Natality with Jennifer Banks

Oct 7, 2025

Jennifer Banks, Senior Executive Editor at Yale University Press and author of *Natality: Toward a Philosophy of Birth*, explores the often-ignored topic of birth in philosophy. She discusses how historical thinkers distanced themselves from birthing and the surprising implications of this neglect. Delving into Hannah Arendt's ideas, Jennifer highlights birth as a form of political action, linking it to freedom and transformation. The conversation also examines the complexities of monstrosity through Mary Shelley’s *Frankenstein*, revealing birth's potential for both liberation and tragedy.

52:43

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ANECDOTE

A Doula-Mother And Birth Regression

David recalls his mother worked as a doula and experimented with regression therapies attempting to remember birth.
He uses this to highlight how first-person memory of birth is elusive and culturally fetishized.

insights

INSIGHT

Birth Reveals Our Relational Self

Being born ties us into relational dependency: natality emphasizes we come into the world through and with others, contrasting Heidegger's solitary death.
Banks and hosts note this relational condition grounds feminist accounts of self and justice claims like 'natal equality.'

insights

INSIGHT

Why Philosophy Overlooks Birth

Philosophy has marginalized birth partly because its messy, bodily reality resists neat language and abstract theorizing.
Jennifer Banks argues birth confronts the limits of consciousness and written tradition, explaining its historical neglect.

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Why philosophy has neglected birth

01:46 • 5min

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Natality in Hannah Arendt's thought

07:15 • 18min

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Birth as political action and resistance

25:41 • 4min

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Birth’s transformative and uncertain potential

29:22 • 2min

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Monstrosity, Frankenstein, and tragic births

30:55 • 6min

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Control, unpredictability, and political violence around birth

36:42 • 7min

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Limits of natality and pregnancy loss

After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People

An eye-opening exploration of humanity’s unprecedented path to global depopulation and its significance from economists Dean Spears and Michael Geruso.

Mike Russo

Dean Spears

Dean Spears and Michael Geruso's 'Beyond the Spike' challenges the assumption that declining birth rates can effectively combat climate change. The authors argue that even significant reductions in population would have a negligible impact on global emissions and temperature. Instead, they advocate for immediate and comprehensive global climate action as the only viable solution. The book also highlights that rising populations have historically coincided with environmental improvements, such as pollution reduction and enhanced water quality. By dispelling the depopulation fantasy, Spears and Geruso urge a focus on practical and impactful measures to address climate change. This perspective encourages a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between population, progress, and environmental sustainability, promoting effective strategies for a sustainable future.

Natality Toward a Philosophy of Birth

Jennifer Banks

Being Born, Birth and Philosophy

Alison Stone

#90

• Mentioned in 136 episodes

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Written in epistolary form, the novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant and ambitious scientist who, driven by Enlightenment-era ideas of progress and science, creates a living being from dead body parts. However, upon seeing the creature come to life, Frankenstein is horrified and abandons it. The creature, shunned by society due to its appearance, seeks revenge against its creator, leading to a series of tragic events. The novel explores themes of guilt, loss, and the emotional and moral consequences of scientific hubris, blending elements of Gothic and Romantic literature.

#985

• Mentioned in 26 episodes

Beloved

Toni Morrison

Published in 1987, 'Beloved' is a work of historical fiction that delves into the aftermath of the American Civil War. The novel centers around Sethe, a Black woman who escaped from slavery in Kentucky and now lives in Ohio. However, her life is haunted by the ghost of her two-year-old daughter, whom she killed to prevent her from being taken back into slavery. The story is deeply intertwined with themes of mother-daughter relationships, the power of family and community, and the lasting impact of slavery on individuals and society. The novel introduces a mysterious figure named Beloved, who is the physical manifestation of Sethe's murdered daughter, and explores how this presence disrupts and ultimately transforms the lives of Sethe and her surviving daughter, Denver. Through a complex narrative that includes flashbacks, stream-of-consciousness monologues, and multiple voices, Morrison examines the trauma and resilience of those affected by slavery.

#1488

• Mentioned in 19 episodes

The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison

Set in Lorain, Ohio, during the Great Depression, 'The Bluest Eye' tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old African American girl who desperately wants blue eyes, believing they will make her more beautiful and accepted according to white cultural standards. The novel explores themes of race, class, and beauty standards, highlighting the destructive impact of internalized racism and societal pressures on Pecola and her family. Through a non-linear narrative and shifting perspectives, Morrison critiques the systemic racism and social stratification that contribute to Pecola's tragic downfall.

#20124

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Love and Saint Augustine

Hannah Arendt

Joanna Vecchiarelli Scott

Judith Chelius Stark

In 'Love and Saint Augustine', Hannah Arendt examines the concept of love in the works of Saint Augustine, focusing on three forms: love as craving, love for the Creator, and neighborly love. This work, influenced by Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers, explores themes that would recur throughout Arendt's career, including 'amor mundi' (love of the world) and 'natality'. The book provides insights into Arendt's early philosophical development and its connection to her later influential works.

#1697

• Mentioned in 17 episodes

The Human Condition

Hannah Arendt

In 'The Human Condition,' Hannah Arendt provides a comprehensive account of how human activities have been understood throughout Western history. She contrasts the 'vita activa' (active life) with the 'vita contemplativa' (contemplative life) and identifies three primary human activities: labor, work, and action. Arendt discusses how these activities have evolved and been affected by changes in Western history, emphasizing the importance of action in disclosing human identity and creating a 'space of appearances' through speech and deeds. The book addresses issues such as diminishing human agency, political freedom, and the paradox of increased human powers without corresponding control over their consequences.

Why does much of the history of philosophy neglect the topic of birth? In episode 142 of Overthink, Ellie and David chat with Jennifer Banks about her book Natality: Toward a Philosophy of Birth. They think through the debate between pronatalism and antinatalism, and consider alternatives to these positions. They also discuss Hannah Arendt’s account of natality and what Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein tells us about the relationship between birth and monstrosity. What is birth, and why does it seem to defy so many of our concepts and categories? What’s the difference between being-born and giving-birth? And how would our view of ourselves change if we saw ourselves through the lens of a “philosophy of birth” (as opposed to, say, “a philosophy of death”)? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts dive further into Hannah Arendt’s works, focusing on the link between her concept of natality and her ideas about the public/private distinction.

Works Discussed:

Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

Jennifer Banks, Natality: Toward a Philosophy of Birth

Alison Stone, Being Born: Birth and Philosophy

Dean Spears and Michael Geruso, After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People

Marjolein Oele, “The Dissolution of the Pregnant City: A Philosophical Account of Early Pregnancy Loss and Enigmatic Grief”

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