Big Think

Do reasons for living eventually run out? | Alex O'Connor

Feb 2, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The strongest arguments for and against the existence of God | Alex O'Connor: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqWTlUOhowk Most people go through their lives with perfectly good reasons for what they do, and almost no reason to question these reasons. What happens when we ask why ordinary actions feel self-justifying, and what happens when that chain of “becauses” finally runs out? Alex O’Connor explores. Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/nihilism-and-reason/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Alex O'Connor: Alex O’Connor, also known as Cosmic Skeptic, is an English public speaker and content creator recognized for his work on philosophy, ethics, religion, and secularism. He hosts the podcast Within Reason

Why every computer still follows a 1940s blueprint | David Alan Grier: Full Interview

Jan 30, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime | Peter Leyden ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5k72A30kUc&vl=en Before computers existed, people performed massive calculations by hand where error, repetition, and standardization shaped the outcome. We tracked comets, mapped nations, and solved problems of scale. That legacy of manual calculation shapes how we live today; our modern algorithms and the shaping of predictive models. Dr. David Alan Grier explains the unexpected link between the Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence. 0:00 Chapter 1: Computers and the Industrial Revolution 6:30 Computation as a tool of exploration 9:54 Measuring a nation into existence 12:22 From human computers to mechanical ones 20:06 The clockwork foundations of modern computing 24:55 Chapter 2: The power of standardization 29:11 The power of standardization 32:03 Standardizing education 37:55 Chapter 3: Computing the human experience 41:05 Expanding data to the human experience 41:58 Automating the census 46:55 Chapter 4: How computers change us 48:50 From ENIAC to ARPANET 54:45 When computing became personal 58:58 Adapting to algorithmic life 1:03:47 Chapter 5: When machines replace humans 1:12:18 The first data ownership fight 1:19:20 AI is not new Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/industrial-revolution-computing/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About David Alan Grier: David Alan Grier, PhD, is a professor, writer, author, and speaker on issues of technology, society, and organizations. He is the author of several books including When Computers Were Human, which chronicles the 200-year history of how human computers performed calculations by hand. Grier is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

The biggest myth about aging, according to science | Morgan Levine: Full Interview

Jan 23, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Doctors rarely speak about this massive risk factor | Andrew Steele ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPD4ZiULEU Most of us measure age by birthdays, but what if the number on your ID tells only half the story? Dr. Morgan Levine explores the hidden clock inside our cells, unraveling how the biological age that reveals how fast our bodies are really aging is calculated. 0:00 The science of aging 2:14 How we measure age: Biological versus chronological 3:58 What aging looks like across species 4:45 Aging beneath the surface 5:55 Can we measure aging? 9:39 Slowing aging to extend health 13:33 How we measure age: Epigenetic 15:36 From molecular errors to systemic decline 19:48 Intervening in aging without over-optimizing 24:00 Is aging a disease? 26:31 How disease happens 29:39 The power of lifestyle 30:48 Can we reverse aging? 32:45 Reprogramming cells to a younger state 35:53 Why measuring age changes how we treat disease 40:15 How nutrition enables longevity 41:42 The science behind caloric restriction 44:40 What diet research really suggests 50:20 Living better, not just longer Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/science-of-aging/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Morgan Levine: Morgan Levine was previously a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the department of Pathology at Yale University where she ran the Laboratory for Aging in Living Systems. In 2022, she was recruited to join Altos Labs as a Founding Principal Investigator at the San Diego Institute of Science. She currently leads a research group at Altos Labs working at the intersection of bioinformatics, cellular biology, complex systems, and biostatistics with the overall goal of understanding the molecular trajectories aging cells, tissues, and organisms take through time.

The problem with pretending quantum mechanics makes sense | Sean Carroll

Jan 19, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=bt-ytdesc-text-seg-carroll-u9YiM7LZ6b0 Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Sean Carroll explains the biggest ideas in the universe | Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TBNJyztai0 A century after the birth of quantum mechanics, physicists still argue about what the theory is really describing. Does the wave function represent something real, or just our knowledge? Why does “measurement” appear in the laws of nature at all? Sean Carroll reveals how quantum mechanics solved one set of problems while creating a deeper one. © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Sean Carroll: Dr. Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy — in effect, a joint appointment between physics and philosophy — at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and fractal faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Most of his career has been spent doing research on cosmology, field theory, and gravitation, looking at topics such as dark matter and dark energy, modified gravity, topological defects, extra dimensions, and violations of fundamental symmetries. These days, his focus has shifted to more foundational questions, both in quantum mechanics (origin of probability, emergence of space and time) and statistical mechanics (entropy and the arrow of time, emergence and causation, dynamics of complexity), bringing a more philosophical dimension to his work.

