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The Big Think Interview

Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content — with thousands of videos helping you get smarter, faster. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life.

Latest Episodes:

Pantheism: A third way between religion and atheism | Jack Symes Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

For decades, atheists have used one move to dismantle the case for God: swap in an evil one and show that the arguments work just as well. Philosopher Jack Symes was convinced by it, and was 50,000 words into a book defending atheism when he noticed that the exercise kept tipping toward goodness. He threw out the manuscript and started over.

The theory that connects the origin of life to the rise of intelligence | Blaise Aguera Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

From von Neumann's blueprint, which predated the discovery of DNA, to viral genes that now help form our memories and placentas, Blaise Agüera y Arcas argues that function defines life more than material does, and that AI belongs in the same story. He explains why he thinks AGI is already here, and gives a blueprint for using AI without sacrificing your own mind.

The political philosophy under attack from both the left and the right | Jonathan Rauch Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Jonathan Rauch, author and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, dives into the philosophy of liberalism, how it has created and transformed our institutions, and the state of truth in a world rife with misinformation.

The minimum viable intervention for a happier life | Tal Ben-Shahar Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Most of us can recite the benefits of exercise, gratitude, and patience while doing none of it. Tal Ben-Shahar calls this the Knowing-Doing gap, and our typical interventions, like retreats and month-long overhauls keep it open.

The lost art of rhetoric, from a 2x debate world champion | Bo Seo Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Two-time debate champion Bo Seo breaks down why arguments fail: the 4 bad-faith personas that hijack conversations, a four-question framework for picking fights worth having, and the surprising Cold War standoff between Nixon and Khrushchev that shows what staying composed under pressure actually looks like.

The science, medicine, and mythology of menstruation and menopause | Jen Gunter Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

OBGYN Jen Gunter unpacks the science, history, and mythology of menstruation and menopause, and offers a guidebook to navigate the modern healthcare landscape.

The invisible forces that create talent and elite performance | Daniel Coyle Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Talent isn’t a gift we're born with – it’s a signal we’ve been reading completely wrong. Author Daniel Coyle breaks down the common traits shared by successful people, and why environment, not innate ability, is the variable that ties them all together.

The world's greatest mathematician explains 6 essential concepts of math | Terence Tao Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Terence Tao has spent decades solving problems most people can't even state, and he says he's never had a single eureka moment. In this conversation, the UCLA mathematician and Fields Medalist breaks math down to six essential ideas: numbers, algebra, geometry, probability, analysis, and dynamics.

The #1 predictor of relationships that are doomed to fail | Julie & John Gottman Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Every marriage’s disintegration is marked by the same four warning signs that researchers John and Julie Gottman can spot before a couple even finishes their first sentence.

The founders of the Gottman Institute break down decades of lab research on why relationships collapse, and what to look for in a partner so they can make it 50 years by your side.

Psychologist: The blueprint for developing a healthy relationship with your emotions | Lisa Damour Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Stress has a branding problem. Clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour argues that most of us have the wrong relationship with discomfort entirely, treating stress like a malfunction instead of what it actually is: a signal that we're growing.

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