Why Theory

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Why Theory brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomena.

Todd McGowan & Ryan Engley


    • Oct 26, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 18m AVG DURATION
    • 178 EPISODES

    4.8 from 475 ratings Listeners of Why Theory that love the show mention: psychoanalysis, hegel, foucault, mcgowan, todd and ryan, marx, best philosophy, theory podcast, unconscious, walmart, misogyny, critiques, lecture, processes, academic, theories, reference, concepts, politics, film.


    Ivy Insights

    The Why Theory podcast is an intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking show that delves into complex philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts in a captivating and accessible manner. Hosted by Ryan Engley and Todd McGowan, the podcast offers listeners a unique blend of intelligence, humor, and insightful analysis that makes reading philosophy less overwhelming and more fascinating. The hosts have a knack for breaking down difficult ideas into digestible pieces, allowing even those new to theory to grasp the concepts being discussed. Additionally, the podcast's recommendations for books, films, and other media provide a well-rounded experience for listeners seeking further exploration.

    One of the best aspects of The Why Theory podcast is the hosts' ability to engage their audience with their wit and knowledge. Ryan Engley and Todd McGowan effortlessly navigate through various theories and concepts with clarity, making it easy for listeners to follow along. Their intelligent analysis keeps listeners engaged while simultaneously providing informative insights into philosophy and psychoanalysis. Furthermore, their chemistry as co-hosts shines through in each episode, creating an enjoyable dynamic that adds to the overall appeal of the show.

    However, there are some areas where The Why Theory could be improved. One recurring issue mentioned by some listeners is the sound quality of the recordings. It can sometimes be difficult to hear the hosts clearly, especially in noisy environments like public transportation. Boosting the decibels or improving sound quality would greatly enhance the listening experience for many fans of the podcast.

    In conclusion, The Why Theory is an exceptional philosophical and psychoanalytic podcast hosted by Ryan Engley and Todd McGowan that offers an engaging exploration of complex theories in a digestible format. With their intelligence, humor, and informative discussions, these hosts have created a space where theory becomes accessible to both novices and experts alike. While there may be room for improvements in terms of sound quality, this podcast remains a standout in its field and is highly recommended for anyone interested in delving into the depths of philosophy and psychoanalysis.



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    Latest episodes from Why Theory

    Aufhebung (Sublation)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2024 74:33


    Ryan and Todd work to explain Hegel's central idea of Aufhebung (translated as "sublation"). This unique German term, which means to cancel, to preserve, and to lift up, provides the key for understanding the movement of Hegel's philosophy, but it is also the site for misunderstanding Hegel's project, which the show discusses.

    Contemporary Horror

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 107:28


    Ryan and Todd continue their discussion of the horror film by focusing on the genre since Psycho. They discuss Night of the Living Dead, Carrie, The Shining, The Blair Witch Project, It Follows, and The Substance. Their theorize the modern horror film in relation to the psychoanalytic notion of the death drive.

    Fredric Jameson

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2024 74:01


    Ryan and Todd pay tribute to the recently deceased theorist Fredric Jameson. They note his deep and wide-ranging contributions to a variety of fields and his unique ability to find something valuable in the object of his critique.

    Horror Film

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2024 89:37


    Ryan and Todd explore the classical horror film in terms of the antagonism between life and the beyond, inclusive of death. They focus on the films The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Godzilla, and Psycho.

    Heist Film

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 92:55


    Ryan and Todd develop their theory of the heist film as a genre, which they see as structured through the opposition between desire and its object. They examine closely Rififi, The Killing, Heat, Ocean's 11, and Inside Man, as well as touching on many other key films of the genre. Hugh Manon's film noir podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aQXewYjXrMtTjwpJ18rg6

    Sports Film

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2024 101:00


    Ryan and Todd explore the genre of the sports film, focusing on important entries in the genre such as Chariots of Fire, Rocky, and Heaven Can Wait, among others. They define this genre through the category of the impossible and discuss the relationship between possibility and impossibility as it plays out in the sports film.

    New Introductory Lectures

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2024 82:29


    Ryan and Todd discuss what they see as the important moments from Freud's New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis--both its highlights and its lowlights. They explore the role that Freud's 1920 discovery of the death drive plays--or doesn't play--in this work.

    Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2024 79:34


    Ryan and Todd outline the arguments of Freud's Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis and highlight the key ideas that appear in this work. They also discuss what Freud mentions here that he doesn't address elsewhere.

    Suture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 73:40


    Ryan and Todd delve into the concept of suture, as first developed by Jacques-Alain Miller. They trace the deformation that it underwent through the history of film studies and examine a few films where we can see the different understandings of suture at work.

    Extimacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2024 73:28


    Ryan and Todd discuss the Jacques Lacan's neologism "extimacy," which first occurs in Seminar VII and then disappears. But they theorize that this concept offers an excellent starting point for grasping Lacan's entire project, despite his own sparse use of it.

    Prequel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2024 74:41


    Ryan and Todd explore the prequel as a narrative form. They consider its radical potential and how it might function ideologically. They discuss prequels such as Fire Walk With Me and Better Call Saul.

    Modernist Novel

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2024 77:42


    Ryan and Todd theorize the modernist novel as a specific literary form, defined not by its time period but by its structural exigencies. They relate this form to the importance of the ending that function as a cut in the narrative movement rather than as a summation of all that has happened, which contrasts it with previous iterations of the novel.

    Endings

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2024 85:44


    Ryan and Todd explore the problem of the ending, focusing on when and why the ending becomes important in film and television. They discuss the relationship between the ending of life and the ending of a work of art, especially in terms of psychoanalytic thinking.

    Parallax View

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2024 72:18


    Ryan and Todd analyze Slavoj Zizek's contribution in what may be his magnum opus--The Parallax View. They discuss how he builds on the concept of parallax as originally articulated by Kojin Karatani and its implication for Zizek's understanding of politics.

    Seminar 11

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2024 86:40


    Ryan and Todd unpack Jacques Lacan's most well-known seminar--Seminar XI: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis. In doing so, they focus on Lacan's own exclusion as a starting point and then delve into two concepts that Lacan does not list among the fundamental ones--subjectivity and the objet a.

    Seminar 7

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2024 88:23


    Ryan and Todd analyze the complexity of Jacques Lacan's Seminar VII: The Ethics of Psychoanalysis. They discuss the various notions that appear there--from das Ding to sublimation to death drive to the ethics of desire.

    Critique Of Pure Reason -- Introduction

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2024 78:51


    Ryan and Todd continue their exploration of Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason with the Introduction. They discuss the importance of his critique of dogmatic metaphysics and the incredible discovery of the synthetic a priori judgment. Ryan's sports article: https://link.springer.com/journal/41282/online-first

    Blue Velvet

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2024 79:10


    Ryan and Todd interpret David Lynch's Blue Velvet by paying special attention to the Kantian dimension of the film. They consider the film in terms of the thing-in-itself and the sublime.

    Critique Of Pure Reason -- Preface

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2024 80:04


    Ryan and Todd begin their analysis of Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason by working through the prefaces to the first and second edition of the work. They focus on the radicality of Kant's breakthrough and the role that the limit plays in his philosophy.

    Symbolic Castration

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 91:50


    Ryan and Todd consider the concept of symbolic castration as it develops in psychoanalysis and as it bears on both politics and culture. They relate symbolic castration to some of the key concepts in psychoanalytic theory, including fetishistic disavowal and the phallus.

    Dialectical Reversal

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2024 75:29


    Ryan and Todd explore the working of the dialectical reversal, how weaknesses can turn into strengths, how successes can turn into failures. They look at this through a variety of everyday examples and a few choice filmic ones.

    Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2024 70:57


    Ryan and Todd think through Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, focusing especially on the parallels with psychoanalysis and the work's political significance. They also address the ramifications of the private language argument that Wittgenstein formulates.

    wittgenstein ludwig wittgenstein philosophical investigations
    Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2023 85:04


    Ryan and Todd discuss Ludwig Wittgenstein's project in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. They begin by looking at this project on its own terms and taking stock of its grand ambitions. Then they examine its intersection with the concerns of psychoanalysis and dialectics.

    1980s Christmas

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 82:18


    In their annual Christmas episode, Ryan and Todd look at the 1980s Christmas film, focusing on Christmas Story, Trading Places, Scrooged, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone. They discuss the nostalgia that predominates this period of Christmas films and how this limits the political reach of these works.

