Ep. 383: Freud on Love and the Primal Horde (Part Two)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Release Date: 01/19/2026
Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part One)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
On Denis Diderot's Rameau's Nephew, a dialogue written in the 1760s. Is virtue necessary for happiness, or in the real world, is vice necessary to get by? Diderot's character Rameau argues the latter: that philosophical morality is problematic, and our imperative is prudence, which in Rameau's case involves a lot of clownish deception and (ironically) truth-telling. Get more at . Visit to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Don’t get caught running yesterday’s security on today’s web: visit . Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at Get three months free of...
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PEL Presents NEM#251: Dr. Alan Williams (Birdsong at Morning)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Alan released two albums with folk-rock band Knots and Crosses in the early 90s, put out one solo album, then became a recording engineer and earned a PhD in ethnomusicology. He released three albums between 2010-2019 fronting Birdsong at Morning and put out two more solo albums. We discuss "Just Like Water" (and listen at the end to "Somewhere There's a Train") from Floating on the Dreamline (2026), "The Great Escape" by Birdsong at Morning from A Slight Departure (2015), and the title track to Curve of the Earth (1993) by Knots and Crosses. Intro: "Neon Dreaming," originally...
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Ep. 389: Hegel on Wealth and Power (Part Two)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Concluding on "Culture and its Realm of Actuality," in Hegel's Phenomenology via sections 519-526. We get into some of the ironic psychology here: In giving loyalty to the king, the nobles actually boost themselves qua givers. They should be grateful to the king to get wealth back from him, but being dependent on the king makes them resentful. The result is duplicitous people resenting those they claim to esteem, and moral language that is thus used inconsistently (the king is "good" when praised by "bad" when resented), which encourages jaded moral nihilism. Sponsor: Get a $1/month e-commerce...
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PEL Presents PvI#116: Full Bird Mode w/ BJ Lange
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
BJ is an LA improviser/actor/TV host (who teaches wounded warriors among others), and he chats with Mark and Mary about migratory patterns, TV shows that date you, how to draw in students, the realness of birds, and playing unsafe characters. Scenes include a forced-Fargo college experience, improv class on the roof, spying on birds, and keyboard warriors. Plus Marge and Larry. . .
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PEL Presents PMP#219: Weir-ed Sci Fi: Hail Mary and The Martian
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
We discuss the hard sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, which along with The Martian (2015) was based on a novel by Andy Weir and adapted by Drew Goddard. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al consider how hard we actually like our sci-fi, the directors of these films (by Lord/Miller and Ridley Scott respectively), how the books got adapted, Weir's other work (Artemis, some webcomics, etc.), and more. How does Weir make a series of scientific problems into an actual, enjoyable plot? Get more at . Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at . Sponsor: Visit (code...
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Ep. 389: Hegel on Wealth and Power (Part One)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Continuing on Hegel's Phenomenology, "Spirit" chapter, now up to sections 511-526, which finishes off the sub-section of "Self-Alienated Spirit" called "Culture and its Realm of Actuality." Whereas in our last discussion, obeying the state (public power) ran counter to hoarding wealth (private power), at this stage, the two converge, because the state gets concentrated in a single monarch who both receives our power and doles out wealth to his supporters. So putting your effort into obtaining private wealth ironically requires surrendering your agency (and hence wealth) to the state. Get more...
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PEL Presents NEM#250: Bill Pritchard the Tourist
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
is a singer/songwriter who recorded five albums of catchy tunes between 1989 and 1991, then retired but came back a vengeance in 2014. He's now just released his 13th album, Haunted, and we talk about "Perpetual Tourist" and listen at the end to the title track from that, "Trentham" from A Trip to the Coast (2014) and "Pigalle on a Tuesday is Charming" from Parce Que (1988). Intro: "Tommy & Co," from Three Months, Three Weeks and Two Days (1989). More at . Sponsor: Get three months free of online payroll and benefits software for small businesses at Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at ....
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PEL Presents Closereads: Kierkegaard on Subjective Knowledge
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
On an excerpt from Soren Kierkegaard's Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846) that critiques Hegel's idea of logic (dialectic) and then argues for his own conception of "truth as subjectivity." Subscribe to Closereads (and get a link to this text to read along) at ; follow us there via the free tier to part two and many other episodes like this one ad free, or pay us to get parts 3-5 and everything else we've recorded. (Alternatively, support both PEL and Closereads at for a nice combo deal.)
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Ep. 388: Hegel on Culture (Part Two)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Continuing on the "Spirit" chapter (more specifically. "Culture and its realm of actuality") in Hegel's Phenomenology, now covering sec. 490-510. How exactly does the process of acculturation work? Get more at . Visit to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Visit to get the data you need to take action for your health. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at .
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PEL Presents PvI#115: Mary and Mark Astro-Logically
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
In this pitched, high-stakes battle, your hosts have it out about astrological biases, doing offensive accents, letting go of control in an improv scene, and group-based restrictions on who you feel you date. Does Jesus have time to appear on your toast? Are all TV characters robots in a shared robot universe? Are zodiac signs based on serial killer characteristics? How does Pluto FEEL about not being a planet any more? So many vital questions definitively addressed in one meditation together... . .
info_outlineFinishing up Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, finally now turning to Freud's anthropological account of group membership.
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