logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
51m 16s

Ep. 350: Rorty on Justification and Esse...

Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey
About this episode

On "Universality and Truth" and "Pan-Relationalism," which are lectures 3-5 in Richard Rorty's Pragmatism As Anti-Authoritarianism.

How do we justify democracy? Rorty says we don't have to refer to transcendent Truth or Good to do this. He also denies the disinction between essential and accidental properties, and in fact between substance and property: Everything is just described in terms of its relations to other things, and which relations are important are not intrinsic to the thing, but a matter of a speaker's purposes.

Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and bonus content.

If you like our podcast, try the Saga Thing podcast.

Up next
Oct 4
PEL Presents PvI#102: Pit of Despair w/ Seth Paskin
Mark's Partially Examined Life co-host Seth joins us (i.e. Mark and Mary) to introduce Seth to improv and continue introducing philosophy to Mary. We discuss Seth's attraction to depressing texts, act out couples' therapy and monster beauty parlor, and open up a few philosophical ... Show More
47m 57s
Oct 6
Ep. 377: Emil Cioran's Pessimism (Part One)
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, suicide, revolt, freedom, Buddhism, Daoism, and the role o ... Show More
52m 2s
Sep 28
PEL Presents PMP#206: Abbott Elementary w/o Emmys
For our Emmys/back-to-school episode, we cover the pinnacle of the current network sitcom landscape: The six-time 2025 Emmy nominated 4-year-old sitcom Abbott Elementary. Yes, it lost this year but has won in the past. Mark, Lawrence, Al and West-Philly-resident Sarahlyn discuss ... Show More
53m 13s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 11
A Stoic's Perspective on Immigration (Broadly)
In this episode I explore how Stoic principles apply to the controversial and often emotionally charged topic of immigration. Using the Circles of Concern as a framework, I examine why Stoics must care for all members of the Cosmopolis, even when cultural differences challenge us ... Show More
28m 20s
Mar 2023
#brunchtalk: How Important are Shared Interests?
When dating, we're always looking to see if we have common interests as potential partners....but does it matter? In this week’s brunch talk, we’re discussing how a relationship can work if you have different hobbies and interests, the line between accommodating your lifestyl ... Show More
25m 5s
Nov 2016
Episode 6, Kantian Ethics (Part I)
Kant, Pirates and the fantastic institute that is ‘the Wimpy’… The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/uncovers a priori moral truths. In this three-part special, we take an insightful and fun-filled look at Kantian Ethics. Follow us on Twit ... Show More
47m 34s
May 2025
The philosophy of fun | Myriam François, Freya India, James Tartaglia
The essential philosophy of funDo we need to have fun or is it an unnecessary excess? Are we living in an age of fun's decline, what with the moralism and strictures of Gen Z, or is there something else going on?On this panel, our three guests - philosopher James Tartaglia, film- ... Show More
50m 35s
Nov 2017
Episode 28, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Part I)
Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle’s (384 – 322 BC) best-known work on ethics. The work consists of ten books and is understood to be based on Aristotle’s lectu ... Show More
41m 13s
Dec 2017
Episode 28, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Part IV)
Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle’s (384 – 322 BC) best-known work on ethics. The work consists of ten books and is understood to be based on Aristotle’s lectu ... Show More
56m 2s
Dec 2024
Episode 73: Tami Simon
In this episode Rupert speaks with founder and CEO of Sounds True, Tami Simon, about how we may realise lasting happiness, whether we should value both being and becoming, and how to remain at peace amidst turmoil. They also discuss Rupert’s idea of original ADD (awareness defici ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2017
Episode 28, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Part III)
Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle’s (384 – 322 BC) best-known work on ethics. The work consists of ten books and is understood to be based on Aristotle’s lectu ... Show More
30m 12s
Nov 2017
Episode 28, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (Part II)
Everything you could need is on www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. The Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle’s (384 – 322 BC) best-known work on ethics. The work consists of ten books and is understood to be based on Aristotle’s lectu ... Show More
26m 31s
Nov 2016
Episode 6, Kantian Ethics (Part II)
Kant, Pirates and the fantastic institute that is ‘the Wimpy’… The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/uncovers a priori moral truths. In this three-part special, we take an insightful and fun-filled look at Kantian Ethics. Follow us on Twit ... Show More
48m 11s