Episode 107. Organisms

In episode 107 of Overthink, David and Ellie take up a philosophical perspective on biology’s squirmiest concept: the organism. From Kant’s distinction between organisms and mechanisms, to Deleuze and Guattari’s infamous call for ‘bodies without organs,’ they uncover and question the ontological and metaphorical baggage behind the concept. Their exploration takes them from the bottom of Sea of Naples to the heights of Romantic Idealism, passing through the tensions of contemporary genetics. Plus, in the Patreon bonus, they discuss the unexpected relations between organisms, politics, and reason through the thought of Lukács and Canguilhem.

Overthink is a philosophy podcast hosted by your new favorite professors, Ellie Anderson (Pomona College) and David PeñaGuzmán (San Francisco State University). Check out our episodes for deep dives into concepts such as existential anxiety, empathy, and gaslighting.

Support Overthink on Patreon here: patreon.com/overthinkpodcast

Works Discussed
Georges Canguillhem, Knowledge of Life
Gilles Deleuze, Difference and Repetition
Deleuze & Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus
Immanuel Kant, Critique of the Power of Judgment
Georg Lukács, The Destruction of Reason
Jennifer Mensch, Kant’s Organicism: Epigenesis and the Development of Critical Philosophy
Friedrich Schelling, First Outline of a System of the Philosophy of Nature
Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail
D. M. Walsh, Organisms, Agency, and Evolution

Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via taxdeductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3v

Join our Patreon for exclusive episode segments, monthly Zooms, and more:   / overthinkpodcast  

Website: overthinkpodcast.com
Facebook:   / overthinkpodcast105420885026249  
Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aIlXHT...
Buzzsprout RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1455199.rss
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at @overthink_pod