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The Big Think Interview

147 episodes

Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.

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All Episodes (147)

A heart shape is cut out of paper, revealing a circuit board with computer chips and code underneath.

The ethical crisis lurking in the background of the AI boom

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4 min

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A man wearing a black blazer, graphic T-shirt, and backwards cap stands against a plain background with his hands raised in a questioning gesture.

Why Kevin Smith bet $27,575 on a movie no one showed up for

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6 min

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with

A person sits alone on a bench against a yellow background, looking down at a smartphone.

The great friendship collapse: Inside The Anti-Social Century

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12 min

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A monarch butterfly with orange and black wings rests on water, creating a ripple pattern around it.

The impossibility of control in a butterfly-effected world

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6 min

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The U.S. Capitol building is shown with large red tape strips crossed over it against a blue sky, symbolizing restriction or a government shutdown.

Policy and process is paralyzing the US government

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8 min

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with

Marble bust of a bearded man with eyes closed and mouth covered by a strip of black tape, set against a black background.

Are we protecting the vulnerable—or suppressing dissent?

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20 min

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An astronaut in a spacesuit stands facing a large red planet or celestial body with a glowing edge against a black background.

Brian Cox: Why Earth’s orbit is the new Wild West and what that means for us all

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19 min

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A silhouette of a person seated with blurred movement in the background and large text reading "KNOW YOUR EXIT" on the right.

Most people freeze in a crisis. Here’s why — and how to stop it

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19 min

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A human hand appears to hold a glowing celestial object surrounded by small planets and stars, creating the illusion of a miniature universe in the palm.

Brian Cox: The incomprehensible scales that rule the Universe

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12 min

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A note pinned to a wall with the words "1 Rule to Focus" in red, viewed through the crosshairs of a scope or lens.

The CIA method for making quick decisions under stress

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13 min

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with

Andrew Bustamante

A hand holding a fork is positioned toward a photo of Earth against a green background.

We have the tools to fix our food system. Why aren’t we using them?

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20 min

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A dinosaur stands in a field as a flaming asteroid falls from the sky; bold text reads "DON'T BE THE DINOSAUR.

Michael Watkins: You can’t afford to be a dinosaur

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8 min

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Michael D. Watkins

A lighthouse shines its beam at dusk with the words "HAPPINESS GUIDES" in large white text over the image.

We’ve been wrong about happiness. Here’s what philosophy says

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5 min

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A man in a blazer holds up a yellow card with black line drawings and gestures with his other hand against a plain background.

The question nobody’s asking about space colonization

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9 min

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Illustration of three planets orbiting a star, with colored bands indicating the habitable zone; text reads "FINDING LIFE Habital Zone.

How close are we to finding alien life?

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19 min

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A small person stands at the base of a large staircase with the words "IT STARTS HERE" in bold black letters on a yellow background.

A neuroscientist’s guide to fixing your mind in 15 mins

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15 min

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with

Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Target symbol over a world map with a central orange circle displaying "< 2°", surrounded by numbers on concentric circles.

Is it too late for us to slow climate warming?

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6 min

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A mural shows an angel pointing toward a golden emblem, with rays emanating. Monks stand in reverence below, surrounded by flowers and architectural details.

Sam Harris: Is AI aligned with our human interests?

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13 min

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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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with

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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with

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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Related

Helen Fisher: How science can explain heartbreak

Why do we fall in love with one person over another? The late biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher unpacks the evolutionary roots of romantic love, sex, and attachment. Using research […]

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01:06:42 min

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A heart shape is cut out of paper, revealing a circuit board with computer chips and code underneath.

The ethical crisis lurking in the background of the AI boom

“If we did create beings that were more like non-human animals, we ought to treat them much better than we now treat non-human animals.”

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4 min

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with

A man wearing a black blazer, graphic T-shirt, and backwards cap stands against a plain background with his hands raised in a questioning gesture.

Why Kevin Smith bet $27,575 on a movie no one showed up for

“You might as well go for it. You might as well do the thing that you dream about doing for heaven’s sake.”

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6 min

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A person sits alone on a bench against a yellow background, looking down at a smartphone.

The great friendship collapse: Inside The Anti-Social Century

“You can debate all sorts of things about how the texture of American life has changed. What you can’t debate is the sheer, objective, existential fact that Americans are more alone than ever.”

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12 min

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A petri dish containing various colorful bacterial colonies growing on agar, viewed from above against a dark background.

Meet the survivors of Earth’s worst days

These microbes endured the unlivable. The NASA astrobiologist who studies them reveals what that means for us today

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7 min

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