The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

A highlight from our musician-packed breakdown of our songwriting episode . Featuring a third (ex-) member of Camper Van Beethoven, plus Chase Fiorenza, Mike Wilson, Maxx Bartko, Danny Lobell, Mark Linsenmayer, and (not heard on this preview) Adrian Cho and Fischerspooner's Warren Fischer. We discuss authenticity, the state of the music biz, humor in music, and more.

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872). Nietzsche thought that you could tell how vital or decadent a civilization was by its art, and said that ancient Greek tragedy was so great because it was a perfect synthesis of something highly formal/orderly/beautiful with the intuitive/unconscious/chaotic. But then Socrates ruined everything! With guest John Castro. Includes a preview of the...

Listen to or watch the Aftershow for Episode 117 on Antigone, with Danny Lobell, Wes Alwan, and a bunch of PEL listeners like you. Also, learn about our new Citizen feed: get the full Aftershow delivered right to your smartphone!

Victor Krummenacher and Jonathan Segel join Mark and Wes to discuss songwriting and authenticity in the age of Internet consumerism. This episode prefigured Mark's Nakedly Examined Music podcast . Includes a preview of the Aftershow featuring more musicians including ex-Camper Chris Molla. End songs: "The Bastards Never Show Themselves" by the Monks of Doom and Mike Wilson's "RG." Get this and eve...

Philosophically considering the ancient Greek tragedy, which we also performed with Lucy Lawless and Paul Provenza . End song: "Woe Is Me" (live, 2002) by Madison Lint . Features a preview of the Aftershow , feat. Wes and host Danny Lobell. Get this and every episode ad-free by becoming a PEL supporter at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support .

An unrehearsed, fun read-through of the Greek Tragedy from 441 BCE, plus some discussion with the cast of Greek drama, our selected translation, and other stuff. Enjoy! PEL Citizens can get an ad-free, extended version . End song: "Antigone (Choragos Speaks)" by Mark Lint. Read about it .

On Sigmund Freud's On Dreams (1902) and other stuff. Are dreams just random, or our best key to understanding the mind? For Wes Alwan's Freud summaries, go here: https://www.philosophysummaries.com . After you listen to this, check out the Aftershow . End song: "Sleep" by Mark Lint . Read about it.

The Camper Van Beethoven violinist/composer/multi-instrumentalist joins us to discuss The World as Will and Representation , book 3 selections.

On The World As Will and Representation (1818), book 2. The world is a blind, striving force!

Interpreting the Parables using texts from Paul Ricoeur, John Dominic Crossan, Paul Tillich, et al, with guest Law Ware.

On Paul Ricoeur's "The Critique of Religion" and "The Language of Faith" (1973), with guest Law Ware. How can we apply hermeneutics to the Bible?

On Hans-Georg Gadamer's Truth and Method (1960, ch. 4), "Aesthetics and Hermeneutics" (1964), "The Universality of the Hermeneutical Problem" (1966), and "Hermeneutics as Practical Philosophy" (1972).

Mark and Seth go line-by-line through the first half of "On the Essence of Truth" to help you understand Heidegger's language. This is a 17-min preview of a 2 hr, 37-min bonus recording . Citizens, log in and listen now.

Stephen West returns: Citizens should log in and listen to the Aftershow on Whitehead featuring Dylan Casey and David Buchanan. Everyone can listen to the first chunk of the discussion now.

Mark and Wes go line-by-line through a chunk of the Critique of Judgment to help you feel confident decoding Kant and other difficult texts. This is a 13-min preview of a 72-min bonus recording . Citizens, log in and listen now .

On The Concept of Nature (1920). Nature, i.e. the object of our experience, is events, not things, ya dig?

Mark Linsenmayer outlines Alfred North Whitehead's book The Concept of Nature (1920)

The first chunk of our new after-the-episode discussion, featuring Stephen West from Philosophize This! and Mark Linsenmayer. This is a 20-min preview of a 72-min discussion that can be found in full on our Free Stuff for Citizens page.

On Karl Jaspers's "On My Philosophy" (1941), featuring comedian/actor/director/author Paul Provenza

Mark Linsenmayer introduces Karl Jaspers's existentialist tract, "On My Philosophy." (1941)

On Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, and Strategies (2014) with the author. What can we predict about, and how can we control in advance, the motivations of the entity likely to result from eventual advances in machine learning? Also with guest Luke Muehlhauser.

On A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful , where young Burke lays out our knee-jerk aesthetic reactions, including those to scary things at a safe distance. With guest Amir Zaki.

Mark Lint and the PEL Orchestra present the longest, slowest, biggest, fattest, most surreal Christmas carol ever.

On "Outlines of Pyrrhonism" from 200 C.E. Can you live while suspending judgment about all non-everyday matters? WIth guest Jessica Berry.

On Critique of Judgment (1790), Part I, Book I. What is beauty? Disinterested pleasure!