The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

On The Evolution of Agency (2022), with the author, and guest panelist Chris Heath. What is human agency? How would we determine whether an animal is a legitimate agent, as opposed to just acting automatically? Tomasello investigates this by thinking about what capabilities and behaviors constitute agency and the degree to which near-human animals have these. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Learn about St. John's College at sjc.edu/pel.

Andy has released 20 albums since 1986, touring with just him and his acoustic guitar. We discuss "The Happiness Index" from AT (2023), his second collaboration with Tim Finn; the title track from The Guilty and the Innocent (2017); and "Speechless" from Out There (1992). End song: "Italian Girls on Mopeds" from Boy 40 (2003). Intro: "Vision of You" from Rave On (1986). More at andywhite.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Sponsor: Visit FactorMeals.com/nem50 (code improv50) to get 50% off America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit.

Continuing on "Meaning" (1957), "Utterer's Meaning and Intentions" (1969), and "Logic and Conversation" (1975) with guest Steve Gimbell. We tie the articles together, talk more about the rules implicit in conversation, and try to relate Grice's project to other parts of philosophy. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion.

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of the Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson. In this episode, part 2 of our 3-part series, they look closely at the heart of the poem, books 5-12, in which Odysseus arrives in Phaeacia and provides the tale-within-the-tale of his adventures after the Trojan War. They discuss the significance of Odysseus's fantastical encounters and asking what they might reveal both about his character and about the nature of our own progress—through times of safety, complacency, excitement, danger, and loss—as we wend our way back home. Sponsors: Head to factormeals.com/subtext50 and use code subtext50 to get 50 percent off. Learn more about undergraduate–and graduate–Great Books programs at St. John's in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland at sjc.edu/subtext. Head to TryFum.com and use code SUBTEXT to save 10 percent off when you get the Journey pack today.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the writer-director's work, touching on not only his recent tour-de-force, but back to Memento, Dunkirk, Tenet, Inception, The Prestige, Interstellar, Insomnia, and The Following.  Is Nolan overrated as a thinker and storyteller? Do his plots actually make sense? We talk heroes, noir, philosophy, twists, and his depiction of women. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsor: Get 60% off (and free shipping) on America's #1 Meal Kit for Eating Well at GreenChef.com/60pmp (code 60pmp).

On "Meaning" (1957), "Utterer's Meaning and Intentions" (1969), and "Logic and Conversation" (1975), featuring Mark, Seth, Dylan, and guest Steve Gimbell. Grice tries to give a rigorous analysis of what it means for a speaker (as opposed to a sentence) to mean something in particular. Let the increasingly elaborate potential counter-examples commence! Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion, including a supporter-exclusive part three to this episode coming out next week. Sponsors: Get a $1/month shopify.com/pel. Check out Drilled, a true-crime podcast about climate change.

It's St. Lawrence University philosophy prof Jenny in the ring with UIC instructor/Podcaster with Hey Riddle Riddle and Hello From the Magic Tavern Adal, along with Mark and Bill, of course. And the Bullshot is flying! Who will be hit? Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Take a class this fall from him at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. Sponsor: Visit FactorMeals.com/improv50 (code improv50) to get 50% off America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit.

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 depict the things they stand for, that wouldn't guarantee that they ACCURATELY describe the world. You can't look at the definitions of words to learn about the world; you have to actually investigate the world directly.  Closereads supporters (see patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy) can watch video for this episode and get all the Closereads content: 13 episodes so far, including new episodes on Epictetus' Discourses. This Closeread and some others are also being made available to PEL supporters. If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, you can sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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 sewing that can go wrong? Can we put the "form" of a thing into letters and syllabus of its name? We go through many examples where Socrates claims to have done just that. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion.

What is media criticism, and is that what we're doing? For our Season 3 finale (i.e. the end of PMP's 4th year of operation), your now officially official hosts Mark Linsenmayer, Lawrence Ware, Sarahlyn Bruck, and Al Baker turn their gazes fully toward their collective navel to think about what purposes are served by discussions about pop culture and how we can do it better. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsors: Get 60% off (and free shipping) on America's #1 Meal Kit for Eating Well at GreenChef.com/60pmp (code 60pmp). Check out the Articles of Interest podcast.

