Phi Fic

Phi Fic

By 'Philosophical Fiction' from The Partially Examined LifeArtsFiction
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Phi Fic episodes

  • Episode 173: Relating to American Indian Philosophy (Part Two)

    We go further into "Philosophy of Native Science" by Gregory Cajete and "What Coyote and Thales Can Teach Us: An Outline of American Indian Epistemology" by Brian Yazzie Burkhart, plus process philosophy, propositional vs. procedural knowledge, and what we owe to nature. With guest Jim Marunich.

    Listen to part 1 first or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

    End song: “Circle’s Gotta Go” by Kim Rancourt, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #52.

    1 hr 3 min
  • Phi Fic #17 “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino
    The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space. –Invisible Cities
    Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino is a novel about a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. Calvino’s fragmentary study of urban images is composed of brief prose poems, structured as the traveler's report on the emperor's expanding empire. And even deeper than that, it becomes a question of whether Polo is creating his reports from his imagination or merely describing his native city, Venice. A tapestry of discussion weaves throughout Polo’s poems tying in ruminations on stories, linguistics, and human nature.

    …the people who move through the streets are all strangers. At each encounter, they imagine a thousand things about one another; meetings which could take place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses, bites. But no one greets anyone; eyes lock for a second, then dart away, seeking other eyes, never stopping… something runs among them, an exchange of glances like lines that connect one figure with another and draw arrows, stars, triangles, until all combinations are used up in a moment, and other characters come on to the scene…. –Invisible Cities
    Join us as we discuss this beautiful novel, as Cezary notes of Calvino’s distortions, “that in an exact description there is a destruction of the thing described…[that] in leaving space for the reader to chart out what they’re thinking is [his] goal In a work like this,” and Nathan’s reflection that “there’s a reality here but it’s also something spiritual or emotional… I love this style of writing because of what it makes you feel and understand,” while Mary observes that “in describing the relationship with a city as a love affair, it gives it a sense of urgency and closeness,” and Laura wonders if this novel falls into the postmodern construct of eliminating the artist from the work.
    *Note: Mary had to leave early to fight a cold and Daniel was absent this time, reprogramming the internet.
    Thanks to Christopher Nolen for the music.
    If you have thoughts, recommendations, or questions that you want to send our way, please do via [email protected].
    Hear more Phi Fic..


    48 min
  • Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part Two)

    Continuing with Drew Pinsky on “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

    Fonagy claims we gain the ability to emotionally self-regulate as a result of achieving secure attachment with a caregiver as infants. Schore claims that if this fails, we can end up fundamentally disengaged. So what are the philosophical implications?

    Listen to part 1 first, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

    End song: "Anything but Love" by Steve Hackett, as featured on Nakedly Examined Music #45.

    1 hr
  • Episode 172: Mind, Self, and Affect with Guest Dr. Drew (Part One)

    Radio legend Dr. Drew Pinsky talks with us about “Attachment and Reflective Function: Their Role in Self-Organization” by Peter Fonagy and two articles by Allan Schore.

    The focus is "theory of mind"; how do we develop the ability to impute thoughts and intentions to others? What in our upbringing can interfere with this development? We relate this back to previous episodes (Hegel, Buber, etc.) on recognition by others of the self.

    Listen to more Dr. Drew at DrDrew.com, especially his interview of Wes!

     

    46 min
  • Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part Two)

    Continuing on Why Buddhism Is True. We discuss the "no self" doctrine as articulated in Buddha's Second Discourse and the modularity-of-mind theory that Bob claims supports it.

    What are the ethical implications, and do we really need meditation to achieve its alleged ethical benefits?

    Continued from part 1, or get the ad-free Citizen Edition. Please support PEL!

    End song: "Alphalpha Bhang" by Anton Barbeau, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music ep. 50.

    1 hr 12 min
  • Episode 171: Buddhism vs. Evolution with Guest Robert Wright (Part One)

    Bob joins the PEL four to discuss his new book Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment.

    Bob applies his expertise in evolutionary psychology to corroborate Buddhism's claims that we are deluded: about our desires, emotions, the unity of our selves, and the "essences" we project on things and people. And he thinks meditation can instill in the diligent the ability to see things more clearly. But does it really?

    Continue with part 2, or get the full, ad-free Citizen Edition now. Please support PEL!

    56 min

About Phi Fic

From the publisher's feed

Dicussions of literature from a philosophical perspective.