Explore every episode of Overthink
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Feb 2022 | Trees | 00:56:17 | |
Have you ever hugged a tree? In episode 45 of Overthink, Ellie and David head into nature to explore the philosophical side of trees. Often, trees have been ignored, even as they populate so much of the space around us. Why did Socrates say he could learn nothing from trees, and why did Nietzsche write so romantically about them? Deleuze and Guattari criticize trees for being too vertically organized, but Michael Marder argues that they're far more cooperative than we ever imagined. In that spirit, trees are clearly alive, but Peter Wohlleben goes as far as to say they could possibly be intelligent, and even have language of their own. Does that mean that trees deserve rights? Ellie and David get into the root of it in episode 45! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 01 Mar 2022 | Anti-Natalism | 00:59:46 | |
Is it really better to exist than not exist? With rampant climate destruction, income inequality, and suffering in the world, some have begun to question whether it is ethical to create new life, knowing it will suffer. In episode 46 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the intellectual tradition of anti-natalism. Why did Schopenhauer think that life was ultimately dominated by suffering, and why did Nietzsche think he was so wrong? How has anti-natalism emerged out of the trend of pessimism, and how can we be optimistic about generating new life in what can at times be such a hard world? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 15 Mar 2022 | Rage (feat. Myisha Cherry) | 00:59:58 | |
Is rage a bad thing? Philosophers usually frame anger as an unhealthy or even immoral emotion that leads us away from compassion and towards violence, but episode 47 guest Myisha Cherry's new book makes The Case for Rage as a powerful tool for anti-racist work. Before their discussion with Dr. Cherry, Ellie and David discuss contrasting theories of anger from Martha Nussbaum and Buddhism. Can rage be rooted in love rather than hate, and drive us towards a more just world? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 29 Mar 2022 | Productivity | 00:49:43 | |
We’re always worried about being productive enough with our time, but where does this compulsion come from? In episode 48, Ellie and David examine productivity culture and the drive to produce. Although research says longer hours don’t equal more productivity, capitalism encourages us to always be working, even at the cost of our mental and physical health. How does this inefficient approach to work (and our lives outside of it) stifle our growth and creativity? According to Twitter memes and Bifo, refusing productivity for lazy relaxation on the beach may be a revolutionary rejection of productivity culture, but Adorno contends that laziness recycles us into merely consuming commodities for capitalism instead of producing them. What can a creative, process-based approach offer us that a productivist one cannot, and what value might there be in just producing less? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 12 Apr 2022 | Gossip | 00:44:26 | |
Why do humans in every known culture love juicy gossip? Some theorists say gossip evolved as the modern version of picking fleas off our friends, reassuring those around us of our shared social bonds. Others argue that it reinforces social norms by outlining what behaviors are bad, or even scandalous. In episode 49, Ellie and David gossip about gossip — when is it wrong to gossip, and when might it be the ethical choice? Many scholars throughout history have condemned gossip as idle chitchat that slanders others, but some feminist and decolonial thinkers have reclaimed its utility for fighting against systems of oppression that exclude them from formal modes of communication. Episode 49 spills the tea on gossip. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 26 Apr 2022 | The Unconscious | 00:56:51 | |
What do Freudian slips, Josie and the Pussycats, and solving math problems have in common? Psychoanalysis claims to have some answers! Sigmund Freud suggests that unconscious desires, fears, and trauma influence us without us being conscious of them. In pop culture, the unconscious is often depicted as the realm of dirty thoughts and subliminal messages, but does the unconscious actually even exist? In episode 50 (!), Ellie and David explore the unconscious and the existentialist challenge to it from Jean-Paul Sartre. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 10 May 2022 | Gen Z (feat. Sam Hernandez and Anna Solomon) | 00:57:28 | |
Generational differences emerge in subtle ways, but how do we identify these? And how does the new generation of youth culture Gen Z is defining differ from Ellie and David’s generation of millennials? Feeling a bit out of touch, Ellie and David interview Overthink production assistants Anna Solomon and Sam Hernandez to tell them all about Gen Z values. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 24 May 2022 | Animal Consciousness | 00:55:16 | |
From snoozing puppies kicking their legs to controversial octopi who change colors while asleep, nonhuman dreaming fascinates us. Science says that sleeping animals experience “reality simulations,” rich dreamscapes which they navigate as conscious agents. Inspired by David’s book When Animals Dream (fresh off the press!), this episode kicks off a 3-part series tracing his thrilling investigation into the nature and philosophical implications of animal dreaming. Episode 52 introduces David’s argument that animals’ capacity to dream reveals the need to radically rethink animals as conscious beings with complex inner lives. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | Animal Personhood | 00:49:14 | |
A court case over an elephant’s right to liberation from the Bronx Zoo shows that we’ve come a long way from Descartes’ concept of animal-as-machine. In episode 53, Ellie and David break down an emerging question in animal rights activism: animal personhood and moral status. What does it mean to be a person? And, what are the implications of legally recognizing animals’ right to life and bodily freedom? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 21 Jun 2022 | Animal Sociality (feat. Cynthia Willett) | 00:54:41 | |
Are humans the only animals with culture? In episode 54 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the social and cultural bonds that animals develop with one another. For instance, what can elephant mourning rituals tell us about elephant society and whether these creatures have a concept of death? Then, they sit down with philosopher Cynthia Willett to discuss her work on animal sociality. According to Willett, intra- and trans-species sociality challenges modern conceptions of ethical life as a matter of individual choices and abstract laws. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 05 Jul 2022 | Surveillance | 00:50:50 | |
Feeling watched? Suspicious your Google Home is a front for Big Brother? From period tracking apps to police body cams, surveillance has immense social-political implications for our everyday lives. In episode 55 of Overthink, Ellie and David draw on social philosophy to understand our experiences of mass surveillance. How do technologies of surveillance that promise convenience and freedom lead us to welcome new forms of control into our lives? They also consider how these technologies have empowered people to take up new methods of resisting state violence. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | Kitsch | 00:53:21 | |
What do garden gnomes, the #BlackLivesMatter black squares of June 2020 Instagram, and formulaic pop songs all have in common? They’re kitsch. In episode 56 of Overthink, Ellie and David investigate the history of kitsch as an aesthetic category distinct from art. How does the superficiality and mass-reproducibility of kitsch explain its uses as a tool of fascist propaganda? They discuss the American cultural instinct to deploy inspirational quotes in response to national trauma, kitsch as an antidote to working class alienation, the decline of emotionally significant, critical art, and more. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | Waiting | 00:52:44 | |
Has society progressed past the need for waiting? In the time of smartphones and their 24/7 carousels of distraction, the liminal agony of waiting seems like a thing of the past. In episode 57 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore waiting as a persistent mood of existence. Why do we flee waiting? How can waiting be an active, liberatory act rather than something we just passively endure? They dive into absurdist theater, the figure of the messiah, time under capitalism, and modern life’s discomfort with uncertainty. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | Feminism (feat. Carol Hay) | 00:59:18 | |
In the wake of #MeToo, the controversial Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, where does feminism stand today? In episode 58 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore feminist philosophy to diagnose the status and future of the feminist movement. To help think about these issues, they bring on Dr. Carol Hay, feminist philosopher and author of the book Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the Revolution. The trio talk theories of oppression, recent anti-feminist backlash, capitalist appropriation of feminism (see: #girlboss), and more! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 30 Aug 2022 | Film | 00:58:49 | |
Since the invention of film, we’ve seen an unimaginable shift in the nature of human perception — but what is film, really? In episode 59 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the nature of film. What distinguishes film from other art forms, like photography and theater? Do films depict reality as it is, or are films separate worlds in themselves? They dissect the ideology of the movie theater, human perceptions of montage over time and across cultures, the condition of the film spectator, and more! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 13 Sep 2022 | Influence(rs) | 00:55:41 | |