Richard joined Television in 1973 and has released three albums with them, plus seven solo albums starting in 1980. He has also played with Matthew Sweet, John Doe, Rocket from the Tomb, and others, and has a 2019 memoir Everything Is Combustible. We discuss "So Sad" from The Countdown (2018), "Glurp" from Radiant Monkey (2007), "Pleading" from Field of Fire (1985), and "Misty Eyes" from Alchemy (1980). We conclude by listening to "May This Be Love" from The Jamie Neverts Story, Richard's album of Jimi Hendrix covers. Intro: "Venus" by Television from Marquee Moon (1977). More at richardlloyd.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon.

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 things, and so doing etymology is a way of learning philosophical truths, then seemingly reverses himself. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion, including a supporter-exclusive part three to this episode coming out next week. Sponsors: Visit GreenChef.com/60pel (code 60pel) for 60% off and free shipping for the #1 Meal Kit for Eating Well. Maximize the power of your charitable giving at GiveWell.org (choose PODCAST and enter Partially Examined Life at checkout). Check out the U. of Portsmouth's Life Solved podcast.

Philosopher Matt, host of the Elucidations podcast and frequent PEL guest, finally gets in on Philosophy vs. Improv in this, our Season Two Finale. And many is he a de dicto. Or is he a de re? Slowly learn the difference as we make things personal through scenes of shit-talking and crime reporting. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Take a class this fall from him at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. Sponsor: Check out The Good Life Method by Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko.

Mark, Seth, Dylan, and eventually Wes talk about traveling, Barbie, gender, evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and more. If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

Continuing on Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003), as contrasted with Chomsky universal grammar (the flag that Steven Pinker continues to carry). With guest Christopher Heath. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion about cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and more. Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

He was famously a man of many ways, whether we interpret these as abilities or norms; designs or deceptions; reasons or identities. Yet despite such resources, he was also famously stuck, making a 10-year odyssey of his attempt to return home from a 10-year war. What keeps the man of master plans from homecoming and domestic bliss? In the first of a three part discussion of Homer's classic, Wes & Erin try to figure out what Odysseus really wants, and whether the “lord of lies” can master the trick of entrusting his mind to others. Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Factor and The Inner Loop Radio. Head to factormeals.com/subtext50and use code subtext50 to get 50 percent off. Subscribe to Inner Loop at https://www.theinnerlooplit.org/radio. The conversation continues on our after-show (post)script. Get (post)script episodes by becoming a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other Airwave shows like Good Job, Brain and Big Picture Science. Email advertising@airwavemedia.com to enquire about advertising on the podcast. Subscribe: Apple | Spotify | Android | RSS

On Michael Tomasello's "Language Is Not an Instinct" (1995) and Constructing a Language: A Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition (2003). With guest Christopher Heath. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Give more effectively via GiveWell.org (and let them know we sent you!). Try e-commerce for one-dollar-per-month at shopify.com/pel. It's not too late to sign up for Mark's fall Core Philosophy Texts class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about Charlie Brooker's British anthology TV series that began in 2011 and recently released its 6th season. How has this show evolved from satirical science fiction to something more often just horror studies that study human nature? We talk about our favorite episodes and what does and doesn't work. Does the show have to be so dark to make its point? Does it always have a point, or is some of it just fun? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsors: Get 50% off and free shipping at GreenChef.com/pmp50 (code pmp 50). Check out the Articles of Interest podcast.

Ivan is the keyboardist/singer/multi-instrumentalist son of Aaron Neville and has played with the Neville Brothers, The Rolling Stones The Spin Doctors, etc. He has released eight albums since 1988, half of these under the band name Dumpstaphunk. We discuss "Pass It Around" and listen to "Hey All Together" from Touch My Soul (2023), "They Don't Care" by Dumpstaphunk from Dirty Word (2013), "What You Want from Me" from Saturday Morning Music (aka Scrape) (2002), and "Stay What You Are" (feat. Aaron Neville) from Thanks (1995). Intro: "Not Just Another Girl" from If My Ancestors Could See Me Now (1988). More at ivannevillemusic.com and dumpstaphunk.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon. If you like our podcast, check out another show: Articles of Interest.

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 begin unraveling this puzzling claim by reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1841 essay "The Over-Soul" and explaining it line-by-line. Watch this episode on video at YouTube. We encourage you to read along in the essay with us. This is the first of four parts. To hear the others as they are released this week, plus weekly episodes going forward and three episodes already posted, please support this new effort at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy (or support PEL and Closereads together via support at the $10 level at patreon.com/partiallyexaminedlife. Sponsor: Check out Drilled, a true-crime podcast about climate change. Enrollment is now open for Mark's Core Philosophy Texts class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Support PEL to get this discussion ad-free, plus tons of bonus content.

