# Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part One)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-partially-examined-life-1605957/ep-390-diderot-debates-a-cynic-part-one
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-partially-examined-life-1605957/ep-390-diderot-debates-a-cynic-part-one.md
Podcast: [The Partially Examined Life](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-partially-examined-life-1605957)
Published: 2026-04-27T03:15:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8895804
Audio file: https://audioboom.com/posts/8895804.mp3?modified=1777260907&sid=1416170&source=rss
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-partially-examined-life-1605957/episodes/ep-390-diderot-debates-a-cynic-part-one
Duration seconds: 3017

## Resource

On Denis Diderot's Rameau's Nephew , a dialogue written in the 1760s. Is virtue necessary for happiness, or in the real world, is vice necessary to get by? Diderot's character Rameau argues the latter: that philosophical morality is problematic, and our imperative is prudence, which in Rameau's case involves a lot of clownish deception and (ironically) truth-telling. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com . Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Don't get caught running yesterday's security on today's web: visit nordlayer.com/browser . Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. Get three months free of online payroll and benefits software for small businesses at gusto.com/pel .

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## Transcript

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