The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

PREMIUM-Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Three)

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Wes do a Closeread on the latter part of the dialogue, where Socrates argues to Cratylus that even if names (words) were devised to somehow d...

Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part Two)

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Plato's mid-period dialogue about language. Is attaching a word to a thing, i.e. naming it, like other activities such as carpentry or s...

Ep. 324: Plato's "Cratylus" on Language (Part One)

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Plato's mid-period dialogue from around 388 BCE. How do words relate to the things they represent? Socrates first argues that words represent thing...

PREMIUM-PEL End-of-Summer Nightcap 2023

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Seth, Dylan, and eventually Wes talk about traveling, Barbie, gender, evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and more. If you're not hearin...

Ep. 323: Acquiring Language: Tomasello vs. Chomsky (Part Two)

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003...

Ep. 323: Acquiring Language: Tomasello vs. Chomsky (Part One)

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003). With gue...

PEL Closereads: Emerson's Oversoul (New Podcast Premiere)

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are we underlyingly all really a single, unified organism? Or do we just have a lot in common? PEL's most verbose hosts Mark Linsenmayer and Wes Alwan...

Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part Three)

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Wes conclude with some close reading of Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), section 3: "Relation of Art to Philosophy." Schel...

Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part Two)

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "On the Relation Between the Plastic Arts and Nature" (1807) and Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800). We talk sculpture v...

Ep. 322: Schelling on Art vs. Nature (Part One)

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing "On the Relation Between the Plastic Arts and Nature" (1807) and Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800). Is the goal of art to ...

PREMIUM-PEL Tech Nightcap July 2023

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk about how we might cover philosophy of technology, and other areas like medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics...

Ep. 321: August Schlegel on Beauty (Part Two)

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We continue on Theory of Art, getting more into sections of the text about the relationship between beauty and purposiveness, genius, unconscious vs. ...

Ep. 321: August Schlegel on Beauty (Part One)

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Covering the elder Schlegel  brother's Theory of Art (ca. 1800). How does our experience of Beauty relate to the infinite? Schlegel provides a Romant...

PREMIUM-Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part Three)

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Wes conclude our discussion of the younger Schlegel brother by going through more of his critical fragments, largely published in 1797 in the...

Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part Two)

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We continue on Schlegel's "Dialogue on Poesy" (1799) and "Concerning the Essence of Critique" (1804). How can Romantic art always aim at some common s...

Ep. 320: Friedrich Schlegel on Romanticism (Part One)

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On selected fragments from 1797-1801, "Dialogue on Poesy" (1799), and "Concerning the Essence of Critique" (1804). What makes art "Romantic"? Schlegel...

PREMIUM-Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part Three)

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We complete our treatment of On the Aesthetic Education of Man by considering its final letters in more detail. Does Reason really make us more moral?...

Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part Two)

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Starting with letter 20 in On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), we tell more of the story of how art is supposed to get us from sensation to thin...

Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part One)

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the second half of Friedrich Schiller's On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), getting into the mechanics of how aesthetic experience work in gi...

PREMIUM-Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part Three)

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Wes dive deeper into the text of the first several letters of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795). Are verbal descriptions of art destin...

Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part Two)

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We continue working through letters 1-15 of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), helped by Markus Reuter. We get clearer on what Schiller means b...

Ep. 318: Friedrich Schiller on the Civilizing Potential of Art (Part One)

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can art make us better people? Musician Markus Reuter joins Mark, Wes, and Seth to discussion the first half of On the Aesthetic Education of Man (179...

PREMIUM-Ep. 317: Character Philosophies in Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" (Part Two)

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To conclude our discussion of the novel, we turn to the philosophies of Dmitri and Ivan, plus the Biblical book of Job and our takeaways. Do we need s...

Ep. 317: Character Philosophies in Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" (Part One)

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Following up on our live episode, we further ponder the 1869 novel, revisiting the "problem of evil" arguments and how the various brothers cope with...

Ep. 316: Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov": PEL Live in NYC (Part Two)

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Dostoevsky's 1880 novel, we respond to some objections to the Christian arguments that the characters Alyosha and Zosima put forward to ...

Ep. 316: Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov": PEL Live in NYC (Part One)

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1880 existentialist novel, focusing mostly on the "Rebellion" and "Grand Inquisitor" chapters. How can we reconcile ourselves t...