Science’s difficult journey to try to understand consciousness | Annaka Harris: Full Interview

Jan 16, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=bt-ytdesc-text-fi-harris-dNNs2EhroVw Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Sam Harris: Breaking the spell of propaganda | Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T4dr_YQxrQ Consciousness feels like the most familiar thing in the world, and yet science still can’t say what it is, where it begins, or why it exists at all. Annaka Harris examines the assumptions shaping consciousness research, from the belief that awareness requires complex brains to the intuition that thought drives behavior. 0:00 Defining consciousness 0:20 What does your work in consciousness entail? 1:29 Why did you write your book? 3:23 How do you define consciousness? 6:16 What is the hard problem of consciousness? 7:33 Is consciousness different from thought? 8:44 What is your biggest unanswered question? 9:59 Could consciousness be fundamental? 13:53 What are intuitions? 16:08 How do intuitions impact our grasp of consciousness? 21:53 How do we challenge our intuition on consciousness? 24:01 Can consciousness exist without physical signs? 26:10 Is consciousness necessary for behavior? 28:18 What might be revealed if we’re wrong about consciousness? 33:16 What is the illusion of self? 38:53 What brain processes create the illusion of self? 42:47 Is it useful to recognize the illusion of self? 48:13 How can the illusion of free will be challenged? 50:09 Is recognizing the illusion of free will beneficial? Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/hard-problem-consciousness/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. https://members.bigthink.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. https://bigthink.com/plus/great-leaders-think-big/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Annaka Harris: Annaka Harris is the New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind and writer and producer of the forthcoming audio documentary series, LIGHTS ON. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Nautilus Magazine, the Journal of Consciousness Studies, and IAI Magazine. She is also an editor and consultant for science writers, specializing in neuroscience and physics. Annaka is the author of the children’s book I Wonder, coauthor of the Mindful Games Activity Cards, and a volunteer mindfulness teacher for the organization Inner Kids.

A “progressive Andrew Tate” isn’t the antidote to male radicalization | Richard Reeves

Jan 12, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The real reasons young men are checking out of society | Richard Reeves: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLIEpbLWWao What if the problem for young boys isn’t radical influencers, but the absence that made them persuasive? Influence doesn’t emerge because someone is loud or offensive; it takes root when there’s no one nearby to push back in good faith or model an alternative worth imitating, says Richard Reeves. Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/online-role-models-boys/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Richard Reeves: Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative and co-directs the Center on Children and Families. His Brookings research focuses on the middle class, inequality and social mobility. Richard writes for a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, National Affairs, The Atlantic, Democracy Journal, and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Dream Hoarders (Brookings Institution Press, 2017), and John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic Books, 2007), an intellectual biography of the British liberal philosopher and politician. Dream Hoarders was named a Book of the Year by The Economist, a Political Book of the Year by The Observer, and was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. In September 2017, Politico magazine named Richard one of the top 50 thinkers in the U.S. for his work on class and inequality. A Brit-American, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2012. Other previous roles include director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank; social affairs editor of the Observer; principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, and research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Richard is also a former European Business Speaker of the Year and has a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.

Stoicism for people who don’t want self-help | Massimo Pigliucci: Full Interview

Jan 9, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why Stoicism fails when treated like self-help | Massimo Pigliucci► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3_EAZd0-rw Stoicism has been flattened into slogans about toughness, detachment, and emotional silence, a version that’s easy to sell, but mostly wrong. Massimo Pigliucci returns Stoicism to its original purpose: a practical philosophy built to help ordinary people make better judgments, set wiser priorities, and live well with others in a world that resists control. 0:00 Chapter 1: What is Stoicism? 2:11 Role ethics 4:29 Eudaemonia 4:59 What constitutes a Eudaemonic life? 5:31 Being a Cosmopolitan 5:45 Epictetus’ 3 fundamental disciples 6:10 Desire 6:39 Action 7:05 Assent 8:00 3 general areas of study 8:22 Physics 9:43 Action 10:07 Logic 11:07 Does Stoicism work? 12:02 Cognitive behavioral therapy 16:03 The risk of Eclecticism 18:42 Philosophical pessimism 21:04 Modern Stoic writers 22:01 Chapter 2: The Stoic toolkit 22:22 Managing our emotions 28:45 Preparing for difficult situations 36:00 Finding peace in a chaotic world 45:08 Making difficult decisions 51:00 Becoming a better person 1:08:21 Chapter 3: Debunking misconceptions about Stoicism 1:10:21 Stoicism’s resurgence 1:13:52 Stoicism as a remedy for bad times 1:16:29 The “stiff upper lip” myth 1:21:05 Two ways to misconstrue Stoicism 1:26:16 Stoicism and pleasure 1:28:00 Preferred indifference 1:34:30 The Stoic Opposition Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/stoicism-full-interview/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Massimo Pigliucci: Massimo Pigliucci is professor of philosophy at City College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His latest book is Beyond Stoicism: A Guide to the Good Life with Stoics, Skeptics, Epicureans, and Other Ancient Philosophers (2025). He lives in New York.

