エピソード
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Bethany needs advice. She can no longer rely on her body to take care of itself, and recognizes the importance of fitness as she is getting older, but she hates it and finds nothing rewarding about it. What, then, is she to do? Aaron and Jp both speak about their motivation behind wanting to stay fit, including a psychological complex and the desire to simply not make noises when you get up from a chair. We then discuss whether or not remaining fit is a moral imperative, the importance of appropriately situating fitness within the context of one's life, the desire to "escape" the body experiencing pain, and the gendering process. Finally, might being fit promote both one's own agency and the agency of their companions? If fitness promotes co-agency, must we admit it as imperative?
If you want to learn more about the show, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials and how to become a Patreon member.
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In this episode we discuss personal grooming and the role played by practices of self-nurturing in the formation of the social self. What do our grooming habits tells us about who we are? How might brushing one's hair or showering be relevant to one's political and civic participation? Can cuticle care shed light on our metaphysics? In answering these questions, we entertain a long discussion on the so-called nature-history/culture/nurture distinction. And we explore the idea of grooming as a practice of self-learning, which influences (implicitly or explicitly) how we socially enact our identities.
If you want to learn more about show, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials and how to become a Patreon member.
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In this episode we begin with a discussion of Zen and the practice of the koan, which serves as a starting point for our more prolonged back-and-forth on the nature/value of egolessness in the Buddhist tradition. Aaron is insistent in his disavowal of egolessness and its implications, and although Bethany wishes to be more persuaded by the notion, she falls within Aaron's camp, for the most part. Jp spends the majority of the episode fielding questions on this topic and does his best to persuade Bethany and Aaron; or, at the very least, assuage the weight of their poignant criticisms. The extent to which he is successful in this endeavor, we hope you will listen and determine for yourself.
If you like what you hear, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials as well as how to become a patreon member.
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In this episode we return to a discussion about the value of sex in relationships. (See Part 1 - ep. 142 - to get caught up on the conversation - although you don't need to listen to it to appreciate this episode.) Here, we talk about what's involved in "primary" relationships. What role does sex play in establishing certain relationships as primary? How do we fairly negotiate the time and energy we give to our primary, secondary, and then tertiary relationships? Should we always chose our partner(s) over our friend(s), family, or acquaintance(s)? Does our culture support/encourage healthy relationship practices?
If you want to learn more about our podcast, including how to become a Patreon member, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this episode we talk about value. What does it mean to value something? How does money, as a marker of value, align with or contradict other markers of value (e.g., affection)? We all know the story of the underpaid teacher, who does what they love. But what do you do when what you love isn’t valued by the market? This discussion explores that tension, attempting to identify ways to address our divers needs, without viewing the dollar as the sole tool.
If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as our Patreon account.
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In this episode we explore the difference between sex-including unions (like marriages) and sex-excluding unions (like bestfriends). Does the erotic activity of sex necessarily mean that couples engaging in this activity reach deeper levels of intimacy than those that do not? Aaron, Bethany, and Jp all agree that our contemporary society values sex-including unions to a greater extent than sex-excluding unions, but why? And are we incorrect to do so?
Lots of good stuff here, and be prepared for a Part II on this topic that will be coming out in the next few weeks!
If you want to learn more about our podcast, including how to become a Patreon member, visit us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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Growing tired of the word 'intimacy' to describe her work, Bethany puts forward "the Primal:" an experience beyond conceptualization, that which horrifies us and transcends language. After a brief discussion of intimacy, Bethany outlines--to the extent possible--primal experience. Have we made the mistake of avoiding the primal or believing ourselves to have sufficiently narrativized it, and in doing so have made ourselves more susceptible to the madness it can cause? Does the primal demand new narratives that are less individualistic and more socially-oriented? Is all of this ridiculous and you should just go eat a sandwich and fuck?
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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We're gone this week, but here's a quick look at our Last Call episode on chart readings. As a follow up to our discussion of astrology, Kelsie (aka DJ Chia Pudding) was so kind to give each of us a peek into what our astrological signs indicate about our personalities. Among other things, we learn that Bethany is dedicated to philosophy, Aaron is irritable and classy, and Jp has the jolly spirit of Santa Clause. Maybe these readings will shed some light on the perspectives we bring to the show. Go over to our patreon page to subscribe and hear the conversation!
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In this Shooting the Shit episode, we begin with Bethany recounting her inspiration-filled week, which included the act of letter writing. Aaron had his wisdom teeth removed a few days prior to recording, and the lingering pain of that surgery directed his attention towards the inescapablness of the bodily experience--Levinas and phenomenology are brought up, of course. We spend the last half of the episode on the vertiginousness of media in the"meme industry" and Gen Z irony as a critique of contemporary institutions, yet lacking genuineness.
If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as to our Patreon account.
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In this episode we talk our movements - and the conditions that organize them. What do our transportation habits and infrastructure reveal about our social norms? Who yields to whom when passing on a narrow sidewalk? How functional are our organizing systems of movement, and do they reflect more freedom or constraint? These are some of the questions we entertain in a winding discussion about our everyday patterns of motility.
If you like what you hear and want to support the show, find as at philosophyafterhours.com for links to our Pateron account.
