On "Theoretical Picture of a Free Society" (1934). What's the ideal living situation for us all, given the peculiarities of human nature? Nine years before Weil laid out her list of human needs, as covered in our last episode, she wrote a work that she hoped to be her magnum opus, Reflections Concerning the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression. This included the Continue Reading …
Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Part Two)
Continuing on "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943). We got started in part one with our need for order, and in this part we add liberty, obedience, responsibility, equality, hierarchy, and honor. We'll conclude with part 3, covering freedom of speech, punishment and more, but you needn't wait: Get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Supporting us will Continue Reading …
Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Part One)
On "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943) and "Meditation on Obedience and Liberty" (1937). What are human needs that should drive what kind of society would be best for us? Weil says we need liberty yet obedience, equality yet hierarchy, security yet risk... and none of these words mean quite what you'd think. For one, we need "order," and by this she Continue Reading …
Ep. 250: Simone Weil on Human Needs (Citizen Edition)
On "The Needs of the Soul" from The Need for Roots (1943) and "Meditation on Obedience and Liberty" (1937). What are human needs that should drive what kind of society would be best for us? Weil says we need liberty yet obedience, equality yet hierarchy, security yet risk... and none of these words mean quite what you'd think. For one, we need "order," and by this she 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 …
Authentically Connect: An Author Interview with Dr. Gordon Marino
Kierkegaard instead of Prozac? That is the suggestion of Dr. Gordon Marino—leading Kierkegaard scholar, professional boxing coach, and author of The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age (Harper Collins, 2018). Marino is no stranger to the wicked twists and pulls of anxiety and depression, and neither, he argues, were the Continue Reading …
Ep. 205: Suicide with Dr. Drew (Durkheim et al) (Part One)
We are rejoined by Drew Pinsky to discuss philosophical, psychological, and sociological readings on suicide. Is suicide ever morally permissible? If it's a symptom of mental illness rather than a chosen behavior, is it even appropriate to morally evaluate it? Last time Drew joined us, he helped us add clinical depth to an area that we'd already talked about Continue Reading …
Bonus: (sub)Text #4: Freud’s “Mourning and Melancholia” (Part One)
Wes Alwan is joined by psychoanalyst Tracy Morgan and therapist Louis Scuderi to discuss Freud's classic essay, Mourning and Melancholia. Read it online. Note: Part two will NOT be appearing on this feed. Become a PEL Citizen to get the full discussion. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to learn how. Listen to more (sub)Text. Continue Reading …
(sub)Text #4: Freud’s “Mourning and Melancholia” (Citizens Only)
Wes Alwan is joined by Tracy Morgan and Louis Scuderi to discuss Freud's classic 1917 essay. Read it online. Listen to more (sub)Text. Continue Reading …
On Being a Monster: “Frankenstein” and Creative Ambition, Part V—Artist
Subscribe to more of my writing at https://www.wesalwan.com Follow me on Twitter This essay is the fifth in a five-part series, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Part four can be found here. Part V: Artist Consider Mary Shelley’s task. In a competition with great poets, one of whom was her future husband, she was asked Continue Reading …
On Being a Monster: “Frankenstein” and Creative Ambition, Part I—Creature
Subscribe to more of my writing at https://www.wesalwan.com Follow me on Twitter This essay is the first in a five-part series, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Part two can be found here. Part I: Creature Growing up is the metamorphosis we all know. Classical literature will tell you of the shape-shifting of Continue Reading …
Episode 180: More James’s Psychology: Self and Will (Part One)
On Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), chapters on "The Self," "Will," and "Emotions." Continuing from ep. 179, we talk about the various aspects of self: The "Me" (the part of me that I know) that's divided into physical, social, and spiritual aspects, and the "I" (the part of me that has experiences), which is pretty problematic, but which we need not posit as a "soul," Continue Reading …
Ep. 180: More James’s Psychology: Self and Will (Citizen Edition)
On Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), chapters on "The Self," "Will," and "Emotions." Continuing from ep. 179, we talk about the various aspects of self: The "Me" (the part of me that I know) that's divided into physical, social, and spiritual aspects, and the "I" (the part of me that has experiences), which is pretty problematic, but which we need not posit as a "soul," Continue Reading …
Episode 179: William James’s Introspective Psychology (Part Two)
Continuing on Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), completing "The Stream of Thought" and covering the chapter on "Habit." James thinks that psychologists focus too much on those parts of consciousness that get picked out by substantive words; we neglect those "fringe" parts that are harder to pick out specifically. Do elementary particles have "habits"? James describes Continue Reading …
Episode 179: William James’s Introspective Psychology (Part One)
On The Principles of Psychology (1890) chapters 1 & 7, and Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), the chapters on "The Stream of Thought," "Habit," and some of "The Self." Can we talk about the mind in a way that is both scientific and also does justice to our everyday experiences? James thought that previous philosophers talking about the mind weren't accurately reflecting Continue Reading …
Ep. 179: William James’s Introspective Psychology (Citizen Edition)
On The Principles of Psychology (1890) chapters 1 & 7, and Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), the chapters on "The Stream of Thought," "Habit," and some of "The Self." Can we talk about the mind in a way that is both scientific and also does justice to our everyday experiences? James thought that previous philosophers talking about the mind weren't accurately Continue Reading …