Show notes
The first in a three-part series on monsters in philosophy. We trace the cultural history of vampires from Eastern European folklore to Twilight, and even look at the practices of real vampires, people who seek out and consume blood or psychic energy.
Highlighted moments
They had no way of proving that they had this need. I mean, doctors have tried diagnosing them. And they've tried taking their vitals and checking their blood, and there's no evidence of it. But it touched me because as a gay man myself and as other gay people can point out, there's no way for us to test ourselves. There's no way for us to prove, you know, emphatically that we are what we are.
“Blood coagulates and then liquefies as a natural process of decomposition. Decomposing bodies release methane that can blow up the body and then travel through the voice box when a stake is driven through the torso, making a vocal noise and even igniting on release.”
“Polidori took some of the vampire stories that Byron had told on the trip and transformed the character into, well, his old employer or lover.”
“You can't really do a cost-benefit analysis right now to make a transformative decision. Everything you might count as a plus or minus might not count at all as a plus or a minus after the decision.”
Transcript
Transcript not available for this episode yet.