PEL Presents PvI#114: Earning Crazy Town w/ Jenny Hansen

PEL Presents PvI#114: Earning Crazy Town w/ Jenny Hansen

Author: Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey March 22, 2026 Duration: 46:38

St. Lawrence philosophy prof Jennifer L. Hansen, one of the most frequent guest on Mark's podcasts and expert in feminist philosophy, here hits it off with our new host Mary. We act out vegan jerky time, snacktime at the all-girls clubhouse, and two gals getting pulled over by a cop.

Does the "come debate me" style of philosophy include unnecessarily masculine tropes? How does this Charlie Kirk model relate to what Socrates was doing? What are alternative, fun ways to get students to talk in philosophy classes?

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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. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:43
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 s…
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:24
We dive further into the text of lectures 1 and 2 of The Sources of Normativity (1996). We give Korsgaard's account of the idea of reflective endorsement through Hume and Bernard Williams to get to her own view. When you…
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:26
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, Be…
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot's Naturalistic Ethics (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
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 d…
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot's Naturalistic Ethics (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:46
On Natural Goodness (2001). Can we base ethics on the model of biology? Foot argues that just as we understand what a healthy specimen of a plant or animal is, so there is a natural way for humans to work properly, which…
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:13
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…
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:56
We talk a bit more about David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), and add some parts of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): sec. 3 "Of the Influencing Motives of the Will" within the third part…
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:19
Continuing on An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), talking about justice (i.e. property laws), why utility is pleasing and what all it includes, sympathy, utility vs. beauty, and more. Get more at parti…
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:54
On David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). What is morality, and how can we know it? Hume claims that we simply find ourselves with sentiments morally approving and disapproving of various thi…
Ep. 366: Edith Stein on Empathy (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:11
Continuing on The Problem of Empathy. What does it mean to say that we know other people's mental states "non-primordially"? We talk about Stein's project of explaining how empathy is possible, what it gets us, and how h…