Overthink Podcast
Two philosophy professors make perennial themes accessible through deep-dive conversations, connecting complex ideas to everyday life.
This is an academic-grade philosophy seminar disguised as a casual coffee shop conversation. The hosts, both professional philosophers, use current events, pop culture, and personal anecdotes to unpack dense theoretical concepts, from Simone Weil on friendship to the ethics of AI-assisted cheating. It bridges the gap between rigorous scholarship and public intellectualism.
“Unlike many philosophy podcasts that are either purely conversational or rigidly academic, Overthink stands out by having two credentialed professors who bring both scholarly rigor and a casual, humorous rapport to the table. Their ability to translate complex theories into relatable contexts is the show's core strength.”
Who hosts this show
Overthink is a philosophy podcast hosted by Dr. Ellie Anderson, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College, and Dr. David Peña-Guzmán, an Associate Professor of Humanities at San Francisco State University. Together, they make complex philosophical concepts accessible by connecting them to current events, pop culture, and daily life. Each episode does a deep dive on a single theme, such as cheating, coolness, or attention, and the show sometimes features guest experts.
Credentials & credits
- Ellie Anderson, Ph.D. in Philosophy from Emory University
- Ellie Anderson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College
- David Peña-Guzmán, Ph.D. in Philosophy from Emory University
- David Peña-Guzmán, Associate Professor of Humanities at San Francisco State University
- Ellie Anderson, Host of Crash Course's Political Theory series
- David Peña-Guzmán, Author of 'When Animals Dream' and co-author of 'Chimpanzee Rights'
Other ventures
- Ellie Anderson's Substack on philosophy
- David Peña-Guzmán's book: 'When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness'
- Ellie Anderson's upcoming book: 'The Relational Self: A Phenomenology of Ambiguity'
- Ellie Anderson: Host of Crash Course's Political Theory series
- David Peña-Guzmán's book: 'Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers' Brief' (co-author)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Simone Weil on FriendshipJun 22, 2026 · 8 min
- 02177. CheatingJun 16, 2026 · 1h 10m
- 03176. AttentionJun 2, 2026 · 1h 00m
- 04175. CoolnessMay 26, 2026 · 58 min
- 05174. Climate Action with Kyle WhyteMay 19, 2026 · 59 min
- 06173. TheftMay 12, 2026 · 57 min
Notable episodes
- 01177. Cheating
Connects a classic philosophical debate to the timely and modern challenges of AI in academia and evolving relationship norms.
- 02Simone Weil on Friendship
A representative example of the show's format, featuring a deep dive into the work of a single, influential philosopher.
- 03174. Climate Action with Kyle Whyte
Demonstrates the show's practice of bringing on expert guests for specialized topics, in this case an Indigenous philosopher and activist.
- 04176. Attention
Tackles the highly relevant 'attention economy,' blending classical psychology from William James with modern phenomena like doomscrolling.
What you'll be asked on this show
Each episode is a co-hosted deep dive on a single concept. Anderson and Peña-Guzmán structure their discussion around key thinkers and texts but maintain a light, conversational tone, often using personal stories and pop culture references. The show has a standard introduction and consistently promotes a Substack subscription for extended, ad-free episodes.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
- “What is cheating?”
- “How is generative AI changing the landscape of cheating in schools?”
- “Why is infidelity considered so wrong in romantic relationships?”
- “Does anybody know what attention is?”
- “How is the attention economy changing not just our attention spans, but our very consciousness?”
- “Is attention a resource that can be exploited?”
Signature segments
- · Introduction: "Hello and welcome to Overthink, the podcast where we put philosophy in dialogue with everyday life."
- · Host Intros: "I'm Ellie Anderson. And I'm David Peña-Guzmán."
- · Call to action for their Substack subscription for ad-free, extended content.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically other academics, philosophers, and activists who are experts on the specific topic of the episode, such as Indigenous philosopher and activist Kyle Whyte discussing climate action.
- Kyle Whyteon 174. Climate Action with Kyle Whyte
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The show is primarily supported by listener subscriptions via Substack, which provides access to exclusive ad-free and extended episodes. This direct-to-consumer model suggests an appeal for brands targeting a highly engaged and educated audience.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Overthink?
- The podcast is hosted by Dr. Ellie Anderson, an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Pomona College, and Dr. David Peña-Guzmán, an Associate Professor of Humanities at San Francisco State University.
- What is the podcast's format?
- Each episode is a deep-dive conversation between the two hosts on a single philosophical theme, concept, or thinker, connecting it to contemporary life.
- Is Overthink still producing new episodes?
- Yes, the podcast releases episodes on a regular, near-weekly basis, as of late June 2026.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- Overthink is available on its official website, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms.
- How can I support the show?
- You can support Overthink by subscribing to their Substack, which provides access to extended and ad-free episodes.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Overthink Podcast Official Websiteoverthinkpodcast.com
- [02]Ellie Anderson, Ph.D. - Official Siteellieandersonphd.com
- [03]Ellie Anderson - Pomona College Faculty Pagepomona.edu
- [04]David M. Peña-Guzmán - The Scientist Author Profilethe-scientist.com
- [05]David M. Peña-Guzmán - Brooks Institutebrooks.animalstudies.msu.edu
- [06]Overthink Podcast - Substackoverthinkpodcast.substack.com
- [07]About Us - Overthink Podcastoverthinkpodcast.com
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