Likes, lighting, and Lil Miquela. Influencers have taken over the online world, promoting everything from brands to lifestyle changes. But, what does it mean to exert influence over somebody and how has the rise of social media created a whole new category of the influencer? In episode 60 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the job and person we now know as the influencer and how objectification and relationships play into this role. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 27 Sep 2022 | Self-Knowledge | 00:59:37 | |
Know thyself, the inscription at the shrine of Delphi reads. But can we truly know ourselves, like the Ancient Greeks believed? In episode 61 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the concept of self-knowledge from looking inside ourselves to the reflection we put out into the world. Do we gain self knowledge through introspection, or are there better ways of finding out who we are? They discuss everything from imagination to doubting as a way to get a sense of ourselves. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 11 Oct 2022 | Curiosity (feat. Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett) | 00:55:48 | |
Curiosity led Pandora to open a box, but what does being curious look like in our everyday lives? In episode 62, Ellie and David discuss the vilification of curiosity and the role of curiosity in the modern education system. To help, they talk with philosophy professor Perry Zurn and bioengineering professor Dani S. Bassett, twins who co-authored the book Curious Minds: The Power of Connection. Together, they consider how we can understand and cultivate different types of curiosity. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 25 Oct 2022 | Touch | 00:59:57 | |
Touch, texture, and tickling. From touch working as a form of recognition to the sensation of shapes, touch is a part of our everyday lives. In episode 63 of Overthink, Ellie and David begin their series on the five senses with touch. They discuss the significance of Cinderella’s original fur slipper and why Lucretius believed that milk and honey particles have a smooth, round shape. They also consider why some ancient philosophers consider touch the primary sense and what we learn about the nature of the self from the phenomenology of touching and being touched. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | Vision | 00:56:11 | |
And at last I see the light. In episode 64 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss vision in the second installment of their ongoing series on the five senses. They discuss the prevalence of visual metaphors for knowledge, and why sight has historically been the most privileged of the senses. Ellie and David talk about the difference between Greek and Vedic approaches to vision and how culture and language can impact important aspects of the visual experience such as the ability to perceive the color blue. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 22 Nov 2022 | Hearing | 00:59:32 | |
Have you heard? In episode 65 of Overthink, Ellie and David continue the series on the five senses as they discuss hearing. From wanting to close your ears to stop overhearing a conversation to the noise pollution outside your bedroom window, how does the sense of hearing make its way into our everyday lives? They also discuss how Deaf culture calls upon us to retool our understanding of the importance of hearing for human life. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | Smell with Benjamin Young | 00:59:10 | |
Have you ever experienced the headache-inducing odor of Axe body spray? Smell has immense power, but why has it been undervalued in philosophy? In episode 66, Ellie and David are joined by philosophy professor Dr. Benjamin Young to discuss the sense and how we perceive smell. They talk about everything from Anosmia, the loss of smell, to the smellscape of middle school. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 20 Dec 2022 | Taste | 00:52:02 | |
It’s corn! A big lump with knobs, it has the juice, I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing. Wise words about corn that relate to the sense of taste. In episode 67 of Overthink, Ellie and David finish their series on the five senses talking about the gustatory experience. They consider if taste is merely a subjective experience or are there some things that objectively taste good? Ellie and David discuss how having good taste relates to the perceptual experience of taste and why taste is such a big part of community. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 03 Jan 2023 | Heroes | 00:58:06 | |
I’m holding out for a hero. From Achilles to Odysseus and modern day heroes, what does it mean to be a hero, and why are we obsessed with hero worship? In episode 68 of Overthink, Ellie and David dissect the figure of the hero, from its masculinist overtones to how it differs from other morally praiseworthy figures, such as the saint. They discuss how the concept of heroism has changed over time from the time of Homer to the age of CNN. Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 17 Jan 2023 | Animal Justice with Martha Nussbaum | 00:59:06 | |
Wild animals who build communities, domestic companions who love, and captive creatures who suffer. In episode 69 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk with renowned philosopher Martha Nussbaum about her capabilities approach to animal justice. They touch on topics as varied as animal sentience, factory farming, habitat destruction, and the ethics of predation. Together, they discuss the failure of established ethical frameworks to fully incorporate the more-than-human world, explore our ethical responsibilities to other animals, and consider how our legal system might need to change in order to facilitate the flourishing of all life on earth. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Jan 2023 | FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) | 01:00:03 | |
In the next hour, I might miss out on the greatest thing that could happen to me. Or maybe that’s just the FOMO talking. FOMO, the fear of missing out, has infiltrated the zeitgeist in the past decade. What does the obsession with FOMO tell us about our desire to connect with others in an age of consumer capitalism and social media? In episode 70, Ellie and David consider the fear of missing out in light of Nietzsche’s ressentiment, Freud’s psychoanalysis of Little Hans, and how FOMO has changed due to COVID. They consider whether the movement toward JOMO, or the joy of missing out, provides a viable solution to the fear. Svend Brinkmann, The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-Restraint in an Age of Excess Paperback Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | Emotional Labor | 00:59:51 | |
Is the emotional opacity of men a social justice issue? In episode 71, Ellie and David break down the concepts of emotional and hermeneutic labor. The notion of emotional labor was originally created to shed light on gendered workplace interactions, but it has since been applied to romantic and other kinds of relationships. Is this expanded use of the term justified? Ellie’s research suggests that the concept of hermeneutic labor may better explain asymmetries of power in romantic relationships between men and women. Hermeneutic labor imbalances are produced by men’s inability to name and interpret their feelings and by the societal expectation that women manage their own emotions and those of their male partners simultaneously. How does Ellie’s research on hermeneutic labor shift our perspective on the issue of gender in emotional work? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 28 Feb 2023 | Why Live? with Céline Leboeuf | 00:59:10 | |
To be or not to be? That is the question. At the center of Hamlet’s soliloquy is the issue of whether life is worth living. In episode 72 of Overthink, Ellie and David consider this issue with philosopher and existentialism expert Céline Leboeuf. How can we find meaning in our lives when the world seems random and indifferent to our interests? Leboeuf talks about how her personal experience with an existential crisis and her philosophical search for a way out of it led her to consider religious, atheist, and spiritual answers to the question "Why Live?" Ellie and David also consider Camus’ notion of the absurd, and whether life is just a series of blips of suffering with no higher purpose. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 14 Mar 2023 | Cultural Appropriation | 00:59:21 | |
What do Gwen Stefani, Iggy Azalea, and Camille Monet have in common? They are all blonde women who are probably guilty of cultural appropriation. In episode 73 of Overthink, Ellie and David tackle cultural appropriation, starting with the kerfuffle over Claude Monet’s painting La Japonaise at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Pulling from their own experiences of cultural appropriation and from academic explorations of the topic, they consider whether individuals should even be called out for cultural appropriation. They talk about Nguyen and Strohl’s concept of “group intimacy” and debate whether we can ever draw a clear line between insiders and outsiders in a particular cultural group. Works Discussed Homi Bhabha, The Location of Culture Jesa Marie Calaor, “Gwen Stefani: “I Said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese’” Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures Erich Hatala Matthes, “Cultural Appropriation Without Cultural Essentialism?” C. Thi Nguyen and Matthew Strohl, “Cultural Appropriation and the Intimacy of Groups” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 28 Mar 2023 | Lived Experience | 00:58:40 | |
