The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

We discuss Un-Willing: An Inquiry into the Rise of Will'’s Power and an Attempt to Undo It (2014) with the author, covering Socrates, Augustine, Aquinas, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Sartre, compatibilism, the neurologists' critque of free will, and more. What is the will? Is it an obvious thing that we all can see in ourselves when introspecting? If so, then why is there so much disagreement in the literature about what it is? (e.g., Is it a causal force or just an epiphenomenon? Is it opposed to desire or the expression of desire? Is it an expression of individuality or is it a trans-personal force à la Schopenhauer?) Eva (whom you may recall from our Heraclitus episode) thinks that the notion is a historical artificat that causes needless philosophical confusion, and worse, has had a damaging effect on our culture. Read more about the topic and get the book. Listen to part two, or get it sans advertisements by becoming a PEL Citizen. Please consider a donation and/or use our Amazon banner to do your shopping, which will kick us back some cash. Sponsors: St. John's College Graduate Institute and Paul Dry Books. In honor of Eva's participation in this episode Paul Dry Books is offering 30% off your order plus free US shipping ($25 flat rate international).  Discounts may not show up when you're checking out but will be applied before your order is processed. Click on the link above or banner below.

To continue the conversation started in our songwriting episode, we scored our third Camper van Beethoven member, founding guitarist/writer Chris Molla (now a children's performer and music teacher), rapper/electronicker Maxx Bartko, singer/songwriter Chase Fiorenza, tech guy and anarchist musician Michael Patrick Wilson (who played along with Maxx and Jonathan Segel on Mark's evil 12 Days of Xmas), plus your hosts Danny Lobell and Mark Linsenmayer. Recorded on 7/12/15, with some introductory comments by Mark about the state of our aftershows and Not School. This is a short preview of a 1 hr, 45 min conversation. The full recording also features Warren Fischer of the great techno-experimental band Fischerspooner and classical musician Adrian Cho. We discuss authenticity, originality, the economics of music, humor in music, whether things were really better back in the old days, and more. Yes, the quality of Chris's audio (and Mark's) is pretty terrible, but such is the fast and furious dynamic of a live recording. Become a PEL Citizen and listen to the full discussion here (or via our Citizen feed: here are directions for that), or anyone can watch it: Watch on YouTube. Come join us this Sunday 7/26 at 3pm Eastern/noon Pacific to watch the ep. 119 Aftershow on Nietzsche live (or after the fact) on our YouTube channel. Our hosts Danny Lobell and Seth Paskin will be joined by scholar and YouTube star Dr. Gregory B. Sadler, renowned for (among many other offerings) his enticing four-part lecture series on The Birth of Tragedy that you can go watch. Become a PEL Citizen and you can participate in the broadcast by joining the aftershow's Not School group. There's no need to read anything; just listen to ep. 119 and have something to say! End song: "RG" by Mike Wilson, who's an old buddy of mine from collage and who was a first-season regular on the excellent Wasted Words podcast.

The third and final portion of our discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872). In this part we discuss the evils according to Nietzsche of "Socratism," which in the modern age is equivalent to scientific optimism: Everything useful, beautiful, and good must be reasonable, fodder for scientific investigation. Why would Greek tragedy show us that this Enlightenment ideal is somehow misguided? Listen to parts one and two first. Attend Watch the Aftershow, which includes guest academic Gregory B. Sadler. End song: "Some Act" by Mark Lint and the Fake from "So Whaddaya Think?" (2000) Get the whole album free. Sponsor: Visit thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Please support us by becoming a PEL Citizen, making a donation or buying some merch.

The second installment of three for our discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872). In this part we discuss how tragedy, folk music, and other arts might embody the Dionysian (an unconscious, chaotic force) vs. the Apollonian (a focus on beautiful surface-level forms) and why tragedy is supposed to be so awesome. Listen to part one first and part three subsequently. Become a PEL Citizen to get it all together, beamed straight to your mobile device using our new Citizen feed. This part is ad-free for your pleasure! Please support us by making a donation or buying some merch.

On Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872), which was his first book. What's the connection between art and society? Nietzsche thought that you could tell how vital or decadent a civilization was by its art, and said that ancient Greek tragedy (like Antigone) was so great because it was a perfect synthesis of something highly formal/orderly/beautiful with the intuitive/unconscious/chaotic. He calls these two elements the Apollonian and the Dionysian and gives a whole history of the rise and fall of ancient Greece as seen through their art. They were noble savages, but channeled their savagery in a way that formed what Nietzsche later called master morality. Whereas later, playwrights like Euripides lost touch with the chaotic side, really lost sight of themselves, and this was reflected in Western philosophy and later science from Socrates to the present. Can we stir the pot now to get a re-birth of tragedy in this awesome sense? Nietzsche was ultimately not optimistic. Read more about it and get the text. If you're interested in that Nietzsche biography mentioned at the beginning of the episode, look here. Listen to parts two and three of the discussion, or become a PEL Citizen and get them all together ad-free. You can also watch the Aftershow where we got Dr. Gregory B. Sader to come tell us how we got it wrong. PEL Citizens can get the full audio of that beamed straight to their mobile devices with our new Citizen feed. Signing up to be a PEL Citizen is a great way to support the podcast. You can also do this with a donation. Sponsors: Visit thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Also, the St. John's College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi. Nietzsche picture by Genevieve Arnold.

Comedian Danny Lobell of the Modern Day Philosophers podcast and our own Wes Alwan were joined for a discussion of Antigone by PEL citizens Daniel Cole, David Buchanan, Erik Weissengruber, Frank Marcopolos, and Terra Leigh Bell. We talked a little about how to distinguish acting on principle from acting out of personal pride (and whether these can be distinguished); whether Creon is just drunk with power or believes he's doing the right thing; and about a whole host of other marginally related things, including race and Rachel Dolezal. This is a short preview of a 2-hr conversation. Citizens can get the full episode audio here, or use our new Citizen feed to get it (along with all the recent ad-free episodes, our other Aftershows, Close Readings, and old episodes no longer available on the public feed) beamed straight to your iPhone or Android device by getting the Downcast app and manually adding a podcast using this new feed address along with your Citizen username and password: partiallyexaminedlife.com/feed/citizen. If you forget this, just look at our "How Do I?" page on the Citizens menu. Not a Citizen? Sign up! No, not today? Well, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube: Watch on YouTube. The next Aftershow will be on music, i.e. ep. 118 on Sunday, 7/12 at 3pm Eastern, noon Pacific via Google Hangout. Citizens can participate by signing up here. Everyone can watch it live or after the fact: just keep an eye on our YouTube channel. Keep an eye on our blog, Twitter or Facebook page for a reminder.

Why write songs? What is it to have "integrity" as a musician? To be "authentic?" Is there anything wrong with playing pure pop songs, or aping styles created by those now dead? Our guests Victor Krummenacher and Jonathan Segel (of the famed indie band Camper van Beethoven) have a beef with the Internet society where music and other trappings of identity are now available without effort and often without cost. Your favored music speaks for you, and you in turn mirror it, but how can this work if the music is somehow fake, or if you are? Or is this concern with authenticity misguided? Mark and Wes pioneer a new PEL era in interviewing rock stars without a text. However, look here for our agreed-up on list of topics and links to songs/videos/blog posts we all looked at before the discussion. Listen to the Aftershow featuring more musician voices including ex-Camper Chris Molla. Not a PEL Citizen? Watch it on YouTube! Note that Citizens can also get a slightly extended version of this episode, and being a Citizen (for a mere $5/month) is a great way to support PEL and get future episodes ad-free, so you might want to look into that. We also accept donations and have some new T-shirts and many other things at our store page. End song: "The Bastards Never Show Themselves" by the Monks of Doom from their upcoming album The Bronte Pin. Written by Immerglück/Krummenacher/Lisher/Pedersen, published by Bumps of Goose (BMI). Opening instrumental (under the announcements): "Balalaika Gap" from Camper van Beethoven's first album, Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985). Please fill out this short, anonymous demographic survey, and you might win a $100 Amazon gift card. Musicians! Share your online music with us: send your links to mark@partiallyexaminedlife.com.

