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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.

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Ep. 249: Dewey on Education and Thought (Part Two)

August 10, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Continuing on John Dewey’s Democracy and Education (1916) ch. 1, 2, 4, and 24 with guest Jonathan Haber.

How is education different than mere conditioning, and how does it relate to habits and growth? We discuss how much of what Dewey recommends lines up with liberal education and multiculturalism. Also, can education change taste?

Start with part one, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition, which will also get you our PEL Nightcaps.

End song: “Too Far to Turn Around” by The Ides of March; Jim Peterik appears on Nakedly Examined Music #126.

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Ep. 249: Dewey on Education and Thought (Part One)

August 3, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On John Dewey’s How We Think (1910) ch. 1 and Democracy and Education (1916) ch. 1, 2, 4, and 24.

What model of human nature should serve as the basis for education policy? Dewey sees learning as growth, and the point of education as to enable indefinite growth. With guest Jonathan Haber.

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

Sponsors: Visit SJC.edu to learn about St. John’s College. Check out the Being Reasonable podcast.

Ep. 248: Racism and Policing (Al-Saji, Merleau-Ponty, et al) (Part Two)

July 27, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 7 Comments

Continuing on Alia Al-Saji’s “A Phenomenology of Hesitation” (2014) and other things with guest Phil Hopkins. 

Can we restructure our (and the police’s) reactions and live with each other? We further explore the psychology of habit and Al-Saji’s notion of hesitation. How does it compare to other types of heistation recommended by philosophies and religions?

Start with part one, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Includes a preview of our Citizen Hang.

End song: “Every Man’s Burden” by Dusty Wright, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #89.

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Ep. 248: Racism and Policing (Al-Saji, Merleau-Ponty, et al) (Part One)

July 20, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

On Alia Al-Saji’s “A Phenomenology of Hesitation” (2014), bits of Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception (1945) and Linda Martín Alcoff’s Visible Identities (2006), plus Alex Vitale’s The End of Policing (2017).

Is there subconscious racism, and how might we root it out and fix our policing problems? Ex-cop Phil Hopkins joins to look at how phenomenology can help.

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

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Ep. 247: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Emotions (Part Two)

July 13, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Continuing on the Rhetoric (ca. 335 BCE) book 1, ch. 1-6 and book 2, ch. 1-5, 18-24.

We finish up with enthymemes (rhetorical arguments), maxims, and signs. We then move to emotions, where we chiefly talk about anger: Is it always a matter of status injury, or is frustration equally (or more) foundational?

Begin with part one, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

End song: “Reason with the Beast” by Shriekback, whose leader Barry Andrews was interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #107.

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Ep. 247: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Emotions (Part One)

July 6, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Aristotle

On the Rhetoric (ca. 335 BCE) book 1, ch. 1–6 and book 2, ch. 1–5, 18–24.

What role does persuasion play in philosophy? Aristotle (contra Plato) argues it can and should be used for good: in law courts, political debates, public speeches. He describes the arguments forms used in rhetoric (“enthymemes”) and analyzes the emotions that an audience might have so that speakers know what points are worth dwelling on and how to best argue them.

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

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Ep. 247: Aristotle on Rhetoric and Emotions (Citizen Edition)

July 6, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 5 Comments

Aristotle

On the Rhetoric (ca. 335 BCE) book 1, ch. 1–6 and book 2, ch. 1–5, 18–24.

What role does persuasion play in philosophy? Aristotle (contra Plato) argues it can and should be used for good: in law courts, political debates, public speeches. He describes the arguments forms used in rhetoric (“enthymemes”) and analyzes the emotions that an audience might have so that speakers know what points are worth dwelling on and how to best argue them.

End song: “Reason with the Beast” by Shriekback, whose leader Barry Andrews was interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #107.

Ep. 246: Susan Sontag on Interpreting Art (Part Two)

June 29, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Continuing on Sontag’s essays “On Style” (1965) and “The Death of Tragedy” (1963).

Mark, Wes, Seth and Dylan keep talking about the appropriate distance to retain (or not) to a work of art, which is supposed to be relevant to moral action in the world. We also spell out how this is relevant to our recent episodes on tragedy.

Start with Part One or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Mela” by Julie Slick, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #115.

Ep. 246: Susan Sontag on Interpreting Art (Part One)

June 22, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

On Sontag’s essays “Against Interpretation” (1964), “On Style” (1965), and “The Death of Tragedy” (1963).

What is it to understand a work of art? Sontag objects to critics’ need to decode art into its “meaning” or “content,” divorcing it from how this content is embodied. She argues that the content vs. form distinction isn’t tenable; that the style of a work is an essential part of experiencing it. Sontag thinks we’re too analytical, too divorced from our instincts, and a direct encounter with art is essential to enliven us.

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

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Ep. 246: Susan Sontag on Interpreting Art (Citizen Edition)

June 22, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

On Sontag’s essays “Against Interpretation” (1964), “On Style” (1965), and “The Death of Tragedy” (1963).

What is it to understand a work of art? Sontag objects to critics’ need to decode or translate literature into it’s “meaning” or “content,” divorcing it in the process from how this content is embodied. She argues that this content vs. form distinction isn’t tenable; that the style of a work is an essential part of experiencing it. Like Nietzsche, Sontag thinks we’re too analytical, too divorced from our instincts, and a direct encounter with art is essential to enliven us.

End song: “Mela” by Julie Slick, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #115.

