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 ob ... Show More
Up next
Jan 20
Manipulation
Should we be sympathetic towards manipulators? In episode 157 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about manipulation. They discuss what makes up a manipulative personality, why manipulators see social interaction as inherently combative, and what you can do when you find yourself ... Show More
57m 41s
Jan 13
Closer Look: Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man
How do new forms of social control under capitalism foreclose the possibility of social critique? In episode 156 of Overthink, Ellie and David take a deep dive into Herbert Marcuse’s 1964 classic, One-Dimensional Man. Marcuse analyzes how 1950s conformism narrows the private spac ... Show More
58m 33s
Jan 6
Treason
Do we ever have a duty to commit treason? In episode 155 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about “the crime of crimes.” They look at the emergence of this legal concept and its evolution over time, and discuss some of the most important historical cases involving treason: Benedi ... Show More
59m 16s
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
<p>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 ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2020
FREUD - L'inconscient
tail spinning
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 18m
May 2023
99. S8 E7: Finding freedom after autism diagnosis and embodying the spirit of our unmasked selves
<p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr">A former teacher, just like me she suffered burnout, left her career a ... Show More
55m 38s
Mar 2022
Episode 232: Mind Over Matter
<p>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 radishe ... Show More
1h 39m
Jan 2019
Episode 156: Notes From Underground (Pt. 1)
<p>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 <em>Notes From Underground</em>. For this episode we focus on part 1 of the novell ... Show More
1h 43m
May 2014
Episode 46: The Real Josh Knobe
<p><span>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. Pl ... 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
<p>Aujourd’hui je reçois la philosophe Olivia Gazalé.</p><p>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 !</p><p>Ça se ressent forteme ... Show More
1h 43m