Continuing our discussion of the ancient Greek tragedy, from 441 BCE. Listen to Part One first. Sign up for the Aftershow with Danny Lobell and Wes Alwan, which will take place on 6/28 at 3pm Eastern. If you enjoy this podcast, please become a PEL Citizen or make a donation. End song: "Woe Is Me," performed live by Madison Lint on Madison's WORT, 6/28/02. Sponsor: Visit thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Antigone picture by Genevieve Arnold.

About that ancient Greek tragedy (441 BCE)... What can we learn from it? Are its literary tropes and ethical conflicts so far removed from us that the best we can do is marvel at it? Heck, no! Classic literature is great fodder for philosophical discussion, and the doings of the play can be fruitfully related to our modern troubles with ethics and the state. Mark, Wes, and Dylan are joined by drama guy John Castro, who played Haimon in our performance. Read more about the topic, and get the text. The Aftershow with Danny Lobell and Wes Alwan will take place on 6/28 at 3pm Eastern. Citizens can sign up to attend. Listen to part two or get a full, ad-free version by signing up to be a PEL Citizen, which is a great way to support the podcast. You can also do this with a donation. Sponsors: St. John's College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi and Intuit Quickbooks: visit tryselfemployed.com/PEL. If you're interested in those Mark Linsenmayer–voiced audiobooks, go to audibletrial.com/PEL and search by name.

An unrehearsed, dramatic read-through of the text we'll be discussing on ep. 117, a Greek tragedy written around 441 BCE, telling the myth of the cursed line of Oedipus, mother-f*#king king of Thebes. Featuring Mark, Seth, Wes, and Dylan, plus special guest starts Lucy Lawless as Antigone, Paul Provenza as Creon, Alice Sinclair as Ismene, and John Castro as Haimon. After the performance, the cast discusses the conventions of Greek tragedy, our selected translation, and a little about why philosophers should be interested in this. Read more about the topic and get the text to read along. Want to get this ad-free, with an extra several minutes of discussion plus wacky outtakes? Become a PEL Citizen! It's a great way to support the podcast. We also accept donations. End song: "Antigone (Choragos Speaks)" by Mark Lint. Read about it. Sponsors: Intuit Quickbooks: visit tryselfemployed.com/PEL. Also see thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Antigone image by Genevieve Arnold.

Continuing our discussion of Sigmund Freud's On Dreams (1902) and related works. Listen to Part One first. Afterwards, listen to or watch the Aftershow. Please become a PEL Citizen or make a donation, or buy some merch. End song: "Sleep" by Mark Lint. Read about it. Sponsor: Squarespace.com. Enter PEL at check-out to get 10% off.

On Sigmund Freud's On Dreams (1902), a bit of The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), and the lecture, “Revision of the Theory of Dreams” (1933). Are dreams just a bunch of random crap? Freud says, no, they're actually the first and best way to figure out the structure of the mind, which (surprise) involves the unconscious and how repressed, anti-social desires get (sort of) revealed to us, albeit smashed together through chains of association with what seems like random crap. How can Freud support such a view? Is it science? What are its implications for our capacity to philosophize? Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan are here to sort of hint at telling you, but in a repressed sort of way. Read more about the topic and get the texts. Sign up to attend the Aftershow on Sun., 6/7, 3pm Eastern. Listen now to part 2, or get the ad-free version by signing up to be a PEL Citizen, which is a great way to support the podcast. You can also do this with a donation. Sponsor: St. John's College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi Freud image by Sterling Bartlett.

On Arthur Schopenhauer's The World As Will and Representation (1818), vol. 1, book 3, sections 34, 38-39, 40, 45, and focusing on 51 and 52, plus chapters 34 and 39 from vol. 3 (1844). This continues our previous discussion of book 2 and the beginning of book 3. Is music just pleasing, structured sound? Schopenhauer thinks it's much more than that: it's our way of experiencing Will itself, the striving that underlies and unifies the universe. But oddly, the only way to really enjoy it or any other art (at least in the manner S. approves of, which does not involve "boogying") is to in some sense leave our personal strivings behind and enter a state of will-less contemplation. Mark, Wes, and Dylan are joined by Jonathan Segel (from the band Camper Van Beethoven) to discuss the beautiful (good!), the charming (bad!), the sublime (scary, but extra good), how music differs from the representational arts (it's better), how music does or doesn't go with words and images, and what Platonic Ideas have to do with all of this. And did you know that cellos are vegetables? You did not. Read more about the topic and get the readings. Also, check out the Aftershow where Mark and Jonathan chatted more with listeners and host Danny Lobell. Support the podcast by becoming a PEL Citizen or making a donation. End song: "(Ever and) Always" by Jonathan Segel from All Attractions (2012). More info. Sponsors: St. John's College Graduate Institute: partiallyexaminedlife.com/sjcgi and Casper: casper.com/pel (enter promo code PEL for $50 off your mattress, with a 100-night risk-free trial). Young Schopenhauer picture by Cory Mohler.

On Arthur Schopenhauer's The World As Will and Representation (1818), book 2. Sure, we know from our senses and science what the world looks like to creatures like us, but if you buy Kant's view that this "world as appearance" is a construct of our minds, what's the reality behind the appearance? Schopenhauer thinks that we can know this: The world is what he calls "Will," because just like know what it's like to be you from the inside (you don't just see your body move but know what it is to will that body to move), the rest of the world has a comparable inside, and it's that inside that explains all the striving that we see around us, whether it's plants growing toward the sun, animals acting on instinct, or physical objects following laws of motion and gravity. So in a sense, everything is alive, and moreover, it's all the SAME living thing: a massive, singular Will that exists outside space, time, and the causal chain: It's a whole different thing than anything we perceive through the senses, yet all those perceived things are somehow manifestations of this Will. It's like the Force, except blind and futile. That amounts to some highly chewy metaphysics for the regular four to slobber over. Read more about the topic and get the book. Support the podcast by becoming a PEL Citizen or making a donation. Citizens can sign up to remotely attend the Aftershow on 5/3 at 5pm Eastern. End song: "Sinking” from Mark Lint & the Simulacra, recorded in 2000, mixed just now. Descend into the Will itself! Sponsor: Visit thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Also, Mark narrated this new audiobook on Nietzsche; you can subscribe to Audible to get it free via audibletrial.com/PEL. Schopenhauer picture by Genevieve Arnold.

Drawing on John Dominic Crossan's The Power of Parable, mainly ch. 3 (2012), Paul Ricoeur's "Listening to the Parables of Jesus" (1974), and Paul Tillich's The New Being, ch. 1: "To Whom Much Is Forgiven..." (1955). Are these weird stories riddles, where if you figure out what they mean you get salvation? Are they homilies, telling you to go be like the Good Samaritan? Crossan says they're protests, meant to challenge the moral and social status quo. So what do philosophers have to gain by studying these? What do they add to moral theory, and do you have to have any religious commitments to get something out of them? Mark, Wes, and returning guest Law Ware talk through the various ways of interpreting the Good Samaritan, The Sower, The Two Debtors, The Talents, the Hidden Treasure, the Ten Virgins, the Three Amigos, and more. Read more about the topic and get the books. Support the podcast by becoming a PEL Citizen or making a donation. End song: A new recording of a song written (apart from the first couple of bars) for this episode, "Jesus Noise," by Mark Lint. Read about it. Listen to the Aftershow on this episode. Citizens can also listen to the bonus discussion on the Historical Jesus. Sponsor: Visit thegreatcourses.com/PEL, for massive discounts on great lectures. Jesus picture by Corey Mohler