The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Discussing the "Chuang Tzu," Chapters 2, 3, 6, 18, and 19. It's the second-most-famous Taoist text and the most humorous, with anecdotes about people singing at funerals and jumping out of moving coaches while drunk. What could it possibly mean to "make all things equal?" and how is the Taoist sage different from our other favorite paragons of virtue (hint: magical powers)? Featuring special guest panelist Erik Douglas, another U. Texas philosophy grad school dropout calling in from England and knowing more about Eastern philosophy than we do. Buy the book or read it online. The end song requires explanation: I had a "New Age" period where I investigated Eastern philosophy, tried to be cheerful all the time, and was generally insufferable. This song, "Pass Time Incorporeal," is an artifact of that time, with lyrics from early fall 1989; the recording is from 1993. It finally slipped out on a 1996 album of similar goofiness rejected from my "real" albums called "Black Jelly Beans & Smokes." If you enjoy the episode, please donate at least $1:

Discussing The Genealogy of Morals (mostly the first two essays) and Beyond Good and Evil Ch. 1 (The Prejudices of Philosophers), 5 (Natural History of Morals), and 9 (What is Noble?). We go through Nietzsche's convoluted and historically improbable stories about about the transition from master to slave morality and the origin of bad conscience. Why does he diss Christianity? Is he an anti-semite? Was he a lazy, arrogant bastard? What does he actually recommend that we do? Buy the Genalogy and Beyond Good and Evil or get them online here and here. End song: "The Greatest F'in Song in the World," from 1998's Mark Lint and the Fake Johnson Trio Get the whole album free. http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2012/06/19/partially-naked-self-examination-music-blog-black-jelly-beans-smokes-now-available-for-free-download/

Discussing Fundamental Principles (aka Groundwork) of the Metaphysic of Morals (1785). We try very hard to make sense of Kant's major ethical principle, the Categorical Imperative, wherein you should only do what you'd will that EVERYONE do, so, for instance, you should not will to eat pie, because then everyone would eat it and there would be none left for you, so too bad. Also, Kant on free will, "things in themselves," our duties to animals, and prostitution! Plus: Should you go to grad school? Buy Kant's book or read it online. The Allen Wood article "Kant on Duties Regarding Nonrational Nature" is here. End song: "Stop" by Madison Lint (2003).

Discussing Jeremy Bentham’s An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation chapters 1-5, John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, and modern utilitarian Peter Singer's "Famine, Affluence, and Morality.") Going full tilt on the Greatest Happiness principle, with talk of gladiators, consensual cannibalism, and illegal downloads. How many Pleetons were in your last orgasm? Should animals count in the utilitarian calculus? What is Bentham's skull up to nowadays? This extra long episode (patched together from two recording sessions, as Seth's audio track got toasted for most of the first one) is disgustingly thorough and only occasionally internally redundant. Read the Bentham online. Here's the Mill online, or you could buy it.Here's the Singer essay (Also, for some more information on Singer's view of animal liberation, look here.) End song: "So Whaddaya Think?" by Mark Lint and the Fake (2000). Listen to the whole album online.

Continuing last ep's discussion of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with some Rudolph Carnap (a logical positivist from the Vienna Circle: “The Rejection of Metaphysics” from his 1935 book Philosophy and Logical Syntax) about what kind of crazy talk is outside of legitimate discourse. Carnap interprets W as simply ruling out as unscientific most of the talk we'd consider philosophical, i.e. metaphysics, ethics, the self... Or is W really a mystic who just wants to distinguish these from science? Why doesn't he just write more and explain himself? This tricky text inspires Seth to start a cult. To follow along, read the Tractatus from the beginning through around 4.12, then skip to 6.3 and read to the end, skimming the more technical material in the middle. Buy the book or read the text online.The Carnap text can be found here. Also, if you're confused by the description of truth tables (which are hard to picture without seeing some), look here. End song: "The Last Time," by Mark Lint and the Fake from the 2000 album So Whaddaya Think?

Discussing the beginning (through around 3.1) of Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Mr. W. wrote that the world is made up of facts (as opposed to things) and that these facts can be analyzed into atomic facts, but then refused to give even one example to help us understand what the hell he's talking about, and so Wes and Mark argue about it per usual while Seth corrects our German pronunciation. The first 3/4 of this episode was recorded off-site from our regular equipment, making the audio quality relatively sucky. Enjoy! Buy the book or read the text online. For a clearer explanation of fact-based ontology, see this short introduction by Bertrand Russell to his lectures on logical atomism. Our discussion of Wittgenstein continues in episode 8. End song: "Facts for a Moment (What You Are to Me)," recorded in 1992 and released on the Mark Linsenmayer album Spanish Armada, Songs of Love and Related Neuroses.

