The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part Two)

Continuing on Rameau's Nephew, getting further into Rameau's philosophy and practices and trying to figure out what this anti-hero can tell us about ethics, given that he displays the virtue of being candid about his own vices. We talk about "trade idioms" (unethical practices that we consider normal), education, and music. How does this reading relate to Hegel (who quotes it directly)? Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/]. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Don't get caught running yesterday's security on today's web: visit nordlayer.com/browser [http://nordlayer.com/browser]. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. [https://shopify.com/pel]

Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part One)

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 partiallyexaminedlife.com [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/]. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Don't get caught running yesterday's security on today's web: visit nordlayer.com/browser [http://nordlayer.com/browser]. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. [https://shopify.com/pel] Get three months free of online payroll and benefits software for small businesses at gusto.com/pel [https://gusto.com/pel].

PEL Presents PMP#220: Peaky Blinders: Gangs of Birmingham

We discuss Steven Knight's six-seasons-and-a-movie historical crime show Peaky Blinders, featuring Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al. Does the show live up to its initial excellence? It's got a great emotional premise (post-WWI PTSD), and there's a ridiculous amount of gravitas among the cast, but do the heists undermine this heft? It's OK if you haven't seen the show; we hold off on spoilers for quite a while and warn you when we reach that point. Get more at prettymuchpop.com [https://prettymuchpop.com]. Get an ad-free experience, plus bonus talking for nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop [https://www.patreon.com/prettymuchpop]. Sponsor: Get started with Claude AI at claude.ai/pmp [https://claude.ai/pmp].

PEL Presents NEM#251: Dr. Alan Williams (Birdsong at Morning)

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 from Evidence (1994). More at alanwilliamsevidence.com [https://alanwilliamsevidence.com/]. Sponsor: Get three months free of online payroll and benefits software for small businesses at gusto.com/nem. [https://gusto.com/nem] Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com [https://nakedlyexaminedmusic.com/]. Support us at patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic [https://www.patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic].

Ep. 389: Hegel on Wealth and Power (Part Two)

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 trial at shopify.com/pel. [https://shopify.com/pel] Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/]. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support [https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/support] to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.