OVERTHINK

In episode 137 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the meaning of truth in our contemporary political and social landscape and how post-truth has increased in the recent years. They explore the different types of truth and the differences between misinformation vs disinformation and lying vs bullshitting. How do phenomenons like opinion overload, news fatigue, and information overload contribute to the spread of post truth? Is there a connection between post truth and postmodernism? And if so, how has academic postmodernism, or so called ‘pomo professors’, contributed to the rise of dishonesty and deception?

In episode 136 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk through all things burnout. They look at the history of the term burnout and its connection to social justice, the correlation between achievement culture and burnout, and what Christina Maslach’s Burnout inventory tells us about the different axes of burnout. How does our mindless scrolling and inability to be bored contribute to burnout? Why do academics struggle to recognize their burnout? And is it even possible to escape burnout in a capitalist society?

In episode 134 of Overthink, Ellie and David have a conversation with Eric Schwitzgebel about his book Weirdness of the World. They think through the difference between weirdness and bizarreness, the nonsensical nature of all philosophical theories, and whether we should all just agree with Occam’s razor, that simplest is always best. From the weirdness of humans and common sense to the weirdness of the world, this episode dives into several areas of weirdness