Overthink

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.Works DiscussedCatriona MacKenzie, Relational Autonomy: Feminist Perspectives on Autonomy, Agency, and the Social SelfHenri Bergson, Creative EvolutionHenri Bergson, The Creative Mind: An Introduction to MetaphysicsJimena Canales, The Physicist and the Philosopher: Einstein, Bergson, and the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time Krista Lawlor, “Knowing What One Wants”Montaigne, Essays of MontaignePlato, DialoguesRené Descartes, Discourse on MethodRené Descartes, Meditations on First PhilosophyRichard Moran, Authority and EstrangementWilliam James, The Principles of PsychologySupport the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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. Works CitedSimone de Beauvoir, The Second SexTalcott Parsons, “On the Concept of Influence”Time Magazine, “The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet”Support the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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!Works DiscussedBéla Balázs, “Theory of the Film”Jean-Louis Baudry, “Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus”Stanley Cavell, The World ViewedBernd Elzer & Martin Loiperdinger, “Lumiere’s Arrival of the Train: Cinema’s Founding Myth”Jean Epstein, “The Intelligence of a Machine”Marshall McLuhan, The Gutenberg GalaxySusan Sontag, “The Decay of Cinema”Susan Sontag, “Film and Theater”Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)Support the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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!Works DiscussedCarol Hay, Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the RevolutionSusan Faludi, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American WomenClotilde de Maricourt and Stephen R. Burrell, "#MeToo or #MenToo? Expressions of backlash and masculinity Politics in the #MeToo era."Simone de Beauvoir, The Second SexSupport the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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.Works DiscussedSamuel Beckett, Waiting for GodotWalter Benjamin, “On the Concept of History”Jacques Derrida, Specters of MarxManpreet Janeja and Andreas Bandak, Ethnographies of Waiting: Doubt, Hope, and UncertaintyGabriel Marcel, Being and HavingGabriel Marcel, “Desire and Hope”Harold Schweizer, On WaitingImad Shouery, “Phenomenological Analysis of Waiting”Support the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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.Works DiscussedClement Greenberg, “Avant-Garde and Kitsch”Tomáš Kulka, Kitsch and ArtCatherine A. Lugg, KitschZach Brown Band, “Chicken Fried”Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, Dogs Playing PokerSupport the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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. Works DiscussedAnders Albrechtslund, “Online social networking as participatory surveillance”Roger Clark, “Information technology and dataveillance”Gilles Deleuze, “Postscript on the Societies of Control”Michel Foucault, Discipline and PunishKevin Haggerty and Richard Ericson, “The surveillant assemblage” Steve Mann, “’Sousveillance’: inverse surveillance in multimedia imaging’”Support the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

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.Works DiscussedDavid Peña-Guzmán, When Animals DreamHal Whitehead and Luke Rendell, The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins  Cynthia Willett, Interspecies EthicsSupport the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast

A recent court case highlights the evolving conversation around animal personhood and rights. The discussion dives into the philosophical implications of recognizing animals as legal entities, particularly concerning their bodily liberty. It draws parallels between speciesism and human discrimination, urging a reevaluation of our moral responsibilities. Historical perspectives are explored, alongside the potential disruptions to industries like farming and animal testing if personhood is granted. This engaging dialogue melds serious ethics with playful debates about identity in political contexts.

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.Works Discussed:David Peña-Guzmán, When Animals DreamNature (S38 E1), PBS TVElizabeth Preston, "Was Heidi the Octopus Really Dreaming?"William Lauder Lindsay, Mind in the Lower Animals in Health and DiseaseSigmund Freud, The Interpretation of DreamsEvan Thompson, Waking, Dreaming, BeingMaurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of PerceptionCharles Darwin, The Descent of ManPeter Godfrey-Smith, Other MindsRatatouille (2007)Support the showPatreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | dearoverthink@gmail.comYouTube | Overthink podcast