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Why Theory

Why Theory

Why Theory brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to examine cultural phenomena.

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  • 224 episodes
  • Updated Sunday
  • Explicit

Episodes224

Newest first
  • Dec 5, 2017 · 56 min

    Fake News

    In this episode of Why Theory, a podcast that brings continental philosophy and psychoanalytic theory together to explain cultural phenomena, Todd and Ryan discuss "fake news"...without ever talking about fake news. More specifically, this episode looks at the psychic and philosophical structure that undergirds seeing certain news as fake, distrusting information outside of the self entirely, and what to do with "bias." (Apologies for the audio issues in the early part of this episode.)

  • Nov 11, 2017 · 1 hr 13 min

    LACK 2017: Social Tie, Universality, Plus, Arrival

    In this "state of the theory" podcast, Todd and Ryan talk about the recently completed LACK conference held from October 19-21 in Colorado Springs. We discuss the major themes of the conference, which include discussions of the social tie, the master signifier, the universal and the particular (as it relates to race and sexuality especially), and a searing defense of Denis Villeneuve's Arrival.

  • Oct 23, 2017 · 1 hr 23 min

    Blade Runner 2049

    In this episode, Todd and Ryan discuss Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049. The conversation centers around how the film depicts ideology and what we mean when we say "ideology"; how the film conceives of desire ensuring subjectivity; and how the relationship between police and capital in the film exposes a link to how the two function in everyday life.

  • Oct 23, 2017 · 1 hr 7 min

    Theories of Comedy

    In this first episode, Todd and Ryan stamp out a provisional definition of theory (as we'll be employing it) and discuss Todd's new book, Only A Joke Can Save Us: A Theory of Comedy.