PEL Presents Closereads: Hegel's "Unhappy Consciousness"

PEL Presents Closereads: Hegel's "Unhappy Consciousness"

Author: Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey January 30, 2026 Duration: 57:28

We're within the Self-Consciousness chapter of The Phenomenology of Spirit, specifically starting at sec. 206 on the Unhappy Consciousness. This comes after the famous Master-Slave section as well as sections about Stoicism and Skepticism, and it depicts a dividedness within the self stemming from a faulty view of the relation between self and world.

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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
Ep. 378: Aquinas on God and Mind (Part Three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:38
We're now moving on to the "mind" portion of our discussion, covering how reason motivates us, how free will is possible, and the degree to which the mind is passive or active. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visi…
Ep. 378: Aquinas on God and Mind (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:51
Continuing on bits of Thomas Aquinas: Selected Philosophical Writings, completing our analysis of his arguments for the existence of God and then turning to eternity and the possibility of actually talking about God, giv…
Ep. 378: Aquinas on God and Mind (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:55
On selections from Thomas Aquinas: Selected Philosophical Writings, mostly taken from the Summa Theologica (1268). Given our flawed, finite human nature, how do we fit into the universe? In particular, how can we know an…
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran's Pessimism (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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…
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran's Pessimism (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:02
On A Short History of Decay (1949), a pessimist/existentialist somewhat text from the most famous Romanian philosopher. Cioran's short essays touch on art, humor, God, salvation, time, nostalgia, mourning, death, disease…
Ep. 376: Plato's "Laws" (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:39
Continuing on selections from this late Platonic dialogue. Starting in Book 4, Plato's characters are discussing how to create a new state ("Magnesia") from scratch. What sorts of laws should it have? We talk about marri…
Ep. 376: Plato's "Laws" (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:45
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 wi…
PREMIUM-PEL Back-to-School Nightcap 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:14
Mark, Seth, and Dylan add some more detail and thought to our recent episodes, including more about Steven Pinker and re-litigation of the utility of Irigaray's second-wave feminism in light of the distinction between ph…
Ep. 375: Luce Irigaray's Feminism (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:50
Continuing on "Women on the Market" from The Sex Which Is Not One (1977) and other selections. Irigaray gives a Marxist analysis of the commodification of women, addresses psychotherapists about their neglect of women's…