What does the shortness of our lives and the beauty of the world actually entail in terms of behavior and philosophy? Nick is a former pro skater who teaches philosophy at U. of San Diego and has written This Beauty about this question, as well as On Being Awesome. Mark and Bill (your philosophy/comedy puppets, here eternally to dance for your entertainment) engage Nick via … [Read more...] about PvI#46: Seize the Day How Exactly? w/ Nick Riggle
Philosopher Guest
PvI#42: The Worth of a Human Life w/ Carneades the YouTube Star
The anonymous policy wonk who runs the Carneades.org YouTube channel joins Mark and Bill to discuss the core concept of his new book, Are All Lives Equal?: Why Cost-Benefit Analysis Values Rich Lives More and How Philosophy Can Fix It. Should economics really be measuring the value of life at all? Can it do this in any principled way? Can economists really understand how … [Read more...] about PvI#42: The Worth of a Human Life w/ Carneades the YouTube Star
PvI#36: Authentic Authenticity w/ Skye Cleary
Skye teaches and Columbia and the City University of New York, and she recently published How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment. She joins Mark and Bill to talk about what authenticity might mean for an existentialist, how it relates to truth, responsibility, and picking a theme for your birthday party. For more on this ladder of … [Read more...] about PvI#36: Authentic Authenticity w/ Skye Cleary
PvI#34: Possible Diners w/ Barry Lam
Barry teaches at Vassar and hosts a documentary-style philosophy podcast called Hi-Phi Nation, and his most recent season had a four-episode run on David Lewis, America's foremost philosopher of possible worlds (also covered by PEL), after Dr. Strange, of course. So we talk about that notion, in the philosophy of metaphysics and language, and also in the literal physics … [Read more...] about PvI#34: Possible Diners w/ Barry Lam
PvI#32: “On the Standard of [Bad] Taste” w/ Babette Babich
Prof in the house! Babette teaches at Fordham and recently edited the collection "Reading David Hume's 'On The Standard of Taste,'" which Mark made use of for The Partially Examined Life's treatment of that essay in #289. So this can serve either as a follow-up to that discussion or as a fresh cogitation on the idea of an art critic. Can such people's superior tastes be defined … [Read more...] about PvI#32: “On the Standard of [Bad] Taste” w/ Babette Babich
PvI#29: Personal Panpsychism w/ Jack Symes
Panpsycast host Jack, the Liverpudliest Liverpudlian of all, brings his promiscuous philosophy of mind to the show, wherein mind is here, there, and everywhere. But what does that mean? Skits about renting a flat for nefarious purposes and designing software for Nozick's experience machine reveal all! But the question remains... So what? You have to care! Hear Jack on his … [Read more...] about PvI#29: Personal Panpsychism w/ Jack Symes
PvI#27: Normaliticitizationism w/ Andrew Lavin
We are joined by the young purveyor of the Reductio podcast, who wrote his dissertation on normality, which was such a normie thing to do. Can "abnormality" be morally neutral, or is that term cursed? We talk disability studies. You down with OTPs? Repeat after mes! How many towels do you need? Listen to Andrew explain his dissertation uninterrupted. Here's that offensive … [Read more...] about PvI#27: Normaliticitizationism w/ Andrew Lavin
PvI#24: Game Time w/ C. Thi Nguyen
Thi is a philosopher of games, making him a perfect match for this podcast. Why are games worthy of philosophical study? What counts as a game, anyway? We play a frustration game, finish each others' sentences, and ask dumb questions on a museum tour. It's an unusually discussion-focused episode! Picture is by Zahra, grabbed from this article. Audio editing by Tyler Hislop … [Read more...] about PvI#24: Game Time w/ C. Thi Nguyen
PvI#23: Things Mean Things w/ Tommy Maranges (aka Philosophy Bro)
Can we have an entertaining discussion inspired by Aristotle's most boring book? Bill leads Mark and our guest Tommy through some let's-describe-what's-in-an-imaginary-room exercises. Dark Tourist, I'm Sorry, the bookCan we have an entertaining discussion inspired by Aristotle's most boring book, The Categories? Bill leads Mark and our guest Tommy through some … [Read more...] about PvI#23: Things Mean Things w/ Tommy Maranges (aka Philosophy Bro)
PvI#20: The “Other” Story w/ Jenny Hansen
What is "othering"? Why did Bill get such a bad grade? Is it because of his feather quill pen? Don't miss our anti-vaxxer drama! This is our first episode with a real philosophy professor on it, and we get to talk about her experience as an academic as it relates to this most socially relevant philosophical topic. Listen to Jenny talk in more depth with Mark and co. on The … [Read more...] about PvI#20: The “Other” Story w/ Jenny Hansen