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Published — 25 August 2026 ⏭ Overthink - philosophy podcast

182. Reflection

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As Overthink comes to a close, why not take a look back? In Episode 182, Ellie and David tackle the concept of reflection and explain why it is so central to philosophy. What is the value of reflection, and what are its drawbacks? How does philosophy go astray when it treats the self as a product of reflection, and how can phenomenology and existentialism shed light on the proper role of reflection in our lives? Your hosts analyze the myth of Narcissus, discuss studies on reflection among animals such as rats and dolphins, and consider reflection as a visual metaphor for thinking. They also offer some thoughts on the podcast's ending: for more on that, see 179. Unemployment, and the Substack bonus segment. In the Substack bonus segment, Ellie and David reflect on Overthink and give some final thoughts before its end.

Works discussed:
Ellie Anderson, Self-Relation: A Phenomenology of Ambiguity (forthcoming May 2027)
Hans-Johann Glock, “Do Animals Have Thoughts?”
Dieter Henrich, "Fichte's Original Insight"
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, The Phenomenology of Perception
Gabriel Marcel, The Mystery of Being
Ovid, Metamorphosis
David Peña-Guzmán, When Animals Dream
JD Smith et al. "The uncertain response in the bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)"

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