Overthink

The podcast delves into the complexities of secrets, exploring the ethics of keeping them and their role in relationships. It discusses moral dilemmas, philosophical perspectives, and the impact of government secrecy on trust and transparency.

Disgust is often assumed to be biological, but in what ways do cultural norms and personal preferences influence what disgusts us?  Can we shape what we’re disgusted by over time? Ellie and David explore how disgust colors our interactions with food, art, and even sex, in episode 38. Given how disgust has helped enforce racism and homophobia, does it have any place in morality? And how does modern art's use of excrement, vomit, and blood change how we think about aesthetics?Works Discussed Sianne Ngai, Ugly Feelings Charles Darwin, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals John Garcia, Donald J. Kimeldorf, and Robert A. Koelling, "Conditioned aversion to saccharin resulting from exposure to gamma radiation" Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments Georges Bataille, Documents Georges Bataille, L’érotisme Downton Abbey, S3 E7 Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement Christopher Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary Julia Kristeva, Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection Support the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you #LivingYourTruth? This buzzy catchphrase is all over Instagram, but might it actually justify selfish or irresponsible behavior? Alternatively, can it be a way of affirming marginalized identities--and perhaps even reveal the extent to which our lives are ultimately of our own making? Ellie and David speak with Dr. Tamsin Kimoto in episode 37 about how "living your truth" relates to transgender identity formation, "born this way" narratives of sexuality, and the idea of an authentic self. After the interview, David and Ellie suggest that existential authenticity is a way of "living your truth" without buying into the metaphysical idea of an inner self.Works DiscussedTamsin Kimoto, "Merleau-Ponty, Fanon, and Phenomenological Forays in Trans Life"Michel Foucault, The History of SexualityTalia Mae Bettcher, “Trapped in the Wrong Theory: Rethinking Trans Oppression and Resistance”Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The Phenomenology of PerceptionGayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Elizabeth Grosz, “Criticism, feminism and the institution: An interview with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak”Friedrich Nietzsche, “Schopenhauer as Educator”Martin Heidegger, Being and TimeTheodor Adorno, The Jargon of AuthenticitySupport the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The hosts discuss the value and controversy surrounding a half-shredded Banksy painting, exploring its critique of capitalism. They also delve into the commodification of art and its impact on society, as well as the integration of art into everyday life. The podcast touches on the exploitation of indigenous communities in the art world and explores categories of art that resist capitalism.

Hooking up: sexual liberation or unethical exploitation? With the rise of dating apps, sexual gratification seems like a few taps (or swipes) away at any given moment. What implications does this have for sexual ethics around consent, fantasy, and using other people merely for pleasure? In episode 35, Ellie and David dive into the history, theory, and criticisms of hookup culture. Is there a way to hook up ethically? Some argue that the power imbalances fundamental to hooking up prevent it from ever being on equal grounds, yet others claim that the shift to hooking up generates potential for queer exploration and for sexual discretion in ways that were previously unavailable. Let’s find out!Works DiscussedF Boy Island (TV Show)James Rocha, The Ethics of Hooking UpDanielle M. Currier, “Strategic Ambiguity: Protecting Emphasized Femininity and Hegemonic Masculinity in the Hookup Culture”Lisa Wade, American HookupLisa Wade and Joseph Padgett, “Hookup Culture and Higher Education”Lisa Rudd, “Beyond the Closet”Lee Edelman, No FutureSlavoj Žižek, A&F Quarterly, Back to School Issue 2003Leo Bersani, Is the Rectum a Grave?Support the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever want to have your cake and eat it too? Maybe you can! In episode 34, join Ellie and David (and the Olsen twins) in an investigation into paradox. Paradox refers to a self-contradictory statement that nonetheless rests on seemingly logically sound premises. From Meno to Zeno and his tortoises and arrows, from Christian theologians trying to uncover the nature of God and faith to Zen Buddhists exploring the origins of consciousness, paradox has a long history of keeping people stumped, but also of driving human innovation and creativity to new heights. However, we often still wonder: can paradoxes ever truly be solved, or are they just doomed as contradictions? Let’s find out!Works DiscussedZeno, FragmentsDavid M. Peña-Guzman, “Bergson’s philosophical method: At the edge of phenomenology and mathematics”Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript; Philosophical Fragments; Fear and TremblingSartre, Being and NothingnessJacques Derrida, Of Hospitality and “Faith and Knowledge”Plato, MenoDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human UnderstandingMarcel Mauss, “The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies”Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Holiday in the SunAristotle, MetaphysicsDiamond SutraSupport the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever tasted music or experienced numbers as having genders? If so, you might be a synesthete! Synesthesia refers to subjective experiences in which a stimulus associated with one sensory modality (e.g., vision) is experienced as having properties associated with an entirely different modality (e.g. sound, texture, or smell). This “mixing” of the senses raises fascinating questions about human experience and the life of the mind. In episode 33, Ellie and David discuss the science and philosophy of synesthesia while poking fun at people who brag about being synesthetes at parties. Are synesthetes born or made? What forms of synesthesia exist? And how might one go about cultivating synesthetic perception?Works DiscussedDonielle Johnson, Carrie Allison, and Simon Baron-Cohen, “The Prevalence of Synesthesia: The Consistency Revolution”Simon Baron-Cohen,  “Is There a Normal Phase of Synaesthesia in Development?”David Abram, The Spell of the SensuousKenneth Peacock, “Instruments to Perform Color-Music: Two Centuries of Technological Experimentation” Anina Rich, interview in "Synesthesia" episode of All in the Mind podcastJamie Ward and Peter Meijer. “Visual Experiences in the Blind Induced by an Auditory Sensory Substitution Device”Jerry Fodor, The Modularity of MindAdam Wager, “The Extra Qualia Problem: Synaesthesia and Representationism”John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human UnderstandingSupport the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Astrology. Dangerous pseudoscience? Comforting salve in a cold capitalist world? Subjugated knowledge? It's all fun and games when you're looking up your Co-Star horoscope, but according to philosopher Theodor Adorno, even a playful belief in astrology encourages submission to the status quo--and promotes fascist thinking. In this can't-miss episode 32, Ellie and David discuss the psychological appeal of astrology, which is experiencing a huge resurgence today. They also dive deep into the history and science behind the practice. Did you know Johannes Kepler was an astrologer? Or that your star sign is...probably not actually your sign? The episode also gets into the Barnum Effect, and some surprising similarities between astrology, weather forecasts, and personality tests. Works discussed:Theodor Adorno, The Stars Down to EarthNicholas Campion, History of Western AstrologyRoger Beck, A Brief History of Ancient AstrologyThomas Kuhn, The Copernican RevolutionAlexander Boxer, A Scheme of Heaven: The History of Astrology and the Search for our Destiny in DataSilvia Federici, Caliban and the WitchColin Koopman, How We Became Our DataBertram Forer, "The fallacy of personal validation: A classroom demonstration of gullibility"Support the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From 23andMe to prenatal testing, genetic testing is everywhere these days! The use of these tests raises important concerns about "velvet eugenics" and the value of human life. In episode 31, Ellie and David address the ethics and politics of genomics. They talk with ethicist Dr. Joel Michael Reynolds, an expert on disability studies and genomics, about why your zip code is a much better indicator of  health outcomes than your genome. Plus, Joel unpacks why genetic sequencing can cause anxiety for new parents and further social inequities.Works discussed:Joel Michael Reynolds, "Health for Whom? Bioethics and the Challenge of Justice for Genomic Medicine"Joel Michael Reynolds, "Genopower: On Genomics, Disability, and Impairment"Sivan Tamir, "Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Ethical-Legal Perspectives and Practical Considerations"Jenny Reardon, The Postgenomic ConditionRosemarie Garland Thomson, "Welcoming The Unexpected," in Human Flourishing in an Age of Gene Editing, ed. Erik Parens and Josephine JohnsonNational Human Genome Research Institute, "Human Genome Project FAQ"Guy Standing, The Precariat: The New Dangerous ClassSupport the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you considered that you might be a brain in a vat of liquid floating in a laboratory somewhere? How can you know that the world around you is real, not just a simulation being piped directly to your brain? In episode 30, Ellie and David unpack one of philosophy's favorite thought experiments: the brain in a vat.  They also analyze our cultural obsession with the brain, common criticisms of this thought experiment from consciousness studies, and precursors in Descartes and science fiction. Also--what's with the Italian neuroscientist who keeps trying to do head transplants?Works discussed:Daniel Dennett, "Where Am I?"Gilbert Harman, ThoughtAlva Noë, Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your BrainEvan Thompson and Diego Cosmelli, "Brain in a Vat or Body in a World? Brainbound Versus Enactive Views of Experience"Shaun Gallagher and Dan Zahavi, The Phenomenological MindBronwyn Parry, "Technologies of Immortality: The Brain on Ice"John Desmond Bernal, The World, the Flesh and the DevilRaymond Roussel, Locus SolusJohn Tresch, "In a solitary place: Raymond Roussel’s brain and the French cult of unreason"Harry Smit and Peter M. S. Hacker, "Seven Misconceptions About the Mereological Fallacy: A Compilation for the Perplexed"Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the ScoreSupport the showSubstack | overthinkpod.substack.com Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.