The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Partially Examined Life
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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.
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Ep. 339: Brian Ellis on the Metaphysics of Science (Part Two)
Continuing on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002) with guest Chris Heath.
We get further into the text about metaphysical realism, criteria for a natural kind, properties vs. predicates, and much more.
Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.
Learn about the new PEL book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book. Make a note on your calendar to purchase it on Thursday, April 25. -
Ep. 339: Brian Ellis on the Metaphysics of Science (Part One)
On The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002). What kind of metaphysics underlies chemistry and physics? Ellis argues that items such as chemical elements and physical particles have essences, and that these essential properties determine their behavior, which is characterized by scientific laws. Thus, these laws are necessary; they apply in all possible worlds.
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.
Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book. -
Pretty Much Pop #171: The Traitors - A Multi-National Reality Game Show Phenom
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the American version, and to a lesser extent the British and Australian versions, of this reality game show that originated in 2021 in the Netherlands, based on the party game Mafia (aka Werewolf), plus Survivor-like challenges and a gothic tone.
How does such a simple (stupid?) concept end up creating compelling TV? Are we cruel for liking this show? Is it better suited to hardened reality game show players, or with normal people? What's the role of the host, and is Alan Cumming the best possible one?
For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. -
Closereads: Descartes' "Passions of the Soul" (Part One)
We're reading the final text by René Descartes, published in 1649, about how mind and body relate to each other.
Read along with us: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1649.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. 338: Aristotle on Potential vs. Actual and the Unmoved Mover (Part Two)
To conclude our discussion of Aristotle's Metaphysics, we finish discussing potency by talking about the potential to learn (the Meno problem), the metaphysical priority of the actual over the merely potential, and how the Unmoved Mover motivates all primary beings to strive toward their full actualization.
Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. -
PEL Presents NEM#213: Paul Chastain (Velvet Crush): Flavors of Brightness
Illinois singer/bassist Paul had his first release in 1985 and joined with drummer Ric Menck to form a band eventually called Velvet Crush, which released six albums from 1991-2004. He has since played in Matthew Sweet's band and has released two albums under the name The Small Square.
We discuss "Can't Let Go (Oh, Tommy)" by The Small Square from Ours & Others (2023), "California Incline" by Velvet Crush from Stereo Blues (2004), and "Flower Field" by Choo Choo Train from Briar Rose EP (1988). Intro: "Hold Me Up" by Velvet Crush from Teenage Symphonies to God (1994). End song: "SML" from The Small Square (2015, remastered 2023). More at smallsquaremusic.com and actionmusik.bandcamp.com.
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