Quixotic Musings

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Recapitulations of off the beat texts and thinkers, and occasional digressions of the independent variety...

Quixotic Tom


    • Feb 3, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 11m AVG DURATION
    • 26 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Quixotic Musings

    “Against Method”: Responding to Paul Feyerabend...

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 44:52


    A brief discussion of the emergent themes in the thought of Paul Feyerabend and their relevance to current juncture between Thomas Lynn and Stephen Wallpe. Feyerabend protested an undue methodological rigidity in science, and the primacy granted to it by contemporary society.

    Reflections on Censorship and Its Perils

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2021 64:39


    A ranging discussion on the problems of censorship as a practice inimical to democracy.

    Moving from Polarized Discourse to Real Conversation - A Talk with Stephen Wallpe...

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2021 62:02


    In a return from a too long hiatus, I speak with my friend, Stephen Wallpe, about the quixotic status that the ideal of reasoned discourse has become, and discuss upon various questions thence deriving...

    Thoughts on Socialism vis-à-vis André Gorz

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2018 5:27


    A quick collection of thoughts on André Gorz's collection of essays, “Capitalism, Socialism, and Ecology”...

    The NFL: Entertainment vs. Fact

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2018 5:35


    A reflection suggesting that in the background of the NFL's recently announced decision regarding Player Protest of the National Anthem is rooted in a desire to preserve an entertaining narrative despite its incompatibility with certain facts on the ground.

    Gabriel Marcel and the Dilemmas of Creative Fidelity

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2018 9:49


    A response to an essay of Gabriel Marcel on Creative Fidelity, remaking upon his distinction between fidelity or faith and constancy, noting how the latter is of an ambiguous character.

    Existentialism's Relevance

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2018 5:38


    A consideration of Existentialism's relevance in the light of a general public discourse which minimizes the significance of our freedom or agency in responding to the situations in which we find ourselves...

    Gabriel Marcel and Fanaticized Consciousness

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2018 9:21


    In this episode, we consider moments in Gabriel Marcel's analysis of fanaticism in his book, “Man Against Mass Society.”

    Is Life a Problem or a Mystery?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2018 5:26


    A review of Gabriel Marcel's distinction between treating life as a problem or treating our life as a mystery...

    Gabriel Marcel and the Challenge of Hope...

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2018 4:35


    A very brief recap of the crucial suggestion of Gabriel Marcel's essay on Hope... namely, that to endeavor to assess hope in terms of probabilities is to misunderstand the experiential ground whence it springs...

    March 17, 2018

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2018 4:14


    Gabriel Marcel and the Perils of Abstraction

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2018 4:13


    A recollection of Gabriel Marcel's remarks about how abstraction can serve the dangerous dishonesty which is fundamental to warfare...

    Simone Weil and Force in War...

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2018 2:55


    A sequel, brief consideration of Simone Weil's thoughts on the effects of Force in the context of war...

    March 16, 2018

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2018 2:53


    Back on anchor.

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2018 4:27


    A quick announcement of my return, and intentions for forthcoming episodes...

    Thoughts on Michael Polanyi

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2017 4:59


    A consideration of Michael Polanyi's tiered ontology and its implications for positivism...

    More from Marcuse again. :)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2017 4:59


    A reflection on the hazards of myopia which sets in with the birth of scientific perspective in Galileo as glosses by Herbert Marcuse...

    Logic of Thought & Domination

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2017 4:59


    A review of the major themes in Chapter 5 of One Dimensional Man in which Marcuse tracks the development of formal logic as leading to a logic of domination...

    Optimism and Existentialism!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2017 4:14


    Some thoughts on the grounding of optimism in the indeterminacy of human essence or nature described by existentialism...

    On Positivity and Intelligence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2017 3:54


    Some quick thoughts on the connection between optimism and intelligence

    Assimilation:art 2 commodity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2017 4:39


    A recap of some salient themes in the third chapter of Herbert Marcuse's "One Dimensional Man"...

    Closing the political universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2017 6:51


    A very brief recap of the major theme of the second chapter of Herbert Marcuse's One Dimensional Man, namely, the technological suffocation of the political by subordinating freedom to pleasure...

    One Dimensional Man - Intro

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2017 4:22


    An examination on the themes in he books introduction, looking at how emotional intensity can blind us to how we conspire in the creation of the very problems we seek to solve...

    Reading "One Dimensional Man"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2017 8:49


    A recapitulation of themes from the first chapter of Herbert Marcuse's 1964 book, "One-Dimensional Man", looking at, among other things, the implications of the technological...

    Thoughts on AlphaGo and AI

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2017 4:57


    Taking cues from Herbert Marcuse's "One Dimensional Man", we look at operationalism, it's relation to the form/content dyed, and how plays out for AI vis-à-vis Google's program AlphaGo...

    Opening Thoughts

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2017 4:54


    Some opening thoughts... and preliminary remarks on "The One-Dimensional Man"

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