The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Ep. 404: Could AI Be Conscious? (Chalmers vs. Dreyfus) (Part One)

On David Chalmers' "Could a Large Language Model Be Conscious?" (2023) and Hubert Dreyfus' What Computers Can't Do: The Limits of Artificial Intelligence (1972), ch. 7-9.

PEL Presents PMP#234: You Can See Fielder

Everybody's talking about the Nathan Fielder/Lance Oppenheim documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes You Can See Everything, and so are we! Bigwig pundit Jo

PEL Presents PvI#127: Naturally Intelligent Mushmouth

Mark, Mary, and Anthony continue to chat about Ch. 1 of The Therapy of Desire by Martha Nussbaum (aka Noose Bomb). We talk and/or act out mush-mouth characters, "actin

Ep. 403: Are LLMs Actually Intelligent? (Part Two)

Continuing on Raphaël Millière and Cameron Buckner's "A Philosophical Introduction to Language Models, Part I: Continuity With Classic Debates." We go through the vario

PEL Presents Closereads: David Lewis on Mind-Brain Identity (Part One)

On "An Argument for the Identity Theory" (1966), which unlike U.T. Place who merely argued that minds could be brains, argues that minds must be brains, in all possible w

PEL Presents NEM#263: Dan Cuddy (Hypnolovewheel, The Special Pillow)

Dan played bass for and co-fronted NYC band Hypnolovewheel, with six releases 1987-1993. Since 1994, he has fronted Hoboken's The Special Pillow, with nine releases to da

Ep. 403: Are LLMs Actually Intelligent? (Part One)

On Raphaël Millière and Cameron Buckner's "A Philosophical Introduction to Language Models, Part I: Continuity With Classic Debates" (2023). Is the Large Language Model

PEL Presents PMP#233: Not-Scary Carrie

We discuss the new Mike Flanagan series adaptation of Stephen King's 1974 novel in comparison to the 1976 Brian De Palma film and the other adaptations (the 2013 film, th

PEL Presents PvI#126: Waiting for Cluckman w/ Anthony LeBlanc

Mark, Mary, and Jenny are joined by improviser Anthony to restore us to a 2 X 2 Team Play balance, again reading part of Martha Nussbaum's The Therapy of Desire as a way

Ep. 402: Plato Talks Homer: Hippias Minor and Ion (Part Two)

Finishing up on Hippias Minor and moving on to the Ion, where Socrates convinces a rhapsode (someone who does public, dramatic readings of Homer and is a Homer scholar) t

PEL Presents NEM#262: Bruce Cockburn Expands Political/Spiritual Folk

Bruce has released 34 solo albums between 1970 and the present. He's a very accomplished finger-picker and often plays entirely solo but has also written rock, jazz, Chri

PEL Presents PMP#232: Obsession (for Men?)

On the 2024 low-budget horror blockbuster film by Curry Barker. Mark, Lawrence, and Sarahlyn are joined by feminist philosopher Jenny Hansen to talk about this peculiar f

Ep. 402: Plato Talks Homer: Hippias Minor and Ion (Part One)

On two short Platonic dialogues, written perhaps around a decade after Socrates' death in 399 BCE. Hippias Minor, where Hippias is (like many of Socrates' interlocutors

PEL Presents Closereads: Gilbert Ryle on Self-Knowledge (Part One)

On The Concept of Mind (1949), Ch. 6, "Self-Knowledge." Ryle is arguing against a Cartesian take on mind that he sees as over-intellectualizing. In this case, it is not t

PEL Presents PvI#125: Mrs. Nussbaum's Credit Card

The new official crew of Mark Linsenmayer, Mary Hynes, and "Jus' Jenny" Hansen kicks off our new endeavor to explore ancient self-help/psychologically therapeutic philoso

Ep. 401: Mind/Brain Identity Theory (U.T. Place, J.J.C. Smart) (Part Two)

Finishing up U.T. Place's "Is Consciousness a Brain Process?" (1956) and starting on J.J.C. Smart's "Sensations and Brain Processes" (1959). Place argues against the "p

PEL Presents NEM#261: Joan as Policewoman's Living Growth

Joan Wasser started as violinist/support member in the 90s for The Dambuilders and then for Mind Science of the Mind and Antony and the Johnsons. In the mid-90s, she co-l

PEL Presents PMP#231: Euphoric Teens

We discuss high school drama TV shows and films in light of the genre-breaking, star-birthing teen drama Euphoria. Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al touch on Riverdale, Ski

Ep. 401: Mind/Brain Identity Theory (U.T. Place, J.J.C. Smart) (Part One)

On U.T. Place's "Is Consciousness a Brain Process?" (1956) and J.J.C. Smart's "Sensations and Brain Processes" (1959), w/ guest Chris Heath. Is there some a priori reas

PREMIUM-Ep. 400: Dennett Rejects Qualia (Part Three)

Mark and Seth rejoin to complete our treatment of Consciousness Explained, focusing on Dennett's responses to Frank Jackson's Mary the Color Scientist thought experiment,