What kind of authority do we appeal to when we invoke lived experience? Isn't all experience "lived"? Why does the *discourse* today so frequently refer to this concept, and what are its philosophical origins? In episode 74 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the phenomenology of lived experience, including its roots in Dilthey, who considered lived experience to be historical. They incorporate Fanon’s work into the conversation to answer the question of if our lived experience of the world is something that varies along identity lines such as race. Works Discussed Wilhelm Dilthey, Poetry and Experience Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks Martin Jay, Songs of Experience Becca Longtin, “From Factical Life to Art: Reconsidering Heidegger's Appropriation of Dilthey” Pamela Paul, “The Limits of ‘Lived Experience’” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 11 Apr 2023 | Silence | 00:56:57 | |
*cricket noises* In episode 75 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss silence and its connection with awe, ecstasy, and the experience of the divine. They talk about David’s experience staying silent during a collegiate debate and Ellie’s practice of meditation as it relates to silence. How does being silent reveal the inner and outer noise that so often surrounds us? They talk about Christian mysticism, Dauenhauer's deep silence, and Heidegger’s call of conscience and explore the various forms of silence that shape our everyday lives. Works Discussed St. Thomas Aquinas, The Summa Theologica John Cage, 4’33” Bernard Dauenhauer, Silence: The Phenomenon and its Ontological Significance Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism Martin Heidegger, Being and Time Richard Kostelanetz, Conversing with John Cage Louis Pelletier, “Silence please! A brief history of silence at the theater” Ludwig Wittgenstein, The Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Dōgen Zenji, Shōbōgenzō Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 25 Apr 2023 | Bad Movies with Matthew Strohl | 00:51:47 | |
Guilty pleasures or cult classics, at the end of the day they’re just bad movies. In episode 76 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk with Matthew Strohl about bad movies and why it’s okay to love them. Strohl is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana who specializes in aesthetics and ancient philosophy. He is the author of Why It’s Okay to Love Bad Movies. Here, he talks with Ellie and David about what makes certain movies “bad” yet also somehow “good,” and introduces us to two ways of relating to bad movies: bad movie ridicule vs bad movie love. What value do bad movies add to our lives and how can we develop community around the practice of watching bad movies? Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 09 May 2023 | Orgasm | 00:50:22 | |
Fireworks, a gushing waterfall, little death. The orgasm. In episode 77 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss how phenomenology and psychoanalysis interpret the experience of orgasm. They talk about evolutionary theories of the orgasm, including the theory that the body can suck up...“higher quality sperm.” They tackle what the orgasm gap says about the state of gender and sex in our society.
George Bataille, Erotism Sigmund Freud, “Instincts and Their Vicissitudes” Sigmund Freud, “Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality” Sara Heinämaa, “The Phenomenology of Desire and Orgasm” Jacques Lacan, Jouissance Elisabeth Lloyd, The Case of the Female Orgasm Bias in the Science of Evolution Emily Nagoski, Come As You Are Thomas Percy, “Walking in a Meadow Green” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 23 May 2023 | Boredom | 00:58:03 | |
One must imagine Sisyphus…bored. Take a break from boredom and listen to episode 78 of Overthink as David and Ellie guide you through the fabulously idle realm of this “bestial, indefinable affliction.” They discuss the peaceful highs and painful lows of their middle school summer slumps, the endless days of pandemic panic, and the sluggish mornings of monks during the Medieval period. What can boredom teach us about existence? Is Kierkegaard right that the masses are boring while the nobles bore themselves? Can 9-year-olds be existentially bored? Maybe all we need to overcome boredom is a little bit of fun, perhaps a holiday. Or is it? Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground * In the episode, we misattributed the quote “The cure for boredom is curiosity” to Dorothy Parker. The quote belongs to Ellen Parr. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 06 Jun 2023 | Intellectuals | 00:53:59 | |
From Émile Zola to Edward Said, from Antonio Gramsci to… Joe Rogan? In episode 79 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the figure of the high-minded ‘intellectual’ and their role in today’s mass-media landscape. Who are intellectuals, what do they do, and what are they for? Ellie and David ask whether intellectuals have a duty to participate in public debate, and whether they can truly partake in liberatory action in such a capacity. Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 20 Jun 2023 | Art and AI with Raphaël Millière | 00:59:59 | |
Machine minds can work a paintbrush, but are they really making art? In episode 80 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk with guest Raphaël Millière, scholar and philosophy lecturer at Columbia University, on the aesthetic merits of computer-generated art. They discuss the thorny marriage of art and technology in everything from the early days of photography to YACHT’s AI-assisted pop songs. Why do we expect art to express human emotions? Is prompt-engineering for AI models an art in itself? And, if ‘great artists steal,’ is DALL·E the greatest artist of us all? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 04 Jul 2023 | Fashion | 00:53:23 | |
Tweed suits, penny loafers: who said philosophers were out of touch? In episode 81 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk everything from Shein to Ferragamo, from high school lunchbox trends to Machiavelli’s nightgowns. As they chart the history of clothing, and the shift from functional Egyptian togas to extravagant medieval breeches, they investigate the refrain that clothes reveal the wearer’s personality. They ask, where does being timely turn into being classist? What does our sense for what’s hip tell us about perception? And, how do we square our drive for style with the injustices of consumption? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 18 Jul 2023 | Regret | 00:54:58 | |
Coulda, woulda, shoulda… In Overthink’s long-awaited epsiode 82, David and Ellie fret over the meaning of regret, in everything from life-altering career decisions to sloppy teenage breakups. They consider the usefulness of regret — if it has one at all — and explore its relation to a life well lived, investigating its philosophical lineage from Confucius and Aristotle to today. Can 20-year-olds regret? Can dogs? Is regret ever rational? And, when does remorse turn into existential despair? Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 01 Aug 2023 | Exercise | 00:56:33 | |
Western philosophy started… at the gym. In episode 83 of Overthink, Ellie and David tackle the philosophy of workouts, from Plato’s days as a wrestler to the modern loneliness of a solitary bench press. As they discuss the role of exercise — which the Greeks called gymnastics — in building bodies and training souls, they consider the ancient Olympics, the cravings for health and beauty that guide us through what David calls the "Protestant work-out ethic," and Jean Baudrillard's thoughts about Americans' passion for jogging. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 15 Aug 2023 | Standpoint Epistemology with Briana Toole | 01:00:53 | |
What does it mean to be marginalized? Does marginalization give some people more epistemic authority than others? And, if so, what should we all do with this information? In episode 84 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about standpoint theory, its complex intellectual history, and its relationship to W. E. B. DuBois’ concept of double consciousness. They welcome an expert on the subject: Dr. Briana Toole, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. In their conversation, they chat about how standpoint theory makes sense of electoral politics, educational policy, bizarre reality TV, and much more. They also discuss Corrupt the Youth, a philosophy outreach program founded by Dr. Toole that brings philosophy to high schools in the U.S. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 29 Aug 2023 | Sexual Consent | 00:59:01 | |
This episode gets an enthusiastic yes from us. In episode 85 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the crux of sexual consent. They work through some of the earliest attempts on the part of American universities at developing a sexual consent policy, before unpacking the fiery debates surrounding consent today — ranging from complex legal cases as well as instances of “gray rape.” They probe the limits of popular understandings of consent with cases involving intense physical pain, and cases which undo the very stability of our idea of consent. (Can one meaningfully consent to one’s own murder?) They explore Ellie’s own proposal for rethinking our idea of consent. Is consent contractual? Performative? Magic? And, should it really be the central tenet of our sexual ethics? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 12 Sep 2023 | World | 00:56:13 | |
Give us a listen, and we’ll give you the world! In Episode 86 of Overthink, Ellie and David ask: what does it mean to live in a world? From animal spirit masters in Labrador to the foundations of climate science, they discuss why the concept of "world" is so contentious, and even at the brink of collapse. They navigate our entangled concepts of nature, culture, and the idyllic nurturing earth through the work of Hannah Arendt and Arturo Escobar. Is the world of animals the same as our own? And, what could it mean to imagine a world where many worlds fit? In times of deep planetary transformation, philosophizing our place in this world has never been more important. This episode was produced by Emilio Esquivel Marquez and Aaron Morgan as part of their Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Pomona College.
Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition and The Origins of Totalitarianism Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 26 Sep 2023 | Authenticity | 00:59:48 | |
Time to be real! In episode 87 of Overthink, Ellie and David go back and forth about authenticity. They explore its deep roots in existentialist philosophy and Romanticism, and grapple with the paradoxes of being authentic in the era of reality TV, social media, and friendly-branded megacorps. They dive into philosophical critiques of authenticity, and explore how Heidegger’s writings on “Eigentlichkeit” (often translated as “authenticity” or “actuality”) stand up today. Is authenticity the same thing as sincerity? Can you be authentic and insincere, or sincere and inauthentic? Who do we try to be authentic for: ourselves or other people? And might drag queens be the greatest example of postmodern authenticity? Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed Taylor Carman, "The Concept of Authenticity" Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 10 Oct 2023 | Food with Shanti Chu | 00:55:21 | |
Ellie and David are serving… dinner! In episode 88 of Overthink, your favorite podcasters explore the philosophy of food, discussing everything from Glaucon’s plea for fancy meals in the Republic, to the rich ways in which food is intertwined with our individual and cultural identities. They welcome food critic and philosophy professor Shanti Chu for a lively conversation about the gendering of meals, the ethics of food systems (lab-grown meat, anyone?), the future of restaurants, and much more. Bon appetit!
Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 24 Oct 2023 | Psychedelics | 00:59:37 | |
No, you’re not hallucinating! In episode 89 of Overthink, Ellie and David investigate the loopy world of psychedelics. Did you know that after doing psychedelics Jean-Paul Sartre went through a “lobster phase” during which he hallucinated lobsters everywhere he went? Once paraded as mind-opening gateways to the nature of reality, psychedelics are back in the conversation today as tools of therapy and neuroscience. Your hosts take a crack at the philosophy of these puzzling substances, from their implications for phenomenology and the nature of consciousness, to the ethics of their medicinal use, in light of their risks and long-lasting effects. If a trip can transform our mind and senses, it might be that our everyday perception really is far weirder than we think. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 07 Nov 2023 | Daddy Issues | 00:58:01 | |
Who’s your daddy? Episode 90 is all about daddy issues. Ellie and David investigate father-child relations and the sexual, emotional, and familial worlds they create. From summer zaddies and sexy dad bods to hero feminist dads, your hosts travel from psychoanalysis all the way to theology to explore the expansive world of father figures. Do we all, as Julia Kristeva says, harbor unconscious fantasies of seeing our fathers “beaten”? Could civilization itself, as Freud suggests, be rooted in an archaic act of patricide for which we still feel guilty without realizing it? Ellie and David tackle hard questions about how parenthood, gender, and vulnerability interact. They even wonder whether they might have “daddy issues” of their own!
Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 21 Nov 2023 | Mommy Issues | 00:58:25 | |
Is mom still doing your laundry!? In episode 91 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the twisty world of mommy issues, from the OG mother Mary to today’s seducing MILFs. They look into psychonalytic theories of the mom-child bond, paying close attention to ways these theories have been challenged and expanded in the 20th century. They also discuss Simone de Beauvoir’s critique of maternal devotion by diving into some its most extreme, and problematic, manifestations. Your hosts ask: Is it true that mothers identify more easily with their children of the same gender? Do macho men and wimpy boys sexualize their mothers in similar ways? And of course: who’s the biggest mama’s boy of them all? Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 05 Dec 2023 | Non-Monogamous Love with Justin L. Clardy | 00:59:39 | |
Let a thousand flowers bloom! In episode 92 of Overthink, Ellie and David have a panoramic conversation on love beyond monogamy with philosophy professor, podcaster, and author of Why It's OK To Not be Monogamous, Justin L. Clardy. They envision relations of love and special attachment that aren't bound to the notion of sacrifice. They also turn to personal stories and question the role of marriage in consumer capitalism and its nonstop pressure to find the One and Only. Together, they find in non-monogamous pathways to reimagine agency, identity, and community — and a nudge toward a richer philosophy of our relations with the world around us. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 19 Dec 2023 | Pity | 00:58:40 | |
Tell us who you pity and we’ll tell you who you are! In episode 93 of Overthink, Ellie and David guide you through the philosophy behind this “well-meaning” emotion. From Aristotle’s account of pity in theater, to problematic portrayals of disability in British charity telethons, pity has had an outsized role our social and cultural worlds. But who is the object of our pity, and why? Your hosts dissect various archetypes of pity, such as Father Mackenzie (a character in Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles) and the elusive Corn Man (a figure invented by Ellie while in Greece!). Where is the line between pity and compassion? How does pity interact with our social responsibilities and power structures? And, is pity a meaningful part of the good life, or is it an emotion we would all be better off without? Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 02 Jan 2024 | Debt | 00:53:48 | |
You owe this one a listen. In episode 94 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss everything debt, from student loans and bank bailouts to the importance of honoring one’s intellectual forebears. Did Shakespeare’s Antonio really pay Shylock with “a pound of flesh”? Why does Nietzsche say that the Christian God is a creditor of infinite debt? Who really benefits from bailouts under capitalism today? And might it be time to bring back good old “jubilees,” i.e., sanctioned acts of collective debt cancellation? As they talk through these questions, your hosts explore how debt has structured social, family, and religious bonds across history, from Vedic India, to Plato’s Athens, and how the notion of being “indebted” to one’s cultural past conditions the experience of immigrants in America today. Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 16 Jan 2024 | Biohacking | 00:59:19 | |
Night vision. Superhuman strength. And… kale salad? In episode 95 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the weird world of biohackers, who leverage science and technology to optimize their bodies. The movement raises rich philosophical questions, from the blurry ethics of self-experimentation, to the consequences of extreme Cartesian dualism, to the awkward tension in our technological nostalgia for a pastoral paradise. If biohacking taps into the basic human desire to experience and investigate, it perhaps also pushes too far toward transcending our bodies. The stakes are political, metaphysical, and ethical — and your hosts are here to make philosophical sense of it all. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 30 Jan 2024 | Fatphobia with Kate Manne | 00:59:38 | |
“They find our bodies repulsive.” On episode 96 of Overthink, Ellie and David bring on Dr. Kate Manne, philosopher and author of Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia. She explains the moral failures and biomedical perils of our fatphobic culture and its misleading imperative to diet. This look at the politics of fat, fatness, and fatphobia in the philosophical canon and beyond to reveal rich links to questions of accessibility, justice, and intimacy. Should we trust the BMI (Body Mass Index) as a measure of health? Is the future in Ozempic? Why are we encouraged to see our body’s biological need for nutrition as “food noise”? And what might it take to hear the music of our human bodily diversity? Works Discussed Follow Dr. Kate Manne on Substack! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 13 Feb 2024 | Cities | 01:02:52 | |
The village is aglow! In episode 97 of Overthink, Ellie and David guide you through the ideas that make a metropolis tick. From Plato’s spotless Republic to Saudi Arabia’s futuristic The Line, they talk the foul and the vibrant of what it means to live in a city. Why are there so few public plazas in Brasilia? Why did David lose his wallet in Mexico City? How do gridded street layouts reflect colonial fantasies? And how did a medieval woman writer, Christine de Pizan, beat Greta Gerwig to the punch in imagining a Barbie-like City of Ladies? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 27 Feb 2024 | Reputation | 00:59:58 | |
They say this one is the real deal. In Episode 98 of Overthink, Ellie and David untangle the philosophy behind the way we compare, judge, and defend our reputations. From Machiavelli’s advice to despots looking to stay popular, to disgruntled students venting on their professors online, reputation can glide you to victory or trigger your fall from grace. Exploring concepts like the Matthew effect, the homo comparativus, and informational asymmetry, your hosts ask: Why do both Joan Jett and Jean-Jacques Rousseau refuse reputation’s fickle pleasures? Does David actually have a good work-life balance, or is everyone else hoodwinked? And, what is the place of quantified reputation in an increasingly digital world? Check out the episode's extended cut here!
Kwame Anthony Appiah, The Honor Code Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Bad Reputation Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince Louise Matsakis, “How the West Got China’s Social Credit System Wrong,” Wired Magazine Gloria Origgi, Reputation: What It Is and Why It Matters Gloria Origgi, "Reputation in Moral Philosophy and Epistemology" Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Reveries of the Solitary Walker Jean-Paul Sartre, The Transcendence of the Ego Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments Jordi Xifra, “Recognition, symbolic capital and reputation in the seventeenth century” Overthink Episodes Ep 28, Cancel Culture Ep 19, Genius Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 12 Mar 2024 | Zombies | 00:59:47 | |
Who’s afraid of zombification? Apparently not analytic philosophers. In episode 99 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk all about zombies and their unfortunate legacy in the thought experiments of academic philosophy. Their portrait as brain-eating and consciousness-lacking mobs is a far cry from their origins in the syncretic sorcery at the margins of Haitian Voodoo. This distance means that the uncanny zombie raises provocative questions about the problematic ways philosophy integrates and appropriates nonwestern culture into its canon. Your hosts probe beyond limits of the tradition when they explore zombification in animals, in reading, in Derrida, and beyond. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed Ellie Anderson, “Derrida and the Zombie” The Last of Us (2023) Overthink, Continental Philosophy: What is it, and why is it a thing? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 26 Mar 2024 | Overthinking | 00:59:45 | |
Overthink goes meta! In the 100th episode Ellie and David reflect on the podcast’s journey and the origins of its (flawless!) title. They take up the question, “What is overthinking?” Is it a kind of fixation on details or an unwanted split in the normal flow of ideas? Then, they turn to psychology to make sense of overthinking’s highs and lows, as the distracting voice inside your head and a welcome relief from traumatic memories. Through the philosophies of John Dewey and the Frankfurt School, they look at different ways to understand the role of overthinking in philosophy and the humanities. Is overthinking a damper on good decisions, or perhaps the path to preserving the possibility of social critique? Check out the episode's extended cut here!
Works Discussed John Dewey, How We Think Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 09 Apr 2024 | AI Safety with Shazeda Ahmed | 00:57:06 | |
Welcome your robot overlords! In episode 101 of Overthink, Ellie and David speak with Dr. Shazeda Ahmed, specialist in AI Safety, to dive into the philosophy guiding artificial intelligence. With the rise of LLMs like ChatGPT, the lofty utilitarian principles of Effective Altruism have taken the tech-world spotlight by storm. Many who work on AI safety and ethics worry about the dangers of AI, from how automation might put entire categories of workers out of a job to how future forms of AI might pose a catastrophic “existential risk” for humanity as a whole. And yet, optimistic CEOs portray AI as the beginning of an easy, technology-assisted utopia. Who is right about AI: the doomers or the utopians? And whose voices are part of the conversation in the first place? Is AI risk talk spearheaded by well-meaning experts or investor billionaires? And, can philosophy guide discussions about AI toward the right thing to do?
Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 23 Apr 2024 | Mixed-Race Identity | 00:59:49 | |
In episode 102 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss diverse ideas of racial mixedness, from family-oriented models of mixed race to José Vasconcelos’ and Gloria Anzaldua’s idea of the ‘mestizo’ heritage of Mexican people. They work through phenomenological accounts of cultural hybridity and selfhood, wondering how being multiracial pushes beyond the traditional Cartesian philosophical subject. Is mestizaje or mixed-race an identity in its own right? What are its connections to the history of colonialism and contemporary demographic trends? And, how can different relations to a mixed heritage lead to flourishing outside of white supremacist categories? Check out the episode's extended cut here!
Linda Martín Alcoff, Visible Identities: Race, Gender, and the Self Naomi Osaka, “Naomi Osaka reflects on challenges of being black and Japanese” Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 07 May 2024 | Laziness | 00:58:42 | |
We’re taking it easy! In episode 103 of Overthink, Ellie and David take a leisurely dive into laziness, discussing everything from couchrotting to the biology of energy conservation. They explore Devon Price’s idea of the ‘laziness lie’ in today’s hyperproductive society and search for alternatives to work through Paul Lefargue’s 19th century campaign for ‘the right to be lazy.’ They also look into the racialization of laziness in Ibn Khaldun and Montesquieu’s ideas on the idle tropics, and think through how the Protestant work ethic punishes laziness, even when technology could take care of the work. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 21 May 2024 | Reading | 00:59:25 | |
This is one for the books. In episode 104 of Overthink, Ellie and David consider what makes reading so rewarding, and, for many people today, so challenging! How did society shift toward inward silent reading and away from reading aloud in the Middle Ages? How have changes in teaching phonics and factors of classism, accessibility, and educational justice made it harder for the young to read? Why is reading philosophy so hard, and how can we increase our reading stamina? Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed Marcel Proust, Journée des Lecteurs Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 04 Jun 2024 | Civil Disobedience with Noëlle McAfee | 00:53:34 | |
Do political subjects have a default obligation to obey the law? In episode 105 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss civil disobedience in the present context of university activism for divestment from genocide in Gaza. They chart the genealogy of the concept of disobedience in political theory, from Thoreau and MLK through to today. Together with guest Noëlle McAfee, Chair of the Philosophy Department at Emory University, they reflect on the relationship between legal protest, civil disobedience, and political dialogue, and think about why activism must be part of any healthy democracy. Focusing on the psychoanalytic concept of ‘breakdown’, McAfee discusses the disproportionate administrative and militarized crackdown on student organizing that we are witnessing across American campuses today. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 18 Jun 2024 | Fun | 00:58:20 | |
Even philosophers need downtime. In episode 106 of Overthink, Ellie and David take a break and chase down fun’s place in today’s world — from its aesthetic opposition to the highbrow realm of beauty, to its peculiar absence from philosophical discourse. What role does fun play in the good life? How does fun relate to art, play, and ritual? Can you really have fun by yourself? And what happens when the lines blur between the fun and the political? Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 02 Jul 2024 | Organisms | 00:48:03 | |
In episode 107 of Overthink, David and Ellie take up a philosophical perspective on biology’s squirmiest concept: the organism. From Kant’s distinction between organisms and mechanisms, to Deleuze and Guattari’s infamous call for ‘bodies without organs,’ they uncover and question the ontological and metaphorical baggage behind the concept. Their exploration takes them from the bottom of Sea of Naples to the heights of Romantic Idealism, passing through the tensions of contemporary genetics. Plus, in the Patreon bonus, they discuss the unexpected relations between organisms, politics, and reason through the thought of Lukács and Canguilhem. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 16 Jul 2024 | Success | 00:58:27 | |
Cooked, slayed, delivered, ate. In episode 108 of Overthink, Ellie and David break down what it means to succeed, and why this sneaky word pervades our society today - in everything from the ambitions of classic American stage figures, to the refined effortlessness in Zhuangzi’s tales, to the corporate world of buzzwords. Your hosts discuss party planning, tenure tracks, inspirational quotes, haters, why science seems so successful, and the pitfalls of thinking we’ve got it all figured out. Plus, in the Patreon bonus, they reflect on the interpersonal tensions of sharing successes, and making the best of our mishaps. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 30 Jul 2024 | Predictive Brain with Andy Clark | 00:55:53 | |