PREMIUM-Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part Two)

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To conclude our treatment of this seminal Confucian text, we consider a particularly puzzling passage about ethics and then move to politics and econo...

Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part One)

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing from ep. 314, we go further into the collected teachings of this early Confucian (aka Ruhist) from the late 4th century BCE. What's the bes...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap April 2023

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded 4/3/23 as we prepped for our live show, Mark, Wes and Dylan talk about The Last of Us and possible future episodes on animal ethics and/or ...

Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part Two)

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the teachings of Mengzi from ca. 350 BCE, without our guest. We go into textual quotes, covering the "sprouts" of virtue, whether human ...

Ep. 314: Mengzi (Mencius) on Moral Psychology (Part One)

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the greatest early philosopher interpreting and expanding on Confucius, from ca. 350 BCE. with guest Krishnan Venkatesh of the St. John's College E...

PREMIUM-Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part Three)

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We get into quotes from Mozi about his arguments against fatalism and Confucianism, support for meritocracy and identifying with superiors, and descri...

Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part Two)

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho. We talk about Mozi's ideas about encouraging morality, preventing war, restricting mus...

Ep. 313: Mozi's Political Ethics (Part One)

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On selections of the central Mohist text, from ca. 430 B.C.E., with guest Tzuchien Tho. Mozi claims that we should regard everyone on the same level a...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap Late March 2023

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Seth, and Dylan talk about what makes for a fitting tribute for those departed, mourning customs, how Daoism has personally affected us, and mor...

Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part Two)

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding our discussion of the Daodejing with guest Theo Brooks. We cover some more ambiguous cosmological passages and return to political philosop...

Ep. 312: The Dao De Jing on Virtue (Part One)

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For our second full discussion on the Daodejing by Laozi, we talk about the actions and attitudes that characterize the Daoist sage. With Theo Brooks....

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap Early March 2023

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth reflect on the interpretive challenges of the Daodejing, and in the full Nightcap, take on the question of whether philosop...

Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part Two)

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on the central Daoist text with guest Theodore Brooks. We explore practical vs. metaphysical interpretations of the Dao, the relation of th...

Ep. 311: Understanding the Dao De Jing (Part One)

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) by Laozi (ca. 500 BCE), with guest Theodore Brooks. We talk about the wildly different, interpretive translations of t...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap February 2023

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and Seth anticipate our Dao De Jing and Dostoevsky recordings and talk about Russian literature. In the full episode, we also talk about co...

Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part Two)

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding our discussion of On Certainty, with guest Chris Heath. We try one last time to get a handle on Wittgenstein's philosophy of science. How d...

Ep. 310: Wittgenstein On World-Pictures (Part One)

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We continue with Ludwig Wittgenstein's On Certainty (written 1951), with guest Christopher Heath. What is Wittgenstein's philosophy of science as it's...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap January 2023

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We compare translations of Dostoyevsky in prep for our April live show, discuss future show topics, and go over insights from our past discussions on ...

Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part Two)

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing to discuss On Certainty, we get deeply into textual quotes. How does he actually respond to Moore's argument about his hand? How does he ex...

Ep. 309: Wittgenstein On Certainty (Part One)

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing the notes Ludwig Wittgenstein made at the end of his life in 1951 that were published as On Certainty in 1969. Can we coherently doubt prop...

Ep. 308: Moore's Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part Two)

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We quickly complete our treatment of G.E. Moore's "Proof of the External World" (1939) and move on to consider "Certainty" (1941). Get more at partial...

Ep. 308: Moore's Proof of Mind-Independent Reality (Part One)

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On G.E. Moore's "Proof of the External World" (1939) and "Certainty" (1941). Moore shows you his hands and says "these are my hands, which are physica...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap 2022 Wrap-Up

05 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded by Mark, Wes, and Dylan before our Moore discussion, we play one more listener appreciation clip that leads us into an examination of whether...

Ep. 307: G.E. Moore Defends Common Sense (Part Two)

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "A Defense of Common Sense" (1925). Moore argues that physical facts are not dependent on minds and considers the various ways of analyz...

Ep. 307: G.E. Moore Defends Common Sense (Part One)

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On "A Defense of Common Sense" (1925), featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. Moore defends our pre-philosophical certainty in beliefs about the existe...

PREMIUM-Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part Three)

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) Supreme Court decision. We talk more about the rationale for the decision and in...

Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part Two)

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Ronald Dworkin's "Unenumerated Rights: Whether and How Roe Should be Overruled" (1992) and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organizat...

Ep. 306: Dworkin and the Dobbs Decision (Part One)

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right to an abortion? We discuss Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021) and Ronald Dworkin's "Un...

PREMIUM-Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part Three)

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To conclude our discussion of Blood Meridian, we talk about the roles of maturation and regression in the novel, plus more on Judge Holden's philosop...

Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part Two)

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on McCarthy's 1985 novel, we discuss the philosophy of war held by the character Judge Holden, plus whether the book's violence is gratuito...

Ep. 305: Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (Part One)

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On McCarthy's 1985 anti-Western novel, featuring Wes, Seth, and Dylan. How does violence play a role in the way the world works? This novel about a ro...

PREMIUM-PEL Nightcap November 2022: Listener Testimonials

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We recently put out a call among our supporters for some short audio clips of folks telling us about their relationship to PEL, and here they are. Mar...

Ep. 304: Dworkin v. Hart on Legal Judgment (Part Two)

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Roland Dworkin's "The Model of Rules" (1967) and Scott J. Shapiro's "The 'Hart-Dworkin' Debate: A Short Guide for the Perplexed" (2007),...

Ep. 304: Dworkin v. Hart on Legal Judgment (Part One)

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Ronald Dworkin's "The Model of Rules" (1967) and Scott J. Shapiro's "The 'Hart-Dworkin' Debate: A Short Guide for the Perplexed" (2007). How do jud...

PREMIUM-Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part Three)

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 6, "Foundations of a Legal System," on Hart's concept of a rule of recognition that ultimately determines what will ...

Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part Two)

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals" (1958) and The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 5 and 6. If law is not based on morality, th...

Ep. 303: H.L.A. Hart on the Foundations of Law (Part One)

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On "Positivism and the Separation of Law and Morals" (1958) and The Concept of Law (1961), ch. 5 and 6. What's the relationship between law and morali...

PREMIUM-Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part Three)

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and eventually Dylan recap The Praise of Folly, getting into Erasmus' ambivalent take on asceticism. In the full episode, we get seriously...

Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part Two)

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on The Praise of Folly with guest Nathan Gilmour. Can foolishness actually make us more prudent? Is it necessary for us to all get along in...

Ep. 302: Erasmus Praises Foolishness (Part One)

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Desiderius Erasmus' The Praise of Folly (1509), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Nathan Gilmour from the Christian Humanist podcast. Does some amoun...

PREMIUM-PEL Representation Nightcap October 2022

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and Dylan explore the question, "Is it necessary for us to have representatives of an affected group with us as guests when we talk about a...

PEL Presents PvI#40: Rules and Voices with Stephen West (Philosophize This!)

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen West from the juggernaut Philosophize This! podcast joins Mark and Bill to learn to say no and talk about reason vs. emotion in grounding ethi...

Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Three)

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jenny Hansen joins us to cover "On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion" by Mary Anne Warren (1973), with more thoughts on "A Defense of Abortion" (...

Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part Two)

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Judith Jarvis Thomson's "A Defense of Abortion" (1971), plus Don Marquis' "Why Abortion is Immoral" (1989) and a summary of Mary Anne Wa...

PEL Presents NEM#181: Robyn Hitchcock Forgets Himself, Sharply

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Robyn has been producing a distinctive flavor of very British rock with surrealist lyrics for 35+ albums since 1979. We discuss "The Raging Muse" (and...

Ep. 301: Is Abortion Morally Permissible? (Part One)

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss widely read papers about abortion, including an excerpt from Roe v. Wade (1973) and Judith Jarvis Thomson's "A Defense of Abortion" (1971)....

PREMIUM-Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part Three)

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and Dylan conclude our discussion of "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" (1874). What is the practical upshot of Nietzsche'...

Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part Two)

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" (1874), we get into the antiquarian use of history and the critical approach to hist...

Ep. 300: Nietzsche on Relating to History (Part One)

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this live-streamed show, we discuss "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" (1874), aka Untimely Meditation #2. What is the healthiest ...

PREMIUM-Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part Three)

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Wes, and Dylan conclude our discussion of Shakespeare's play. Chiefly, we talk about the exchanges about art in the play: How does art relate to...

Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part Two)

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing to discuss the play, now with guest Sarah Manton. We get into Cynicism, the Alcibiades sub-plot, a feminist angle on the play, and more. Ge...

Ep. 299: Philosophy in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" (Part One)

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Bate, editor of the new RSC complete Shakespeare, joins us to talk about the role of money in the play, the psychology, cynicism, and more. ...

Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" Audioplay (Part Two)

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our performance of William Shakespeare's play, finishing things up with acts 4 and 5 plus some post-performance discussion with the cast. ...

Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" Audioplay Feat. Jay O. Sanders, Michael Ian Black, and Michael Tow (Part One)

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The PEL players do an unrehearsed reading of Shakespeare's least popular play, which is about money and cynicism. This part includes Acts 1-3. Get mor...

PREMIUM-Ficino-Flavored Nightcap Early August 2022

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Wes consider more passages from Ficino's Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love, getting into Ficino's religious psychology and how this rel...

Ep. 298: Marsilio Ficino on Love (Part Two)

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love with guest Peter Adamson. We consider F's views on beauty and fill out his neo-Platonic epistemo...

Ep. 298: Marsilio Ficino on Love (Part One)

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Commentary on Plato's Symposium on Love (1475), with guest Peter Adamson. What is the role of love in the universe? Ficino tries to combine Plato's...

PREMIUM-Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part Three)

23 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding our close reading of Being and Time, on ch. 3, sec. 15 and 16 on the world as "ready to hand" or equipment. If you're not hearing the full ...

Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part Two)

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We continue on Being and Time, now in ch. 2 on what "the world" is in our Being-in-the-World and so what it is for us to encounter objects and how thi...

Ep. 297: Heidegger on the Human Condition (Part One)

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We continue on Being and Time (1927), now into ch. 1 (sec. 9) on Existenz and how our way of Being is different than that of the objects of science, a...

Ep. 296: Heidegger Questions Being (Part Two)

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing with our close reading of Being and Time, we talk about why time is the focus of Heidegger's analysis of the human condition, what are phen...

Ep. 296: Heidegger's Questions Being (Part One)

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing from our overview in ep. 32, we do a close reading on selections from the introduction of Martin Heidegger's Being and Time to consider He...

PREMIUM-Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part Three)

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding on Kant's "Perpetual Peace," plus Jurgen Habermas' "Kant's Idea of Perpetual Peace, with the Benefit of Two Hundred Years' Hindsight." If y...

Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part Two)

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on Immanuel Kant's essay "Perpetual Peace," we go further into how Kant's politics relate to his ethics and consider his actual policy prop...

Ep. 295: Kant on Preventing War (Part One)

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Immanuel Kant's essay "Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch" (1795). Do nations have the "right" to go to war? What principles ground just inter...

PREMIUM-Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part Three)

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding on W.V.O. Quine's "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969). We talk more about the attempt to found epistemology on psychology.  If you're not he...

Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part Two)

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969), we work further through the text, getting into what this new psychology-rooted epistemology might loo...

Ep. 294: Quine on Science vs. Epistemology (Part One)

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On W.V.O. Quine's "Epistemology Naturalized" (1969). What justifies scientific theory? Not theory-free observations, as Quine shows us by considering ...

Philosophy vs. Improv #32: "On the Standard of [Bad] Taste" w/ Babette Babich

22 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Babette teaches at Fordham and recently edited the collection "Reading David Hume's 'On The Standard of Taste,'" which Mark made use of for PEL#289. S...

PREMIUM-Ep. 293: Donna Haraway on Feminist Science (Part Two)

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing on "Situated Knowledges" and other essays with guest Lynda Olman. We try to get at the practical import of Olman's scheme and get further i...

Ep. 293: Donna Haraway on Feminist Science (Part One)

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On "Situated Knowledge" (1988), "A Cyborg Manifesto" (1985), etc. featuring guest Lynda Olman. What is scientific objectivity? Haraway rejects both re...

PREMIUM-Ep. 292: Langer on Symbolic Music (Part Two)

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Concluding on Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key (ch. 8-10). We continue discussing whether and how music is symbolic. Sing along with us! If yo...

Ep. 292: Langer on Symbolic Music (Part One)

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New Key (1942), ch. 8-10. Is music (the supposedly non-representational artform) a language? If it's "expressive,"...

PREMIUM-Ep. 291: Cassirer and Langer on Myth and Ritual (Part Two)

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our discussion on the symbolic value of religion and its antecedents, primary at this point discussing Susanne Langer's Philosophy in a New...