The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

On "Mental Events" (1970) and "Actions, Reasons, and Causes" (1963), w/ guest Chris Heath.
When we talk about mental events (e.g. desires) causing physical occurrences (an action to obtain what is desired), are we giving a causal picture in the scientific sense, which would rule out free will? Or are reason-giving and causality just different language games?
Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.
Sponsor: Every self-made person started somewhere. Yours starts free at shopify.com/pel.
Learn about Mark's fall philosophy of mind class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Continuing on "Mental Events" and then  "Actions, Reasons, and Causes."
We get some technical analytic philosophy arguments about the difference between the mental and physical vocabularies, how scientific law applies (or doesn't) to these spheres, whether mental causation is actually causation at all (it is), how mental causation relations to justification, and more.
Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion.

We now have a free-form discussion in light of what was raised in part one about the Federalist Papers and Frederick Douglass' Fourth of July Speech: What should we do about the problems identified? Is the system broken beyond repair? Was it built with fatal flaws in it? Is it just working as normal, and the pendulum will inevitably swing away from madness as the system reasserts itself?
We then open it up for a Q&A, which gets us talking about property vs. liberty, the power of corporations, the moral basis of our government, and our outlook on the future.
Learn about Mark's fall philosophy of mind class at partiallyexaminedlife.com/class.

Dan was Ben Vaughn's sound-man and released his first solo album of Americana rock in 2004. We discuss "Busted" from his eighth album (produced by Vaughn), the just Dan-and-his guitar effort Dispatches from the Desert, then "Beaumont" from Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads (2023), "Favorite Color" from Rosetta, Please (A Love Story) (2006). End song: "Lookin' for a Fight" also from the new album. Intro: "Always" from Man from Out of State (2004). More at danmontgomery.bandcamp.com.
Hear more Nakedly Examined Music at nakedlyexaminedmusic.com. Support us at patreon.com/nakedlyexaminedmusic.

AmirAli is a philosophy researcher in Iran who tries to make Islamic philosophy speak to and with the West. We hear about doing philosophy in the "Islamic Republic of Iran," life during wartime, the relationship between play and philosophy, Islamic philosophy in Arabic vs. Persian, Amanah ("sacred trust"), philosophy as empathy, plus the Dream Police and fun with imperialism.
Hear more at philosophyimprov.com. Support the podcast and listen ad-free at patreon.com/philosophyimprov.
Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code IMPROV at oneskin.co/IMPROV.