The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Latest Episodes
Ep. 341: Guest Karyn Lai on Daoism in the Zhuangzi
Mark, Dylan, Seth, and Theo Brooks discuss the Zhuangzi (ca. 325 BCE) UNSW Sydney prof. , co-author of the History of Philosophy Podcast Chinese series. We talk through Daoist advice about virtue, pol
PEL Presents PvI#75: The Alien Literally Has Two Faces w/ Bran Peacock
The co-host joins Mark and Bill to talk about cultural relativism. We talk about foreign-ness, what parts of ethics seem to apply to all cultures, the Museum of Soup, pushing back tactfully in a scen
Ep. 340: Brian Ellis on the Implications of Essentialism (Part Two)
Concluding on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002) with guest Chris Heath. Are we OK with the metaphysical necessity of natural laws? How do Ellis' mind-independent fundame
PEL Presents NEM#215: Lynn Drury's New Orleans Emotionality
Singer-songwriter Lynn has released 10 albums since 2001. We discuss the title track (and listen at the end to "I Waited Too Long") from High Tide (2024), "11:11" from Rise of the Fall(2017), and "Dr
Ep. 340: Brian Ellis on the Implications of Essentialism (Part One)
Continuing on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism. Ellis' essentialism about physics and chemistry says that, for example, atoms of various elements are truly and unambiguously d
PEL Presents PMP#172: Curb Larry David's Shtick
The incredible post-Seinfeld improvised sit-com Curb Your Enthusiasm has had its finale, and so Mark, Lawrence, Sarah and Al reflect on its format, its characters, its way of exploring puzzles of mode
PEL 15th Anniversary and Book Release
Your four hosts plus book editor Chris Sunami reflect on doing the podcast for 15 years and making the new book, which you should order on April 25. Plus, the three rules, future ambitions, and more.
NEM#214: Head vs. Gut Songwriting w/ Roger Joseph Manning Jr., David Christian, Rachel Taylor Brown
It's a new, discussion-only format, just for this episode (and perhaps some rare ones in the future)! When we write, how much is planned vs. improvised? How much is inspirational vs. double-or-triple
Ep. 339: Brian Ellis on the Metaphysics of Science (Part Two)
Continuing on The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism (2002) with guest Chris Heath. We get further into the text about metaphysical realism, criteria for a natural kind, properties
PEL Presents NEM/PMP: Head vs. Gut Songwriting w/ Roger Joseph Manning Jr., David Christian, Rachel Taylor Brown
When we write, how much is planned vs. improvised? How much is inspirational vs. double-or-triple checked? How does this factor weigh into how much music we release, how eclectic our sound is, and how