The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog

Subscribe on Android Spotify patreon

Blog

Episode 207: Herder on Art Appreciation (Part One)

by Leave a Comment

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, and why do some societies (e.g., ancient Greece) seem rife with genius while others are not? Herder has some definite ideas about aesthetic, sensual education as grounding for abstract thinking, rages against attempts to copy another culture’s art forms, and likes melody over harmony. Plus he coined the term “zeitgeist”!

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

Don’t forget your 2019 PEL Wall Calendar, now with free domestic shipping!

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

Episode 206: Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Part Two)

by Leave a Comment

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 explained?

Listen to part one first or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition; this will also get you the follow-up discussion (coming soon). Please support PEL, and don’t forget your 2019 PEL Wall Calendar!

End song: “Came Round” by Mark Lint. Read about it and get the new album.

Sponsor: Take back your Internet privacy with 3 months free at EXPRESSVPN.com/PEL.

NEM#89: Dusty Wright’s Metaphysical Americana

by 1 Comment

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. Intro/outro: “Karma” from dust! (2000).

For more, see dustywright.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon.

Episode 206: Lucretius’s Epicurean Physics (Part One)

by 1 Comment

On Lucretius’s poem about Epicurean science: On the Nature of Things aka De Rerum Natura from the first century BCE.

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 worldview imply?

Don’t wait for part 2; get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now; there will also be a Citizen-only follow-up discussion.

Sponsors: Get two months free of a vibrant online learning community at skillshare.com/PEL. Explore Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save at thelifeyoucansave.org/pel.

Please support PEL and check the PEL Store for our 2019 Wall Calendar, tutoring and more.

Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part Two)

by 2 Comments

More on philosophical and psychological interpretations of and judgments about suicide with guest Drew Pinsky.

Is suicide an epidemic or a choice? Could it be both? Socrates didn’t fear death and inspired Stoics and others to see suicide in some circumstances as brave. Or is it always cowardly? Does meaninglessness motivate suicide?

Listen to part one first or get the Citizen Edition, which will also get you access to the follow-up discussion. Get the 2019 Wall Calendar, Mark’s new album, tutoring, T-shirts, and more at our store. 

End song: “Disappear” by Chris Cacavas as heard on Nakedly Examined Music #87. Please support PEL!

Explore Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save at thelifeyoucansave.org/pel.

NEM#88: Lincoln Barr’s Off-Center Vulnerability

by Leave a Comment

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) and “Jesus’s House” from Hello, Old Cloud (2008). For more, see lincolnbarrmusic.com.

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

Episode 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part One)

by 2 Comments

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 for our Wall Calendar and new offerings including Mark’s new album, tutoring, and your very own Personal Philosophy.

Visit DrDrew.com.

Don’t wait for part 2! Get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition along with a follow-up discussion. Please support PEL!

Sponsors: Visit fin.com/pel to try a virtual assistant for free. Explore Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save at thelifeyoucansave.org/pel.

Episode 204: The Bhagavad Gita’s Hindu Theology (Part Two)

by 1 Comment

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 first or get the full, unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL and get the 2019 PEL Wall Calendar!

End song: “Om Hari Om 1” by Tim Jordan Kirtan feat. Michael Manring. Hear Michael on Nakedly Examined Music #31.

Sponsors: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL and explore Peter Singer’s http://thelifeyoucansave.org/pel.

NEM#87: Chris Cacavas Fronts His Depression

by Leave a Comment

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 Love’s Been Re-Discontinued (2013). Opening music: The title track from Green on Red’s Gravity Talks. For more, see chris-cacavas.com.

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

Episode 204: The Bhagavad Gita’s Hindu Theology (Part One)

by 2 Comments

On the classic Hindu text (ca. the third century BCE), 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. Lots of metaphysical complications! With guest Shaan Amin.

Don’t wait for part two! Get the full, unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL. Get the 2019 PEL Wall Calendar!

Sponsors: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL and explore Peter Singer’s http://thelifeyoucansave.org/pel.

Episode 203: Kristeva vs. Lovecraft on Horror and Abjection (Part Two)

by 1 Comment

Concluding on Julia Kristeva’s Powers of Horror (1980) and focusing 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”?

End song: “The Other” by Mark Lint feat. Lucy Lawless. Read about it and support the project.

Listen to part one first, or go back to ep. 202 first. Become a PEL Citizen to get the full, ad-free experience. Please support PEL!

Sponsors: Visit fin.com/pel to try a virtual assistant for free. Explore Peter Singer’s The Life You Can Save at partiallyexaminedlife.com/savealife.

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

Become a PEL Citizen!

As a PEL Citizen, you’ll have access to a private social community of philosophers, thinkers, and other partial examiners where you can join or initiate discussion groups dedicated to particular readings, participate in lively forums, arrange online meet-ups for impromptu seminars, and more. PEL Citizens also have free access to podcast transcripts, guided readings, episode guides, PEL music, and other citizen-exclusive material. Click here to join.

Blog Post Categories

Follow:

Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | iTunes