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 Meritocracy

Judith Lichtenberg and David Luban, “The Merits of Merit”

Michael Young, The Rise of the Meritocracy

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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 Aztecs

Jacques Soustelle, Daily Life of the Aztecs on the Eve of the Spanish Conquest

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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 Discussed

Daniel Brennan, Surfing and the Philosophy of Sport

Kevin Dawson, Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora

William Finnegan, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Aaron James, Surfing with Sartre: An Aquatic Inquiry Into a Life of Meaning

Peter Kreeft, I Surf, Therefore I Am: A Philosophy of Surfing

Aileen 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 Surfing

Wade in the Water: A Journey Into Black Surfing and Aquatic Culture (2023)

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.