Episode 160: Orwell on Totalitarianism and Language (Part Two)

Summary: Continuing with 1984.<br> How does the book relate to today's politics, or to the politics of his time? Does Orwell present something that we should actually be afraid our society will turn into? Are people really motivated by power for power's sake as Orwell depicts? Was he predicting history based on current trends, or was it satire, or what?<br> We discuss the relationship between minds: the realms of intimacy vs. surveillance, how a state might "contain" a mind that it controls, and "doublethink," where one mind is split—much like <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/01/01/ep87-sartre/" target="_blank">Sartre's "Bad Faith"</a>—to intentionally delude itself.<br> Listen to <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2017/03/13/ep160-1-orwell/" target="_blank">part 1</a> first, or get the ad-free <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2017/03/12/ep160-orwell-citizen/" target="_blank">Citizen Edition</a>.<br> End song: "Civil Disobedience" by Camper Van Beethoven from New Roman Times (2004), written by Jonathan Segel as interviewed on <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2017/03/05/nem38-jonathan-segel/" target="_blank">Nakedly Examined Music ep. 38</a>.<br> Sponsors: Visit <a href="http://talkspace.com/examined" target="_blank">Talkspace.com/examined</a>; use code "EXAMINED" for 30% off your first month of online therapy. Go to <a href="http://blueapron.com/PEL" target="_blank">blueapron.com/PEL</a> for three free meals with free shipping.<br> Check out this cool lefty podcast: <a href="http://srslywrong.com" target="_blank">srslywrong.com</a>. (The episode Mark was a guest on is <a href="http://srslywrong.com/podcast/ep-89-the-infinitely-examined-life/" target="_blank">#89</a>.)<br>