Why James Bond would fail instantly as a real CIA spy | Andrew Bustamante

Jan 8, 2026

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The 3-step process to CIA training, revealed | Andrew Bustamante: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3vHJiPRLSo James Bond is designed to be remembered. Real spies are trained to vanish. Charisma, confidence, and visibility are the qualities intelligence agencies work to eliminate. Espionage isn’t about domination or flair; it’s about anonymity, moral ambiguity, and the discipline to move through the world without leaving a trace, says former CIA Andrew Bustamante. © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Andrew Bustamante: Andrew Bustamante is a former covert CIA intelligence officer and decorated US Air Force combat veteran. In 2017, he founded EverydaySpy.com, the first digital platform teaching real-world intelligence techniques to everyday people. Drawing from his 20 years running human and technical operations globally, Bustamante empowers individuals to break social, financial, and cultural barriers using proven spy skills. He's a Fortune 10 corporate advisor, cybersecurity expert, and author of "Everyday Espionage: Winning the Workplace and Social Game." Together with his wife Jihi, also a former CIA officer, Andrew hosts the EverydaySpy Podcast.

The real reason some people adapt faster than others | George Bonanno

Dec 26, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=btclips-ytdesc-text-btclipsseg-bonnano-eFeFnMcgk1M Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why the body doesn't keep the score: the real science of trauma in 90 mins I George Bonanno ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ0ZS6-RWlQ We’ve grown comfortable with the idea that trauma leaves people permanently altered. It’s a tidy story, and a misleading one. Drawing on more than a hundred studies, clinical psychologist George Bonanno explains why resilience is not a rare trait or a heroic exception, but the most common human response to adversity. 0:00 You are stronger than you think 4:30 3 core beliefs of the flexibility mindset 9:45 What’s the problem I can solve right now? 11:50 The fallacy of uniform efficacy 14:30 The value of suppressing emotions 17:15 How can I go out in the world? 19:15 Using positive self talk 23:00 Remind yourself of your strength Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/the-resilience-paradox/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About George Bonanno Dr. George Bonanno is a professor of psychology, chair of the department of counseling in clinical psychology, and director of the Loss, Trauma, and Emotion Lab at Teachers College Columbia University. He’s the author of The Other Side of Sadness and The End of Trauma.

What actually makes a good life, according to 85 years of data | Robert Waldinger

Dec 25, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, What 85 years of research says is the real key to happiness | Robert Waldinger: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CxmzkYPvsg Most of us think happiness is something you achieve: status, money, accomplishment. Robert Waldinger’s work asks a more unsettling question: what if happiness is less about what you get and more about who you keep? Drawing on the longest study of adult life ever conducted, Waldinger traces human wellbeing across 8 decades, from the Great Depression to old age, following people from radically different starting points to see what endures. 0:00 The secret to happiness 2:12 The importance of relationships 3:30 How to study a life 5:19 Can we control our happiness? 6:17 Taking stock of connection 8:20 Childhood lessons and adult repair 11:22 Relationships and emotional regulation 14:41 The impacts of toxic relationships Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/the-happiness-variable/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Robert Waldinger: Robert Waldinger, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and a Zen teacher and practitioner. For the last two decades, Waldinger has been the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, conducted over more than 85 years, has analyzed the entire lives of 724 families to determine the activities, behaviors, and dynamics that enhance a person’s life-long well-being. Waldinger has dedicated his career to examining these elements and discovering what brings true fulfillment to human existence. He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.

