The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview . On Plato's middle dialogue depicting the death of Socrates (390 BCE) depicting the death of Socrates. Should philosophers fear death? In the course of giving arguments for the immortality of the soul, we get an elaboration of the recollection theory of knowledge (from the Meno ) into Plato's first full account of Forms. But how literal...

Continuing on the Timaeus , we consider some quotes and details starting at the beginning of the dialogue where Plato argues for differences between the perceived, created, impermanent world and its perfect model.  To hear this second part , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 264: Plato’s “Timaeus” on Cosmology (Part Two) first appeared on Th...

Media representation of disability needs improvement, as does inclusion of disabled actors and writers. Playwright Kayla joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about hurdles, disability culture, negative stereotypes, and how disability relates to comedy and horror. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . Sponsor : Get 50% off your custom...

Within and without the world of the film, can one consider Don Corleone a great man? Or does his moral code, like his favor, always hide a transaction? Wes & Erin give their analysis of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 film, “The Godfather.”  The post (sub)Text: Business Gets Personal in “The Godfather” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview . On the later Platonic dialogue from around 360 BCE. How is nature put together? Plato speaks through the fictional Timaeus (not Socrates) to give a "likely story" about the universe, physics, and biology involving a Craftsman (Demi-Urge) who created everything based on a pre-existing perfect model (the Forms!). Timaeus derives his whol...

Mark-san, Erica-san, and Brian-san survey the new Karate Kid revival show Cobra Kai and all the original films starting with the 1984 classic for nonsensical plotting, villain motivation, questionable acting, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . The post Pretty Much Pop #82: Cobra Kai and the Karate Kids first appeared on...

Continuing on Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism with guests Jeff Black and Michael Grenke. To hear this second part , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 263: Lise Van Boxel’s “Warspeak” on Strategies for Valuing (Part Two) first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

While Annie’s patient, quirky fatalism does not prevent her from outgrowing Alvy and leaving him behind, the nostalgic and wistful frame of Allen’s film does have something to say about what helps keep love alive, and people connected. The post (sub)Text: Love and Nostalgia in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

Jason was music director at KRCW, the LA NPR station, is also a DJ with a lot of experienced interviewing musicians, and now hosts a new podcast, The Backstory . He joins Mark and Erica to discuss the creative and business possibilities of podcasting in comparison to radio, what their futures may hold, and his own journey between the two media. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus conten...

Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode. Listen to a preview . On Warspeak: Nietzsche's Victory Over Nihilism (2020) with Dylan, Seth, and guests Michael Grenke and Jeff Black. What's a viable counter-ideal to the asceticism that Nietzsche thought is so pervasive? Lise's book works out strategies for re-valuing that emphasize Nietzsche's positive comments about the feminine and the power of words....

Happy Groundhog Day! The '93 film has had dozens of imitators spanning various genres in recent years, but the idea goes back more than a century. Mark, Erica, Brian, and guest Ken Gerber touch on popular and obscure examples examples from film and TV to explore the philosophical themes and storytelling techniques.  For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at pa...

More on essay three of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals  on the meaning of ascetic ideals. How does asceticism fit into N's overall morality, and how does he use it to critique scientists? To hear this second part , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 262: Nietzsche on Self-Denial (Part Two) first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philoso...

To what extent is every ambition an imaginative act—and perhaps a form of prophecy? Wes & Erin discuss the Scottish Play: Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, "Macbeth." The post (sub)Text: Yielding to Suggestion in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

On the darkly comic '96 film and the 4-season crime show. Mark, Erica, Brian, and Tamler from VBW consider its style, "tundra western" setting, "Minnesota nice", gender issues, stunt casting, absurdism, and more. Yes, there are spoilers, but it barely matters. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . Sponsor : Visit amazon.com/prettyRX...

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Genealogy of Morals (1887), "Third essay: what do ascetic ideals mean?" Self-denial is necessary for disciplined action but can clearly go too far. N uses this concept of asceticism to analyze both geniuses and the masses. It's a chief tool of the will to power, dangerous to human flourishing but also helping us to evolve. Does N's picture of motivation and greatness m...

In this episode we discuss EM Forster’s novel Howard’s End as well as take a look at the 1992 movie of the novel starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. “Death destroys a man, but the idea of death saves him—” --Howard’s End The story revolves around three families: the Schlegels–– half-German siblings Margaret, Helen, and Tibby whose cultural pursuits have much in common with the Bloomsbury G...

In light of The Queen's Gambit , chess expert J.J. joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to look at chess media, culture, and personalities. We consider gender, genius, and other issues in Gambit , plus Pawn Sacrifice , Searching for Bobby Fisher , The Luzhin Defense , and The Coldest Game . For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . The post Pret...

More on Parfit's Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. In this preview, we consider how Parfit deals with Bernard Williams' materialist thought experiment to show that the whole concept of personal identity doesn't make sense. Also, split brains! To hear this second part , you'll need to go sign up at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support . The post PREVIEW-Ep. 261: Derek Parfit on Personal Identity...

What's the post-COVID future of movie theaters? Mark, Erica, and Brian compare past moviegoing habits and reflect on the big-screen vs. small-screen decision. How would we optimize the theatrical experience? We consider films affected like Tenet , Soul , etc. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . Sponsors : Visit ExpressVPN.com/prett...

What explains the enduring appeal of Auden’s September 1, 1939? Was he right to repudiate it? Wes & Erin discuss. The post (sub)Text: Clever Hopes in W. H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

On Reasons and Persons (1984), ch. 10-13. What makes a person persist over time? After using various sci-fi examples to test the Lockean (personhood=psychological continuity), physicalist (same brain=same person), and Cartesian (same soul=same person) theories, Parfit concludes that the whole notion is incoherent and isn't actually what we care about when wondering "will I die?" Subscribe to get P...

Returning heroine Vi (now a grad student in comics history) joins Erica, Mark, and Brian to put the new film in context, bringing in the weird ideas of WW's creator as shown in the 2017 biopic Professor Marston and the Wonder Women . Do the new film's themes actually make sense? We talk political ideals, truth, love, feminist utopias, '70s TV, and more. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bon...

One last take on John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), covering Book II, ch. 21 and 28. What makes a moral claim true? Do we have free will? What makes us choose the good, or not? In this coda to our long treatment of Locke's opus, we bring together all he has to say about morality, which is strangely modern yet also just strange. Subscribe to get the full episode . The post PR...

Is suffering’s “human position” something that can be redeemed? Wes and Erin discuss Auden’s poem Musée des Beaux Arts. The post (sub)Text: The “Human Position” of Suffering in W.H. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

What explains the immense quarantine-time popularity of this quaint reality cooking show? What do we get out of watching talented amateurs bake things? Stephen , famous for playing Scar in The Lion King on Broadway, joins Erica, Brian, and Mark to consdier the format, context, and appeal of the show. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchp...