The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog
On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 12–20 and the Tractatus Politicus (1677).
What’s the relationship between ethics and political power? Given that religious factions tend to create strife, what’s the optimal role of the government in mitigating that damage? Is theocracy in any way a good idea?
End song: “Shittalkers” by Ken Stringfellow, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 39.
On Benedict de Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670), ch. 1–11.
For Spinoza, the Bible was a political issue, and he was interested in a way to read it that didn’t lead to people fighting wars and persecuting each other. Spinoza argues that a respectful reading is one that looks for the central message and doesn’t paper over many places where the text was tailored to its original audience’s prejudices, or where for historical reasons we can’t now really know what it meant to them.
End song: “Spinoza’s Dream” (2016) by Dave Nachmanoff, as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 20.
On Neil Postman’s 1985 book, assessing the implications of media and entertainment on our modern political climate, our relation to technology, including social media, and what may have been lost in the shift from a typographic culture to one in which any answer seems attainable by means of rapid data access.
On Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s philosophical novel from 1869.
Could a morally perfect person survive in the modern world? Is all this “modernity,” which so efficiently computes our desires and provides mechanisms to fulfill them, actually suited to achieve human flourishing? Dostoyevsky’s Russian existentialism says no!
End song: “Don Quixote” by Nik Kershaw, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #37.
On Natural Kinds and Genesis: The Classification of Material Entities (2016). Are general terms like “water” or “dog” just things that we made up to order the world we experience? Aristotle thought that some universals constitute natural kinds, with an internal structure that explains their behavior. “Kinds” were replaced with “laws,” but Stewart wants us to reconsider, and bring back “natural philosophy” in the process.
End song: “Destroy the Box” by Wertico, Cain and Gray from Organic Architecture (2014), as elucidated on Nakedly Examined Music #30.
On the film I Am Not Your Negro and the essays “Notes of a Native Son” (1955) and The Fire Next Time (1963). With guest Law Ware.
Baldwin diagnoses our racism-related psycho-social maladies, but how can we best translate his observations into generally applicable philosophical theory?
End song: “Dawning on Me” by Mark Lint feat. Ken Stringfellow, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 39.
Is the rhetoric of “White Privilege” just the modern way of acknowledging historical and systemic truths of racism, or does it point to a novel way for acknowledging injustice, or does it actually obscure these insights with confused claims about group responsibility?
Readings include articles by Peggy McIntosh, Charles W. Mills, George Yancy, Tim Wise, Lewis R. Gordon, Lawrence Blum, and John McWhorter. With guest Law Ware.
End song: “Power” by Narada Michael Walden, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music ep. 16.
On the novel 1984 (1949) and the essays “Politics and the English Language” (1946) and “Notes on Nationalism” (1945).
What’s the relation between language and totalitarianism? Orwell shows us a society where the rulers have mastered the art of retaining power, and one element of this involves “Newspeak,” where vocabulary is limited to prevent subversive speech, and ultimately thoughts. Do our linguistic habits and the Orwellian lies of our leaders point to a slippery slope toward the world of 1984?
End song: “Civil Disobedience” by Camper Van Beethoven from New Roman Times (2004), written by Jonathan Segel as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 38.
On the Analects, compiled after 479 BCE.
How should we act? What’s the relation between ethics and politics? Can a bunch of aphorisms written in the distant past for an unapologetically hierarchical culture emphasizing traditional rituals actually give us relevant, welcome advice on these matters? Are we even in a position to determine the meaning of these sayings? With guest Tzuchien Tho.
End song: “Please Allow Me to Look at You Again,” from The Edge of Heaven (2013) by Gary Lucas, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 7.
On the Consolation, written as Boethius awaited execution in 524 CE.
Do bad things really happen to good people? Boethius, surprisingly, says no, for Stoic (anything that can be taken away can’t be of central importance; you can’t lose your virtue in this way), Aristotelian (all things tend toward the good, and the best thing for a person is achieving his or her innate potential, which is to be virtuous), and Christian (God’s unknowable plan means that even the stuff that seems bad really isn’t) reasons.
End song: “Last the Evening” by Carrie Akre, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music Ep. 17.
On Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in 20th Century America (1998). What makes for efficacious progressivism? Rorty argues that reformism went out of fashion in the ’60s in favor of a “cultural left” that merely critiques and spectates, leaving a void that a right-wing demagogue could exploit to sweep in, claiming to be a champion of regular working people. Sound familiar?
End song: “America Back” by Jill Sobule, as featured in Nakedly Examined Music episode 18.
How does studying philosophy help you to make sense of the political landscape? Wes, Mark, Dylan, and Seth play pundit and reflect on political rhetoric, elitism, and much more. There is no text for this episode! Freedom!
End song: “Better Days” from The Getaway Drivers’ Bellatopia; check out Mark’s interview with singer/songwriter Bob Manor on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 11.
On Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), Part II: “Mirroring.”
Is a “theory of knowledge” possible? Rorty thinks that any such account will be a fruitless search for foundations. Knowledge is really just a matter of social agreement, and beliefs must be justified from other beliefs, not from any alleged relationship to reality.
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End song: “The Ghosts Are Alright” from The Bye-Bye Blackbirds (Houses and Homes, 2008), as discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #32.
On “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind” (1956).
Is knowledge based on a “foundation,” as Descartes, Locke, et al. thought? Sellars says no: The allegedly basic elements upon which knowledge would be built either have to be propositions, in which case they involve a lot of prior knowledge involved in language use and so aren’t really basic, or they’re “raw feels,” in which case they can’t actually serve as reasons for anything; reasons have to be propositional. With guest Lawrence Dallman.
End song: “Senses on Fire” by Mercury Rev. Check out the interview with singer Jonathan Donahue in Nakedly Examined Music ep. 14.
On Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (1979), Part I: “Our Glassy Essence.”
“The mind” seems to be an unavoidable part of our basic conceptual vocabulary, but Rorty thinks not, and he wants to use the history of philosophy as a kind of therapy to show that many of our seemingly insoluble problems like the relation between mind and body are a result philosophical mistakes by Descartes, Locke, and Kant. With guest Stephen Metcalf of Slate’s Culture Gabfest podcast.
End song: “Wall of Nothingness” from Sky Cries Mary from This Timeless Turning (1994). Listen to Mark’s interview with the band’s frontman, Roderick Romero, in Nakedly Examined Music ep. 9.
Mark, Paul Wertico, and David Cain continued to talk for another 20 minutes, delving into their work outside of their current trio. We listen to a Pat Metheny tune that Paul played on, something from his first solo album, and another long-form improvisation.
Democracy is in peril! So said Tocqueville in 1835 and 1840 when Democracy is America was published, and it’s still true now. Democracy is always just one demagogue away from stripping us of our liberties, though certain structural and cultural features can make that more or less likely. He liked our volunteerism and innovation, but not so much our tendencies toward materialism and isolation and our lack of philosophical curiosity.
Recorded live at Brown University 10/27/16 with audience Q&A. Watch the video!
End song (for the audio version): “Shot of Democracy” by Cutting Crew from Grinning Souls (2005). Listen to Mark and Nick Eede on Nakedly Examined Music #10.
On Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). What relevance do the concerns of a monarchy-defending aristocrat have for us today? Surprisingly, a lot! The full foursome discuss possible conflicts between freedom, rights, and well-being. What is political freedom without public wisdom? The tyranny of the mob!
End song: “Hard Times of Old England” from Peter Knight’s Gigspanner (from Layers of Ages, 2015); listen to Mark’s interview with Peter on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 27 at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com.
What do we owe the poor? Mark and Wes interview perhaps the world’s most influential living philosopher, then the full foursome discusses. We discuss his ongoing work rooted in his 1971 essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” about the warped priorities of our consumerist society: We spend money on luxuries while innocent children overseas die from inexpensively preventable causes. For more about Peter, see www.petersinger.info.
End song: End song: “Ann the Word” by Beauty Pill (2015), explored in Nakedly Examined Music’s ep. 19: nakedlyexaminedmusic.com.
Broadway stars Walter Bobbie and Bill Youmans perform Plato’s dialogue in which Socrates awaits his execution. Should Socrates defy the verdict and try to escape the city? Socrates says no; that would be ungrateful to the city whose benefits he’s enjoyed. Bill joins the full PEL foursome for a lively discussion.
End song: “Fall Away” by Mark Lint and the Fake from the album So Whaddaya Think? (2000).
