The Partially Examined Life
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Worth paying $70/year only if you're a committed listener who wants members-only episodes, summaries, and online classes.
New check
Comparison
The Partially Examined Life vs History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
The Partially Examined Life lands on Depends, and History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps lands on Worth it.
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you want a rigorous, free, chronological philosophy survey in audio form.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Philosophy superfans | Philosophy beginners |
| Who it's not for | Casual listeners . the free feed already covers you | Anyone shopping for software . this is a podcast, not a tool |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁴ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Contact page handles customer service inquiries | No support evidence for a podcast |
| Public sentiment | Widely recommended across Reddit philosophy and self-learning communities as a fun, accessible, straight-talking philosophy podcast.⁶ | Frequently recommended in philosophy communities and named a favorite by reviewers, with beginners often pointed to it. |
| Biggest gotcha | $70/year membership almost certainly auto-renews; confirm cancellation terms before joining² | No paywall, but the 'complete' experience means buying 7 book volumes, roughly $200 total |
Pick The Partially Examined Life when
- Philosophy superfans
- Long-commute deep-dive listeners
- Self-learners wanting guided primary texts
- Fans of unscripted expert debate
When The Partially Examined Life is not a fit
- Casual listeners . the free feed already covers you
- Anyone expecting software or a tool . it's a podcast membership
- Listeners who won't read the assigned texts
- Anyone balking at a $70/year recurring charge
Pick History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps when
- Philosophy beginners
- Students wanting a survey
- Commute learning
- Long-form audio fans
When History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps is not a fit
- Anyone shopping for software . this is a podcast, not a tool
- Listeners wanting quick primers or bite-sized summaries
- People who only want contemporary philosophy
- Budget readers wanting the whole series in print
Sources
- The Partially Examined Life . homepagepartiallyexaminedlife.comofficial
- Membership Levelspartiallyexaminedlife.comofficial
- Take an Online Class from Mark: Spring 2026partiallyexaminedlife.comofficial
- Product security pagepartiallyexaminedlife.comsecurity
- The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast . Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.comreview
review
- PEL on Libsyn directorydirectory.libsyn.comofficial
- The Partially Examined Life . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgnews
- PEL Patreon pagepatreon.comofficial
- History of Philosophy without any gaps: Homehistoryofphilosophy.netofficial
- History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.comofficial
- HoPWaG: the Bookshistoryofphilosophy.netofficial
- Bonus Episodeshistoryofphilosophy.netofficial
- My favorite podcast (Catholic Culture)catholicculture.orgreview
- Podcast Review - University of Waterlooiwarrior.uwaterloo.careview