Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast

A philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer talk about media and how we consume it.

Philosophy

PMP#109: Dueling in Film

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In light of the release of The Last Duel (which you needn't have watched), we talk about the trope of the honor-resolving duel in movies and TV. Mark and guest co-host Dylan Casey of The Partially Examined Life are joined by Clif Mark, host of the Good in Theory podcast who wrote his political thesis and a 2018 Aeon article on the history and logic of … [Read more...] about PMP#109: Dueling in Film

Introducing Philosophy vs. Improv

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While we're in hiatus for a couple of weeks between seasons here, enjoy the trailer for Mark's new podcast Philosophy vs. Improv. This grew directly out of PMP episode 20 on improv comedy, with the last straw being our interview with Matt Young (who like Tim from #20 as well as Adal Rifai appears on Hello from the Magic Tavern). So if the attempts at silly voices, joking around … [Read more...] about Introducing Philosophy vs. Improv

PMP#102: What the Pop!? Season 1 Wrap-Up

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It's a very special Pretty Much Pop, as after 101 episodes and a bit over two years, we reflect on what we've learned and set a course for the future with changes, changes, and more changes. So what have we learned about how and why we consume? Maybe not so much in a general sense, but certainly we've been shown the appeal of many forms that we might not have considered … [Read more...] about PMP#102: What the Pop!? Season 1 Wrap-Up

PMP-Partially Examined Life Crossover: Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death”

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Is TV ROTTING OUR MINDS? Marshall McLuhan famously said "The medium is the message," by which he meant that when we receive information, its effect on us is determined as much by the form of that information as by the actual content. Neil Postman, in his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, ran with this idea, arguing that TV … [Read more...] about PMP-Partially Examined Life Crossover: Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death”

PMP#65: Cosmic Satire w/ “Bill & Ted” Writer Chris Matheson

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Chris Matheson has written a bunch of comic movies and has converted religious texts into funnier books on three occasions, most recently with The Buddha's Story. Mark, Erica, and Brian talk with him about what unifies these projects: Why the big ideas of science fiction, fantasy, religion, and philosophy are begging in a similar way to be made fun of.  We get into the … [Read more...] about PMP#65: Cosmic Satire w/ “Bill & Ted” Writer Chris Matheson

PMP#63: Superhero Ethics (and The Boys) w/ Travis Smith

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Is there no end to the seemingly endless fascination with superhero media? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by Travis, who teaches political philosophy at Concordia) to discuss. Travis sees their resonance as a matter of metaphor: How can we do more with the abilities we have? His book Superhero Ethics matches up heroes like Batman vs. Spider-Man for ethical comparison: Both … [Read more...] about PMP#63: Superhero Ethics (and The Boys) w/ Travis Smith

PMP#32: Judging “The Good Place”

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Mark, Erica, and Brian discuss Michael Schur's NBC TV show. Is it good? (Yes, or we wouldn't be covering it?) Is it actually a sit-com? Does it effectively teach philosophy? What did having actual philosophers on the staff (after season one) contribute, and was that enough? We talk TV finales, the dramatic impact of the show's convoluted structure, the puzzle of heaven being … [Read more...] about PMP#32: Judging “The Good Place”

PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell

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Are stand-up comedians the Modern Day Philosophers? This claim forms the premise of Daniel's podcast where interviews some of our best known and loved comedians, but really, only some comedians are trying to express original views on the world instead of just telling a good joke. Even so, do the words of comics telling their truth or pronouncing sentence on the world count as … [Read more...] about PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell