Episode 67, Flowers for Algernon (Part III - The Story: The Fall of Charlie Gordon)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane

Euthanasia, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Existentialism, Marxism, Kant, Ethics, Davidpapineau, Dennett, Marx, Evilgodchallenge, Cosmological, Mind, Consciousness, Courses, Nagasawa, Education, Johnstuartmill, Jeremybentham, Aristotle, Ocr, Camus, Josephfletcher, Conscience, Society & Culture, Kantianethics, Philosophy

4.8 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2019

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

 Report: March 2nd

 After the successes we have had with Algernon, and with much deliberation, I have officially chosen our first research subject. Charlie Gordon, 32, was recommended to us by Alice Kinian from the Beekman School for Retarded Adults and she has assured us of his desire to increase his intellect.

 I have scheduled for Charlie to come to the lab over the next few days where Burt Selden will run some preliminary psych tests. We are also going to test his mental flexibility with a few maze puzzles with Algernon. All that remains is the consent of a family member to grant permission for the operation. According to Alice Kinian, his sister Norma might be the most appropriate person to seek out.

 Providing there are no warning signs during the testing, and consent is provided, we will be on the cusp of something truly ground-breaking. All these years of hard work will be vindicated and the trust of my wife and those who fund me will have been justified. Dare I say it, I might be remembered amongst the pantheon of great scientists.

 Strauss has insisted that we keep a close eye on his mental state and emotional growth. I am inclined to agree but feel we cannot be held fully accountable for the man’s personality. The success or failure of this experiment will rest on his increased intelligence, or lack thereof.

 One thing is certain, if the experiment works, Charlie Gordon’s life will change forever.

 Professor Harold Nemur

Contents

Part I. Life and Context.

Part II. The Story: The Rise of Charlie Gordon.

Part III. The Story: The Fall of Charlie Gordon.

Part IV. The Meaning.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Links

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes (Amazon).

Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer’s Journey, Daniel Keyes (Amazon).

Charly (1968), Full Movie (YouTube).

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Pan
0:02.0	Psygast
0:05.0	P.
0:06.0	Part 3, the story, the Fall of Charlie Gordon.
0:23.5	Well, we really enjoyed giving a reading in part to The Rise of Charlie Gordon.
0:27.9	A little bit of a spoiler in the title, but take no notice.
0:31.0	It's beyond your concern.
0:32.3	You do need to go back and listen to the last section.
0:34.7	Agreed? Do you concur?
0:36.0	Oh, if you're starting here, then... Yeah, what are you doing? What are you doing? How did you get here? Go back to the last section agrees do you concur oh if you're starting here then yeah what you're
0:37.9	doing what are you doing how did you get here go back to the start but do subscribe
0:43.7	that would be cool and then go back don't you're not allowed to hang out with this just yet you've
0:49.4	got to warn that we're reading flowers for algernon we're in the second part of the novel. That's what we're going
0:55.0	to be giving a reading of in this installment. We're going to give some readings. We're going to
0:59.2	unpack some of the key themes behind the text, but we won't be diving into meaning until the next
1:05.3	section. We've changed the novel a little bit here and there, as you know. We're not going to give
1:09.4	like a backlog. We left Charlie Gordon on the plane on his way to Chicago. That's where our story ended last time
1:17.0	around. So without further ado, here is the Pansidecast's reading for the second installment
1:21.7	of Flowers for Algerno. Progress Report 10, June 6th.
1:27.1	Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking.
1:30.5	We're due to take off to Chicago International in just a moment,
1:33.6	where the local time is pretty close to what it is now.
	...

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