Why Theory

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

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224 episodes
Updated Sunday
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Episodes224

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Apr 18, 2021 · 1 hr 9 min
Alienation
In this episode, Ryan and Todd trace the concept of alienation from its theorization by Hegel, through its development in Marx, to its elaboration in Sartre and Lacan. They focus on Hegel's positive twist to this typically negative concept, and then discuss how subsequent thinkers make use of this concept.
Apr 4, 2021 · 1 hr 21 min
Hegel's Reason
This episode is the fourth in a series of episodes that Ryan and Todd are devoting to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Here, we go through what Hegel understands by the term "reason" and how it develops in this major section of the book.
Mar 21, 2021 · 1 hr 19 min
Feminism & Psychoanalysis with Mari Ruti
In this episode, Ryan and Todd are joined by guest cohost Mari Ruti to discuss the relationship between feminism and psychoanalysis. Delving into the problems of desire and power, they question how psychoanalysis might contribute to the feminist project.
Mar 7, 2021 · 1 hr 12 min
Screen Memories
In this episode, Ryan and Todd analyze the theoretical riches of Freud's early text on "Screen Memories." They relate this work to the relationship between fantasy and truth, as well as considering its relevance for contemporary politics.
Feb 22, 2021 · 1 hr 26 min
Civilization and Its Discontents
In this episode, Ryan and Todd go through Freud's rich late text Civilization and Its Discontents. They discuss the oceanic feeling, Freud's critique of religion, the relationship between death drive and aggression, and other subjects that Freud engages.
Feb 6, 2021 · 1 hr 20 min
Jouissance
In this episode, Ryan and Todd chronicle the varied evolution of the concept of jouissance in the thought of Jacques Lacan and offer their idea of the best formulation of this concept. They touch on the key moments, from the association of jouissance with transgression in Seminar VII to the identification of jouissance with the failure of the sexual relationship in Seminar XX.
Jan 24, 2021 · 1 hr 33 min
Lacan's Seminar 2: The Ego in Freud's Theory...
In their continuing series on Jacques Lacan's seminars, Ryan and Todd devote this episode to Seminar 2, which focuses on the relationship between the imaginary and symbolic registers. They discuss Lacan's early conception of death drive, his reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter," and the game of odds and evens, as well as other aspects of the seminar.
Jan 10, 2021 · 1 hr 18 min
Domestic Terrorism
In this special episode, Ryan and Todd comment on the recent attempted coup in the United States. They address the significance of this act of domestic terrorism for the actuality of Right and Left on the political scene.
Jan 2, 2021 · 1 hr 18 min
Tenet
In this episode, Ryan and Todd analyze the new Christopher Nolan film Tenet. They discuss the film in terms of the concept of Nachtraglickeit or retroactivity, as well as exploring the conflicted politics that Nolan proposes in the film.
Dec 21, 2020 · 1 hr 33 min
Popular Music
In this episode, Ryan and Todd investigate the theoretical implications of popular music, focusing on groups such as the Replacements, the Talking Heads, and Roxy Music. They consider how the unconscious, drive, fantasy, and enjoyment manifest themselves in the works from these bands and others.
Dec 9, 2020 · 1 hr 32 min
German Idealism
In this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss the phenomenon of German Idealism through its four primary figures--Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel. Rather than focusing solely on these figures as thinkers, they delve into the gossip surrounding each of them as well. Focusing on a significant contribution of each, they look to each of them as theorists of the simple and everyday.
Nov 24, 2020 · 1 hr 15 min
Hegel's Self-Consciousness
This episode is the third in a seven part series devoted to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. Ryan and Todd discuss the second major section, Self-Consciousness, with a special focus on the master/slave dialectic. They also explore the transition from Consciousness and then the transition to Reason.
Nov 8, 2020 · 1 hr 11 min
Election Special
In this special episode, Ryan and Todd analyze the recent US presidential election. They note that Joe Biden's victory covers over several problems inherent in the moderate politics of the Democratic Party. They also discuss the appeal of Donald Trump to those who do not benefit from his policies.
Nov 2, 2020 · 1 hr 31 min
Deleuze after Guattari
In the third and final episode devoted to the thought of Gilles Deleuze, Ryan and Todd discuss the Deleuze of the 1980s, the Deleuze after Guattari. Their primary focus in this episode is on the cinema books. They explore the relationship between the movement-image and the time-image, concluding with an assessment of the attempts to marry Deleuze with psychoanalysis. Other media mentioned in the show: Cooper Cherry’s Podcast https://soundcloud.com/podcast-co-coopercherry Ben Hagen’s Reading Difference and Repetition blog https://sketchingapresent.com/2013/06/22/slow-reading-1-1-gilles-deleuze-difference-and-repetition-pg-1/ Short introduction where Andrew Culp explains the aims of his book Dark Deleuze https://alienocene.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/dark-d-to-print.pdf
Oct 19, 2020 · 1 hr 18 min
Deleuze Before Guattari
In this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Gilles Deleuze's early thought, prior to his collaboration with Felix Guattari. They focus primarily on his major works from this period--Difference and Repetition and The Logic of Sense. Here is the podcast that Ryan mentions in the episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/488221f4
Oct 5, 2020 · 1 hr 39 min
Deleuze with Guattari
In this episode, Ryan and Todd analyze the confrontation that Deleuze and Guattari enact with psychoanalytic theory. They think through conceiving desire as production vs. conceiving it as lack, focusing on the the multiple as opposed to the singular, and other issues.
Sep 20, 2020 · 1 hr 13 min
Imaginary
In this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss the final of Jacques Lacan's three orders--the imaginary. They examine how the concept developed historically and the trajectory of its role within psychoanalytic theory.
Sep 6, 2020 · 1 hr 17 min
Symbolic Order
In this episode, Ryan and Todd examine the conception of the symbolic order, as developed by Jacques Lacan and those who follow him. They discuss how the symbolic order is structured and look at it in terms of its relationship to the real. They think through the everyday events that reveal the omnipresence of the symbolic structure.
Aug 23, 2020 · 1 hr 14 min
The Real
In this first of three episodes, Ryan and Todd discuss Jacques Lacan's register of the real. They detail the role that it plays within Lacan's theoretical system, as well as focusing on its importance for thinking about political change.
Aug 9, 2020 · 1 hr 18 min
Lacan's Seminar 1: Freud's Papers on Technique
In this first episode in a series devoted to Lacan's seminars, Ryan and Todd lay out their reading of Seminar 1. They discuss Lacan's critique of alternative psychoanalytic practices and work through his initial understanding of the relationship between the imaginary and symbolic registers.