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The Big Think Interview

129 episodes

Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.

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All Episodes (129)

Several microphones facing forward against a blue background with the text "Agents of Conflict" above them.

Depression and anxiety triggers are ‘best practices’ in bad journalism

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11 min

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Two luminous circles connected by a glowing blue wave on a dark background, creating a sense of energy and motion.

Physicist Brian Cox explains quantum physics in 22 minutes

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22 min

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A person sitting on a chair in a studio setting with a white backdrop and two small tables on either side, each holding a small plant.

The Hard Problem of Consciousness | Annaka Harris

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11 min

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A person with long curly hair and a headband gestures with one hand, wearing a black shirt that says "everyday" and a smartwatch on the other wrist, against a plain background.

Former CIA agent: The truth about manipulation

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13 min

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Andrew Bustamante

The words "Cosmic Origins" appear in bold against a colorful, radiant explosion resembling a galaxy or cosmic event.

3 discoveries that change the way we think of the Universe

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22 min

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A person sitting on a chair in a cozy interior with brick walls, two windows, plants, and a lamp.

Are we disciplining ourselves out of happiness?

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8 min

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Oliver Burkeman

A missile in motion with the words "2025's Top Threats" against a blue background.

10 biggest world threats of 2025, ranked | Ian Bremmer

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22 min

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Close-up view of a marble sculpture's lower face, showing a smile with detailed lips and chin against a dark background.

The philosophy of happiness, explained in 10 minutes

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11 min

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A pink brain shaped like a heart with rays emanating from it against a black background.

Emotional intelligence: The 4 domains of high performance

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8 min

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Aerial view of a large cargo ship with multicolored containers navigating through deep blue ocean waters.

The basics of post-COVID monetary policy, explained by an economist

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11 min

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with

Joseph Politano

Close-up image of a human iris featuring vibrant blue and yellow hues with a dark pupil in the center.

The mystery at the heart of consciousness

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10 min

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A man with short, grayish hair, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, stares directly at the camera against a black background.

Sam Harris: Your mind is all you have. Is yours working?

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10 min

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A person with glasses and a black blazer is looking directly at the camera against a black background.

Yuval Noah Harari’s guidebook for navigating the age of AI

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75 min

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Yuval Noah Harari

The image shows the words "Organizational Friction" in bold white text on a black background with red arrows crossing over them.

Why ‘friction thinkers’ see hidden opportunities first

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7 min

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Illustration of two human silhouettes facing each other with neural connections and nodes, featuring the text "BORN AND MADE" on a green background.

6 key abilities of strategic thinkers (you can learn them)

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7 min

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Michael D. Watkins

London Business School professor explains how to improve your critical inquiry skills

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6 min

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Illustration depicting human evolution from a primate to an early human holding a spear, advancing from left to right.

Everything about civilization is changing. Why aren’t our bodies evolving?

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8 min

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Sean B. Carroll

A dark background with the words "Generative AI HYPE" written in flames.

Generative AI is not the panacea we’ve been promised

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8 min

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The Earth partially submerged in water, symbolizing climate change and rising sea levels, against a black background.

Doomerism won’t fix the planet, but we can

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13 min

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Digital illustration of a human brain, displaying vibrant colors transitioning from green to blue and pink, set against a gradient and black background.

Reboot your mind for flow, unanxiousness, and resilience

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26 min

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The history of work: 3 experts debunk common myths

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25 min

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The lost art of accomplishment without burnout

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6 min

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The mind-blowing chaos that underpins the world

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11 min

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She studied extreme psychopaths. Here’s what it taught her about human nature

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11 min

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Text 'Period Myths' in bold white letters on a black background, surrounded by various-sized red spheres.

Period myths that “just need to die”

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11 min

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A mosaic of 36 square tiles, each showing a different fragment of various human faces, combined to create a composite image of diverse facial features.

Yascha Mounk: The rise of the identity ideology—and why I think it spells trouble

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13 min

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A gradient bar titled "The Future" shows a range from "Apathy" in red on the left to "Fear" in red on the right, with green in the middle. An arrow points to the green area.

Why apathy and fear are the two most useless positions on AI

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8 min

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A person sitting on a bench silhouetted against a colorful sunset sky.

Loneliness: The silent killer, and how to beat it

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24 min

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Michael Slepian

A man with short gray hair and a serious expression is looking directly at the camera, wearing a blue shirt against a plain background.

How to make unreasonable hospitality your cutting edge advantage

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6 min

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A classical stone bust of a man with a broken top, isolated against a black background.

The masculinity crisis, explained

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11 min

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Related

Several microphones facing forward against a blue background with the text "Agents of Conflict" above them.

Depression and anxiety triggers are ‘best practices’ in bad journalism

“These days, no national news network is trusted by more than half of American adults. And that’s a problem.”

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11 min

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A person sitting on a chair with legs crossed in front of a white backdrop in a spacious room with wooden floors and large windows.

Love, sex, and happiness, explained by philosophy | Jonny Thomson: Full Interview

“Plato would argue that sex in and of itself is not what true love is. Sex can reach a point where you are in union with that person, where you see behind their appearances and you see behind the flesh and you experience something which is more transcendental.”

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32 min

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Two luminous circles connected by a glowing blue wave on a dark background, creating a sense of energy and motion.

Physicist Brian Cox explains quantum physics in 22 minutes

“Quantum mechanics and quantum entanglement are becoming very real. We’re beginning to be able to access this tremendously complicated configuration space to do useful things.”

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22 min

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A digital, pixelated yellow face on a black background, giving the impression it's dissolving or glitching.

The genius behind “BBL Drizzy” on maximizing creativity with AI

“We’re at a very critical point in human history where things are about to change dramatically. One of the beauties of these AI tools is you now can just be anything that you dreamt of being.”

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6 min

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Willonius Hatcher

A person with short dark hair and a beard sits indoors wearing a brown jacket and dark shirt. The background features blurred indoor elements and a tree.

Dhar Mann on failure, fatherhood, and the spreadsheet that changed his life

How the 40-year-old entrepreneur and media mogul learned from his struggles, and why he believes accountability is the real secret to happiness.

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8 min

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