Phantom phone buzzes? Painless mosquito bites? Toy masks flipped inside-out? It might be your brain bringing order to its complex world. In episode 109 of Overthink, Ellie and David interview cognitive philosopher Andy Clark, whose cutting edge work on perception builds off theories of computation to offer an intriguing new model of mind and experience. He explains why the predictive processing model promises a healthier relation to neurodiversity, and they all explore its real-world applications across placebos, road safety, chronic pain, anxiety, and even the accidental success of ‘positive thinking.’ Plus, in the bonus, Ellie and David discuss depression, plasticity, qualia, zombies, and what phenomenologists can bring to the cognitive table. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 13 Aug 2024 | Intensity | 00:58:48 | |
What do skydiving, guitar-playing teenagers, and deep-seated psychic states have in common? They're all intense! In episode 110 of Overthink, Ellie and David untangle the role of intensity in shaping our aspirations, cultural tropes, and political goals. They trace the concept’s history from its tricky roots in Aristotle's theory of change, passing through medieval science and princely romanticism, to the thrills of skydiving and breathwork today. They turn to Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze’s accounts of consciousness and emotion to explore how intensity looks beyond the scientistic impulse to categorize and quantify, and question if intensity is of any help in addressing capitalist acceleration today. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 27 Aug 2024 | Envy | 00:54:53 | |
Why are you so obsessed with me!? In episode 111 of Overthink, Ellie and David untangle envy, jealousy, and admiration, in everything from Sigmund Freud to Regina George. They think through the role of envy in social media and status regulation alongside Sara Protasi's The Philosophy of Envy, and investigate the philosophical lineage of this maligned emotion. Does the barrage of others’ achievements on social media lead to ill-will or competitive self-improvement? Why do we seek to deny our own envies? And how might Freud's questionable theory of 'penis envy' betray the politics of how we assign and deflect desire? Check out the episode's extended cut here! Snow White (1937) Overthink epiosdes Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 10 Sep 2024 | Hyperreality | 00:59:12 | |
Why is there a Parthenon… in Nashville? Jean Baudrillard might have the answer. In Episode 112 of Overthink, Ellie and David pick apart hyperreality: the provocative suggestion that our reality today is so inundated by signs that the gap between reality and simulation has all but broken down. Your hosts talk through the history and experience of hyperreality, from its presence in Superman and Bridgerton to its uncanny role in legitimizing presidential power. And they wonder: does the idea of hyperreality motivate political action, or does it slide into complacent provincialism? Check out the episode's extended cut here! An American Family (1973) Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 24 Sep 2024 | Awkwardness with Alexandra Plakias | 00:55:00 | |
Clogged toilets, odious jokes, difficult condolences… awkward moments are everywhere you look. In episode 113 of Overthink, Ellie and David invite philosopher Alexandra Plakias to talk through her research on awkwardness. They discuss everything from hasty clean-ups to snap decisions, from oversharing online to uncomfortable silences, as they explore the ways that awkwardness is bound up with power, morality, and the core scripts of our social expectations. Where does cringe end and awkwardness begin? Are we living through especially awkward times? Who gets to decide what is awkward? And, what if awkward people… don’t exist at all? Plus, in the bonus, they discuss The Office, weddings, weird eye contact, and more. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 08 Oct 2024 | Friendship | 00:59:57 | |
Even with endless social scripts around romance, we hardly know what it means to be a good friend. In episode 114 of Overthink, Ellie and David reflect on the highs and lows of friendship, from their own bond to Montaigne’s intimate connection to Étienne de La Boétie. From Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics to today’s loneliness epidemic, they question what friends do, how they hold each other accountable, and the deep ways in which our vices and virtues are shaped by our friends. Plus, in the bonus, they talk Ralph Waldo Emerson, intimacy, dyadic relationships, high school friends, and… pluralectics? Check out the episode's extended cut here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 22 Oct 2024 | Hope | 00:58:14 | |
It’s the one you’ve been hoping for. In episode 115 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the meaning of hope, from casual travel plans, to electoral optimism, to theological liberation. They discuss how hope motivates action, and how its rosy tint might be paralyzing. They explore Kant’s ambitions for perpetual peace, and discuss the Marxian imperative to transform the world. They ask, is it rational to hope? How does hoping relate to desire and expectation? And should we hope for what seems realistic, or reach for impossible utopias? Plus, in the bonus, they discuss chivalry, the future, agency, tenure, burritos, and capitalist realism. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 05 Nov 2024 | Extinction | 00:58:50 | |
Dinosaurs, mammoths, ibexes, frogs: a great deal of animals have gone the way of the dodo. Are we next? And would the world be better off without us? In Episode 116 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about extinction, from Christian eschatology, to the perils of Anthropocene, to cutting-edge de-extinction technology. They turn to animal ethics and scientific dilemmas in search of the ethical approaches that might equip us to think about the extinction of animals, and perhaps even our own. Plus, in the bonus, they talk love, cyborgs, tech bros, and the ethics of the future. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 19 Nov 2024 | Black Consciousness with Lewis Gordon | 01:00:41 | |
Do you need black skin to be Black? How might concepts such as white privilege be limiting our understanding of how racism works? In Episode 117 of Overthink, Ellie and David chat with philosopher Lewis Gordon about his book, Fear of Black Consciousness. They talk through the history of anti-Black racism, the existential concept of bad faith, why Rachel Dolezal might have Black consciousness, and Frantz Fanon’s experience of being called a racial slur by a white child on a train. From the American Blues to the Caribbean movement of Negritude, this episode is full of insight into Black liberation and White centeredness. In the bonus, Ellie and David go into greater detail about how Black liberation is connected to love. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 03 Dec 2024 | Comfort | 00:53:55 | |
Get comfy as you listen to this episode! In episode 118 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss all things comfortable…and uncomfortable. They talk through the conflation of comfort and luxury, modern architecture’s prioritization of comfort, and whether our need for comfort is the reason for our burning planet. With everything from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to “the comfort-industrial complex,” this episode will have you questioning what it takes for us to lead a full and happy life. Plus, in the bonus they get into the meaning of the phrase ‘too close for comfort’, alcohol as a destructive form of comfort, and the importance of attachment theory. Works Discussed:
Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 17 Dec 2024 | Driving | 00:58:08 | |
Have you ever wanted to go on a road trip with the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan? After listening to this episode, you certainly won’t! In episode 119 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about the experience of driving and the moral and social dilemmas involved with it. How does driving alter our relationship with time and space? What is the “long distance truck driver problem”, and what does it have to do with animal consciousness? And how should we respond to the rise in self-driving cars? Buckle in and get ready for this ride into the philosophy of driving. Plus, in the bonus they dive deeper into the ethics of self-driving cars, exploring the repercussions hacking could have on self-driving cars. What moral philosophy should be programmed into the self-driving vehicles of the future? And who gets to decide? Works Discussed: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Dec 2024 | Disagreement | 00:59:43 | |