    Discourse on Method

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2023 68:38


    Ryan and Todd examine perhaps the founding text of modern Western philosophy--Rene Descartes' Discourse on the Method. They consider how Descartes articulates an egalitarian philosophy through his conception of radical doubt and examine the influence of this text of subsequent thinkers and on theory today.

    Envy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2023 72:24


    Ryan and Todd discuss the structure of envy, its relationship to jealousy, and its political implications. They make reference to Othello and Seven as landmark explorations of envy, while also noting its relationship with the other deadly sins.

    Science Fiction Cinema

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 95:51


    Ryan and Todd discuss the generic development of science fiction cinema while also addressing its philosophical implications. They include a deeper analysis of Metropolis, The Thing From Another World, Forbidden Planet, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. See: Voyage to the Moon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVChRVfZ74 Metropolis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_4no842TX8 Phantom Empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qbf6KX8O98

    Monadology

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2023 78:44


    Ryan and Todd present the philosophy of Leibniz as articulated in his late work the Monadology. They link this text to the breakthroughs of later thinkers such as Kant and Hegel, as well as discussing how Leibniz anticipates the contemporary situation.

    The Prince

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2023 74:29


    Ryan and Todd analyze Machiavelli's The Prince by tracing its influence on later political thinkers, including Hegel, Gramsci, and Althusser. They discuss Machiavelli's novelty and his limitations as a thinker of the political act.

    Surplus Enjoyment

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2023 76:53


    Ryan and Todd explore the idea of surplus enjoyment as the basis for a theory of capitalism. They consider the psychic hold that capitalism has in terms of the surplus enjoyment that it both promises and provides.

    Surplus Value

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2023 78:58


    Ryan and Todd unpack Marx's concept of surplus value and explore its fundamental role in the interpretation of capitalist society. They discuss the relationship between surplus value and profit, while considering how we should think about the drive to amass surplus value.

    Oppenheimer

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2023 81:28


    Ryan and Todd offer their interpretation of Christopher Nolan's most recent film Oppenheimer. They focus on the relationship between the form of the film and its content, while considering the political implications of its depiction of the hero. They think about the film in relationship to the rest of Nolan's filmography.

    Barbie

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2023 90:00


    Ryan and Todd interpret the film Barbie while responding to both leftist and rightist critiques of the film. They discuss the film's exploration of fantasy, its highlighting of contradiction, and its emphasis on the role of desire in politics.

    Creative Writers & Daydreaming

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2023 79:21


    Ryan and Todd analyze Freud's essay "Creative Writings and Daydreaming." They look first at the theory of fantasy that Freud develops in this essay and then turn to his conception of what generates the work of art, discussing it in terms of the current strike in Hollywood. In their concluding remarks, they deal with problems that Freud runs into in his theorizing here.

    Uncanny

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 74:53


    Ryan and Todd analyze Freud's essay "The Uncanny" and the broader implications of this concept. They discuss the importance of the uncanny for understanding the horror film and focus on the difference between a psychoanalytic approach to the concept and the notion of the uncanny valley. Links from the episode: Žižek & So On podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6S0mig3K8TiuJoXHOG5VnT?si=6a55de55c2f24b22 Shibui (minimal groove quartet): https://shibuimusic.bandcamp.com/ Joseph Aisenberg's Brian De Palma's Carrie: Studies in the Horror Film: https://www.amazon.com/Brian-Palmas-Carrie-Studies-Horror/dp/B09NH3BCCP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PCVQVVCQ49BW&keywords=joseph+aisenberg&qid=1689001285&sprefix=joseph+aisenber%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1

    Poststructuralism

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2023 77:59


    Ryan and Todd attempt to show why the term "poststructuralism" is inapt for describing any of the thinkers that it usually is thought to indicate. They go through the major theorists known under this moniker and reveal why poststructuralism doesn't exist.

    Tribute to Mari Ruti

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2023 71:35


    Ryan and Todd devote this episode to the memory of Mari Ruti, who died on June 8, 2023. They discuss her core theoretical ideas and work through her major works. In addition, they include a few memories of Mari's singular life.

    Succession

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2023 84:39


    Ryan and Todd analyze the recently concluded television series Succession. They discuss it in terms of capitalist subjectivity, tragedy, the death drive, and the ideology of the family. There are spoilers at every point in this discussion.

