Philosophical and psychological questions about authenticity go right back to the beginning of the Western intellectual tradition in the form of Socrates’s concern with the genuine self. Eight hundred years later, St. Augustine expressed a similar interest in the true self, but it was the slow shift in emphasis from divine to human values during the Renaissance, the Continue Reading …
Episode 145: Emmanuel Levinas: Why Be Ethical?
On "Ethics as First Philosophy" (1984). More existentialist ethics, with a Jewish twist this time! Seth rejoins Mark and Wes to discuss this difficult essay, with a bit of "Time and the Other" (1948) and "There Is: Existence Without Existents" (1946) thrown in, too. Levinas thinks that the whole train of Western thought with the advance of science and all has left us too Continue Reading …
Ep. 145: Emmanuel Levinas: Why Be Ethical? (Citizen Edition)
On "Ethics as First Philosophy" (1984). More existentialist ethics, with a Jewish twist this time! Seth rejoins Mark and Wes to discuss this difficult essay, with a bit of "Time and the Other" (1948) and "There Is: Existence Without Existents" (1946) thrown in, too. Levinas thinks that the whole train of Western thought with the advance of science and all has left us too Continue Reading …
Topic for #125: Hannah Arendt on the Political, Private, and Social
You can watch the streams from the 9/25-9/26 Pittsburgh 2015 Continental Philosophy Conference on their YouTube Page, including our 9/26 episode discussion on Hannah Arendt. We have a separate (better) audio recording that will be released as a PEL episode in two installments on Oct. 12 and Oct. 19, and most likely combined with a different video to post our our YouTube Continue Reading …
Topic for #120: Guest Eva Brann on Will (and Aquinas, Augustine, Heidegger, etc.)
On 6/26/15 Dylan Casey visited Annapolis, Maryland to talk with Eva Brann, bringing the rest of us in via Skype to talk with her about her 2014 book, Un-Willing: An Inquiry into the Rise of Will's Power and an Attempt to Undo It. We all read chapters I "Before Will" (about the ancient Greeks), II.C. on Augustine, III.A. on Aquinas, VI. "A Linguistic Interlude" about the word Continue Reading …
Not School In May: Levinas, Zizek, Heidegger, Murakami, Auslander
It looks like May will be another active month in Not School. We already have groups set to read Levinas, Heidegger, Murakami, Auslander, and the ever popular Zizek. Remember, PEL Citizens can propose groups on whatever philosophical content they’re interested in, set their own schedules, and choose how to communicate. If you haven't joined up yet, take a look at what you’re Continue Reading …
April’s Not School Groups: Jesus, Murakami, Auslander, Heidegger
Our Not School our mainstays are all continuing this April, and we have one new group running so far. There will also be more Aftershow discussions, with the for #113 scheduled for Sun., 4/19 at 5:30pm Eastern. Go join the group to signal that you'll be there. If you like the podcast but haven't signed up to be a PEL Citizen, take a look here at what it offers. First up, Continue Reading …
Close Reading: Heidegger’s “On the Essence of Truth”
A sentence-by-sentence interpretation of Heidegger's "On the Essence of Truth," (1943) first half, by Mark and Seth, recorded Feb. 3, 2015. Heidegger describes truth as "unconcealment," as "letting beings be the beings the are," and thinks that this is more informative than the traditional correspondence theory (propositions match reality), which he thinks already Continue Reading …
Close Reading (Preview) of Heidegger on Truth
Mark Linsenmayer and Seth Paskin read and interpret Martin Heidegger's essay "On the Essence of Truth" (1943), first half. This is a 17-minute preview of a two-hour, 38-minute bonus recording, which you can purchase at partiallyexaminedlife.com/store or get for free with PEL Citizenship (see partiallyexaminedlife.com/membership). You can also purchase it at iTunes Store: Continue Reading …
Episode 109: Jaspers’s Existentialism with Paul Provenza (Citizen Edition)
On Karl Jaspers's "On My Philosophy" (1941), featuring comedian/actor/director/author Paul Provenza. What's the relationship between science and philosophy? What about religion? Jaspers thinks that science gives you facts, but for an overarching world-view, you need philosophy. Living such a world-view requires Existenz, or a leap towards transcendence, which is of course Continue Reading …
