This is one for the books. In episode 104 of Overthink, Ellie and David consider what makes reading so rewarding, and, for many people today, so challenging! How did society shift toward inward silent reading and away from reading aloud in the Middle Ages? How have changes in teaching phonics and factors of classism, accessibility, and educational justice made it harder for the young to read? Why is reading philosophy so hard, and how can we increase our reading stamina?

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.

In episode 84 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about standpoint theory and its relationship to W. E. B. DuBois’ concept of double consciousness. They welcome Dr. Briana Toole, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. They discuss electoral politics, educational policy, Corrupt the Youth, a philosophy outreach program founded by Dr. Toole that brings philosophy to high schools in the U.S.

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?

Curiosity led Pandora to open a box, but what does being curious look like in our everyday lives? Ellie and David talk with the authors of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection, Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett, about the philosophy of curiosity.