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PODCAST

The Partially Examined Life

Mark Linsenmayer

The Partially Examined Life is a philosophy podcast by some guys who were at one point set on doing philosophy for a living but then thought better of it. Each episode we pick a text and chat about it with insight and flippancy. You don"t have to know any philosophy or even have read the text we"re talking about to follow and enjoy the discussion.

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

47:48

Ep. 376: Plato's "Laws" (Part One)

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/09/22

On this later dialogue presenting Plato's ideas about the character of laws in a just state. They should all be aimed at making people virtuous, and so should include education to this end. Each law should be equipped with a prelude presenting a rational argument for why people should obey it.Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take

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44:37

Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray's Feminism (Part One)

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/09/08

On The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and other Irigaray selections from the French Feminism Reader (2000), featuring guest Jenny Hansen (who wrote the introduction to the book chapter).What role should sexual difference play in philosophy and society? Irigaray qua second-wave feminist claims that unleashing the feminine can and should transform philosophy, public policy, and relationships. Check out the America Dissected podcast. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit

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51:19

PEL Presents PvI#100: Maximizing Turtle Revenue w/...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/09/07

It's our season finale, and the end of Bill's regular participation on the show. You may wish to weep, but let your tears be of joy as well as reminiscence. We are re-joined by two of our favorite improv guests for a Team Play episode to talk ship of Theseus, philosophy vs. mythology vs. video games, Renaissance contemporaries, long-lived turtles, "realist" morality, goodbyes, and our final boardroom scene. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at

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48:51

Ep. 374: Discussing Liberalism (Lincoln, et al) with...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/09/01

Continuing our discussion of the dangers to and weak points of liberal democracy, including consideration of Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed (2018) Francis Fukuyama's "Liberalism and Its Discontents" (his 2020 essay), and Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now (2018). Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

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52:20

PEL Presents PMP#204: Naked Gun Rapid Firing

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/08/31

What is the state of the stream-of-gags formula that used to stand tall in the films of the Zucker Brothers (mainly Airplane) and Mel Brooks? A new generation attempts to revive that with a new Naked Gun film. How does this new effort relate to the classic films? Are these kinds of films particularly timeless? Rewatchable? Do young people appreciate this kind of thing? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and (for the third or so) Al speculate wildly as usual. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking

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46:42

Ep. 374: Discussing Liberalism (Lincoln, et al) with...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/08/25

What's the crisis of liberal democracy? Dylan, Wes and Seth are joined by St. John's College President J. Walter Sterling to discuss Abraham Lincoln's "On the Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions" (1838) plus the beginnings of Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now (2018), Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed (2018), and Francis Fukuyama's "Liberalism and Its Discontents" (the 2020 essay).Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and

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58:09

PEL Presents Closereads: Peter Railton's "Moral...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/08/24

We are concluding our treatment of Peter Railton's "Moral Realism" (1984), and given that you likely haven't listened to the seven preceding parts, this discussion can serve as a standalone summary of not only Railton's view, but of the best efforts of Mark and Wes to actually figure out what a plausible naturalistic, empirical account of ethics could amount to. You can consider this a conclusion to our recent PEL episode series on meta-ethics. Read along with us, starting on PDF p. 42. Sign up

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53:20

PEL Presents PvI#99: Philosophy of Humor w/ Nessa Voss

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/08/24

Nessa teaches philosophy at Lone Star Community College and writes on the philosophy of humor. We thought we should get this topic out before we wrap our season (and Bill's regular participation) and reach 100 episodes. We go through the main theories (superiority, incongruity/surprise, unconscious triggering, i.e. funny because it's true on some level we don't necessarily want to admit). Then Nessa (fictionally) becomes our podcast format consultant. We wrap up by considering the appeal of various

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4:44

Announcement: Mark's "Foundational Political...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/08/21

I bet you’d like to have an excuse to read some Aristotle, and Locke, Rousseau, Simone Weil, and other fun texts. Well, go read about this opportunity at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class, and then follow the link to enroll. Not sure? Watch a sample (a full seminar from last semester on Plato) of what such a class is really like.

