuation of the discussion of the show.

How does its conclusion affect its overall political message? Does it make sense to be performing feminist critiques on a show based on the premise of people murdering each other for power?

To hear the full discussion, become a PEL Citizen or $5 Patreon supporter. For more about these options see partiallyexaminedlife.com/support. Listen to our part one first, of course.

Episode 216 Follow-Up: Reflections on the End of Game of Thrones (Citizens Only)

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Mark and Wes continue discussion of the TV show after its finale. Listen to our ep. 216 first.

Yes, of course this is now full of spoilers. How does the end of the show affect its overall political message? Was it really (as George R.R. Martin depicted) about the irreducible complexity of politics (given that any character named or unnamed can actually make a difference, at least destructively) or qua TV Show is it forced to zero-in on a select set of powerful characters that we are meant to identify with? Also, does it make sense to be performing feminist critiques on a show based on the premise of people murdering each other for power?

We welcome your feedback re. future treatment of pop culture topics (via a spin-off podcast?).

Episode 216: Game of Thrones’ Fantasy Politics

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Discussing the TV show (2011-2019) based on the books by George R.R. Martin.

What’s the role of a mass-consumed fantasy series in today’s society? Is it our “fantasy” to have all these horrible things happen to us? Is this an edifying prompt to engage in public moral thinking, or a spectacular distraction of the kind that those Marxist theorists keep warning us about? We get into the function of fantasy and how a more “realistic” show plays with that, the extent to which we’re supposed to identify with the characters, depiction of moral complexity, low art vs. high art, identity issues, and more. With guest Sabrina Weiss.

End song: “Fire and Blood” by Sacrifice Feat. Mark Lint; hear the interview on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Keep an eye out for a Citizen-only spoiler-filled follow-up discussion between Mark and Wes to be released this week!

Sponsors: Check out Bill Nye’s Science Rules and thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL

Episode 216: Game of Thrones’ Fantasy Politics (Citizen Edition)

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Discussing the TV show (2011-2019) based on the books by George R.R. Martin.

What’s the role of a mass-consumed fantasy series in today’s society? Is it our “fantasy” to have all these horrible things happen to us? Is this an edifying prompt to engage in public moral thinking, or a spectacular distraction of the kind that those Marxist theorists keep warning us about? We get into the function of fantasy and how a more “realistic” show plays with that, the extent to which we’re supposed to identify with the characters, depiction of moral complexity, low art vs. high art, identity issues, and more. With guest Sabrina Weiss.

End song: “Fire and Blood” by Sacrifice Feat. Mark Lint; hear the interview on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

NEM#98: Phil Judd Entertains Himself

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Phil founded New Zealand’s Split Enz with Tim Finn in 1972, recorded a seminal punk single with Suburban Reptiles, had an Australian #1 hit with The Swingers, then moved to solo and soundtrack work until 2006, since which he’s recorded five thickly textured solo albums including extensive one-man-band work.

We discuss the title track from Flightless Bird (2019), “Kite Flying Day” from Play It Strange (2014), and “Lamplight” by Schnell Fenster from The Sound of Trees (1988). We conclude by listening to “No One’s Best Man” from Novelty Act (2016). Intro/outro: “Sweet Dreams” by Split Enz from Second Thoughts (1976).

Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon. Check out Mark’s new album.

Sponsor: Bandzoogle for 30 days free and 15% off a year of a great band website (use promo code NEM).

Episode 215: Brave New World: PEL Live 10th Anniversary Show

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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 flawed view of human nature? You can watch this episode instead.

End song: “Brave New World” by Mark Lint. Read about it.

Get the commemorative T-shirt, and save $10 with the coupon code revealed at the beginning of the Citizen Edition of this episode. Please support PEL! Contact us to share your PEL stories.

Sponsor: Visit garyjohnbishop.com and get his new book Stop Doing That Shit: End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back.

Episode 215: Brave New World: PEL Live 10th Anniversary Show (Citizen Edition)

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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 flawed view of human nature?

You can watch this episode instead.

End song: “Brave New World” by Mark Lint. Read about it.

PEL Citizens get $10 off the commemorative T-shirt.

PEL 10th Anniversary “Brave New World” Song

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A new Mark Lint tune written specifically to air with our live show #215. Mark mainlines Ramones and chuffs out this ode to the PEL project.

“Just four white men, why four white men? ‘Cause that’s just how it happened back before 2010. And we’ve read a lot of texts. We’re still sticking out our necks, speaking off the cuff at length enough to have almost examined this…”

About The Partially Examined Life

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don’t have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we’re talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion

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