Ep. 377: Emil Cioran's Pessimism (Part Two)

Ep. 377: Emil Cioran's Pessimism (Part Two)

Author: Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey October 13, 2025 Duration: 45:46

Continuing on "Directions for Decomposition" from A Short History of Decay (1949). What is it that humans are inevitably trying to avoid that seems so bad to us? It's our existential separation from others, our essential, incommunicable solitude. Plus, ennui, sloth, and being a "traitor to existence."

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What if philosophy wasn't an intimidating subject reserved for academics, but a lively, accessible, and sometimes messy conversation among friends? That's the space occupied by The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast. Hosted by Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, and Dylan Casey-a group who once pursued philosophy professionally before taking a different path-this podcast approaches big ideas with a rare blend of genuine curiosity and informal camaraderie. Their discussions are grounded in actual philosophical texts, which they break down in each episode, but you absolutely don't need a degree or even prior reading to jump in. The charm lies in hearing their real-time reactions, debates, and occasional tangents as they wrestle with concepts that shape our society and culture. Listening feels like pulling up a chair at a pub with remarkably well-read friends who are just as likely to crack a joke as they are to land a profound insight. This isn't a lecture; it's an invitation to a collective, partially examined life, where the journey through a thinker's argument is often more revealing than any polished conclusion. You'll find yourself thinking along with them, questioning your own assumptions, and discovering how centuries-old ideas pulse through our modern dilemmas. Tune in for a uniquely human and engaging take on the discipline that asks the biggest questions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 782

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast
Podcast Episodes
PREMIUM-Closereads: Merleau-Ponty on the Body [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:19
We begin a long series on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's "Phenomenology of Perception" (1945), focusing on Part I, "The Body": "Experience and Objective Thought." To get the whole recording, you can become a PEL Citizen, or sim…
Ep. 349: Rorty's Pluralistic Pragmatism (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:45
On Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism (1997), ch. 1-2 about religion. Should democracy be defended on absolutist grounds, e.g. by reference to God-given or natural rights, the nature of Man, or the dicta…
Ep. 348: Tim Williamson's Knowledge-First Epistemology (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:12
Continuing on "Knowledge First Epistemology" (2011), "Justifications, Excuses, and Sceptical Scenarios" (2015), and "Morally Loaded Cases in Philosophy" (2019). How does knowledge-first epistemology relate to reliabilism…
PREMIUM-PEL End-of-Summer Nightcap 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:18
Mark, Wes, and Dylan again talk politics, including conspiracy theorist psychology, whether post-modernism is responsible for current "post-truth" discourse on the Right (see the PvI David Shields episode), our previous…
Ep. 348: Tim Williamson's Knowledge-First Epistemology (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:29
On "Knowledge First Epistemology" (2011), "Justifications, Excuses, and Sceptical Scenarios" (2015), and "Morally Loaded Cases in Philosophy" (2019). Is knowledge basic, or is it dissolvable into more basic ingredients s…
Ep. 347: Nyaya Sutra Against Buddhist Skeptics (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:57
Mark, Seth, and Dylan now turn to ch. 4 of Dasti/Phillips' Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries about the self. Buddhism famously claims that there is no self, and the Nyaya philosophers respond with both comm…
Ep. 347: Nyaya Sutra Against Buddhist Skeptics (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:26
We're continuing to explore Nyaya epistemology, in this part focusing on ch. 3, "In Defense of the Real," in Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries (2017). Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallye…
Ep. 346: Nyaya Sutra on Knowledge (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
Continuing on ch. 1, "Knowledge Sources," of the Matthew Dasti/Stephen Phillips presentation of the Nyaya-Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries. We finish up perception and then talk about inference and testimony. Ar…
Ep. 346: Nyaya Sutra on Knowledge (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:52
On The Nyaya Sutra: Selections with Early Commentaries, originally by Gautama (ca. 150 CE), plus explanations by Vatsyayana (450 CE), Uddyotakara (550), and Vācaspatimiśra (900), and the editors Matthew Dasti and Stephen…
Ep. 345: William James on Religious Experience (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:34
Continuing on The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902). Does James' claim that science and culture shouldn't ignore the subjective point of view really mean that the religious objects that motivate people are metaphy…