Podcast Episodes | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

You can also see them organized by topic. For episodes marked "Preview," you can access the full episode at our store, or you could become a PEL Citizen and get them from our Free Stuff for Citizens page.

View Ascending View Descending

Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part Two)

September 25, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Continuing with Drew Pinsky on “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

Fonagy claims we gain the ability to emotionally self-regulate as a result of achieving secure attachment with a caregiver as infants. Schore claims that if this fails, we can end up fundamentally disengaged. So what are the philosophical implications?

Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Anything but Love” by Steve Hackett, as featured on Nakedly Examined Music #45.

Visit thetrackr.com/PEL, and use promo code PEL for 20% off little bluetooth tags that help you find lost items.

Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part One)

September 18, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

Radio legend Dr. Drew Pinsky talks with us about “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

The focus is “theory of mind”; how do we develop the ability to impute thoughts and intentions to others? What in our upbringing can interfere with this development? We relate this back to previous episodes (Hegel, Buber, etc.) on recognition by others of the self.

Visit DrDrew.com. He interviews Wes!

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

Visit hellofresh.com, promo code PEL30 for $30 off, and meundies.com/pel for 20% off + free shipping.

Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Citizen Edition)

September 17, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

Radio legend Dr. Drew Pinsky talks with us about “Attachment and reflective function: their role in self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

Listen to more Dr. Drew at DrDrew.com, especially his interview of Wes!

End song: “Anything but Love” by Steve Hackett, as featured on Nakedly Examined Music #45.

Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part Two)

September 11, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 6 Comments

Continuing on Why Buddhism Is True. We discuss the “no self” doctrine as articulated in Buddha’s Second Discourse and the modularity-of-mind theory that Bob claims supports it. What are the ethical implications, and do we really need meditation to achieve its alleged ethical benefits?

Continued from part 1, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Alphalpha Bhang” by Anton Barbeau, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 50.

Sponsors: Visit care.com/pel for 30% off a premium membership for in-home elder care. Get 25% off your first order of protein bars at RXBAR.com/PEL, using promo code PEL. Try blinkist.com/pel for audio condensations of non-fiction books.

Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part One)

September 4, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 12 Comments

Bob joins the PEL four to discuss his new book Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment. Bob applies his expertise in evolutionary psychology to corroborate Buddhism’s claims that we are deluded: about our desires, emotions, the unity of our selves, and the “essences” we project on things and people. And he thinks meditation can instill in the diligent the ability to see things more clearly. But does it really?

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

Get $50 off a new mattress by visiting casper.com/pel. Visit thetrackr.com/PEL, and use promo code PEL for 20% off bluetooth tags that help you find lost items.

Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Citizen Edition)

September 3, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 5 Comments

End song: “Alphalpha Bhang” by Anton Barbeau; see Nakedly Examined Music #50.

Episode 170 Second Opinions: Leftists on “Society of the Spectacle”

August 28, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 22 Comments

Mark and Seth ask Doug Lain (Zero Squared), Brett O’Shea (Revolutionary Left Radio), and C. Derick Varn (Symptomatic Redness) what they think of Debord and PEL’s treatment of the book on Ep #170.

End song: “Open Your Eyes (Wake Up)” from Tyler Hislop, interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Go to blueapron.com/PEL for three free meals with free shipping. Get 20% off your first pair of underwear plus free shipping meundies.com/pel.

Episode 170: Guy Debord’s “Society of the Spectacle” (Part Two)

August 21, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 10 Comments

More on the 1967 Situtationist book. Do we buy Debord’s critique? Is any merely partial critique (i.e., no revolution) just more spectacle? Is technology inherently dehumanizing? Don’t these passivity/anti-technology arguments even apply to books? Could Debord’s model of authenticity catch on in society as a whole?

Start with part 1, or get the Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Millionaire” by The Mekons (1993); Jon Langford appears on Nakedly Examined Music #22.

Try blinkist.com/pel for audio condensations of non-fiction books, and try Seriously Wrong: srslywrong.com.

Episode 170: Guy Debord’s “Society of the Spectacle” (Part One)

August 14, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 22 Comments

What is culture? In modern capitalism, Debord’s 1967 book describes it as all about the economy. It’s not just our jobs that keep us trapped, but our life outside of working hours is also demanded by “the system” via our activity as consumers, and this commoditization infiltrates every corner of our lives. Debord wants us to WAKE UP, break our chains, and live lives of immediacy, vitality, and authenticity.

Episode 170: Guy Debord’s “Society of the Spectacle” (Citizen Edition)

August 14, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

End song: “Millionaire” by The Mekons (1993), one of whom, Jon Langford, Mark interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #22.

PEL Special: Combat & Classics #11 on Rousseau’s “Discourse on the Arts and Sciences”

August 7, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

A new podcast for the PEL Podcast Network! Meet Jeff, Lise, and Brian, who are joined by Wes and Dylan to discuss Rousseau’s claim that the arts and sciences lead to “moral corruption.”

Get more C&C on the PEL site or at combatandclassics.org.

TEASER-Episode 169: Analyzing Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” (Part Two)

August 6, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Some audio tidbits to hint at the analytic glories in the second half of our discussion, getting deeper into the psychoanalytic/existential interpretations of the film. Get the discussion at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife or with a PEL Citizenship.

Episode 169: Analyzing Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” (Part One)

July 31, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 6 Comments

On the 1958 film and articles including Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975) and Robin Wood’s “Vertigo” (1965). What is love? Are we really just loving a built image while remaining isolated? And is it just an illusionary social construct that keeps us all from feeling fundamental vertigo? Lacan, existentialism, and more!

Part 2 is for supporters only! It won’t be on the public feed, so get the full discussion now at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife or through a PEL Citizenship.

Episode 169: Analyzing Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” (Citizen Edition)

July 30, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On the 1958 film and articles including Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975) and Robin Wood’s “Vertigo” (1965). What’s the nature of love/lust? Are we really just loving an image we’ve built while remaining fundamentally isolated? And is it just an illusionary social construct that keeps us all from feeling fundamental vertigo? Lacan, existentialism, and more!

End song: “Wrong Pill” by Sacrifice (aka Tyler Hislop). Hear him on Nakedly Examined Music #24.

Episode 168: Darwin’s “Origin of Species” (Part Two)

July 24, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 13 Comments

More on Darwin’s famous book. Why does it matter for philosophy, beyond providing an alternative to intelligent design? Is it really anti-religious? How can well tell if it’s really a scientific theory? Talking about a species evolving trait X to enable survival sounds teleological; is it really, and is that bad? Why would the mind develop through natural selection?

Continues from part 1, or just get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “I Live” by Jason Falkner, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #47.

Episode 168: Darwin’s “Origin of Species” (Part One)

July 17, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 8 Comments

On Charles Darwin’s 1859 book, ch. 1–4, 6, and 14. What are the philosophical ramifications of Darwin’s theory of evolution? We go through Darwin’s arguments, compare his views to other theories of evolution like Lamarck’s, and talk about how an evolutionary way of looking at things has influenced philosophers.

Episode 168: Darwin’s “Origin of Species” (Citizen Edition)

July 16, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

End song: “I Live” by Jason Falkner, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #47.

Episode 167: Hume on Intelligent Design (Part Two)

July 10, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Continuing on David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779), with guest Stephen West. We get further into what’s wrong with the design argument and why Hume thinks that it’s merely a verbal dispute whether we want to say that God designed the orderly universe or just say that the universe is orderly. Also, the problem of evil!

Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Shittalkers” by Ken Stringfellow, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 39.

Check out the St. John’s College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi.

Episode 167: Hume on Intelligent Design (Part One)

July 3, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

On David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). How should the scientifically minded argue for God’s existence? Is the order and complexity of nature enough to prove an infinite God of the traditional sort? With guest Stephen West.

Don’t wait until next week for part 2; get the rest of the discussion now with your ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

To capture your real-life hero’s story, visit www.en.familysounds.net/podcast and get a discount with promo code PEL.

Episode 167: Hume on Intelligent Design (Philosophize This! Crossover) (Citizen Edition)

July 2, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

On David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779). How would a scientifically minded person argue for the existence of God?

In Hume’s dialogue, a character named Cleanthes argues from this point of view for God’s existence based on the complexity and order apparent in nature: It looks designed. But how good is that argument, and is it enough to prove an infinite God of the traditional sort? With guest Stephen West.

End song: “Here Comes the Flood” by The Security Project. Listen to Mark’s interview with Trey Gunn on Nakedly Examined Music #21.