In episode 154 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk to philosopher Manon Garcia about her book,  Living with Men: Reflections on the Pelicot Trial. They discuss the rape case of Gisèle Pelicot and how the subsequent trial of her husband and fifty additional men sheds light on the normalization and acceptance of sexual violence in what is known as 'rape culture.' In what ways is the current understanding of consent as ‘permission giving’ harmful?  How is heterosexual love is often tied to objectification? Why does the ‘boys will be boys’ mentality make it difficult for us to rely on the criminal justice system? And how do we live with men knowing that cases such as these are incredibly common? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts discuss the politics of language and the risk of eroticization in recounting stories of sexual violence, and they think through where we should go from here in terms of sexual and romantic attachments to men.

In episode 144 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the unspoken difficulties of limerence, or the state of falling in love. What is the difference between love and limerence, and why do we confuse them so frequently? How does social media fuel limerent reactions? And is limerence inherently selfish? They discuss how limerence can be formative to our personal identities, whether a limerent object has ethical obligations to those who obsess over them, and how modern dating norms might direct us all towards limerence rather than love.

In episode 92 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss love beyond monogamy with philosophy professor, podcaster, and author of Why It's OK To Not be Monogamous, Justin L. Clardy. They discuss love and special attachment beyond sacrifice. With personal stories, they question the role of marriage in consumer capitalism, and reimagine agency, identity, community, and relation in the world.

In episode 91 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore mommy issues, from the OG mother Mary to today’s seducing MILFs. They look into psychonalytic theories and Simone de Beauvoir’s critique of maternal devotion. They explore sexualization, identification, masculinity, and more!

Who’s your daddy? Episode 90 is all about daddy issues. Ellie and David investigate father-child relations and the sexual, emotional, and familial worlds they create. From summer zaddies and sexy dad bods to hero feminist dads, your hosts travel from psychoanalysis all the way to theology and investigate how parenthood, gender, and vulnerability interact.

In episode 85 of Overthink, Ellie and David work through some of universities’ attempts at a sexual consent policy, discuss complex legal cases, and “gray rape.” They probe the limits of our idea of consent with cases of pain and grisly violence. They explore Ellie’s own proposal for rethinking our idea of consent. Is consent contractual? Performative? Magic? And, should it really be the central tenet of our sexual ethics?