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.

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.

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.

Freud’s theory of the unconscious has been deeply influential, as well as frequently vilified. We get into his theory and some challenges to it in this episode.

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.

Myisha Cherry discusses her revolutionary work on rage with Ellie and David, talking about how her recent book The Case for Rage helps philosophy rethink this emotion.

Were you harmed by coming into existence? Is it unethical to have children? Ellie and David investigate the philosophical position of anti-natalism.

Trees tower over us and communicate via fungal networks beneath us, but all too often are overlooked. Why was Socrates wrong to say we can’t learn anything from trees? And was Nietzsche right to say it’s a tree-eat-tree world out there?

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.

Why was Rousseau so obsessed with walking while thinking? What can we learn from evolutionary theories about walking? And is the wandering flâneur a symbol of modern life?

Would you willingly plug yourself into an experience-simulating machine such as The Matrix? We discuss the value of sci-fi and philosophy with Dr. Helen De Cruz.

Did Plato come up with the idea of Forms while tripping on psychedelics? Do drugs obscure or reveal the true nature of reality?

From Hallmark movies to Scrooge, David and Ellie apply a critical theory lens to the American obsession with Christmas and its rituals of consumption.

When do we have the right to keep secrets? What are the differences between secrecy, lying, and privacy?

Is disgust a moral emotion? How and why did it evolve, and do we have the power to change what disgusts us?