The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Ep. 385: Guest Graham Harman on Object vs. Continuum (Part Two)
Feb 23, 2026
Graham Harman, philosopher behind object-oriented ontology and author of Waves and Stones, discusses things-in-themselves, how objects resist simple reduction, and the difference between continua and carved parts. He explores natural kinds, fictional characters gaining real status, aesthetics and connoisseurship, and why philosophy reads more like art than pure science.
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Skepticism Depends On Presuming Some Access
- Wes Alwyn argues skepticism is self-limiting because doubting mediated access presupposes some contact with reality.
- He invokes Hegel and Aristotle to claim categorical aspects like unity might be directly accessible, using the cat-on-mat example.
Objects Exist Between Undermining And Overmining
- Graham Harman distinguishes two kinds of knowledge: undermining (what something is made of) and overmining (what it does), with objects existing between them.
- He uses Gatorade to show chemicals explain composition but miss emergent, ontologically distinct properties.
Emergence Can Be Explained But Still Ontologically Irreducible
- Harman rejects emergence-as-mystery and says emergence can be fully explained yet still ontologically irreducible.
- He emphasizes the whole has properties beyond parts even if quantum chemistry explains why.