    Bottle Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2023 83:56


    Ryan and Todd explore the concept of the bottle episode from the production and analysis of television. They discuss a variety of its manifestations along with its theoretical importance as a form. Ryan's article: https://www.academia.edu/82724525/The_Limitation_of_the_Bottle_Episode_Hegel_in_Community_preprint_

    Beyond Good and Evil

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 76:53


    Ryan and Todd explore the important ideas from Friedrich Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, focusing especially on Nietzche's historical critique of morality, his perspectivalism, and his notion of the will to power. They situate Nietzsche's breakthrough in relation to Freud's.

    The Racist Fantasy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2023 74:29


    Ryan and Todd discuss Todd's recent book The Racist Fantasy, which explores the psychic structure that underlies racism and that allows it to deliver enjoyment to those invested in it. They cover the role that fantasy plays in social life and the prospects for fighting racism. https://forgeorganizing.org/article/building-resilient-organizations https://www.baylorpress.com/9781602587359/trauma-and-race/ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lacan-noir-david-s-marriott/1139152118 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8-VIi7tb44 https://fielddaylab.wisc.edu/

    Twitter

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023 73:10


    Ryan and Todd delve into the formal limitations that define the medium of Twitter. They analyze the politics of Twitter and the impact of the takeover by Elon Musk. Ryan's article cited in the episode is available here: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol24/iss4/

    The Radical Western

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2023 95:23


    Ryan and Todd delve into the western in its most radical manifestation, but they use as a starting point, the paradigmatic western Shane. They then examine more contemporary films that turn from the individual hero into a collective one.

    Western

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2023 90:28


    In their second episode devoted to the classical Hollywood genres, Ryan and Todd explore the western by focusing on some of the most popular and some of the most theoretically compelling. They discuss directors John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Anthony Mann, as well as devoting time to the western 3:10 to Yuma. Their theorization of the western stresses the way that the genre lays out the social antagonism between law and lawlessness, in which the western hero functions as a vanishing mediator.

    Critique of Dialectical Reason

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2023 87:38


    Ryan and Todd lay out the key points in Jean-Paul Sartre's vast attempt to marry existentialism and Marxism--The Critique of Dialectical Reason. They discuss the best moments of this work and then attempt to clarify how it goes awry. Its huge unspoken influence on more recent French thought is also a topic.

    Analysis Terminable & Interminable

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2023 80:53


    Ryan and Todd delve into Freud's late essay "Analysis Terminable and Interminable." They focus on the role that the death drive plays in this essay and in Freud's later thought. They view this through the lens of Freud's claim in this essay that psychoanalysis represents one of the three impossible professions.

    Negation

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2023 76:07


    Ryan and Todd engage with Freud's late essay "Negation" (1923). They look at the radical insights that he comes to as well as address the moments where he leaves various theoretical points undeveloped. They make a claim for the outsized importance of this brief essay.

    Being and Nothingness Side B

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 80:19


    Ryan and Todd conclude their discussion of Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness with a focus on Sartre's conception of freedom. They discuss the strengths and weaknesses that follow from how Sartre theorizes subjectivity in relation to the social order.

    Being and Nothingness Side A

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2023 80:32


    Ryan and Todd discuss the first half of Jean-Paul Sartre's magnum opus Being and Nothingness. They cover the difference between the in-itself and the for-itself, bad faith, temporality, the unconscious, and other important concepts. The next episode will cover the second half of the book.

    Misfit Christmas

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 79:38


    In an annual attempt to theorize the Christmas film, Ryan and Todd examine the concept of the misfit in three famous stop-motion Christmas films from the 1960s and 1970s: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. They discover the politics of nonbelonging at work in these films as it is figured through the idea of the misfit. Clips: We're a Couple of Misfits (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDHF08vEZTg) The Island of Misfit Toys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6GbKciNCY) Silver and Gold (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-XDQN6ipE) The First Toymakers to the King (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8NSlCUAI4M) My World is Beginning Today (Jessica's Trippy 2001/ Vertigo song; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSCq34_49Ws) Snow Miser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPrbccEdI5o) Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (Springsteen; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WFkKp8Tjs) Father Christmas (The Kinks; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPCPqDINEk)

    Debt

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2022 72:43


    Ryan and Todd discuss the role that debt plays in the structure of capitalist society and in the psyche necessary for sustaining this society. They explore debt as a subject matter in film and television, as well as debt's relationship to the lacking subject.

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