How does new technology affect ethics? Anthony (who is on strike, but that doesn't apply to improv) is an improviser with a computer science degree who now coaches kid TV actors. We talk personal identity, transhumanism, genetic engineering, AI, organizational ethics, Black Mirror, Beastars, and transporter virginity. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Take a class this fall from him at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. If you like our podcast, check out another show: Articles of Interest.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the most discussable movie of the summer made by the unlikely pairing of feminist indie director Greta Gerwig and Barbie's corporate overlords at Mattel. Does the film convey at least a legitimate teen version of feminist existentialism? It is actually enjoyable? What sort of irony is this, and can any film be both a blockbuster children's film yet also be a meditation on serious social and philosophical issues? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsor: Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Mark and Wes conclude with some close reading of Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800), section 3: "Relation of Art to Philosophy." Schelling thinks that art enables us to do intuitively what philosophy tries to do with concepts. We're providing this typically supporter-exclusive content for all of you in anticipation of the new Closereads: Philosophy with Mark and Wes project that we'll be unveiling next week. Sponsors: Get 50% off the #1 Meal Kit for Eating Clean (plus free shipping) at greenchef.com/pel50 (promocode pel50). Give more effectively via GiveWell.org (and let them know we sent you!). Check out the Articles of Interest podcast. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. There are still spots available in Mark's Core Philosophy Texts class this fall. See partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Mikaela has a degree in harp performance and has been recording since 2011. We discuss "Cinderella" (and listen at the end to "Leave It Alone") from her second label-released album, And Southern Star (2023), "Left Hand Path" (2002, released on the compilation album Spelljams), and "In My Groove" from Delivery (2018). Intro: "When You're Away" (recorded 2015). Hear more at mikaeladavis.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon. Sponsor: Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Monica is an actor and writer who ran a live-on-stage philosophy podcast called The Happier Hour, and so naturally we talk about happiness, or flourishing (eudaimonia). You can watch this episode in its unedited video form. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Take a class this fall from him at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. Sponsors: Get 16 free meals and free shipping via HelloFresh.Com/improv16 (code improv16). Visit Twit.tv/apple for three great podcasts about all things Apple.

Continuing on "On the Relation Between the Plastic Arts and Nature" (1807) and Part 6 of System of Transcendental Idealism (1800). We talk sculpture vs. painting and why art is the direct, intuitive way to achieve the insight that philosophy can only approximate using concepts. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Before Henry VIII changed history for lack of a son, Henry II had too many. His eldest, Richard, a fierce soldier who controls the wealthy Aquitaine, is the favorite of his mother, Eleanor. The youngest, John, is immature and dull, but his father's favorite. And the middle son, scheming Geoffrey, is, quite dangerously, no one's favorite. In the end, there are no winners; competing affections and power schemes serve only to cancel each other out. Is it true then, as this story suggests, that being a favorite amounts to nothing more than a target on one's back, as its benefits are counteracted by the destructive envy of the disfavored? What drives our own propensities for favoritism? And does occupying any position in the pecking order entail, in Eleanor's words, learning to live with disappointment? Wes & Erin discuss the 1968 film "The Lion in Winter," starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.  Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Factor and The Inner Loop Radio. Head to factormeals.com/subtext50 and use code subtext50 to get 50 percent off. Subscribe to Inner Loop at https://www.theinnerlooplit.org/radio

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 imitate nature? Only if that means showing the divine, ideal, dynamic aspect of the subject matter (and the artist)! Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Give more effectively via GiveWell.org (and let them know we sent you!). Get 15% off a newly cheaper annual membership at MasterClass.com/pel. Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Alan has released 50+ albums, starting in the late '70s with The Deep Freeze Mice, then with several collaborative bands, experimental surf in the '00s with The Thurston Lava Tube, and now typically records as Alan Jenkins and the Kettering Vampires. We discuss "The Multibear" from Be My Enemy £1 (2023), "Hitler's Knees" by The Deep Freeze Mice from Saw a Ranch House Burning Last Night (1983), "The Morozovo Meteorite” by The Melamine Division Plates from Novosibirsk (2023), and "The Eagle Hates Your Poetry" by Alan Jenkins & The Creams from ie (1994). End song: "Nobody's Getting My Hair" by The Chrysanthemums from Decoy for a Dognapper! (2022). Intro: "A Red Light for the Greens" by The Deep Freeze Mice from The Gates of Lunch (1982). For more, see cordeliarecords.co.uk. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Support us on Patreon. Sponsors: Get 50% off (and free shipping) for America's #1 Meal Kit at HelloFresh.com/nem50 (code nem50). Check out KEWL.FM for a great mix of music.

