What do skydiving, guitar-playing teenagers, and deep-seated psychic states have in common? They're all intense! In episode 110 of Overthink, Ellie and David untangle the role of intensity in shaping our aspirations, cultural tropes, and political goals. They trace the concept’s history from its tricky roots in Aristotle's theory of change, passing through medieval science and princely romanticism, to the thrills of skydiving and breathwork today. They turn to Henri Bergson and Gilles Deleuze’s accounts of consciousness and emotion to explore how intensity looks beyond the scientistic impulse to categorize and quantify, and question if intensity is of any help in addressing capitalist acceleration today.Check out the episode's extended cut here!Works DiscussedAristotle, CategoriesZygmunt Bauman, Liquid LifeHenri Bergson, Time and Free WillGilles Deleuze, Difference and RepetitionGustav Theodor Fechner, Elements of PsychophysicsTristan Garcia, The Life Intense: A Modern ObsessionMary Beth Mader, “Whence Intensity? Deleuze and the Revival of a Concept”Benjamin Noys, The Persistence of the NegativeNick Srnicek & Alex Williams, “#Accelerate: Manifesto for an Accelerationist Politics”The BacheloretteInside Out 2 (2024)Mentioned Overthink episodes61 - Self Knowledge32 - Paradox107 - OrganismsSupport the Show.Patreon | patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website | overthinkpodcast.comInstagram & Twitter | @overthink_podEmail | [email protected] | Overthink podcast