Overthink

What do Labubus, Beanie Babies, Hello Kitty, and Furbies have in common? They’re all cute! In episode 153 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss cuteness. From the idea of cuteness as a logic of contagion to the evolutionary explanation for why we find babies so adorable, this episode has it all. How is the increasing demand for shortform content a symptom of cuteification? What are the harms of categorizing certain animals as cute? In what ways is cuteness tied to consumption? And is society heading towards a future of cuteness? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts talk about the emergence of cuteness in Kawaii culture and what is so cute about Paddington bear. Works Discussed:Amy Ireland and Maya B. Kronic, Cute AccelerationismSianne Ngai, Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, and InterestingSianne Ngai, The CuteDylan Wittkower, “On The Origins of the Cute as a Dominant Aesthetic Category in Digital Culture”Sarah Wolfensohn, “Too Cute to Kill? The Need for Objective Measurements of Quality of Life”Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s time for something new! In episode 152 of Overthink, Ellie and David take a deep dive into Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality, Volume 1. From the repressive hypothesis to the role of confession in producing the truth of sex, your hosts get into all of the juicy content of this seminal book. They also talk about the difference between “ars erotica” and “scientia sexualis,” two key concepts in Foucault’s treatment of sexuality.Why does Foucault reject the view that sexuality has been repressed? What is the function of power in sexuality? How does the desire for truth about oneself produce various discourses of sexuality? And, when all is said and done, are Foucault’s reflections on power in this work too homogenous? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts discuss the pedagogization of children’s sexuality and Foucault’s problematic treatment of a historical case involving the sexual abuse of a minor.Works Discussed:Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality Volume 1Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've all been sold the ideal of meritocracy. The American dream, our education system, and our politics are all based on it. But what if meritocracy is actually impossible--and based on a misunderstanding of how society works? In episode 151 of Overthink, Ellie and David put meritocracy in the spotlight. They think through the inherent inequality of meritocracy, its tendency to skew toward conservatism, and what Trump’s attacks on DEI reveal about how society favors merit. How does meritocracy create vertical social distance between those in power and the working class? And is meritocracy even a worthwhile ideal? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts get into the role that merit plays in Christian theology and the promise of heaven. Works Discussed:Christopher Hayes, Twilight of the Elites: America After MeritocracyJudith Lichtenberg and David Luban, “The Merits of Merit”Michael Young, The Rise of the MeritocracyEnjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why are Aztecs often considered pessimists from a philosophical perspective? In episode 150 of Overthink, Ellie and David chat with philosopher Sebastian Purcell about his book The Outward Path: The Wisdom of the Aztecs. They discuss how the Aztecs urge us to take an “outside-in” approach to the self, how their understanding of happiness differs from much of Western philosophy, and how their view of the mind as inherently chaotic shapes their moral outlook. Why did the Aztecs think happiness was not an important goal? How can the Aztec notion of ‘right speech’ help us gain control over the internal chaos of the mind? And why did the Aztecs reject the possibility of redemption? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts dive deeper into the pessimism of the Aztecs and the claustrophobia of the Spanish conquest.Works Discussed:Sebastian Purcell, The Outward Path: The Wisdom of the AztecsJacques Soustelle, Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish ConquestEnjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hang loose! In episode 149 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about all things surfing. They explore the long history of wave-riding across the globe, from Peru to West Africa, and consider how surfing helps us to reimagine social issues and what surfing reveals about the connection between flow and freedom. Is surfing the pinnacle of human life? How has the sportification of surfing directly contravened surfing’s anti-capitalist ethos? Why is the average surfer an image of white masculinity? And how is this image tied to indigenous erasure? In the Substack bonus segment, your hosts discuss the similarities between surfing and skating, surfing as an art, and the existential risk of surfing.Works DiscussedDaniel Brennan, Surfing and the Philosophy of SportKevin Dawson, Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African DiasporaWilliam Finnegan, Barbarian Days: A Surfing LifeAaron James, Surfing with Sartre: An Aquatic Inquiry Into a Life of MeaningPeter Kreeft, I Surf, Therefore I Am: A Philosophy of SurfingAileen Moreton Robinson, “Bodies That Matter: Performing White Possession on the Beach”Peter J. Westwick and Peter Neushul, The World in the Curl: An Unconventional History of SurfingWade in the Water: A Journey Into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture (2023)Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3vJoin our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.