Hey all, we're back again to tempt you into digging deeper into upcoming live online seminar proposals in our Not School and Citizen Forum. We have, as El Guapo would say, a plethora of options for you. First up, we have a seminar on Michel de Montaigne's "Of the Education of Children" and "Of Cannibals" on July 11th at 9pm EST. Dig into one of the early enlightenment's Continue Reading …
June Not School Update: Montaigne, De Beauvoir Aftershow, Film, D&D and the Presidential Candidates
Summer is almost here and obviously all the cool kids (aka PEL Not School Members) are getting invites left and right to barbecues and pool parties. Your friends know that nothing gets the party going like your "Ontologikal" (spelled with a "K," because you're edgy) playlist on Spotify. It's heavy on Prince (so you can use that as a tie-in for Machiavelli deep dives) and French Continue Reading …
Not School April: Dennett and Germans and Aristotle
Hey there, lovers of philosophy, here's with a breakdown of our current Not School offerings for April: Two common objections we get from folks considering the Not School program are “This level of instruction probably costs $6, maybe $7 dollars a month—and that rent is too damned high”...and second “If Not School doesn’t help me wrap my head around the idea that various Continue Reading …
Not School This March: Hobbes, Nietzsche, Dennett, Plato, Hegel
There's quite the smorgasbord for Uber-Mensches (and Uber-Mensch-ladies) this March for folks considering a Not School experience. Sign up and come on into the Citizens' Forum for proposals, and check out the already-established Not School groups. #leviathan #topical #besticandowithcreativecommonsphotos You want Thomas Hobbes? You get Thomas Hobbes. Keegan Venzomeran Continue Reading …
Intro Readings in Philosophy Series Starting Now(ish)!!!!
You're fired up, you are ready. To read some philosophy, and OHYEAH!, talk about it. Well, you're ready for the Intro Readings in Philosophy Not School Group. Led by Brian Wilson (me, a St. John's College Graduate Institute alum who's been doing this same gig for veterans and active duty since 2013 through my Combat & Classics program), you'll dig into a monthly Continue Reading …
New in Not School: Niebuhr, Kant, Zizek, Lovecraft
Hey everyone, Nathan Hanks here with an update from the Partially Examined Life's Not School. Just sign up for PEL Citizenship and you'll be able to access all the group pages and weigh in on new proposals. You'll find other members in the Citizen's Forum with these new group proposals to join in October: The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr Critique of Pure Continue Reading …
Listen to Philosophical Fiction #16, “The Fall” by Albert Camus
Our Philosophical Fiction group talked about The Fall by Albert Camus in the Partially Examined Life's Not School. Anyone can listen to the highlight below, and Citizens can get the full conversation with all the bonus discussions at PEL's Podcast Episodes Ad Free. Nathan Hanks, Daniel Cole, Cezary Baraniecki, Laura Davis, and Mary Ricci read the novel for a discussion on Continue Reading …
New from Not School this September
Hey everyone, Nathan Hanks here with the latest from Not School for listeners and members this September. Anyone can listen to this new highlight from Philosophical Fiction #15 on "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov. And Members, we have a bunch of new group proposals to join, several confirmed groups to check out, and plenty of time to propose your own Continue Reading …
Our New Citizen Feed, August Not School Doings, and a New Mayor of Not School
[Editor's Note: Thanks very much to everyone who's become a PEL Citizen. Your support has made our ongoing ambitions to produce this podcast viable, now with more frequent episodes, with a live show coming up in Pittsburgh in September, and we were able last week to send Seth to a big podcasting conference last week (we were nominated for but did not win an award). We've also Continue Reading …
Listen to Phi-Fi Discuss ‘The Lottery’ Sunday, July 19th
Our Philosophical Fiction group in PEL's Not School are getting together this Sunday to discuss Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." You can ask questions and listen live, July 19th at 12pm(cst), via Google Hangouts: https://plus.google.com/events/cacpmko958gpvg1ejapacp25roc?authkey=CKCSpKumwPXn9wE Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her Continue Reading …