Episode 109: Jaspers’s Existentialism with Guest Paul Provenza
On Karl Jaspers's "On My Philosophy" (1941), featuring comedian/actor/director/author Paul Provenza. What's the relationship between science and philosophy? What about religion? Jaspers thinks that science gives you facts, but for an overarching world-view, you need philosophy. Living such a world-view requires Existenz, or a leap towards transcendence, which is of course Continue Reading …
Not School In November
This month both the Fiction and the Theater group will be starting new texts, the Heidegger group will be continuing, and a new group exploring conservative political philosophy is just starting up. If you're interested in any of these subjects or in forming a group to read something else, you can read about how PEL Not School works and join up. The Philosophical Fiction Continue Reading …
Thoreau’s Unsupported Anti-Technology Sentiments and New Work
If you're new to PEL and don't know what "New Work" refers to, go listen to our episode interviewing Frithjof Bergmann, or my short precog on the topic, or check out the videos on the New Work channel I manage, or read one of the many articles I've written here about it (like this one). There's a "Worldwide Conference" coming up on New Work in Detroit on Oct. 18-20 that I'll Continue Reading …
Fate and Enframing: Some Thoughts on Technology
What is the fate of humanity as technology advances? This is a difficult question not least because we cannot anticipate the technological advances of the future. It is a very important philosophical question that Marx—as one example—took seriously. What we need to do is face this question with a realism that doesn't succumb to naive optimism about the power of technology. We Continue Reading …
October Not School Happenings
As usual, there's plenty happening with Not School this October, and it's not too late for you to sign up. It looks like two groups are carrying over September's readings, and another two will be starting a new books. At least a couple groups are still deciding whether to continue, so if you want to read something in their vein you probably still have time to jump in and Continue Reading …
Not School Happenings in September
[Editor's Note: Daniel Cole is has been a long-time Not School group leader and is currently helping us out by coordinating other group leaders. Thanks, Daniel!] Nearly everyone I know loves to learn, but no one seems to love school. It's only the second week of classes, and already I'm finding myself tempted to dodge class readings for Not School ones. It doesn't help that Continue Reading …
Not School Discussion of Being and Time
July saw the incarnation of a Not School Study Group that is dedicated to a close and thorough reading of Martin Heidegger's 1927 classic Being and Time. Due to the slow nature of the group, we are not set to end at any specific time and are therefore ongoing. The group is centered around weekly video or audio chat meetings. Though we aim for a close and thorough reading we Continue Reading …
August Not School Study Groups
As usual, there's quite a bit to choose from this month if you're looking for a philosophy text to engage with a little more closely. We've had a lot of groups recording their discussions lately and the PEL Citizens portion of the site is now host to nearly thirty different discussions on a wide range of philosophical topics with more being added each month. If you've enjoyed Continue Reading …
Not School Study Groups In July
We've got a number of attractive reading groups going this month, a couple of which are entirely new. It looks like almost every group will be starting fresh with a new text, so this should be a good month for members new and old who've never joined a group to try it out. If you're not familiar with how Not School works, you can find everything you need to know right Continue Reading …
Not School Digest #4: Sartre, Heidegger, Zizek, Marx, and Theater
Excerpts from PEL podcaster & listener discussions on Sartre's Nausea, Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology," Slavoj Zizek's Year of Dreaming Dangerously, Marx and Engels's "Communist Manifesto," Peter Schaffer's play Equus, and Cormac McCarthy's The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form. Plus an interview with Hillary Sydlowski, leader of the Not School Continue Reading …