From the holiday dinner table to the Twitter fandom wars, disagreements are inescapable. In episode 120 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk through different types of disagreement (e.g. disagreements online vs philosophical disagreements) and consider why we have such a tough time dealing with those who don’t see things as we do. Is the format of social media platforms to blame for the bad faith disagreements that occur on them? What role do confidence and conviction play in disagreement? Can we have a world without disagreement, or is disagreement an inevitable feature of our social lives? And how can we navigate the “shitstorm” when others refuse to agree with us? Prepare to turn on disagreement mode as you listen to two doctors of disagreement reason their way through it all. Plus, in the bonus, they discuss ways of overcoming disagreement, the failure of our education system, and the importance of community in online disagreement. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 14 Jan 2025 | Dark Moods with Mariana Alessandri | 00:57:00 | |
In a world that has developed a collective fear of the dark, how can we navigate the not-so-positive feelings that we experience? In episode 121 of Overthink, Ellie and David chat with philosopher Mariana Alessandri about her book, Dark Moods. They talk about how the obsession with light fuels toxic positivity, the ways shame amplifies dark moods, and the harmful effects of associating light with good and darkness with bad. Why does society disregard negative emotions? Does the medical field pathologize grief for good reason? And should we strive to make people feel better when they’re experiencing a dark mood? Plus, in the Patreon bonus, they consider the difficulties of experiencing emotions that lie in a gray area, different types of anger, and whether we need to move away from metaphors of light and darkness entirely. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 28 Jan 2025 | Writing | 00:59:21 | |
You might want to jot down some notes on this one! In episode 122, Ellie and David explore where writing began, the value of writing, and our reasons for writing. Is the widespread use of generative AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, a threat to creative and academic writing? How did writing originate in cuneiform, and how does Derrida's deconstruction of logocentrism encourage us to reconsider the privileging of speech over writing? Listen to it all write here, write now! Plus, in the bonus, they get into some of our most pernicious myths and misconceptions about writing. They talk about the tortured writer trope, the solitary nature of writing, and the connection of writing to class. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 11 Feb 2025 | Breakups | 00:58:12 | |
It’s not you, it’s me… In episode 123 of Overthink, Ellie and David get into the highs and lows of breakups. What, if anything, is valuable about breakups? Does society’s emphasis on monogamy affect how we conceptualize the end of relationships? And what do you do if your ex still has your Netflix password? Your hosts discuss everything from breakups in the age of social media and chemical solutions to heartache to what the laws against domestic abuse and stalking can tell us about how society views breakups. Plus, in the bonus, they take a look at Kierkegaard’s love life and discuss whether it’s ever truly possible to breakup with someone for purely altruistic reasons. Check out the episode's extended cut here! Works Discussed: Brian D Earp et. al, “If I Could Just Stop Loving You: Anti-Love Biotechnology and the Ethics of a Chemical Breakup” Kelli María Korducki, Hard To Do: The Surprising, Feminist History of Breaking Up Pilar Lopez-Cantero, “The Break-Up Check: Exploring Romantic Love through Relationship Terminations” Ovid, Remedia Amoris Deborah Tuerkheimer, “Breakups” Jennifer Wilson, “The New Business of Breakups” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 25 Feb 2025 | Intuition | 00:54:21 | |
Our intuitions are never wrong… right? In episode 124 of Overthink, Ellie and David wonder what intuition actually is. Is it a gut feeling, a rational insight, or just a generalization from past experience? They talk about the role intuition has played in early modern philosophy (in the works of Descartes, Hume, and Mill), in phenomenology (in the philosophies of Husserl and Nishida), and in the philosophy of science (in the writings of Bachelard). They also call into question the use of intuitions in contemporary analytic philosophy while also highlighting analytic critiques of the use of intuition in philosophical discourse. So, the question is: Can we trust our intuitions or not? Are they reliable sources of knowledge, or do they just reveal our implicit biases and cultural stereotypes? Plus, in the bonus, they dive into the limits of intuition. They take a look at John Stuart Mill’s rebellion against intuition, the ableism involved in many analytic intuitions, and Foucault’s concept of historical epistemes. Works Discussed: Maria Rosa Antognazza and Marco Segala, “Intuition in the history of philosophy (what’s in it for philosophers today?)” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 11 Mar 2025 | Trans Identity with Talia Mae Bettcher | 00:53:53 | |
How should we make sense of the Trump administration’s assault on Trans rights? In episode 125 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk to philosopher Talia Mae Bettcher about her new book Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy, where she discusses everything from “genderphoria” to her notion of “reality enforcement” (a mechanism of transphobic oppression). In the interview, Dr. Bettcher expresses concerns about certain received views about trans identity, such as the “the wrong body” and “beyond the binary” views, which don’t capture the complexity of trans experiences. How can we move toward a more inclusive culture when it comes to trans identity? And, do we need to reject fundamental philosophical notions such as “person,” “self,” and “subject” in order to understand trans phoria? In the bonus, Ellie and David dive deeper into the idea of the interpersonal object and question whether or not the notion of the self is too far plagued by philosophical baggage and needs to be discarded. Works Discussed: Talia Mae Bettcher, Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy Talia Mae Bettcher, “Evil Deceivers and Make-Believers: On Transphobic Violence and the Politics of Illusion” Jennifer Finney Boylan, “I’m a Transgender Woman. This Is Not the Metamorphosis I Was Expecting” Dean Spade, Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law Perry Zurn, Andrea J. Pitts, Talia Mae Bettcher and PJ DiPietro, Trans Philosophy Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 25 Mar 2025 | Ecstasy | 00:57:40 | |
Lasers, fog machines, silent prayers…and don’t forget the ecstasy! In episode 126 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the experience of ecstasy. They look at interpretations of ecstasy in the tradition of mysticism, where ecstasy has been figured as a loss of self. How common are experiences of ecstasy? Are they limited to religious contexts, or are there alternate avenues for entering ecstatic states? And what about MDMA and its relation to rave culture? In the bonus, they explore how well ecstasy fits into William James’ framework for mystical states, and consider the relationship between ecstasy, reason, and age. Works Discussed: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 08 Apr 2025 | Oligarchy | 00:54:03 | |
Is Trump’s presidential reign turning the US into an oligarchy? Or did the US fall into oligarchic rule many years ago? In episode 127 of Overthink, David and Ellie dive into what an oligarchy looks like, the dangers of a country’s power being in the hands of the wealthy few, and whether or not oligarchic rule is new for the US. They look to the ancient Greeks for ideas on which form of government is conducive to the good life and explore how Aristotle’s notion of pleonexia relates to the current state of the US. Your hosts investigate how oligarchy morphs into tyranny, and try to answer the question, “How can we resist an oligarchy?” In the bonus, Ellie and David look at the four different types of oligarchy discussed by Jeffrey Winters. Works Discussed: Aristotle, Politics Gordon Arlen, “Aristotle and the problem of oligarchic harm: Insights for democracy” Thom Hartmann, The Hidden History of American Oligarchy Plato, Republic Luke Winslow, Oligarchy in America Jeffrey Winters, Oligarchy
Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Oct 2020 | How Capitalism Commodifies Time | 00:44:35 | |