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52:36

PEL Presents PMP#201: John Wick Minus Wick

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/07/22

In light of the new film Ballerina, we discuss the John Wick franchise that kicked off in 2014 with four films plus a (bad) Peacock TV show. We also watched the recent documentary Wick Is Pain.Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al are joined by Brian Casey to mostly talk about the main four films in the series: They have a formula, but is that bad? Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop for only the tiniest per-month financial

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47:46

Ep. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part One)

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/07/14

On lectures 3 and 4 of The Sources of Normativity (1996), where we get Korsgaard's positive view on how morality becomes obligatory for an individual, which has to do with identity, reason-giving, and our fundamentally social nature. And yet, her view is an interpretation of Kant!Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Don't wait until the next bite—protect your home with Bzigo. Go to

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52:38

Philosophy vs. Improv #96: We Allege Humor w/ Mark...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/07/14

Mark Schiff is a legendary stand-up who currently podcasts with friend-of-PEL and philosophy enthusiast, Daniel Lobell as We Think It's Funny. These gents join Mark and Bill to talk about stand-up vs. improv, comedy LPs, waterless urinals, bad press, the path to enlightenment, and how to get rid of syphilis. We run a scene on hiring entertainment for the company party, and engage in some riffs that can only be called improv. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free

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48:25

Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/30

On The Sources of Normativity (1996), lectures 1 and 2.How are facts related to obligations? We don't want to merely explain our moral impulses, but justify them. Korsgaard walks us through the views of Hobbes, Hume, Bernard Williams and others to arrive at her own breed of Kantianism, which we'll lay out in ep. 371. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsor: Don't wait until the next bite—protect

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72:59

PEL Presents NEM#233: Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/29

This famed finger-style guitarist broke through with Jefferson Airplane's seven albums from 1966-1972, recorded eight with Hot Tuna 1970-1976 (with subsequent reunions by both bands), recorded his first solo album in 1974 and then 10 more from 1981-2025, and has collaborated with John Hurlburt, members of the Grateful Dead, and Janice Joplin. We discuss "In My Dreams" from Ain't in No Hurry (2015), "Been So Long" from River of Time (2009), "Sleep Song" by Hot Tuna from America's Choice (1975). End

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63:35

PEL Presents PvI#95: The Techucational Edge w/ Khafiz...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/26

Khafiz Kerimov and Nicholas Bellinson teach at St. John's College, and they channeled the educational style of that school into a new podcast called Invasive Thoughts. They join Mark and Bill to talk (and act) about various educational technologies, teacher-student relations, circle-drawing competitions, the passivity of thinking, bad quotation use, and more. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsors: Go to

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57:28

Pretty Much Pop #199: Missioning Impossibly

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/24

On the eight-film action series that launched in 1996 (based on the 1966 TV series) in light of its apparently final film. Featuring Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al.Is this a coherent narrative as the last film would have you believe, or just an excuse for a series of Tom Cruise physically challenges? Maybe the latter is enough for us! For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear this ad-free with bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark

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47:04

Ep. 369: Philippa Foot's Naturalistic Ethics (Part Two)

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/23

Continuing on Natural Goodness, getting more into concrete cases of moral reasoning. How and why do we decide to keep promises, even in cases where violating them would produce more utility? How do we take into account different kinds of grounds in moral reasoning? 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 discussion. Sponsor: Visit IDOU.com/PEL for 15% off

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61:25

PEL Presents PvI#94: Storifying Philosophy w/ Kolby...

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/19

Kolby runs After Dinner Conversations, which curates short stories about philosophy. He's also been a "producer" of improv shows. We talk about what makes a story philosophical, Kolby tells some stories, and we run some scenes about teleporter shenanigans and guidance counseling. Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at philosophyimprov.com/support. Sponsor: Go to surfshark.com/improv or use code IMPROV at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

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49:12

Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part Two)

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/09

We conclude our discussion of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): Book III, "Of Morals," plus a bit more discussion of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). How do moral sentiments fit into Hume's overall philosophy of mind? Is Hume a relativist? We talk about sociopaths, animals, incest, consent, ethics vs. beauty, moral luck, and more. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

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51:16

PEL Presents PMP#198: Andor: Grown-Up Star Wars

The Partially Examined Life ·

2025/06/07

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss Tony Gilroy's Star Wars Disney+ two-season TV show. Should this actually be a Star Wars show given how different in tone it was? The show adds meat (and banality!) to the evil of the Empire and the rough life of a rebel. We talk characters, themes, settings, and all that other literary stuff. For more, visit prettymuchpop.com. Hear this ad-free with bonus content at patreon.com/prettymuchpop or by subscribing via Apple Podcasts to the Mark Lintertainment

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