It’s the one you’ve been hoping for. In episode 115 of Overthink, Ellie and David discuss the meaning of hope, from casual travel plans, to electoral optimism, to theological liberation. They discuss how hope motivates action, and how its rosy tint might be paralyzing. They explore Kant’s ambitions for perpetual peace, and discuss the Marxian imperative to transform the world. They ask, is it rational to hope? How does hoping relate to desire and expectation? And should we hope for what seems...
Hello, and welcome to Overthink, the podcast.
That trades on your hope.
That philosophy is relevant for your life.
I'm Ellie Anderson.
And I'm David Pena Guzman.
We sadly seem to live in a hopeless moment.
Fascism is on the rise globally.
We are witnessing an ongoing genocide in Gaza.
There is no sign of capitalism abating anytime soon.
And climate change brings us closer and closer to the prospect of our own extinction.
But at the same time, hope has been used a lot in political discourse lately.
I noticed that when the Democrats decided to make Kamala Harris the candidate over the summer,
Michelle Obama said at the DNC that hope is making a comeback.
Also, Tim Waltz's daughter, I couldn't help but note, is named Hope.
Cute.
I didn't know that.
But it does seem like a callback to Obama era liberalism, since,
after all, Obama's entire campaign strategy was based on hope.
Right.
And I do think that we see hope making a comeback on the left.