logo
episode-header-image
About this episode

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?

Check out the episode's extended cut here!

Works Discussed

Aristotle, Poetics & Rhetoric
The Beatles, Eleanor Rigby
David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature
Kristján Kristjánsson, “Pity: A Mitigated Defense”
Martha Nussbaum, “Tragedy and Self-Sufficiency: Plato and Aristotle on Fear and Pity”
Jean-Paul Sartre, Anti-Semite and Jew
Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Joseph Stramondo, “How an Ideology of Pity is a Social Harm for People With Disabilities”
Bernard Whitley, Mary Kite, and Lisa Wagner, Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination

Special thanks to Alexandra Peabody for her support in researching this episode!

Support the show

Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast
Website | overthinkpodcast.com
Instagram & Twitter | @overthink_pod
Email | dearoverthink@gmail.com
YouTube | Overthink podcast

Up next
Yesterday
Post-Truth
With conspiracy theories, fake news, and anti-science rhetoric everywhere, we are living in an age of post-truth. In episode 137 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the meaning of truth in our contemporary political and social landscape and how post-truth has increased in the r ... Show More
59m 57s
Aug 12
Burnout
What makes burnout different from exhaustion or fatigue? In episode 136 of Overthink, Ellie and David look at the history of the term burnout and its surprising connection to social justice. They also explore Byung-Chul Han’s reading of burnout as a natural consequence of “achiev ... Show More
59m 38s
Jul 29
Travel
Aperol spritzes, ‘Euro summers’, and aesthetic beach pics. In episode 135 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss all things travel. They discuss the differences how travel changes our relationship to the place where we're from, the difference between travel and tourism, and the pl ... Show More
58m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
S6, Ep 2 Best Friend Therapy: Responsibility - Do we want it? Can we balance accountability and freedom? Who are we really responsible for?
This week we’re looking at the theme of Responsibility, how we feel about it, and how its meaning might change for us over time. Whether it begins with a badge on our blazers or a ticket to teenage independence, being given responsibility might not always be such a gift, when it ... Show More
40m 48s
Nov 2013
Episode 35: Douchebags and Desert
Dave and Tamler talk about the influence of character judgments on attributions of blame. What is the function of the blame--to assign responsibility or to judge a person's character? Is it fair that we blame douchebags more than good people who commit exactly the same act, or is ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2020
FREUD - L'inconscient
Résolument athée, Freud voyait dans la croyance en Dieu le symptôme de notre angoisse face aux grandes énigmes métaphysiques. Pour lui, le phénomène religieux s'explique d'abord par des causes psychiques, parmi lesquelles le besoin d'être sous l'autorité d'une figure paternelle. ... Show More
53m 16s
Dec 2020
Best of: Robert Sapolsky on the toxic intersection of poverty and stress
Robert Sapolsky is a Stanford neuroscientist and primatologist. He’s the author of a slew of important books on human biology and behavior, including most recently Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. But it’s an older book he wrote that forms the basis for this c ... Show More
1h 20m
May 2023
99. S8 E7: Finding freedom after autism diagnosis and embodying the spirit of our unmasked selves
Kay Louise Aldred is a writer, facilitator, teacher, mentor, and resource creator from North Yorkshire in the UK. Now 49, she was diagnosed autistic quite recently, last November. A former teacher, just like me she suffered burnout, left her career and became self employed before ... Show More
55m 38s
Mar 2022
Episode 232: Mind Over Matter
It’s the topic voted on by our beloved Patreon patrons, panpsychism! David and Tamler delve into the resurgent debate over whether consciousness is the fundamental stuff that makes up the universe. We hoped we might be entering Miyazaki land - river spirits, benevolent radishes, ... Show More
1h 39m
Jan 2019
Episode 156: Notes From Underground (Pt. 1)
We’re sick men. We’re spiteful men. We’re unpleasant men. We think our livers are diseased (especially Tamler’s). So we talk about Dostoevsky’s wild, complex, stream of consciousness masterpiece Notes From Underground. For this episode we focus on part 1 of the novella, and the p ... Show More
1h 43m
May 2014
Episode 46: The Real Josh Knobe
May I have your attention please? Will the real Josh Knobe please stand up? Will the real... [you know what, screw this--we're just dating ourselves.] X-phi phenom Josh Knobe rejoins the podcast to talk about the true self, naked people, gay preachers, and the Talmud. Plus, what ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2021
Les paradoxes de la pitié
Lorsque vous éprouvez une forte souffrance face aux malheurs des autres, votre impuissance vous plonge-t-elle dans un état de malaise, voire de mal-être ? Avez-vous envie d’agir ou au contraire êtes vous tétanisé par cette émotion ? Brune Bottero a cherché à comprendre pourquoi l ... Show More
42m 53s
Mar 2024
La philosophe qui a révolutionné l’amour : « Voilà ce qui peut changer votre vie » avec Olivia Gazalé
Aujourd’hui je reçois la philosophe Olivia Gazalé.A rebours de l’image obscure et peu accessible de la philosophie, Olivia considère que son rôle est de faire gagner du temps et aider les gens qui la lisent tout en étant facilement comprise !Ça se ressent fortement dans ses ouvra ... Show More
1h 43m