The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
A Philosophy Podcast and Philosophy Blog
Continuing on Descartes’s Discourse on Method, looking closely at part 4 (his proto-Meditations) and his “provisional” Stoic ethics.
Listen to part one first or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!
End song: “My Real Fantasy” By Joe Louis Walker, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #110.
Sponsors: Get 20% off at nativedeodorant.com (code PEL), 20% off at hempfusion.com (code PEL), and give effectively through givewell.org/PEL.
On René Descartes’s Discourse on Method (1637), an overview of his work that distills his method, outlines his famous Meditations, presents a provisional (Stoic) ethics, and considers whether he wants to be a public intellectual. This is all meant as a preface to scientific publications on geometry, optics, and meteors.
Don’t wait for part two; get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!
Sponsors: $10 off at skylightframe.com (code PEL), get a free trial of unlimited learning at thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL , learn about St. John’s College at sjc.edu, and give effectively through givewell.org/PEL.
On René Descartes’s Discourse on Method (1637), an overview of his work that distills his method, outlines his famous Meditations, presents a provisional (Stoic) ethics, and considers whether he wants to be a public intellectual. This is all meant as a preface to scientific publications on geometry, optics, and meteors.
End song: “My Real Fantasy” By Joe Louis Walker, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #110.
Concluding René Descartes’s Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628).
We finish rule 12 through the end, talking about simples, the faculties of intuition and judgment, perception and imagination, necessary vs. contingent truths, and how to do Cartesian science, including what constitutes a “perfectly understood problem.”
Start with part one, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!
End song: “Perfect Design” by Ian Moore, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #94.
Sponsors: Get 20% off at nativedeodorant.com (code PEL), $10 off at skylightframe.com (code PEL), 20% off at hempfusion.com (code PEL), and learn about St. John’s College at sjc.edu.
Boston-area listeners can see Wes live talking Joker on 11/22; see partiallyexaminedlife.com/joker.
Continuing on René Descartes’s Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628), covering rules 7 through the first part of the lengthy rule 12.
We try to figure out what he means by “enumeration”; the faculties of imagination, sense and memory; the virtues of perspicacity and sagacity; his psychology of the senses, the “common sense” where all sense data comes together, and the understanding; how Descartes recommends we do scientific investigation; why syllogisms stink; and whether some people are just better at philosophy than others.
Start with part 1. You don’t need to wait for part 3; get the full Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!
Sponsor: Get 3 months of unlimited learning for $30 at thegreatcoursesplus.com/PEL.
On René Descartes’s Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628).
Is there a careful way to approach problems that will ensure that you’ll always be right? What if you just never assert anything you can’t be sure of? This is Descartes’s strategy, modeled on mathematics. We likewise carefully move step-by-step through this text.
Sponsor: Visit HempFusion.com for CBD supplements and use code PEL at check-out for 20% off/free shipping.
On René Descartes’s Rules for Direction of the Mind (1628).
Is there a careful way to approach problems that will ensure that you’ll always be right? What if you just never assert anything you can’t be sure of? This is Descartes’s strategy, modeled on mathematics. We likewise carefully move step-by-step through this text.
End song: “Perfect Design” by Ian Moore, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #94.
Seminars are now scheduled for Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Montaigne, free with your PEL Citizenship You can sign up for all four, and help us develop an Intro readings drinking game.
OK, so this isn’t the easiest thing to read (after seeing numerous Žižek videos, it looks to me that he writes like he talks like he thinks, which is pretty fluid, making connections between things and not necessarily driving through focused theses…) but a little time spent on it yields some interesting points. For some context, Katie noted in the Continue Reading …
Discussing the arguments by Descartes, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, Kant, and others, as analyzed in J.L. Mackie’s The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (1983), chapters 1-3, 5-6, 8, and 11. With guest Robert Scott. Learn more.
End song: “I Believe,” by Mark Lint (2011). Read about it.
Discussing the arguments by Descartes, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, Kant, and others, as analyzed in J.L. Mackie’s The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (1983), chapters 1-3, 5-6, 8, and 11. With guest Robert Scott.
Discussing Descartes’s Meditations 1 and 2. Descartes engages in the most influential navel gazing ever, and you are there! We discuss what Descartes thinks he knows with certainty (hint: it is not you). Mark and Wes agree to disagree about agreeing that they disagree. Seth had a long day and is very tired.
End song: “Axiomatic” by New People from The Easy Thing (2009).
