The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

The Grammy winner and 90s hitmaker has released 10 studio albums since 1994 after backing Peter Gabriel on his Secret World tour in the early '90s. We discuss "Blues in Gray" from Revolution (2019), "Father" from 7 (2015), and "Hush, Hush, Hush" from This Fire (1996). We also listen to "Steal Away/Hidden in Plain Sight" from American Quilt (2021). Intro: "I Don’t Want to Wait," also from Thi...

After an absence of five years, the poet William Wordsworth returned to the idyllic ruins of a medieval monastery along the River Wye. The spot was perhaps not so very different from his last visit, but Wordsworth found that he had undergone a significant transformation in the intervening years. In a long blank-verse meditation, he explores the changes that the memory of this landscape has affecte...

Guest free, we discuss topics from hairballs to boogers to color vision among inanimate objects and rules for unicorn play. When the bad-ass, smelly, screaming white ball hits the 5 ball, how does the causality work? Is skepticism about physical forces just conspiracy theory? Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Phil...

Author Noah Berlatsky (who just published The Best Greatest Albums of All Time Ever ), musical artist Mobley , and The Hustle podcast host Jon Lamoreaux to discuss canonization, music curation, and the album as a format. We react in part to the update of Rolling Stone's 500 Best Albums of All Time . For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpo...

Continuing on Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), ch. 1-4. We talk about the character of the intelligible world, how we generate general concepts, the existence of God, seeing God, original sin, and more. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion , sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 286: Malebr...

Subscribe to get Parts 2 and 3 of this episode. You can hear previews of parts two and three . Hear this part ad-free . On Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), dialogues 5-7. We get clearer on M's rationalist epistemology and into his occasionalist theory of causality. Is M's theory as archaic as its theology makes it sound? The post Ep. 286: Malebranche on Causality and Theology (Part On...

Fellini called his film “La Strada” a dangerous representation of his identity, and had a nervous breakdown just before completing its shooting. Perhaps this identity, and its vulnerability, have something to do with the film’s portrayal of a disappointed hope that love might vanquish pride, if properly assisted by the forces of playfulness and creativity. The problem is that such forces are often...

The philosopher of games joins us for a frustration game. What is a game, anyway? We ask dumb questions on a museum tour.  Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Philosophy vs. Improv . Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. The post Philosophy vs. Improv #24: Game Time w/...

Continuing on Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), ch. 1-4. We talk about the character of the intelligible world, how we generate general concepts, the existence of God, seeing God, original sin, and more. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion , sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 285: Nicola...

Did it make sense for Steven Spielberg to remake one of our nation's most beloved musicals (with music by Bernstein and Sondheim!), attempting to fix the parts that did not age well politically? Is the new version a modern classic or a doomed Frankenstein? Your host Mark Linsenmayer is joined by Broadway scholar, theater critic, and actor Ron Fassler ; Remakes, Reboots, and Revivals co-host Nicole...

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview . On Dialogues on Metaphysics and Religion (1688), ch. 1-4. We walk through M's rationalist (post-Descartes, pre-Leibniz) epistemology with its surprising implications for the metaphysics of causality and the role of God in nature. The post Ep. 285: Nicolas Malebranche on Knowledge (Part One) first appeared on The Partially Examined Life...

Mark is joined by Brian Hirt, Erica Spyres, and Mark's son Abe Linsenmayer. With the release of The Matrix Resurrections, we talk through the franchise as a whole. What made the first one remarkable, and does that a bar that any sequel can reach? We talk through the choices that fed into the new film, why people don't seem to care about their matrix families, the endless fight scenes, and more.&#1...

Can we have an entertaining discussion inspired by Aristotle's most boring book? Bill leads Mark and our guest Tommy through some let's-describe-what's-in-an-imaginary-room exercises.  Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Philosophy vs. Improv . Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other...

In the late 19th century, the “New Woman” was a term coined by Henry James for a particular kind of feminist who demanded freedom of behavior, dress, education, and sexuality. Out of that paradigm came “The Awakening,” a novel that scandalized critics upon its publication with its tale of New Orleans society wife Edna Pointellier, who tries to throw off the shackles of society’s expectations for w...

Welcome to an extra special, intentionally public edition of Nightcap to catch you up on what Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan are all up to personally and intellectually and hash out what we want to potentially cover on the show over the next year. Get this ad-free by signing up to support us via partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . Sponsors : Have a donation to charity of up to $250 matched through giv...

There's trouble at the work site! There are secret shifts of emotion going on. Do they make sense? Later, a guy's car is blocking a driveway. Does he deserve the electric chair, or a beer? It depends on your theory of punishment. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Philosophy vs. Improv . Support the podcast to get...

Popular shows have commented on wealth inequality by showing how dire the situation is for the poor and/or how disconnected and clueless the rich are. How effective is this type of social commentary? Mark is joined by philosopher and NY Times writer Lawrence Ware , novelist and writing professor Sarahlyn Bruck , and educator with a rhetoric doctorate Michelle Parrinello-Cason . For more, visit pre...

The scene is its own entity. What else might be its own entity? Can a machine that passes the Turing test know what it's like to be a bat? We bring in emotions from irrelevant contexts, and we keep hearing them long after they're gone. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Philosophy vs. Improv . Support the podcast t...

Though sometimes accused of a sentimentality dubbed “Capracorn,” Frank Capra’s films are clear-eyed about the suffering of the everyman. A quintessential director of the Great Depression and World War II eras, Capra expressed better than most the desperation at the heart of a young country’s ambitions. And as a chronicler of his age’s disillusionment and alienation, he joined an American cultural...

Continuing on "What Is Man" (1905). We work through Twain's metaphors for human nature, say what he means by "instinct," contemplate his notion of identity and why he thinks you are apparently different from your body-machine, and gauge the practical upshot of his stances. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion , sign up via one of the options described at partiallye...

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview . On "What Is Man" (1905). Twain describes a person as a machine. We have no free will and always act to win our own self-approval. This was a bleak enough picture that the essay was not printed until after Twain's death. Part two of this episode is only going to be available to you if you sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support or...

What is "othering"? Why did Bill get such a bad grade? Is it because of his feather quill pen? Our first real philosophy professor guest joins us for some office hours and anti-vaxxer drama. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com . Hear more Philosophy vs. Improv . Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other...

Let’s all lose our jobs and talk instead about fundamental ontology and social dynamics.  Image by I don’t remember. Audio editing by Tyler Hislop. Hear more PvI. Support the podcast to get bonus stuff and good karma! Sponsors: Visit betterhelp.com/improv to be matched with a licensed, professional therapist. Learn about St. John’s College at sjc.edu/improv. The post Philoso...

It’s a Christmas movie, some say, and in the end the holiday classic “Let it Snow” plays over the credits. But what counts as snow in the final scenes is a confetti of smoke, debris, and millions of dollars of bearer bonds, not to mention the Euro-villain who tried to steal them. These descend from the blasted-out upper floor of a skyscraper onto a scene of total destruction. Worse, it all happens...

Continuing on "What Is Love?" (1992). We consider B's account of love as resolution of a paradox: The positions of man and woman in no way overlap, yet all truth is generic, i.e. accessible to everyone. Love makes it happen! If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion , sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 28...