On episode 2 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss how millennials love talking about hating capitalism, the influence capitalism has had on our understanding of time, and the blurring line between who you are as a worker and who you are as an individual. Then they discuss how Covid-19 has challenged our conception of time and what this means for the future! Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Oct 2020 | Welcome to Overthink! | 00:07:09 | |
Welcome to Overthink. A philosophy podcast you'll actually want to listen to. Smart but cool. Fun but deep. Hosted by professors Ellie Anderson (Pomona College) and David M. Peña-Guzmán (San Francisco State University). Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Oct 2020 | Anti-Maskers and American Individualism | 00:49:52 | |
On episode 3 of Overthink, Ellie and David delve into the rise of Anti-Mask protests across the country. The two discuss American individualism in our conception of freedom, the role of breath in the Judeo-Christian tradition, how much freedom we actually have when choosing lunch, and so much more! Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here: G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of Right Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 31 Oct 2020 | Existential Anxiety | 00:53:41 | |
On episode 4 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about existential anxiety, FOMO, Netflix’s Emily in Paris, The Good Place, and the difference between the medical and existential model of anxiety. Then the dynamic duo discusses how to deal with existential angst through resoluteness, mindfulness, and faith--or what David likes to call “embracing your ugliness!” Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 15 Nov 2020 | Nostalgia | 00:55:32 | |
In episode 5 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about the taste, smell, and function of nostalgia. They dive into al pastor tacos, cottagecore, teenage diary entries, old shampoo bottles, M.A.G.A and more! Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 15 Nov 2020 | Why Millennials Love Homemaking | 00:50:49 | |
In episode 6 of Overthink, Ellie and David look at millennials' obsession with homemaking through the lens of Epicurus and Mariana Ortega. The duo talk about the Danish word “hygge,” alloparenting plants, IKEA, how 10-step skincare regimens are definitely the reason why millennials don’t own homes, and so much more! Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 01 Dec 2020 | Empathy | 00:47:12 | |
In episode 7 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the sensation of empathy! The dynamic duo discuss mirror neurons, whether animals can feel empathy, nice boy syndrome, why the phrase “I feel your pain” is so annoying, and more! Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 08 Dec 2020 | Ghosting | 00:50:34 | |
Have you ever been ghosted? In episode 8 of Overthink, Ellie and David deconstruct this dating dilemma. The duo discuss what ghosting does to our emotions; how the Greek notion of akrasia can help us understand why people ghost; how ghosting leaves us feeling, well, haunted; and more! Interested in the works discussed? Here you go! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 16 Dec 2020 | Parrhesia - Speaking Truth to Power | 00:51:38 | |
On episode 9 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the concept of parrhesia (speaking truth to those in power). They discuss its origin in Ancient Greece with Socrates and Diogenes, as well as its resurgence in Foucault. The two get into modern day truth tellers such as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Tristan Harris, Emma Sulkowicz, and more. Interested in the works discussed? Look no further: Andreas Huyssen, “Foreword: The return of Diogenes as Postmodern Intellectual” Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 29 Dec 2020 | New Year's Resolutions | 00:45:27 | |
On episode 10 of Overthink, Ellie and David debate the merit of New Year’s Resolutions. Only 8% of people keep the resolutions they set – so why do we continue to make resolutions? The duo discusses the importance of questioning the resolutions we make and desire. To understand the January 1st phenomena, they dive into Stoicism and Nietzsche. Interested in works discussed? William B. Irvine, A Guide to the Good Life Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 05 Jan 2021 | Me, Myself, and Zoom | 00:54:00 | |
On episode 11 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the ways in which Zoom has impacted our perception of the self and others. They begin by exploring the blurred lines of privacy that Zoom offers (who among us hasn’t cut their video feed to do a load of laundry?). Next, the two jump into the impact self-view has had on all of us now that we are able to see ourselves conduct our normal lives, tying it to Lacan’s mirror stage. Plus, they discuss disability theorists and the potential benefits that Zoom has for inclusion and accessibility.
Interested In the works discussed? Paul Virilio, Open Sky Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 12 Jan 2021 | Conspiracy Theories (feat. Brian Keeley) | 00:54:30 | |
On episode 12 of Overthink, Ellie and David sit down with philosopher Brian Keeley to discuss conspiracy theories. The three examine both the appeal of conspiracy theories and the dire need for public trust in institutions to combat such beliefs. Following last week’s far-right attack on the Capitol, Ellie and David consider the particularly American nature of conspiracy theories that has existed since the nation's founding. Finally, they discuss the way conspiracy theories root within families and communities and pull people apart. Works Discussed Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 19 Jan 2021 | Performativity | 00:39:33 | |
On episode 13 of Overthink, Ellie and David explain what performativity is. They explain why the phrase "performative ally" is not philosophically accurate, and how performativity is rooted in theories about language and identity. They talk about First Amendment laws, the ball culture of Paris is Burning, Legally Blonde, pornography, and more! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 26 Jan 2021 | Buddhist Practice and Anti-Racism (feat. Jessica Locke) | 00:51:40 | |
On episode 14 of Overthink, Ellie and David sit down with Dr. Jessica Locke, an expert in Buddhist philosophy, to discuss mindfulness as a tool for anti-racist education and social justice work. After investigating the ways that Western science and capitalism have watered down Buddhist mindfulness, they explore with Dr. Locke how Buddhist practices can be an important part of a social justice toolbox. Together, they explore how mindfulness practice changes one’s relationship to suffering, alters our view of the world, and can be especially important for white people unlearning habits of white privilege. Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 02 Feb 2021 | Marriage | 00:49:53 | |
In episode 15 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the history and philosophy of marriage. Why do married people in the U.S. receive over 1,000 legal benefits that single people do not? Ellie and David dive into Foucault's analysis of ancient Roman marriage and Hegel's idea that marriage unites the subjective and objective spheres. Then the two discuss the way it’s been used bio-politically, as well as queer critiques of marriage. They also discuss minimal marriage as a solution, how the average wedding in America costs thirty thousand dollars, their own experience with the idea of marriage, and much more! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 09 Feb 2021 | Monogamy | 00:50:38 | |
On episode 16 of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into monogamy. Ellie jumps into her obsession with reality shows centered around monogamy that are actually examples of polyamory, aka the entire Bachelor franchise. Then they discuss the appeal to nature that is often made when talking about monogamy as well as Aristophanes’ story of the one, the potential negatives of all-consuming love, cheating, and more! Works Discussed: Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||
| 16 Feb 2021 | Open Relationships | 00:54:57 | |
In episode 17 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about open relationships. 50% of millennials are not interested in having purely monogamous relationships. With many still wanting a primary partner, some are turning towards open relationships. What do open relationships have to offer? Ellie and David start off by talking about their own experience with open relationships and its ties to their philosophical and feminist beliefs. Then the two dive into the open relationships of famous existentialist thinkers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. It’s juicy! By the end of the episode they also discuss the romantic mystique, the triangulation of desire, our ability to understand desire, and more! Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast | |||