Abby and Patrick welcome Jade E. Davis, author of the new book The Other Side of Empathy. They discuss Jade’s critique of naïve notions of “empathy” and what she calls “empathy culture.” They examine the ways empathy can flatten suffering, demand particular performances of suffering, and serve fantasies that there’s one “right way” to suffer and that the Oth ... Show More
Mar 21
138: Genocide and the Politics of Hospitality feat. Avgi Saketopoulou
Abby and Patrick welcome psychoanalyst Avgi Saketopoulou for a frank conversation about politics, psychoanalysis, and the politics of psychoanalysts and of psychoanalytic institutions. Recent years have seen multiple psychoanalytic schools, museums, and other entities invite lect ... Show More
1h 32m
Mar 14
137: Repression, Resistance, and Reenactment feat. Séamus Malekafzali Teaser
Subscribe to get access to the full episode, the episode reading list, and all premium episodes! www.patreon.com/OrdinaryUnhappinessAbby and Patrick are joined by Séamus Malekafzali, a journalist whose reportage and commentary has proven indispensable to processing the United Sta ... Show More
18 m
Mar 7
136: Ideology and Family History feat. Jordy Rosenberg
Abby and Patrick welcome novelist and academic Jordy Rosenberg to discuss his brand-new novel, Night Night Fawn. Alternately hilarious and devasting, Night Night Fawn is written in the voice of Barbara Rosenberg, an embittered New York Jewish woman penning a deathbed memoir that ... Show More
1h 45m
Sep 2024
Talking Shit with Elizabeth Oldfield: On Becoming Fully Alive
<p>In Episode 71, we are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield, a writer, thinker, bridge builder, and Christian working out of the UK. We discuss her new book Fully Alive, and the rich worldview which underlies it. Elizabeth challenges us to live our principles in our daily lives, and to ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 2025
Jane Goodall on Optimism, Hope and Conservation
We said goodbye to Jane Goodall, who passed away yesterday at 91 after a life that inspired millions. I feel so grateful to have had the chance to speak with her back in July 2022, a conversation I’ll never forget. Today, in honour of her incredible legacy, I want to re-share it ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2024
Changes Focus: Dealing with Grief - Cariad Lloyd, Grace Dent, Yebba, Jack Rooke
In this episode of Changes Focus we’re zooming in on a big change that we will probably all experience at some point - grief. Grief shapes us in different ways and hearing other people’s experiences of how they have coped with their loss can help in moving through our own. In thi ... Show More
24m 14s
Aug 2025
Sunday Pick: How to stop devoting yourself to your job (w/ Sarah Jaffe) | How to Be a Better Human
Sarah Jaffe is the author of Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keep Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone. She and Chris discuss the emotional toll of modern work culture and the importance of community. They also dive into Sarah’s newest book, From the Ashes: Grief ... Show More
41m 24s
<p>Can you ever really know how another person feels? What’s the best way to support a grieving person? And why doesn’t Hallmark sell empathy cards? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psychology.ku.edu/people/c-daniel-batson">Daniel Batson</a>, ... Show More