Ep. 245: Fashion (Derrida, Foucault, Sontag) w/ Shahidha Bari (Part Two)

June 15, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

We conclude with Foucault’s “The Ethics of the Concern of the Self as a Practice of Freedom” (1984) and add Susan Sontag’s “On Style” (1965). After our guest’s departure, we give some concluding remarks about her book Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes (2020) and Derrida’s “The Animal That Therefore I Am” (1999).

Start with part one or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Support PEL and be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Dressed.

End song: “Clothe Me in Ashes” by K.C. Clifford, interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #121.

If you enjoy PEL, learn about the Hi-Phi Nation podcast at hiphination.org.

Ep. 245: Fashion (Derrida, Foucault) w/ Shahidha Bari (Part One)

June 8, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 8 Comments

On Jacques Derrida’s “The Animal That Therefore I Am” (1999), Michel Foucault’s “The Ethics of the Concern of the Self As A Practice of Freedom” (1984), and our guest’s Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes (2020).

Philosophy devalues appearances, but our changing dominant metaphysics (there is no “underneath” but rather a complex built out of appearance itself) should have changed this. Our guest provided us with readings that elaborate this change, arguing for our continuity with animal nature (Derrida) and the ethical importance of self-care (Foucault).

Don’t wait for part two; get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Signing up will enter you in to our 6/22 drawing to win a copy of Shahidha’s book. Please support PEL!

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

Ep. 245: Fashion (Derrida, Foucault, Sontag) w/ Shahidha Bari (Citizen Edition)

June 7, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On Jacques Derrida’s “The Animal That Therefore I Am” (1999), Michel Foucault’s “The Ethics of the Concern of the Self As A Practice of Freedom” (1984), Susan Sontag’s “On Style” (1965), and our guest Shahidha’s book Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes (2020).

Philosophy devalues appearance in favor of depth and soul, but our changing dominant metaphysics (there is no “underneath” but rather a complex built out of appearance itself) should have changed this. Our guest Shahidha Bari provided us with readings that elaborate this change, arguing for our continuity with animal nature (Derrida), the ethical importance of care of the self including appearance (Foucault), and the illegitimacy of the distinction between style and content (Sontag).

End song: “Clothe Me in Ashes” by K.C. Clifford, interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #121.

Ep. 244: Camus on Strategies for Facing Plague (Part Two)

June 1, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Continuing on Albert Camus’s 1947 novel, covering the old functionary Grand, the criminal (or just paranoid?) Cottard, and more of our narrators Dr. Rieux and his doomed friend Tarrou, plus more on the overall message of the book and how it might relate to our current situation.

Start with part one or get the unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “You Will Kill the One You Love” by Jack Hues, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #122.

Ep. 244: Camus on Strategies for Facing Plague (Part One)

May 25, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

On Albert Camus’s existentialist novel The Plague. How shall we face adversity? Camus gives us colorful characters that embody various approaches. Yes, the plague is an extreme situation, but we’re all dying all the time anyway, right?

Join Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth to tease out Camus’s positions from this bleak yet colorful text.

Don’t wait for part two; get the unbroken Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

Ep. 244: Camus on Strategies for Facing Plague (Citizen Edition)

May 25, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

On Albert Camus’s existentialist novel The Plague. How shall we face adversity? Camus gives us colorful characters that embody various approaches. Yes, the plague is an extreme situation, but we’re all dying all the time anyway, right?

End song: “You Will Kill the One You Love” by Jack Hues, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #122.

Ep. 243: Aristotle’s “Poetics” on Art and Tragedy (Part Two)

May 18, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 7 Comments

Continuing on the Poetics from around 335 BCE, on the structure of plot (every element must be essential!), the moral status of the heroes, Homeric poetry, the difference between tragedy and history, and how Aristotle’s formula may or may not apply to modern media.

Begin with part one or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Structure of a Tragedy” by Mark Lint. Read about it.

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Ep. 243: Aristotle’s “Poetics” on Art and Tragedy (Part One)

May 11, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

These notes from 335 BCE are still used in screenwriting classes. Aristotle presents a formula for what will move us, derived from Sophocles’s tragedies.

What is art? The text describes it as memesis (imitation), and tragedy imitates human action in a way that shows us what it is to be human. Aristotle has lots of advice about how to structure a plot optimized to our sensibilities. Join Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth to see if you think he’s right.

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

Sponsor: For 20% off and free shipping on Ettitude’s CleanBamboo Charcoal sheets, text PEL to 64-000.

Ep. 243: Aristotle’s “Poetics” on Art and Tragedy (Citizen Edition)

May 11, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

These notes from 335 BCE are still used in screenwriting classes. Aristotle presents a formula for what will move us, derived from Sophocles’s tragedies.

What is art? A. describes it as memesis (imitation), and tragedy imitates human action in a way that shows us what it is to be human. A. has lots of advice about how to structure a plot optimized to our sensibilities. Join Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth to see if you think he’s right.

End song: “Structure of a Tragedy” by Mark Lint (2020).

Ep. 242: Stanley Cavell on Tragedy via King Lear (Part Two)

May 4, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Continuing on Cavell’s essay “The Avoidance of Love: A Reading of King Lear” (1969), shifting away from Lear in particular to a more general discussion of tragedy and Cavell’s psychological insights.

Begin with Part One or get the ad-free, unbroken Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “Out of Your Hands” by Gretchen’s Wheel, i.e., Lindsay Murray, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #81.

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