708 episodes

The Partially Examined Life is a podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a short text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion. For links to the texts we discuss and other info, check out www.partiallyexaminedlife.com.

We also feature episodes from other podcasts by our hosts to round out your partially examined life, including Pretty Much Pop (prettymuchpop.com, covering all media), Nakedly Examined Music (nakedlyexaminedmusic.com, deconstructing songs), Philosophy vs. Improv (philosophyimprov.com, fun with performance skills and philosophical ideas), and (sub)Text (subtextpodcast.com, looking deeply at lit and film). Learn about more network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Partially Examined Life

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.6 • 131 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

The Partially Examined Life is a podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode, we pick a short text and chat about it with some balance between insight and flippancy. You don't have to know any philosophy, or even to have read the text we're talking about to (mostly) follow and (hopefully) enjoy the discussion. For links to the texts we discuss and other info, check out www.partiallyexaminedlife.com.

We also feature episodes from other podcasts by our hosts to round out your partially examined life, including Pretty Much Pop (prettymuchpop.com, covering all media), Nakedly Examined Music (nakedlyexaminedmusic.com, deconstructing songs), Philosophy vs. Improv (philosophyimprov.com, fun with performance skills and philosophical ideas), and (sub)Text (subtextpodcast.com, looking deeply at lit and film). Learn about more network podcasts at partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part Two)

    Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part Two)

    Continuing on Aristotle's Metaphysics, Book 7 (Zeta), on essences and what sorts of things have them.
    Contrasting with Plato, Aristotle believes that some changing, visible things have forms. How do they get them? Well, they're received from some previous thing that has a comparable form, e.g. a child from its parents, or perhaps a form could come from a creator's mind.
    Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.
    Sponsor: Get 50% off delicious, ready-to-eat meals at FactorMeals.com/pel50 (code pel50).
    Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

    • 45 min
    Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part One)

    Ep. 337: Aristotle on Primary Being (Part One)

    Continuing for our third session on Aristotle's Metaphysics, now covering Book 7 (Zeta).
    What exactly is the type of being that is the chief reason why we call anything being? Aristotle says its the substantial form present in an individual animal or plant.
    Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.
    Sponsor: Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel.

    • 47 min
    PEL Presents PvI#72: Spock Fever w/ Cole Nasrallah and Chris Rathjen

    PEL Presents PvI#72: Spock Fever w/ Cole Nasrallah and Chris Rathjen

    It's another TEAM PLAY episode, with our returning champions, star of improv stages and podcasts Chris and College of Southern Nevada philosophy prof Cole receiving NOT THE INFORMATION THEY EXPECT and gettin' all rational and such when consoling a friend and wrangling about a math quiz. Luxuriate in the rich characters and philosophy tools!
    Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com.
    Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions, a video version of the podcast, and other bonus stuff. 

    • 1 hr 4 min
    PEL Presents PMP#169: Doctor Who? (When?)

    PEL Presents PMP#169: Doctor Who? (When?)

    Do you Who? Did you Who back in the day, or just from the point of the 2005 revival? Did you Who through Tennant, Smith, Capaldi... Were you still on board for Whittaker, and now as Disney+ and revival creator Russell T. Davies attempt to make this more readily accessible in all ways with the transition to Ncuti Gatwa?
    Mark, Al, and Lawrence are joined by our special guest, improv comedian Chris Rathjen to talk about the appeal and evolution of this very long-running British sci-fi show.
    For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel.
    Sponsor: Visit GoodChop.com/pretty120 and use code pretty120 to get $120 off four boxes of organic, sustainable meat and/or seafood.

    • 1 hr
    Closereads: Isaiah Berlin on Liberty (Part One)

    Closereads: Isaiah Berlin on Liberty (Part One)

    Mark and Wes read through the beginning of “Two Concepts of Liberty” (1969). What are the various ways we can conceive of freedom, and is the concept necessarily political? Can you legitimately say you’ve been deprived freedom because, e.g., you can’t afford some necessity?

    Read along with us: https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/wp-content/uploads/Berlin_Liberty.pdf

    This is the first of four Closereads episodes going through this text. You can hear them all by signing up to support Closereads at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy.

    Ep. 336: Aristotle on Being and Non-Contradiction (Part Two)

    Ep. 336: Aristotle on Being and Non-Contradiction (Part Two)

    Continuing on Book 4 (Gamma) of the Metaphysics. We discuss further the relations between the logical and metaphysical versions of the principle of non-contradiction and how Aristotle characterizes relativists like Protagoras who he claims violate non-contradiction.
    Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

    • 53 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
131 Ratings

131 Ratings

Heath Adams ,

Examine this entirely

This podcast restarted my engagement with philosophy, and has had a significant impact in my professional and personal life. The dialogue between the hosts has been a model for how I engage with others and discuss complex matters. I always find their discussion insightful and enlightening, including episodes that cover topics I’m not that interested in.

Pontius Aquilla ,

Question

Is there an episode on Peter Singer?

GAW101 ,

Great dialogue

A fantastic range of topics. Insightful dialogue - really enjoy the hosts' exporation of a subject area.

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