Ellie and David reflect on the highs and lows of friendship, from their own bond to Montaigne’s intimate connection to Étienne de La Boétie. From Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics to today’s loneliness epidemic, they question what friends do, how they hold each other accountable, and the deep ways in which our vices and virtues are shaped by our friends.

Ellie and David analyze success in everything from Zhuangzi’s tales to the corporate world of buzzwords. They discuss party planning, tenure tracks, inspirational quotes, haters, why science seems so successful, and the pitfalls of thinking we’ve got it all figured out.

In episode 102 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss racial mixedness, from family-oriented models of mixed race to José Vasconcelos’ and Gloria Anzaldua’s idea of the ‘mestizo’ heritage of Mexican people. They work through phenomenological accounts of cultural hybridity and selfhood, wondering how being multiracial pushes beyond the traditional Cartesian philosophical subject.

In Episode 98, Ellie and David untangle the philosophy behind reputations. From Machiavelli’s advice to despots looking to stay popular, to disgruntled students venting on their professors online, they explore concepts like the Matthew effect, the homo comparativus, and informational asymmetry.

From Plato’s spotless Republic to Saudi Arabia’s futuristic The Line, they talk the foul and the vibrant of what it means to live in a city. Why are there so few public plazas in Brasilia? Why did David lose his wallet in Mexico City? How do gridded street layouts reflect colonial fantasies?

“They find our bodies repulsive.” On episode 96 of Overthink, Ellie and David bring on Dr. Kate Manne, philosopher and author of Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia. She explains the moral failures and biomedical perils of our fatphobic culture and diets. They look at the politics of fat, fatness, and fatphobia for questions of accessibility, justice, and intimacy, discussing the BMI, Ozempic, and more.

In episode 94 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss everything debt, from student loans and bank bailouts to the importance of honoring one’s intellectual forebears. Your hosts explore how debt has structured social, family, and religious bonds across history, from Vedic India, to Plato’s Athens, and how the notion of being “indebted” to one’s cultural past conditions the experience of immigrants in America today.

From Émile Zola to Edward Said, from Antonio Gramsci to… Joe Rogan? In episode 79 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the figure of the high-minded ‘intellectual’ and their role in today’s mass-media landscape. Who are intellectuals, what do they do, and what are they for? Can they, and ought they, participate in public debate?

Lived experience is a common term today, indicated through such claims as “As a queer Mexican immigrant” (we’re looking at you, David!). We get into the roots of the term in phenomenology —Erlebnis in German— and talk about how lived experience gets used in social sciences and humanities.

Cultural appropriation is a common charge today, but what does it mean? How do we determine in-group out-group identity, and who decides what the line is between appreciation and cultural appropriation? Two philosophy professors discuss.

Fear of missing out - FOMO - the condition of the self that desires social connection to the point of a phobia of being left out. Why isn’t JOMO - the joy of missing out- a viable alternative?

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?

What’s the status of feminism today in the wake of #metoo, Dobbs, and more? How does feminist philosophy shed light on the nature of sexism and patriarchy? We interview Carol Hay, author of Think Like a Feminist.

What does it feel like to wait? David and Ellie explore the phenomenology and politics of waiting with the philosophy of Walter Benjamin and more.

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 propaganda?

Deleuze suggests we’ve moved from a society characterized by Foucault’s panopticon to a society of control. Ellie and David talk TSA, smartphones listening to you, and more.

What values and habits make Gen Z tick? Ellie and David talk about the philosophy of generations, and speak with Gen Z student assistants Anna Solomon and Sam Hernandez.

Overthink spills the tea on why gossip is a crucial form of social bonding, especially for the oppressed.

David and Ellie unpack why capitalist culture is so obsessed with productivity, and how the supposed self-care of leaning into laziness is actually the dark side of this same culture.

Are straight people OK? Why are women so rampantly dissatisfied in heterosexual relationships with men, and so often expressing feelings of regret about being straight? Feminist philosophy has some clues.