The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

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Ep. 240: David Lewis on Possible Worlds and Language Games (Part One)

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On Ch. 4 of Lewis’s book Counterfactuals (1973) and the essays “Scorekeeping in a Language Game” (1979) and “Truth in Fiction” (1978).

What makes a sentence about possibility true? Lewis thinks that we need possible worlds that really exist in order to make sense of our modal intuitions. He uses this possible-world talk to make sense of conversations and the worlds created by fiction writers. With guest Matt Teichman from Elucidations.

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Ep. 240: David Lewis on Possible Worlds and Language Games (Citizen Edition)

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On Ch. 4 of Lewis’s book Counterfactuals (1973) and the essays “Scorekeeping in a Language Game” (1979) and “Truth in Fiction” (1978).

What makes a sentence about possibility true? Lewis thinks that we need possible worlds that really exist in order to make sense of our modal intuitions. He uses this possible-world talk to make sense of conversations and the worlds created by fiction writers. With guest Matt Teichman from Elucidations.

End song: “Real Life” by Matt Wilson, as interviewed for Nakedly Examined Music #118.

Pretty Much Pop #37: Everything is LEGO

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Why has a children’s toy become a brand attached to virtually every media type, partnering with the most ubiquitous franchises, and serving as a pastime for many adult hobbyists who will gut you if you call LEGO a “children’s toy.”

AFOL Brian Hirt talks with co-hosts Erica Spyres and Mark Linsenmayer about creative play vs. following the printed directions, building purists vs. anthropomorphizers, LEGO qua corporate overlord, LEGO media, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 239: Montesquieu Invents Political Science (Part Two)

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Continuing on The Spirit of the Laws (1748) by Charles Louis de Secondat, aka Baron de Montesquieu. Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth talk more about the “motive force” behind each type of government and the separation of powers.

Begin with part 1 or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

End song: “King of the Hill” by MINUTEMEN. Listen to Mark interview Mike Watt on Nakedly Examined Music #108.

Be sure to check out The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast.

NEM#118: Matt Wilson (Trip Shakespeare) Is Still a Writer

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Matt released 4 albums and got on a major label with Trip Shakespeare in the late ’80s, released a solo album in ’98, ran bands with fellow Tripper John Munson for three albums over many subsequent years, ad has now released his first album as Matt Wilson & His Orchestra, When I Was a Writer.

We discuss “Decent Guy” and listen to the title track from that album and look back to “Dreams” by Twilight Hours from Stereo Night (2009) and “Sun Is Coming” from his solo album Burnt, White, and Blue (1998). Intro/outo: “Toolmaster of Brainard” by Trip Shakespeare from Are You Shakespearienced (1989). For more see minneapolismatt.com.

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Pretty Much Pop #36: Criticism with Noah Berlatsky

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Do we need professional critics regulating our entertainment intake? Noah writes for The Washington Post, NBC News, The Guardian, Slate, Vox, The Atlantic, etc., and he now joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about the function of criticism, criticism as art, and the joy of negativity. We talk 1917, Midsommar, Marvel vs. Scorsese, Yesterday, Bob Dylan, Twilight, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 239: Montesquieu Invents Political Science (Part One)

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On The Spirit of the Laws (1748) by Charles Louis de Secondat, aka Baron de Montesquieu.

What keeps a society functioning? Montesquieu, though of course not the first political philosopher, was perhaps the first to systematically explore correlations between characteristics of a government, its people, its climate, dominant industries, religion, and other factors. Some of his ideas directly influenced the American Constitution, and some of them are very very weird.

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

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Ep. 239: Montesquieu Invents Political Science (Citizen Edition)

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On The Spirit of the Laws (1748) by Charles Louis de Secondat, aka Baron de Montesquieu.

What keeps a society functioning? Montesquieu, though of course not the first political philosopher, was perhaps the first to systematically explore correlations between characteristics of a government, its people, its climate, dominant industries, religion, and other factors. Some of his ideas directly influenced the American Constitution, and some of them are very very weird.

End song: “King of the Hill” by MINUTEMEN. Listen to Mark interview Mike Watt on Nakedly Examined Music #108.

Ep. 238: Lingering Questions

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Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth summarize thoughts about our recent series on social construction, gender and sex, and Judith Butler’s notion of “grievable lives.” Should we stop covering so much contemporary work and/or political topics?

End song: “The Size of Luv” by Mark Lint from Mark Lint’s Dry Folk (2018).

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NEM#117: Chris McQueen (FORQ, Snarky Puppy): Like Fusion, But Cool

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Chris has played guitar for Snarky Puppy since it started in 2004, has led rock bands and explored acoustic guitar duets. We discuss “M-Theory” by FORQ from Four (2019), the title track to Western Theatre by Matt Read and Chris McQueen (2019), and “Coven” by Snarky Puppy from Immigrance (2019), and end with “Strut” by Foe Destroyer from their self-titled album (2013).

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Pretty Much Pop #34: Escape Rooms and Other Puzzlers w/ Adal Rifai (Plus Bonus Aftertalk)

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The comic and the tragic are well-established modes within entertainment, but what about the puzzling? Riddles may have been a chief pastime in days of yore (well, they’re featured in Oedipus and The Hobbit, anyway), but does this way of being entertained have a place in today’s age of mass media? Improviser and podcaster Adal Rifai joins Mark, Erica, and Continue Reading …

Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part Two)

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Continuing on Benjamin’s “Critique of Violence” (1921).

Mark, Wes, and Seth keep trying to figure out this difficult essay. Is Benjamin really advocating a workers’ revolution to end the state, or just reflecting on a hypothetical to explore the limits of the concept of violence?

According to Judith Butler’s interpretation of the essay, the takeaway is the alternative to motivation through force, i.e. speech, which Benjamin (in other essays) gives some religious significance, but the way he actually concludes the essay is in a discussion of “divine violence” as somehow transcending means-end analysis and the corruption inherent in violence.

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End song: “Jericho” from hackedepiciotto, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #116.

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Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Part One)

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On “Critique of Violence” (1921). What is violence? Benjamin gives us a taxonomy: law-creating, law-preserving, mythological, and divine. Then he deconstructs his own distinctions to demonstrate that all state power is rotten through its being founded on and continually re-established by violence or the threat of it.

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

Sponsor: Visit thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL for a free month of unlimited learning with The Great Courses Plus Video Learning Service.

Ep. 237: Walter Benjamin Analyzes Violence (Citizen Edition)

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On “Critique of Violence” (1921). What is violence? Benjamin gives us a taxonomy: law-creating, law-preserving, mythological, and divine. Then he deconstructs his own distinctions to demonstrate that all state power is rotten through its being founded on and continually re-established by violence or the threat of it.

End song: “Jericho” from hackedepiciotto, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #116.

NEM#116: hackedepicciotto: Nomadic Cinematographers

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Einstürzende Neubauten’s Alexander Hacke and artist/singer Danielle de Picciotto have released seven albums together since 2011, the last four as hackedepicciotto.

We discuss “The Banishing” and “Third From the Sun” from The Current (2019) and “Propehcy” from Menetekel (2017), plus intro music is “Let There Be Joy” from Joy (2018). We conclude by listening to “Survivors” from Danielle’s solo album Deliverance (2019). For more, see hackedepicciotto.de.

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Pretty Much Pop #33: The Heroine’s Journey w/ Vi Burlew

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How has Joseph Campbell’s “hero’s journey” as famously leveraged for Star Wars evolved with more female action heroes in film? Vi Burlew joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk not only about Rey, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and Mulan, but also bring in Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Working Girl, and of course Road House.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

Ep. 236: Judith Butler Interview: “The Force of Nonviolence”

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On The Force of Nonviolence: An Ethico-Political Bind (2020).

What is it to be nonviolent in political activity? Most ethics allow for self-defense, but Judith has a problem with defining “self” as well as “violence,” and offers a full critique of the individualism that underlies typical Western approaches to both ethics and politics.

Mark, Seth, and Wes interview Judith about these issues and the connection to Gender Trouble.

End song: “Dancing with Death,” discussed on Nakedly Examined Music #111 with Marty Willson-Piper.

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Phi Fic #32 Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/phifipodcast/TENDER_IS_THE_NIGHT.mp3Podcast (phi-fi-podcast): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:42:14 — 117.2MB)There was some element of loneliness involved—so easy to be loved—so hard to love. -Tender is the Night This episode we are reading Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Reflected upon by Ernest Hemingway: “…in retrospect, Tender is the Night gets better and better,” which came a Continue Reading …

Pretty Much Pop #32: Judging “The Good Place”

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Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss Michael Schur’s NBC TV show. Is it good? Does it actually teach moral philosophy? We talk sit-com tropes, TV finales, the show’s convoluted structure, the puzzle of heaven, and more.

For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life network and is curated by openculture.com.

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

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