In episode 128 of Overthink, Ellie and David take a look at cleanliness. They get into how humans have turned cleanliness into art, the double standard of cleanliness for humans vs pets, and the historical weaponisation of cleanliness against marginalised groups, such as queer people and people of color. Why are we so focused on dirt when it is nothing more than matter out of place? And what is up with TikTok’s obsession with the Clean Girl Aesthetic?

Ellie and David talk about extinction, from Christian eschatology, to the perils of Anthropocene, to cutting-edge de-extinction technology. They turn to animal ethics and scientific dilemmas in search of the ethical approaches that might equip us to think extinction.

From Kant’s distinction between organisms and mechanisms, to Deleuze and Guattari’s infamous call for ‘bodies without organs,’ Ellie and David uncover and question the ontological and metaphorical baggage behind organisms. In the bonus, they discuss relations between organisms, politics, and reason through the thought of Lukács and Canguilhem.

In episode 99, Ellie and David talk all about zombies and their unfortunate legacy in the thought experiments of academic philosophy. Their portrait as brain-eating and consciousness-lacking mobs is a far cry from their origins in the syncretic sorcery at the margins of Haitian Voodoo. Your hosts probe beyond limits of the tradition when they explore zombification in animals, in reading, in Derrida, and beyond.

In Overthink’s epsiode 82, David and Ellie dicuss regret, from career decisions to breakups. They talk its usefulness and philsophy from Confucius and Aristotle to today. Can teens and dogs regret? Is regret, remorse, and existential despair rational?

Martha Nussbaum discusses her new book, Justice for Animals, including her view of predators, capabilities approach, and more.

Cynthia Willett discusses her research on the social lives of animals in episode 54. David and Ellie talk delphiniphilia, elephant mourning, and more!

Episode 53 explains why personhood is a concept broader than humanity, and discusses Peter Singer’s concept of speciesism.

Episode 52 discusses co-host David’s new book When Animals Dream, which makes a fascinating case for the consciousness of animals from octopuses to zebra finches.

In this episode of Overthink, Ellie and David dive into the sensation of empathy! The dynamic duo discuss mirror neurons, whether animals can feel empathy, nice boy syndrome, why the phrase “I feel your pain” is so annoying, and more!