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Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part One)

April 17, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Subscribe to get this ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive final part to this discussion. Following up on our previous discussion, we go further into the collected teachings of this early Confucian (aka Ruhist) from the late 4th century BCE. What's the best way to be a virtuous person and hence (on the ancient Chinese view, contra someone like Machiavelli) an effective  Continue Reading …

Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part Two)

April 10, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer 2 Comments

Subscribe to both parts of this discussion ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on the teachings of Mengzi from ca. 350 BCE. Our guest has gone, and so Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth dive into textual quotes, starting with verse 2A6 which says that we all have "sprouts" of humaneness, rightness, propriety, and wisdom. In a move that was not actually in  Continue Reading …

Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part One)

April 3, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On books 2, 4, and 6 of the collected teachings of the greatest early interpreter of Confucian thought, from the late 4th century BCE. The full foursome are joined by Krishnan Venkatesh of the St. John's College Eastern Classics program. Since this will be the first installment of two full  Continue Reading …

Ep. 313: Mozi’s Political Ethics (Part Two)

March 27, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive part three. Listen to a preview.. Continuing from part one on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho. Sponsors: Check out the Continuing the Conversation web series by St. John's College at sjc.edu. Check out the Hermitix podcast at hermitix.net. Was Mozi really only concerned  Continue Reading …

Ep. 313: Mozi’s Political Ethics (Part One)

March 20, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content including including a new Nightcap discussion relevant to this episode about tributes to the dead. On the central Mohist text, collecting the teachings of Mozi (aka Mo Tzu), from the Chinese Warring States period around 430 B.C.E., with guest Tzuchien Tho joining Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. The  Continue Reading …

Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part Two)

March 13, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get both parts of this episode ad free. Concluding our discussion of the Daodejing with guest Theo Brooks. This continues directly from part one, but you should really start with ep. 311. Sections covered in this part of the discussion include:  Continue Reading …

Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part One)

March 6, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content including including a new Nightcap discussion about philosophy as self-help. Our second full discussion on the Daodejing by Laozi. What actions and attitudes characterize the Daoist sage? Featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth, and Theo Brooks. Listen to ep. 311 first. In this part of the  Continue Reading …

Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part Two)

February 27, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get both parts of this episode ad free. Continuing from part one with guest Theodore Brooks on the central Daoist text attributed to Laozi. We start with more discussion of practical vs. metaphysical interpretations of the first chapter. In either case, Laozi recommends not being too self-conscious; you want to be fully present in your activities, open to the  Continue Reading …

Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part One)

February 20, 2023 by Mark Linsenmayer 3 Comments

Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free. The Daodejing (or Tao Te Ching) from around 500 BCE, attributed considerably after its production to Laozi (or Lao Tzu according to an older but still prevalent style of transliteration; it just means "old master") is the fundamental text of Daoism (Taoism), but what they hell does it mean? Well, it depends on which of  Continue Reading …

Ep. 255: Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” (Part One)

October 26, 2020 by Mark Linsenmayer 1 Comment

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode, or listen to a preview. Citizens can get the entire second part here. On the Chinese military treatise attributed to Sunzi, literally "Master Sun," an honorific for a general named Sun Wu from the 5th or 6th century BCE. Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth are joined by ex-Marine Brian Wilson, host of Combat & Classics. How does a  Continue Reading …

Episode 159: Confucius on Virtuous Conduct (Part Two)

March 6, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 4 Comments

Continuing on the Analects, now without our guest. We cover every single one of the 500 aphorisms, of course, in great depth, getting at the unambiguous meaning of each and completely reorienting our philosophical viewpoint in consequence. OK, so the interpretive task is a bit more difficult than that, but Mark, Seth, and Wes do our best to figure out Master Kong's words  Continue Reading …

Episode 159: Confucius on Virtuous Conduct (Part One)

February 27, 2017 by Mark Linsenmayer 7 Comments

On the Analects, compiled after Confucius's (aka Master Kong's) death in 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  Continue Reading …

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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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