The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

More on Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding .  On relations, then personal identity, with more on substances (spiritual and material), the various ways in which ideas can go wrong, and how mental association can entrench irrationality that disrupts clear thinking. Listen to part one first, or get the unbroken, ad-free Citizen Edition , which will also get...

What has the Internet done to comedy? Tiffany , purveyor of social media bits and song parodies, joins Erica, Mark, and Brian to think about new ways of making and consuming comedy over TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media. Maybe given current events we should describe the goal as something other than "going viral"? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this epis...

On Book II (ch. 22-33) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). Simple ideas get complex quickly when you put them into words, and can give rise to various philosophical problems that are either easily cleared up when you figure out how the complex idea is built out of simple ideas, or if they can't be so broken down, then we really don't know what we're talking about and shoul...

What makes a film transcendently bad? A cult classic, as opposed to merely unwatchable? Child Jackey appeared in 1966's Manos: The Hands of Fate , and she joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss growing up in community theater, being reintroduced to her family movie by MST3K, and the over-confident auteur.  We also touch on Birdemic , Catwoman , The Happening , and Battleship , as well as fil...

A 2011 episode on John Locke's Second Treatise on Government (1690), with a fresh introduction connecting it to the present. What makes political power legitimate? Like Hobbes, Locke thought that things are less than ideal without a society to keep people from killing us, so we implicitly sign a social contract giving power to the state. But on Locke's view, nature’s not as bad, so the state...

Fred writes for Marvel and his own Evil Twin Comics, in both non-fiction (e.g. Comic Book History of Animation, Action Philosophers) and stories (e.g. Marvel Zombies, Cowboys vs. Aliens). He even wrote a play about Jack Kirby. He joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss playing in the Marvel sandbox, the role of humor, comic-to-movie transitions, and more. Learn more at fredvanlente.com . For more,...

Continuing on Book II (through ch. 20) of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). How do we acquire our ideas of pain and pleasure, duration and motion? We talk primary (shape, size) and secondary (color, sound) qualities, the former of which are supposed to be actually in objects, and the latter just in our mind. Plus, is Locke really an atomist about experience? Start with part...

Hedda Gabler is not a fan of specialization: not in the professor she has married, and his esoteric scholarly interests; not in domesticity, and the specialized affections required by marriage and motherhood; not in any lover’s infatuated specialization in her; and perhaps not in the form of specialization arguably required by life itself, with its finite and confining possibilities. Is there any...

Tyler (PEL and PMP's audio editor) rejoins Mark, Erica, and Brian to explain one of his passions. How is it a battle and what are the rules? What's the appeal? How does it relate to free-stylin', rap albums, and insult comedy? Does it make sense as a "free speech zone"? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop . The post Pretty Much Pop #...

On the first half of Book II of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). How do we get our ideas? Simple ideas must come in through perception, but this doesn't just mean the senses; also reflection on our own minds, and this added layer of complexity allows us to bring in memory, concepts, time, and more. Don't wait for part two; get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please...

Kevin (The State, RISK!) joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about his telling/curation/coaching of confessional stories. Do they have to be funny? True? How does this form relate to essays a la David Sedaris? How personal is too personal (or indicative of PTSD or something)? What's the role of craft in this most populist endeavor? Listen at risk-show.com . For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hea...

Continuing on Book I of John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689). We consider Locke's arguments that since there are no universally agreed upon principles, therefore there are no beliefs that we're all born with, or that we all (without the need for experience) immediately recognize as true as soon as we gain the use of reason or are otherwise equipped to understand them. Start wit...

Plenty of songs try to tell stories, but do the pop song format and narrative really mix? Songwriter and short story author Rod Picott joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to talk about classics by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, formative nightmares like "Leader of the Pack" and "The Pina Colada Song, borderline cases like "Bohemian Rhapsody," and more. How does this form relate to theater, videos, and commer...

Bill Budd is a beautiful man. Not just good looking, but exquisitely good natured, something that costs him no effort and has required no instruction. And yet it is ultimately his beautiful soul and good nature that get Billy killed. Wes & Erin discuss Herman Melville’s final and unfinished work of fiction, and whether a good heart and good intentions are more important than obedience to auth...

Brian, Erica, and Mark reflect on this weird sci-fi HBO Max series by Aaron Guzikowski and Ridley Scott. How much are we supposed to understand? Can we identify with any of the android and/or wild child and/or murdering characters? Is the imagery too heavy handed? How does it compare with Westworld , The Walking Dead , etc.? Warning: Spoilers ahoy! So watch it yourself or let us reveal its crazine...

Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth get into specific points and textual passages from Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892). In this preview, we start by considering that Kropotkin is right that mutual aid is a natural tendency and so communism is very much feasible, why hasn't it happened already? In the full discussion, we discuss K's version of the "you didn't build that" argument, plus guaranteed...

What do we mean when we talk about the American Dream? Is it realistic? Wes & Erin discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” The post (sub)Text: The American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

Mark, Erica, Brian, and musician/actor Aaron consider the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen, especially Borat Subsequent Moviefilm , where his co-stars are unwitting dupes and embarrassment is served in large helpings. We talk through the ethical and political issues, why Cohen's targets act how they do, and what this is as humor.  For more, visit prettymuchpop.com . Hear bonus content for this epi...

On Peter Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread (1892). If we want an egalitarian society, do we need the state to accomplish this? Kropotkin says no, that in fact the state inevitably serves the interests of the few, and that if we got rid of it, our natural tendencies to cooperate would allow us through voluntary organizations to keep everyone not only fed and clothed, but able to vigorously pursue c...

What scares us? Why do people enjoy being scared by films? Are there good horror movies that aren't scary and scary films that are still bad? The post Pretty Much Pop #66: Scary Movies w/ Nathan Shelton first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

Mark, Wes, Dylan, Seth, and Brian Wilson continue working through the text, considering Sunzi's strategies and assumptions, and how these might (or might not) apply to competing in the business world. The post PREVIEW-Ep. 255: Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” (Part Two) first appeared on The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast .

Chris Matheson has written many comic movies and has converted religious texts into funnier books, most recently with The Buddha's Story . Mark, Erica, and Brian talk with him about what unifies these projects: Why the big ideas of religion and sci-fi are begging to be made fun of. The post Pretty Much Pop #65: Cosmic Satire w/ “Bill & Ted” Writer Chris Matheson first appeared on The Partially Exa...

On the Chinese military treatise from around the 5th century BCE. How does a philosopher wage war? The best kind of war can be won without fighting. The general qua Taoist sage never moves until circumstances are optimal. We talk virtue ethics and practical strategy; how well can Sunzi's advice be applied to non-martial pursuits? With guest Brian Wilson . Subscribe to get Part 2 of this episode, o...

Is the Last of Us franchise actually a good video gaming, or just long cinematics that are only good by comparison to past video game cut scenes? It's great, but not exactly "fun." Mark, Erica, Brian, and Drew Jackson talk about balancing narrative and gameplay, the message ("revenge is bad"), the shifting points of view (including playable flashbacks!), critical and fan reaction, representation,...

Mark, Wes, Dylan and Seth continue the discussion on The Tyranny of Merit to talk further about how social values can and do change, and whether these changes can be engineered in the way that Sandel seems to want. This preview includes a couple of exchanges from near the beginning to give you a flavor of what to expect. The post PREVIEW-Ep. 254: Michael Sandel Against Meritocracy (Part Two) first...