Episode 216 – Artworks Are People Too

"Now and then, a mysterious life and potency will flicker out of an artwork and confront you." So began "Artworks Are People Too," a talk Phil presented at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute earlier this summer. In this episode, JF and Phil discuss the implications of this idea that some artworks break the mould of the inanimate and act as persons in the world. Are artworks mere creations, or creatures too? To enroll in Questionable Cinema, our live summer series happening in August 2026, visit Weirdosphere. Music: "Hypnagogic," from Weird Studies Vol. 3. References Henri Corbin,  Alone with the Alone Alfred Hallowell, "Ojibwa Ontology, Behavior, and Worldview" Martin Buber, I and Thou Charles Taylor, A Secular Age Rainer Maria Rilke, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” Peter Sloterdijk, You Must Change Your Life Carl Jung, “On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry” Alejandro Jodorowsky, Pyschomagic  Dan Sperber, “The Causal Chains of Culture” Paul Stoller, In Sorcery’s Shadow Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky Ishmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo Holly Cusack-McVeigh, Stories Find You Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind Ikea lamp commercial Sam Raimi (dir.), Evil Dead II Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices