Just Two Dudes Reading Theory

This week we're delving into two short works by George Bataille— "Rotten Sun" and "The Sacred Conspiracy". We also discuss Max Weber's concept of Disenchantment and possible avenues to reenchant the world.

It's a timely episode! We're talking about this week's election results through Guattari's eyes. Enjoy!

We're talking time! You know, past, present, future...etc... Overall, we admit that discussing the phenomenology of time is complicated, thorny, and even (at times) ungraspable. That said, we hope listeners will come away with a solid understanding of Sartre's key ideas. Enjoy!

We love reading Guattari! This week, we examine two short essays: Becoming Woman and I Have Even Met Happy Drag Queens. We talk about Guattari's seminal concept of Becoming a Woman and trans liberation. Enjoy!

What is resistance? Well, it has something to do with the ego....whatever stops analysis! Yeah, that's it! Okay, then what's censorship? It's a blockage on the thingy ! But the other thing? Yes? Don't worry! Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you will have a firm grasp on Lacan's eminently playful (and tragic) distinction.

This week we continue our reading of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception. We're talking about optical illusions and the place of phenomenological discourse. Enjoy!

It's fall! And to kick-start fall we're looking at the coziest philosopher there is: Gaston Bachelard. We discuss topoanalysis, huts, and the oneiric house. Enjoy! Photo by Lena Polishko on Unsplash

Ever met a waiter who just seems oh-so-too happy being a waiter? Have you ever been on a date where you're just not sure if you're into the other person but don't want to show that you're not into the other person? This week we're discussing Bad Faith, one of Sartre's most famous concepts. We're also talking about anguish and addiction. Enjoy! Photo by Mulyadi on Unsplash

Maurice Merleau-Ponty gives a fantastic introduction to phenomenology in the preface to his Phenomenology of Perception. Honestly, we had a great time this week and really look forward to reading his whole work. Photo by FlyD on Unsplash

Whew! Buckle up because we're about to embark on a real adventure. This week we're beginning Sartre's masterpiece Being and Nothingness. We'll be interspersing our reading with other phenomenologists as we go (so we don't burn out). This week we're discussing the pre-reflective cogito, the in-itself, and the for-itself. Enjoy! Photo by NASA on Unsplash

This week we're looking at Futa Helu's essay Towards a Theory of Awareness or Understanding. Our favorite sections relate to his idea of the rhythmic nature of the universe . Our least favorite spot regards (unfortunately) all of his thoughts on beauty. Enjoy! Photo by Roman on Unsplash

This week we're looking at the American history of the black personal essay and how it relates to phenomenology. We also talk about the dubious concept of the "post-racial age". Enjoy! Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

This week we read Susan Sontag's Against Interpretation, a phenomenal (and controversial) polemic against dogmatic ways of "interpreting" art. We also offer a (hopefully) nuanced defense of psychoanalysis. Photo by Ed Wingate on Unsplash

This week we did some "hardcore phenomenology" and read Sartre's essay on Giacometti. We also talked about Sartre's enthusiasm and how this enthusiasm risks losing the plot (so to speak). Enjoy! Photo by Katsiaryna Endruszkiewicz on Unsplash

This week we're finishing our reading of Hannah Arendt's Love and Saint Augustine. We're talking about the love of the world vs. the love of God, and what possible avenues exist towards an unconditional secular love. Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash

This week we're reading the first half of Hannah Arendt's dissertation, Love and Saint Augustine. With Karl Jasper's as her thesis advisor, and with an indirect engagement with Heidegger's work, this is a great starting point for fans of Arendt. Enjoy! Photo by JK Sloan on Unsplash

This week we finish Judith Butler's What World Is This? A Pandemic Phenomenology . We talk about those most affected by the virus and the day-to-day realities of the pandemic. Enjoy! Photo by DICSON on Unsplash

Join us as we delve into the opening of Judith Butler's recent book on the Pandemic. To us, doing a phenomenology of the pandemic seems to be an inherently triggering project, especially if the questions asked include: what was it like to watch mass death from an Iphone? Or, what was extreme boredom and futility like? However, thankfully, Butler chooses a very different route, focusing instead on...

This week we read, or, as you will, suffered , through some Edmund Husserl! We talk about his importance to continental theory and his defense of the new field of phenomenology. Enjoy! Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash

Sartre's excited! And so are we! In our season two inaugural episode, we discuss Sartre's little essay on Husserl and his joy in discovering the phenomenological field. We also do some phenomenology ourselves talking about rivers and smiles. Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

To end our first season we're talking about Arcade Fire's first three albums: Funeral, Neon Bible, and The Suburbs. We cover American extremism, growing up, and, of course, life in suburbia. Enjoy! Photo by Gabe De La Rosa on Unsplash

This week we finish our discussion of Karl Jasper's Philosophy of Existence. This includes some core existential concepts such as authenticity and we also tackle his categories of truth. Enjoy! Photo by Pramod Tiwari on Unsplash

It's time for some existentialism! We discuss the first half of Jasper's lectures on The Philosophy of Existence, covering the difference between existence and his term existenz, and so much more. Enjoy! Photo by Kostiantyn Usatenko on Unsplash

Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows is a classic text. It attempts to explicate a whole nation's aesthetic character...is it successful? And what of Tanizaki's more dated claims? Join us this week as we work through a great and, at times, frustrating work. Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash

Join us this week as we read Roland Barthe's essay Lesson In Writing . We're talking about Bunraku theatre and how the medium highlights an essential difference between Eastern and Western art...and yes, disagreements abound! Enjoy! Photo by Justin Ziadeh on Unsplash