Why Theory

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Future of an Illusion

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Freud's Future of an Illusion, a text that would become overshadowed by his subsequent publication, Civilization and Its Discontent

Oct 11
1 h 11 min

Neo Noir

On this episode, Ryan and Todd return to their film genre series to discuss the neo noir. As opposed to the classic noir period, which is named retroactively by French fi

Sep 27
1 h 18 min

Divine Violence

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss the notion of divine violence. The conversation draws principally on an encounter staged between the term's evocation in Walter Ben

Sep 13
1 h 10 min

Wretched of the Earth

On this episode, Ryan and Todd complete their Frantz Fanon duology by talking about his final completed work, Wretched of the Earth. The episode focuses on Fanon's "stret

Aug 30
1 h 12 min

Black Skin, White Masks

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Frantz Fanon's decolonial classic, Black Skin, White Masks. The hosts work through the conversation surrounding his credentials as

Aug 17
1 h 22 min

Adaptations

On this episode, Ryan and Todd theorize the adaptation as a form of film. The episode takes its point of departure the continuing conversation over Nolan's Odyssey. Film

Aug 2
1 h 25 min

The Odyssey

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Christopher Nolan's recent film. The conversation begins with Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey that Nolan consulted and ad

Jul 19
1 h 25 min

Theorizing the World Cup

On this episode, Ryan & Todd theorize the World Cup as a public event that enables the non-expert to see complex theoretical notions, such as Alain Badiou's conceptualiza

Jul 6
1 h 27 min

What Is Literature? (Literature and Existentialism)

On this episode, Ryan and Todd complete their Sartre inflected trifecta of episodes by engaging his 1947 essay series What Is Literature? The hosts begin by talking about

Jun 21
1 h 20 min

Michael Clayton

On this episode, Ryan and Todd cover writer-director Tony Gilroy's 2007 political thriller masterpiece, Michael Clayton. The hosts weave in Sartre's notion of committing

Jun 7
1 h 14 min

Existentialism Is A Humanism

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Jean-Paul Sartre's 1945 lecture titled "Existentialism is a Humanism." In it, Sartre answers criticism that existentialism has rece

May 24
1 h 16 min

Impossible Professions

On this episode, Ryan and Todd discuss Freud's idea of the "impossible professions." First articulated in 1925, Freud is drawn to the idea that psychoanalysis is like gov

May 11
1 h 20 min

Avarice

Following up some of the discussion points introduced in the previous episode on Ambition, this episode takes a stab at the deadly sin of Avarice. Beginning first with a

Apr 26
1 h 14 min

Ambition

On this episode, Ryan and Todd tackle the fading specter of ambition as a tragic or negative quality. Far from being a minor rhetorical or social phenomenon, the two trac

Apr 13
1 h 11 min

Transcendental Analytic (Kant's Critique of Pure Reason)

On this episode, Ryan and Todd return to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason to discuss the Transcendental Analytic section of the text. Topics include: form and content, Kant

Mar 29
1 h 20 min

Rob Reiner: An Overview

On this episode, Ryan and Todd take a short break from their Kant Odyssey to discuss one of the podcast's most admired filmmakers: Rob Reiner. Coincidentally being releas

Mar 15
1 h 28 min

Transcendental Deduction (Kant's Critique of Pure Reason)

On this episode, Ryan and Todd cover the next major idea in Kant's first critique: the transcendental deduction. While explicating the trajectory of Kant's argument, the

Mar 2
1 h 24 min

Transcendental Aesthetic (Kant's Critique of Pure Reason)

On this episode, Ryan and Todd return to Kant and discuss the Transcendental Aesthetic from his Critique of Pure Reason. The hosts work through a sketch of Kant's idea, w

Feb 15
1 h 14 min

Superegoic Enjoyment

On this episode, Ryan and Todd return to the topic of the superego to discuss--for the first time at length--the enjoyment particular to it. Superegoic enjoyment is an id

Feb 1
1 h 22 min

Structural Violence

On this episode, Ryan and Todd cover the topic of structural violence in both U.S. and global contexts. Beginning with an implicit debt to Slavoj Žižek's influential book

Jan 19
1 h 16 min

Chart trend

Position in the TV & Film chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#99#196JulAugSepOct

#96

all-time peak

day in the top 100 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Why Theory ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 13, 2026).

#185 NEW TV & Film US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

not every ep is for me (love film, don’t love film theory, oddly enough) but this is the best theory podcast as far as thoughtfulness, HUMOR, entertainment value and grounding in culture goes that i’m aware of. Not much can get me to listen to men these days but this archive is such a comfort for me.

DimesSquareDweller age 36 · Jun 2026

Always look forward to new episodes and have been listening to past ones — even the ones that seemingly are irrelevant to me or my interests like sports or Christmas movie end up generating questions and ideas for me that I wish I would earnestly pursue.

Juliette9619 · May 2026

Why Theory is, without question, my favorite podcast. Todd and Ryan have that rare kind of chemistry that makes even the most difficult philosophical and psychoanalytic ideas feel alive, engaging, and surprisingly accessible without ever dumbing them down. There’s a rhythm between them—intellectually sharp, genuinely funny, and deeply human—that makes each episode feel less like a lecture and more like being invited into an ongoing conversation you can’t wait to keep listening to. What continually amazes me is their ability to take incredibly dense concepts—Lacan, Hegel, ideology critique, desire, enjoyment, subjectivity—and not only explain them clearly, but connect them to film, politics, culture, and everyday life in ways that suddenly make everything click. They don’t just teach theory; they demonstrate why theory matters. As both a person and a practicing psychotherapist, this podcast has made an indelible mark on me. It has shaped the way I think about desire, relationships, culture, and even the therapeutic encounter itself. Few podcasts have genuinely changed how I see the world. Why Theory has done exactly that. If you’ve ever thought big ideas were inaccessible or irrelevant, this podcast will completely change your mind.

Quique Autrey · May 2026

I listen to Why Theory regularly and find Todd’s input to be highly educational if not downright entertaining. I looked forward to this particular episode as I have watched The Family Man every year since its release. In fact, I have found it to be one of my favorite movies until recent years when, like alluded to in this episode, have found myself liking it less and less. I can’t tell you how incredibly disappointed I was as I listened to Ryan describe the scene in which Jack is going through the box of personal belongings given to him by Kate. I cannot believe someone who has seen the movie “millions” of times and purports to be a film aficionado say that the bottle Jack pulls out, inspects and smells is a bottle of alcohol! The power of that scene is that he pulls out a bottle of English Leather- a reference to their earlier life together at a time that only those who lived then would appreciate the cologne. Ryan’s credibility as a critic was sorely diminished. (I’m a bit surprised that Todd didn’t correct him!)

Obscurity’s · Dec 2025

How many times should 2 PhDs use the word “great” in an hour? These guys completely lack an evaluative-analytical vocabulary. They talk like undergrads or pseuds who think of their audience as dorm-dwellers. It would be “great” if they didn’t name drop Lacan without any attempt to explain the relevance. Very disappointing superficiality.

Clancularius1 · Oct 2025

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.