July’s Not School Groups
If you're looking for some additional philosophical conversation this month, we have several Not School groups and at least one Aftershow already lined up. PEL Citizens can participate in any of these, and can also listen to tons of free audio from past groups and Aftershows. Becoming a Citizen is easy and affordable; take a look here to learn more. First up, the ep. 118 Continue Reading …
Listen or Watch: Episode 116 Aftershow on Freud and Dreams
Watch on YouTube. Danny Lobell and Wes Alwan were joined for a discussion of Freud and dreams by PEL citizens Bjorn Dahlby, Ken Presting, Chase Fiorenza, Michael deCamp, Terra Leigh Bell, and Sam Baguley. Our discussion focused less on dreams than on Freud and everything else we happened to want to talk about, from psychedelic drugs to the female lioness' "ambivalence" Continue Reading …
Bonus Discussion: Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony”
The Philosophical Fiction Not School Group read the short story by Franz Kafka "In The Penal Colony" for our conversation in May. It's about a traveler visiting a penal colony who meets the officer in charge of a justice system. (Saying anything more would spoil it; just read it!) I talked with Daniel Cole, Cezary, Laura Davis, and Mary Ricci for a few hours about Kafka's Continue Reading …
Come Join Not School in June
Several of our Not School groups wrapped up in May, so June is the perfect time to join up and start a new group. Getting more involved is simple: just draft a quick proposal detailing what you'd like to read, watch or listen to, and post it in the Citizens' Forum. When at least two other members express interest, you're ready to start a group. For a good idea of why the groups Continue Reading …
Listen to the Full-Capacity Ep. 115 Aftershow
After our technical debacle last time that resulted in us having only one Citizen listener attending, this time Danny Lobell and I had a packed house to reflect on episode 115 on Schopenhauer and music. Jonathan Segel was good enough to rejoin us to show off his infant daughter and rail about Beethoven. Previous guest Dave Buchanan brought Pythagoras into the picture, and Continue Reading …
Bonus Recording: The Historical Jesus
I had the pleasure of discussing on 4/26 the 2006 Historical Jesus lectures of Stanford's Thomas Sheehan (listen on iTunes U; here's the syllabus) with PEL listeners John ludders, Terra Leigh Bell, Michael Burgess Chris Eyre, and Benjamin Feddersen. Get the recording now from the Free Stuff for Citizens page, under "Not School and Aftershow Discussions." It was a great Continue Reading …
Not School Report: Philip Auslander on Postmodern Theater
Our Philosophy and Theater Group was occupied last month with Philip Auslander’s From Acting to Performance: Essays in Modernism and Postmodernism, and our discussion of the book's first three essays is now available for PEL Citizens to listen to on the Free Stuff page. In this talk, Philip Cherny, Carlos Franke and myself discuss various topics including the therapeutic value Continue Reading …
Listen to Ep. 114 Aftershow
Sunday afternoon we recorded the aftershow for on our episode 114 covering Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation (sometimes called The World as Will and Idea). Host Danny Lobell (whom you can hear ad nauseam on his own podcast, Modern Day Philosophers with such guests as Gilbert Godfried, Marc Maron, Louis Black, Aisha Tyler, Wyatt Cenac, etc. etc.) Continue Reading …
Not School In May: Levinas, Zizek, Heidegger, Murakami, Auslander
It looks like May will be another active month in Not School. We already have groups set to read Levinas, Heidegger, Murakami, Auslander, and the ever popular Zizek. Remember, PEL Citizens can propose groups on whatever philosophical content they’re interested in, set their own schedules, and choose how to communicate. If you haven't joined up yet, take a look at what you’re Continue Reading …
Not School: Thomas Sheehan’s Historical Jesus Stanford Lectures
Featuring Mark Linsenmayer, Michael Burgess, Tara Leigh Bell, John Ludders, Chris Eyre, Benjamin Feddersen. Recorded April 26, 2015, 1 hr., 50 min. The conversation had three parts, covering the following questions: 1. Does Sheehan represent a legitimate academic consensus? His story is pretty damning re. the historical accuracy of the traditional Jesus story, and he Continue Reading …