Have some tasty metaphysics, in mono! Leibniz thinks that the world is ultimately made up of monads, which are like atoms except nothing at all like atoms, because they're alive, and mindful, and eternal, and windowless, placed in the best kind of harmony at the beginning of time by God. Is there a concept album in all of this? Plus, does reading philosophy make you a better conversationalist, or just get you ostracized? Buy the book or read it free online. End song: The soothing "Healthy Song" by The MayTricks, from the 1994 album Happy Songs Will Bring You Down.

Discussing Books 1 and 2. What is virtue, and how can I eat it? Do not enjoy this episode too much, or too little, but just the right amount. Apparently, if you haven't already have been brought up with the right habits, you may as well give up. Plus, is Michael Jackson the Aristotelian ideal? Buy the book or read it online. End song: A newly recorded cover of Billie Jean by Mark Lint and the TransAmerikanishers. (Hear it by itself here.) If you enjoy the episode, please donate at least $1:

Discussing Camus's "An Absurd Reasoning" and "The Myth of Sisyphus" (1942). Does our eventual death mean that life has no meaning and we might as well end it all?  Camus starts to address this question, then gets distracted and talks about a bunch of phenomenologists until he dies unreconciled.  Also, let's all push a rock up a hill and like it, okay?  Plus, the fellas dwell on genius and throw down re. the Beatles, the beloved Robert C. Solomon and Malcom Gladwell's Outliers. An abridged version of the reading covered with most of the good stuff in it is here. An unabridged version of "An Absurd Reasoning" is here. Also, Wes said something wrong on the episode. End song: "My Friends" by Mark Lint and the Simulacra (2000). If you enjoy the episode, please donate at least $1:

Discussing Hobbes's Leviathan, Chapters 13-15. Have we implicitly signed a social contract whereby our native right to punch other people in the face is given to the President? Hobbes does things that eventually result in the U.S. Constitution and makes Wes nauseous. Plus: Star Trek and the Bible! Buy the book or read it online End song: "The Villa" by Mark Lint and the Fake Johnson Trio (1998). If you enjoy the episode, please donate at least $1:

On Descartes's Meditations 1 and 2. Descartes engages in the most influential navel gazing ever, and you are there! In this second and superior-to-the-first installment of our lil' philosophy discussion, we discuss what Descartes thinks he knows with certainty (hint: it is not you), the Matrix, and burning-at-the-stake.com. Mark and Wes agree to disagree about agreeing that they disagree. Seth had a long day and is very tired. Plus: Some listener feedback; whom is this here podcast aimed at? Why, you, of course! To increase your enjoyment, download and read this online version of the text or buy a copy. Here, also, is the Descartes chunk of Philosophy and the Matrix that Seth refers to. End song: "Axiomatic" by New People from The Easy Thing (2009). If you enjoy the episode, please consider supporting us through making a donation. A recurring $5 donation will get you access to episodes no longer available to the public, an online learning community, and more. Learn about PEL Citizenship.

More discussion of Plato's "Apology." Listen to part 1 first!

Discussing Plato's "Apology." This reading is all about how Socrates is on trial for acting like an ass and proceeds to act like an ass and so is convicted. Big surprise. On this our inaugural discussion, Mark, Seth, and Wes talk about how philosophers are arrogant bastards who neglect their children, how people of all political stripes don't usually examine their fundamental beliefs (but probably should), why it might be better to know you know nothing than to only think that you know nothing, and how Plato was a super genius all of whose texts you should worship uncritically. Plus: podcaster philosophical origin stories, like when Wes was bitten by a radioactive Anaxagoras. To increase your enjoyment, download and read Plato's Apology. The episode continues on part 2. Please support the podcast by becoming a PEL Citizen or making a donation.

Listen to this here episode first. A priori, that is. Before experiencing the world yourself. Why should you bother to go through the trouble of downloading and listening to one of the full length episodes? Who are we anyway? Why shouldn't you just go listen to some philosophy lectures posted by university professors instead of this thing? Do you need to listen to the episodes in order? Do you need to already know a lot about philosophy to get anything out of this podcast? Should you listen to it while pleasuring yourself? Most of these questions will be answered here! End song: "New People" by New People. Once you've finished this, you can jump to episode 1 (and its continuation).