Closereads

Delving Into Deep Texts, Line by Line

Two philosophers have fun reading and explaining profound and famous texts line by line to try to figure out what’s really being said. Mark and Wes read and discuss tricky texts for your amusement and hope to demonstrate their takes on these texts and add some value in their musings and connections.

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About Closereads

Two hosts from the famed Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast (50 million downloads over 15 years) zoom way in, walking you through texts by the famous names in philosophy line by line.

Mark and Wes bring their massive experience (and sense of humor) to bear in providing background and making connections as they approach a book that is often new to them (or at least not recently read). You get the real-time experience of comprehension and frustration as your hosts try and and often succeed in figuring out what the heck these difficult writers are talking about.

Whether you're a philosophy newbie apprehensive about engaging with primary texts or an old hat looking to deepen your understanding of the authors you were introduced to in school, Closereads puts us all on the same page: Grappling with the actual sentences these great minds have left us with.

On our public feed, you'll get bits from across the history of philosophy. Those interested can get more sessions dedicated to most of the texts covered on the show by supporting the effort at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy.

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Meet The Hosts

Episodes