The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast · Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

Ep. 384: Graham Harman's Object-Oriented Ontology (Part Two)

·55 min·2 clips

Real objects can't touch each other directly—so how does causality work? Harman proposes vicarious causation and object surplus.

Second installment of The Partially Examined Life's discussion of Graham Harman's Object-Oriented Ontology. Hosts parse Harman's critique of reductionism via two concepts—undermining (reducing to component parts) and overmining (reducing to phenomenal, social, or functional properties). Central problem: if objects can't be reduced to parts or effects, how do they interact? Harman proposes vicarious causation and object surplus. Discussion includes Kantian philosophy, counterfactual reasoning about Homer, disease as social object case study, and the distinction between social construction and real social objects like the Dutch East India Company.

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