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In this episode we talk about the media genre of true crime and its effects on its viewers. Why are people so fascinated by true crime shows and podcasts? Ennui? Morbid fascination? A desire for a greater sense of security? Death drive? Next, we address what we think viewers are taking away from these shows, and we conclude with the suggestion that they are more harmful than good.
If you like what you hear and want to support the show, find us at philosophyafterhours.com for links to our Patreon account.
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In this episode we're joined by our good friend Kelsie (aka DJ Chia Pudding) to talk about astrology. Kelsie speaks with us about how she uses astrology as a language to navigate experience. Along the way, we consider some of the differences between ancient and modern forms of astrology, talk about ways that astrological thinking shows up in other areas of social life, and emphasize the importance of working within the tensions of (sign) compatibility.
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
P.S. If you're in the Chicago area, you can catch DJ Chia Pudding at the California Clipper on July 12!
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"Today, Bethany wonders why she gets into a fighting stance whenever she reads a seminal work by William James. Aaron and Jp set her straight--as far as that's possible!" ~ Bethany
In this episode, our conversation revolves around a line from James' chapter "Stream of Thought" in Principles of Psychology. We investigate the following excerpt: "The only states of consciousness that we naturally deal with are found in personal consciousness, minds, selves, concrete particular I's and you's. Each of these minds keeps its own thoughts to itself. There is no giving or bartering between them. No thought even comes into direct sight of a thought in another personal consciousness than its own. Absolute insulation, irreducible pluralism, is the law. It seems as if the elementary psychic fact were not thought or this thought or that thought, but my thought, every thought being owned...The breaches between such thoughts are the most absolute breaches in nature."
What do we make of this? What are the implications of this? Does this mean that Bethany will have to suspend her belief in her psychoanalytic powers to read the mind's of others?
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this episdoe we're joined by a dear friend Matt to talk about the generalist and the specialist. These could be said to reflect two different approaches to scholarship/research/knowledge production. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, and we consider how their distinct contributions might participate in an environment of disciplinary pluralism.
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
Matthew Williams-Wyant teaches philosophy at Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee.
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In this episode we discuss critical thinking. What is it exactly? It often seems too generic of a concept to be useful. Is there any specificity worth rescuing here? We find our way toward a distinction between critical thinking as a skill - a mere set of technical procedures - and critical thinking as a practice - a more encompassing activity directed toward the social and ecological suitability of one's judgments. You might well imagine which one of these we endorse.
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this episode we talk about ancestor worship and discuss the import and significance of this practice. After spending some time articulating what is meant by both 'ancestor' and 'worship,' Bethany and Jp spend the remainder of the episode addressing Aaron's skepticism around the value of this quasi-religious practice, including: What is the value of ancestor worship? Why 'worship' and not 'respect'? Does ancestor worship not run the risk of reduplicating hierarchies of power and oppression? Should we not be striving to move beyond kin-exclusive fidelity?
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this episode we attempt to rescue metaphysics from obscurity and irrelevancy. We begin by rating the branches of philosophy from the perspective of a layperson. Bethany then provides a summary of metaphysics and goes on to suggest that, although the hard sciences are a worthwhile endeavor, we have forgotten that science doesn't happen in a vacuum and that through metaphysics we can explore what is happening around these scientific claims. Ultimately, metaphysics is promoted as a way to play with different ways of seeing reality and helps us to notice when a paradigm has blinded us to a reality that is urgent.
Also, we might be guilty of kink-shaming Kant.
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this episode we discuss the concept of "aesthetics," a prompt given to us by our best-looking and first Patreon subscriber, Charles. As one of Bethany's primary areas of expertise, she begins with an introduction of aesthetics and explains Dewey's use of the term "aesthetic experience." Jp muses on this term befitting his experiences of emptiness (subject/object dissolution) and Aaron suggests an understanding of aesthetics as the more fundamental field of sensory experience. As expected, Aaron goes on to discuss Levinas' conception of aesthetics (our sensible relationship to the world) as primordial to and informing ethics (our sense of the good). We then wrap up with a more conventional articulation of aesthetics as 'taste,' and Bethany takes shots at the sitcom King of Queens. Also, sherry!
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon member, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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In this Shooting the Shit episode, Bethany complains about her new car and we chat about driverless features, Jp talks about a Bluey show he recently attended, and we lean into a discussion of contemporary kid shows vrs. 90's kid shows. Aaron discusses his weekend activities, the struggles of being a White Sox fan, and proposes a question that we focus on for the last 1/3rd of the show: how do we incorporate or account for the 'psychological rewards' of certain labor in the context of neo-liberalism and its logic of quantification? God Bethany hates numbers...
If you like what you hear, check us out at philosophyafterhours.com. There you can find links to our socials, as well as to our Patreon account.
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In this episode we discuss self-affirmation and the many guises it takes in contemporary culture. What does healthy self-affirmation look like? When is it used as a license to justify anti-social behavior? Perhaps understanding self-affirmation calls us to further examine both the meaning of affirmation and the concept of the "self" that is affirmed. Is it about validating an individual's feelings and behaviors? Or, do we need to look beyond the horizon of the individual? We look to the significance of social relations and bonds of trust to answer some of these questions.
To learn more about the show, including how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
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