Mark Linsenmayer (host of The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast) and Bill Arnett (head of the Chicago Improv Studio) each try to teach each other their crafts via conversation, scenes, and what can only be called performance art. No taking turns! 
St. Lawrence philosophy prof Jennifer L. Hansen, one of the most frequent guest on Mark's podcasts and expert in feminist philosophy, here hits it off with our new host Mary. We act out vegan jerky time, snacktime at the all-girls clubhouse, and two gals getting pulled over by a cop. Does the "come debate me" style of philosophy include unnecessarily masculine tropes? How Continue Reading …
Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray’s Feminism (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On "Women on the Market" from The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and other selections, continuing with guest Jenny Hansen from part one. Sponsors: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take action for your health. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. "Women Continue Reading …
Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray’s Feminism (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On selections (1977-1993) by Irigaray as presented in the French Feminism Reader (2000), ed. Kelly Oliver. Returning guest Jenny Hansen joins Mark, Seth, and Dylan to discuss the introduction she wrote in this book, plus parts of Irigaray's The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and to a lesser Continue Reading …
Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray’s Feminism (Part Two for Supporters)
On "Women on the Market" from The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and other selections, continuing with guest Jenny Hansen from part one. "Women on the Market" is a study and application of Marx's theory of commodities from the first chapter of Das Kapital. Just as for Marx, a commodity's value is abstracted from how useful it is to a market value, for Irigaray, a woman's Continue Reading …
Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray’s Feminism (Part One for Supporters)
On selections (1977-1993) by Irigaray as presented in the French Feminism Reader (2000), ed. Kelly Oliver. Returning guest Jenny Hansen joins Mark, Seth, and Dylan to discuss the introduction she wrote in this book, plus parts of Irigaray's The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and to a lesser degree An Ethics of Sexual Difference (1984), "Sexes and Genealogies: Each Sex Must Have Continue Reading …
PvI#61: TEAM PLAY CIRCUS with Adal Rifai and Jenny Hansen
It's our season three premiere, and the elephants are in the room! It's St. Lawrence University philosophy prof Jenny (a frequent PEL guest) in the ring with UIC Theater instructor/Podcaster with Hey Riddle Riddle and Hello From the Magic Tavern Adal, along with Mark and Bill, of course. And the Bullshot is flying! Who will be hit? Who will master the rings? Who will shoot from Continue Reading …
Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Three)
Subscribe to get all three parts of this episode ad free, plus a supporter exclusive Nightcap discussion about representation in discussions like this (i.e. are only women qualified to talk about the morality of abortion?), which you can preview. Jenny Hansen joins us for our final part of this discussion, covering "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" by Mary Anne Continue Reading …
Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Three for Supporters)
Jenny Hansen joins us for our final part of this discussion, covering "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" by Mary Anne Warren (1973) and returning in parts to "A Defense of Abortion" (1971) by Judith Jarvis Thomson to allow Jenny to weigh in on the points we made in parts one and two. She also talks a bit about the Planned Parenthood v. Casey 1992 case that changed the Continue Reading …
Philosophy vs. Improv #20: The “Other” Story w/ Jenny Hansen
What is "othering"? Why did Bill get such a bad grade? Is it because of his feather quill pen? Don't miss our anti-vaxxer drama! This is our first episode with a real philosophy professor on it, and we get to talk about her experience as an academic as it relates to this most socially relevant philosophical topic. Listen to Jenny talk in more depth with Mark and co. on The Continue Reading …
Mark Lint’s PEL Network Holiday Party 2020: Merry Chatting and Songs
Join the office Christmas party at the PEL network. The hired band is Mark Lint’s Dry Folk, playing their entire album, and the guests are considerate enough to only talk between the songs. BYOB! Mark holds mini conversations on philosophy, art, and life with all the PEL and PMP co-hosts, plus special guests Ken Stringfellow (a guy who played with REM and Big Star also sang Continue Reading …
Ep. 235: Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” (Part Two)
More Gender Trouble (1990) with Jennifer Hansen. We get into the metaphysics of substance (are gender and sex attributes that a person has, or is there a better way to describe the situation?), performatives, and what Butler sees as the available mechanisms for changing gender norms. We compare the different views of femininity within male-defined conceptual space according Continue Reading …
Ep. 235: Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” (Citizen Edition)
On Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990). Is gender socially constructed, and if so, how? Butler describes gender not as an essential quality of a person, but as "performed," as habits of acting in certain ways in accordance with customs. But it's not that we can simply recognize that customs could have been different and so throw out gender Continue Reading …
Ep. 235: Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” (Part One)
On Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990). Is gender socially constructed, and if so, how? Butler describes gender not as an essential quality of a person, but as "performed," as habits of acting in certain ways in accordance with customs. But it's not that we can simply recognize that customs could have been different and so throw out gender Continue Reading …
Ep. 234: Beauvoir on Romance in “The Second Sex” (Part Two)
Concluding Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): "The Woman in Love" and "Myths" with guest Jennifer Hansen. We continue on the ailments of women under patriarchy as well as the existential problems that we're all subject to. Are we doomed to isolation, or does existentialism allow for intimacy, and what does this look like? Is marriage as life-long commitment in "bad Continue Reading …
Ep. 234: Beauvoir on Romance in “The Second Sex” (Part One)
On Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): "The Woman in Love" and "Myths" with guest Jennifer Hansen. Our ep. 232 laid out Beauvoir's picture of the Othered Woman, deprived of agency and hence pretty f'ed up. Now we consider the consequences of this situation for romantic love. In "The Woman in Love" (vol. 2, part III, ch. 12), we get a psychological picture of the Continue Reading …
Ep. 234: Beauvoir on Romance in “The Second Sex” (Citizen Edition)
On Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): "The Woman in Love" and "Myths" with guest Jennifer Hansen. We explore the maladies of love, try a little to figure how B's picture relates to modern romance and what her positive prescription for good love is, and use the recent film A Marriage Story as a case study. Our ep. 232 laid out Beauvoir's picture of the Othered Woman, Continue Reading …
Ep. 232: Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” (Part Two)
Continuing Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) with guest Jennifer Hansen. We explore the Hegelian foundations of the text: How does one become a Subject and how do women traditionally get shut out of this process? What do they do to compensate for or react to being so mutilated? We get into the "Lived Experience" sections of the text where Beauvoir details how this Continue Reading …
Ep. 232: Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” (Part One)
On Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): the intro, conclusion, “Woman’s Situation and Character” and parts of “Lived Experience," with guest Jennifer Hansen. According to Beauvoir, Woman (the "kept" woman of history that was still common in her time and not unheard of now) is conceived of by society (and hence by herself) as "Other." Men created society, own all the Continue Reading …
Ep. 232: Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” (Citizen Edition)
On Simone De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949): the intro, conclusion, “Woman’s Situation and Character,” and parts of “Lived Experience," with guest Jennifer Hansen. According to Beauvoir, Woman (the "kept" woman of history that was still common in her time and not unheard of now) is conceived of by society (and hence by herself) as "Other." Men created society, own all the Continue Reading …
Ep 140/141 Aftershow on Simone De Beauvoir’s “Ethics of Ambiguity” feat. Jennifer Hansen
Mark and host Danny Lobell welcome St. Lawrence University's Jennifer Hansen to follow up on our episodes 140 and 141. Was Beauvoir really a Kantian? Do we find her description for founding ethics persuasive? Featuring PEL listeners Luke Johnson (check out his Noetic Project discussions of the book), Alex, Tiffany, Brittany, and Ken. Recorded 6/26/16. Watch on YouTube. Continue Reading …