Mark, Lawrence, and returning parents/panelists Michelle Parrinello-Cason and Chris Sunami take on animated blockbuster films by Pixar, et al. Why do some adults prefer these? What's the ideology of this kind of media?  We touch on Puss in Boots, Turning Red, Soul, Trolls, Enola Holmes, and many other things that we watched with our kids and/or as kids. Note that this discussion was recorded in late April, so no Little Mermaid for you! For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsors: Get 50% off your first box of ready-to-eat meals at FactorMeals.com/pretty50 (use code pretty50). Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the blockbuster archaeological adventure films created in 1981 by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg that we grew up with and which have now been revived and apparently concluded twice, currently via James Mangold's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsors: Get 50% off and free shipping at GreenChef.com/pmp50 (code pmp 50). Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

Mark, Wes, and Seth talk about how we might cover philosophy of technology, and other areas like medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, etc. Do we remember things that we recorded a few years back? What summer films are we looking forward to? Finally, can we cover David Foster Wallace? If you're not hearing the full version of this discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

We continue on Theory of Art, getting more into sections of the text about the relationship between beauty and purposiveness, genius, unconscious vs. conscious creation, style vs. manner, and art imitating nature. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive Nightcap discussion largely about philosophy of technology. Learn about the online Core Philosophy Texts course Mark is running this fall at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Chris has an act called "I Am the Show" where he improvises to a film that he hasn't seen that's playing silently, making up all the dialogue and sound effects. Mark and Bill talk to Chris about being a spectator or critic of art: To understand a work, is it good or necessary to try to divine the artist's intentions, or is meaning in art something that happens after a work becomes an objective thing, such that the artist's intentions are not really relevant, and in fact the author might not have any better idea than you do of its meaning? This spurs us for some reason to enact some scenes initiated by pantomime, i.e. silence. Darts, anyone? You can watch the unedited video of this episode for free. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions and other bonus stuff. Sponsors: Get 16 free meals and free shipping via HelloFresh.Com/improv16 (code improv16). Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

Covering the elder Schlegel  brother's Theory of Art (ca. 1800). How does our experience of Beauty relate to the infinite? Schlegel provides a Romantic response to Kant on knowing the divine, inner essences of things through art, how genius works, and the relationship between art and nature. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Get 15% off a newly cheaper annual membership at MasterClass.com/pel. Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

Chris started in the mid 70s in Sneakers, then backed Alex Chilton, started a record label, and then founded the dB's, which he left after two albums in 1983. He then became a producer and has released nine solo albums plus avant garde guitar collaborations with Kirk Ross and four reunion albums with Peter Holsapple and/or the dB's. We discuss "I Will Try" from The Great Escape (2023), the title track from Lovesick Blues (2013), "Glorious Delusion" from Fireworks (1988, released in 1991), and "I Don't Think of You" by Chris Stamey & The Fellow Travelers feat. Ramune Martin from A Brand-New Shade of Blue (2020). Intro: "The Summer Sun" (1977 single). More at chrisstamey.com Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Support us on Patreon. Sponsors: Get 50% off (and free shipping) for America's #1 Meal Kit at HelloFresh.com/nem50 (code nem50). Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Genevieve is a comedian, podcaster, and she was a philosophy major who's studying for her doctorate in Divinity. We talk about the idea that "we are all one" (and thus we are all God, if you want to call the sum of all things by that name) that's in various traditions. Ralph Waldo Emerson called this the "oversoul." We spend the rest of the discussion under the bleachers not making out, getting bored at the Grand Canyon, being nervous before the big show, and considering everyone's food allergies. Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions, video versions of most recent episodes (not this one!), and other bonus stuff. Sponsors: Get 16 free meals and free shipping via HelloFresh.Com/improv16 (code improv16). Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

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 journal Lyceum Tier Schonen Kunste. If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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 source of our humanity yet also require originality? How can having some sort of common mythology help artists be original in this way, and how can we embrace mythology as modern people? Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion. Sponsors: Get 15% off a newly cheaper annual membership at MasterClass.com/pel. Check out the Articles of Interest podcast.

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al disagree about the Jason Sudeikis-headed Apple TV+ pandemic hit that's just wrapped up with its third season. Was it actually as good as everyone thought when its first season hit, or was its vibe just something we needed at the time? Should it have stayed slim and comic instead of becoming the stretched out, soapy dramedy that it ended up as? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsor: Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

On selected fragments from 1797-1801, "Dialogue on Poesy" (1799), and "Concerning the Essence of Critique" (1804). What makes art "Romantic"? Schlegel sees good art as uniquely, authentically reaching out to a divine source that underlies and connects each of us. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Bonjo started in the '70s as a session hand percussionist, played for a few years with Creation Rebel, and became a band leader in 1980, first recording a bit as Noah House of Dread, then creating African Head Charge, which has had more than 20 releases. More at africanheadcharge.bandcamp.com. We discuss "Microdosing" and listen to "A Bad Attitude" from A Trip to Bolgatanga (2023), "Fear of a Man God" from Voodoo of the Godsent (2011), "Orderliness, Godliness, Discipline and Dignity" from Songs of Praise (1990), and "Children of Misery" by Noah House of Dread from Heart (1980). Intro: "Stebani's Theme" from My Life in A Hole in the Ground (1981). Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon. Sponsors: Get 16 free meals and free shipping via HelloFresh.Com/nem16 (code nem16). Check out the Banned Camp comedy podcast.

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? And does the embrace of Beauty really point us to Reason, or does self-consciousness rule out immersion in art? If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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 thinking. Aesthetic perception ends up being essential to any conceptualization (thinking) whatsoever! Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion. Sponsor: Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff of the Brain in a Vat podcast join Bill and Mark L. (aka Alf) to talk about rationality, broadly construed, while not moving a couch and not giving each other Christmas presents. Does "reason" by itself tell us what to do and what to believe? Is trypophobia really just bigotry (it is not)? What's the rationale for making negative comments on a podcast? Are bigots bigger than bigamists? Was Ayn Rand a cannibal? Mark philosophizes at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Bill improvises (and teaches) at chicagoimprovstudio.com. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast to get all our post-game discussions, video versions of recent episodes, and other bonus stuff. Sponsor: Check out the Banned Camp comedy podcast.

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 giving us a midpoint between animality and pure rationality where we can feel free. Also, does art reveal truth? Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Get 15% off a newly-cheaper ($10/month) annual membership at MasterClass.com/pel. Visit GreenChef.com/pel60 and use code pel60 to get 60% off the #1 Meal Kit for Eating Well, plus free shipping.

The regular gang (Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al) address Jesse Armstrong's prestige HBO dramedy that premiered in 2018 and has just wrapped up. Why all the fuss over this show? Is it really worthy of comparison to Shakespeare? For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsors: Get 50% off your first box of ready-to-eat meals at FactorMeals.com/pretty50 (use code pretty50). Check out the Banned Camp comedy podcast.

Swans started in the early '80s with a brutal sound gradually became more subtle and textured. The band broke up in 1995 after ten albums (and three other releases under the name World of Skin), then Michael released a couple of solo albums and six alt-country releases as Angels of Light before starting a new chapter of Swans in 2010 which has now released its sixth album. We discuss "Michael Is Done" from The Beggar (2023), "It's Coming It's Real" from Leaving Meaning (2019), and "Power for Power" from Filth (1983). You then get to hear Michael's opus "The Beggar Lovers (Three)," also from the new album. Intro: "Screen Shot" from To Be Kind (2014). Hear more at swans.bandcamp.com. Hear more Nakedly Examined Music. Like our Facebook page. Support us on Patreon. Sponsor: Check out the Skeptoid podcast at skeptoid.com.

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 destined to fall short?  What is it to put yourself forward as a representative of your species? These and many more of Schiller's puzzling proclamations are debated in detail! If you're not hearing the full version of this part of the discussion, sign up via one of the options described at partiallyexaminedlife.com/support.

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 by Beauty, and how two contrary drives toward matter and form somehow cancel each other out to combine in a "play drive" that is at the heart of appreciating and creating art. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and a supporter-exclusive part three to this discussion. Sponsors: Get 15% off a newly-cheaper ($10/month) annual membership at MasterClass.com/pel. Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show at jordanharbinger.com/subscribe.

Mark, Lawrence, and Sean Michael Cooney discuss the gothic romance vampire soap opera from 1966-1971 plus the spin-off movies and reboots. We interview one of the stars of the original show, the author Kathryn Leigh Scott, to talk about the appeal and enduring legacy of this show that was once massively popular but is now a quintessential cult property that will likely be rebooted for the fourth time within the next couple of years. Is the show camp, or just low budget? Think of all the sensitive, reluctant vampires in today's media that this show launched! We're doing this show for Pride Month given its big gay following and leading gay actors. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment Channel. Sponsor: Listen to The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman.