Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on "Directions for Decomposition" from A Short History of Decay (1949). What is it that humans are inevitably trying to avoid that seems so bad to us? It's our existential separation from others, our essential, incommunicable solitude. We further discuss why Cioran Continue Reading …
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran’s Pessimism (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On A Short History of Decay (1949), a pessimist/existentialist text from the most famous Romanian philosopher consisting of short, multi-paragraph, relatively independent sections. It's aphoristic a la much of Nietzsche, but not of the one-liner variety. If you're a fan of Nietzsche, Cioran Continue Reading …
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran’s Pessimism (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on "Directions for Decomposition" from A Short History of Decay (1949). What is it that humans are inevitably trying to avoid that seems so bad to us? It's our existential separation from others, our essential, incommunicable solitude. We further discuss why Cioran praises sloth and ennui. Most likely, post-WWII he was very skeptical of "great Continue Reading …
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran’s Pessimism (Part One for Supporters)
On A Short History of Decay (1949), a pessimist/existentialist text from the most famous Romanian philosopher consisting of short, multi-paragraph, relatively independent sections. It's aphoristic a la much of Nietzsche, but not of the one-liner variety. If you're a fan of Nietzsche, Cioran (pronounced "cho-RAHN") delivers similar scorching wit, but is harder to pin down in Continue Reading …
The Life of the Volunteer
David Hume said, "Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man." The thing is, studying philosophy may or may not have an effect on your life. Even if it does, people usually follow Hume's advice to compartmentalize. Meta-ethics is typical of philosophy here. Moral skeptics often clarify that they're motivated by all the right ethical principles, but Continue Reading …
Ep. 362: Ecclesiastes: Biblical Existentialism? (Part One for Supporters)
Ecclesiastes is often cited as one of the most philosophical books of the Bible, so we approached it in that spirit with the help of Jesse M. Peterson from George Fox University, whose soon-to-be-published book is called Qoheleth and the Philosophy of Value. First, who is Qoheleth? It's the Hebrew word typically translated as teacher or preacher (liberally "gatherer" or Continue Reading …
Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel’s Christian Existentialism (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content, including a supporter-exclusive Nightcap anticipating our upcoming series on Aristotle's Metaphysics. Listen to a preview. Continuing from part one on "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933), we talk more about problems (the character of whose solution is pre-defined) vs. mysteries (the dense Continue Reading …
Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel’s Christian Existentialism (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing on "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933), we talk more about problems (the character of whose solution is pre-defined) vs. mysteries (the dense conundrums of experience like "How free is my will?" and "How is real intimacy possible?"). Re. the problem of evil: A theodicy like Leibniz's treats this as a puzzle to be solved in terms of the logically possible will of God Continue Reading …
Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel’s Christian Existentialism (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Discussing "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933) about our need for meaning, featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. Against the emphasis in our lives on our functions (our jobs and duties) and our technological approach to problems that stresses practical solutions, Marcel asserts that we all Continue Reading …
Ep. 334: Gabriel Marcel’s Christian Existentialism (Part One for Supporters)
Discussing "On the Ontological Mystery" (1933) about our need for meaning, featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. Against the emphasis in our lives on our functions (our jobs and duties) and our technological approach to problems that stresses practical solutions, Marcel asserts that we all have an "ontological need," which is a need for some content in our lives that is not Continue Reading …
Ep. 333: Kierkegaard’s “Fear and Trembling” on Faith (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Ending our treatment of Soren Kierkegaard, we consider the religious stage of personal development through consideration of this 1843 text analyzing the Biblical story of Abraham faithfully following God's directive to sacrifice his long-promised, much-cherished son Isaac. Can we observers Continue Reading …
Ep. 333: Kierkegaard’s “Fear and Trembling” on Faith (Part One for Supporters)
Ending our treatment of Soren Kierkegaard, we consider the religious stage of personal development through consideration of this 1843 text analyzing the Biblical story of Abraham faithfully following God's directive to sacrifice his long-promised, much-cherished son Isaac. Can we observers possibly understand that kind of faith? This text was released close on the heels of Continue Reading …
Ep. 332: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Self (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. We're reading the second half of “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Either/Or (1843). This is a direct continuation from ep. 331, which we felt gave us more than enough critique of the aesthetic life, but not enough of Continue Reading …
Ep. 332: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Self (Part One for Supporters)
We're reading the second half of “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Either/Or (1843). This is a direct continuation from ep. 331, which we felt gave us more than enough critique of the aesthetic life, but not enough of K's picture of the alternative, which is formation of a coherent self that is somehow Continue Reading …
Ep. 331: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Life (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content, including a supporter-exclusive, part three to this episode. Listen to a preview.. Continuing from part one on “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality." Kierkegaard's polemicist Judge William begins this part by criticizing (Hegelian) Continue Reading …
Ep. 331: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Life (Part Three for Supporters)
Mark and Wes talk in more details about the "stages of despair" Kierkegaard lays out in “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Either/Or. Listen to parts one and two first. These are supposed to be the stages that someone in the aesthetic mode might go through in order to eventually be ready to take the leap to Continue Reading …
Ep. 331: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Life (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Soren Kierkegaard's Either/Or (1843). What is choice? While in our last episode, we covered the "Either," i.e. the Romantic, aesthetic way to live, this essay taking up much of the Continue Reading …
Ep. 331: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Life (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality." Kierkegaard's polemicist Judge William begins this part by criticizing (Hegelian) philosophy as being too abstract and not providing concrete guidance to people. The ethical point of view, on the other hand, as Kierkegaard conceives of it, is all about how Continue Reading …
Ep. 331: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Ethical Life (Part One for Supporters)
On “The Balance Between the Esthetic and the Ethical in the Development of the Personality” from Vol. 2 of Soren Kierkegaard's Either/Or (1843). What is choice? While in our last episode, we covered the "Either," i.e. the Romantic, aesthetic way to live, this essay taking up much of the "Or" half of the book is presented as a lengthy letter sent to the author of that first Continue Reading …
Ep. 330: Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or”: The Aesthetic Life (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content, including a supporter-exclusive, part three to this episode. Listen to a preview.. Continuing from part one on "Diapsalmata" and "Rotation of Crops" from the "Either" portion of Kierkegaard's pseudonymous book ("either" being the aesthetic and "or" being the ethical, which we'll cover in ep. Continue Reading …