3 ways smart people stay stuck in failing patterns | Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Dec 22, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Anne-Laure Le Cunff: The 3 cognitive scripts that rule over your life | Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMghRYqk8o Most of the decisions that shape a life don’t feel like decisions at all. They feel instead like expectations to follow a certain life – thrust upon us by parents, society, peers. The cost of fulfilling these expectations is subtle but cumulative: fewer experiments, narrower options, and a growing sense that life is happening on someone else’s terms. 0:00 The power of cognitive scripts 1:30 The Sequel Script 2:45 The Crowdpleaser Script 3:23 The Epic Script 5:01 The subtle shift to overcome cognitive scripts Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/3-cognitive-scripts/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Anne-Laure Le Cunff: Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Ness Labs, where her weekly newsletter is read by more than 100,000 curious minds. Her research at King’s College London focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of lifelong learning, curiosity, and adaptability. Her book, Tiny Experiments, is a transformative guide for living a more experimental life, turning uncertainty into curiosity, and carving a path of self-discovery. Previously, she worked at Google as an executive on digital health projects. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Financial Times, WIRED, and more.

How evolution works, in 54 minutes | Sean B. Carroll: Full Interview

Dec 19, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The evolution of laziness: Why humans resist the gym ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLY0TNm67hY How does life build complexity from pure chance? Sean B. Carroll takes up the “staircase of evolution,” showing how random mutation and natural selection shape everything from the smallest cells in our bodies to entire species. If you want to understand the forces that silently govern life, this discussion reframes evolution as an active, ongoing process shaping every organism, including you. 0:00 What if life is built on chance? 1:02 How life works: the staircase of evolution 1:22 Mutation and selection 4:45 Icefish evolved antifreeze 7:03 Speciation 9:40 The fossil record and the DNA record 11:47 Common misconceptions about evolution 13:36 How our bodies work: the staircase of self-defense 14:11 Our immune systems 16:36 Hypermutation 17:22 Immunological memory 19:45 Antibody genes and DNA 20:46 How do we make 10 million antibodies? 23:27 How cancer works: the staircase of mutation 25:15 Why does cancer risk increase with age? 26:36 150 gene mutations that drive cancer 26:59 Cancer drivers and breaks 28:03 Cancers in children vs adults 29:47 3 factors that contribute to cancer growth 33:27 Life emerging from chance 35:29The untold story of Alfred Russel Wallace 37:01 Theory of special creation 42:36 Natural selection 47:02 Archaeopteryx 49:36 Wallace and Darwin’s relationship 50:35 The Darwin-Wallace Theory Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/science-of-evolution/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Sean B. Carroll: Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, author, educator, and film producer. He is Distinguished University Professor and the Andrew and Mary Balo and NIcholas and Susan Simon Chair of Biology at the University of Maryland, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was formerly Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and led the Department of Science Education from 2010-2023. He is also Professor Emeritus of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin. An internationally-recognized evolutionary biologist, Carroll's laboratory research has centered on the genes that control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution of animal diversity. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Carroll has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and elected an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. His latest book is A Series of Fortunate Events.

Screen time limits fall short. Here's what actually beats smartphone addiction | Clare Morell

Dec 18, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4l1fr-t3ZE Smartphones and social media are hijacking our younger generation’s childhood and development in a frightening way. Clare Morell, researcher and author of The Tech Exit, is sounding the alarm. 0:00 Hijacking our children’s brains 0:42 Smartphones are hurting our children 2:27 Social reward wiring 3:25 Dopamine deficit 4:00 Desensitization 5:34 A child’s brain on social media 11:32 How to exit tech and give your kids a better life 13:14 Why screen time limits fail 14:52 Tech-free families 16:12 Smart phone and mental health quality 18:08 Dumphones 19:33 Social media and social isolation 24:57 Autism and ADHD and Electronic Screen Syndrome 26:46 How smartphones distract us 28:41 Technoference 31:20 How to free your child from the perils of smartphones 32:16 What to focus on after exiting tech 34:18 Getting your kids’ buy-in 45:18 What is a reasonable age for a smartphone? 57:01 The decline of reading scores 57:57 Reading on screens versus reading on paper 1:01:58 Section 230 law 1:08:55 The pornography epidemic Read the video transcript ► [Link to site article]?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Clare Morell: Clare Morell is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) and director of the Technology and Human Flourishing Project. She is the author of The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones.

Michio Kaku: The impending collapse of digital computing as we know it

Dec 12, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=bt-ytdesc-text-bti-kaku-rndGPnKQYd4 Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Michio Kaku: The Universe in a Nutshell (Full Presentation) ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NbBjNiw4tk “The next revolution will be quantum computers that will make the digital computer look like an abacus.” 0:00 How quantum computers will change everything 2:13 Turning medicine upside down 4:05 Moore’s law is falling apart 6:10 The power to crack digital code 8:38 Computing on parallel universes 10:15 The winners will use quantum computers Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/quantum-computing-michio-kaku/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michio Kaku: Dr. Michio Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, and is one of the most widely recognized scientists in the world today. He has written 4 New York Times Best Sellers, is the science correspondent for CBS This Morning and has hosted numerous science specials for BBC-TV, the Discovery/Science Channel. His radio show broadcasts to 100 radio stations every week. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study as well as New York University (NYU).

Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion

Dec 11, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock Yuval's full class, AI and the Future of Civilization: https://bigthink.com/my-classes/ai-and-the-future-of-civilization/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=bt-ytdesc-text-fi-harari-I4l1fr-t3ZE Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Yuval Noah Harari: How to safeguard your mind in the age of junk information ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1OvbwY6GPM “The problem is in our information. Humans, yes, we are generally good and wise, but if you give good people bad information, they make bad decisions.” Human history is a paradox: we accumulate knowledge at astonishing speed, while remaining vulnerable to deception, superstition, and the stories that steer entire civilizations. From the first clay tablets to today’s global media systems, the structures that carry our ideas have always shaped what societies can build, believe, and destroy. That paradox is even more important in the age of AI, says Yuval Noah Harari. 0:00 If humans are so smart, why are we on the verge of destruction? 1:45 Why is the quality of our information decreasing? 2:19 The rise of alien intelligence 14:20 How information technology shapes society 19:52 The rise of inorganic information 28:21 The importance of human institutions 37:09 Information isn’t truth Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/ftm_episode/collapse-of-truth/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Yuval Noah Harari: Yuval Noah Harari, born in Israel in 1976, is a historian and philosopher renowned for his bestselling books, including Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. His works have sold over 45 million copies in 65 languages, establishing him as a leading public intellectual. Harari earned his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002 and currently lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2019, he co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company focused on education and storytelling, with his husband, Itzik Yahav. His research delves into macro-historical questions, exploring the relationships between history and biology, the distinctions between Homo sapiens and other animals, and the ethical implications of science and technology in the 21st century. Harari has delivered keynote speeches at the World Economic Forum and engaged in discussions with global leaders, including Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. His influential works and public engagements continue to shape contemporary discourse on humanity's past, present, and future.

The art and science of failing well

Dec 10, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. Failure is inevitable, but your response to it is a choice – and it makes all the difference. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Journalist Tim Harford, PhD, psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, and organizational behavior expert Robert Sutton, PhD, reveal how failure can become the foundation of success when it’s examined and built upon. Reframing failure as information, rather than a personal setback, is what sets productive thinkers apart. Read more from this interview ► https://bigthink.com/videos/the-art-and-science-of-failing-well/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description Explore the Perception Box series hub ► https://bigthink.com/perception-box/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. https://members.bigthink.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. https://bigthink.com/plus/great-leaders-think-big/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description

Why the next 25 years could surpass anything in modern memory | Peter Leyden: Full Interview

Dec 5, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “Old systems of the past are collapsing, and new systems of the future are still to be born. I call this moment the great progression.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, We are living through a slowdown in human progress | Jason Crawford ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ebqoan4SE We are at a tipping point. In the next 25 years, technologies like AI, clean energy, and bioengineering are poised to reshape society on a scale few can imagine. Peter Leyden draws on decades of observing technological revolutions and historical patterns to show how old systems collapse, new ones rise, and humanity faces both extraordinary risk and unprecedented opportunity. 0:00 We’re on the cusp of an era of progress 0:37 The Great Progression 1:08 What was the ‘Long Boom?’ 4:56 How often do these epoch resets happen? 6:12 3 Tipping points 6:39 Artificial Intelligence 7:13 Clean energy technologies 7:32 Biotechnology 9:00 The 80-year cycle 13:27 The Gilded Age 17:50 The Founding Era 22:46 The new enlightenment 32:18 The clean energy revolution 37:13 Bioengineering the genome 39:43 Industrial production vs biological engineering 47:40 What will the future think? Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/great-progression-2025/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Peter Leyden: Peter Leyden is a longtime tech expert and thought leader on the future. He came to San Francisco to work with the founders of WIRED magazine at the beginning of the digital revolution and has followed the front edge of technological change every step since—including into the AI revolution today. In addition to being an influential writer and author, Leyden is a keynote speaker who has explained the implications of new technologies and the positive possibilities to come to audiences throughout America and Europe on a monthly basis over the last 25 years. Leyden also founded several startups that pioneered fields transformed by new technologies and currently advises senior leaders in strategic foresight through his company Reinvent Futures. You can read Peter Leyden's writing at http://peterleyden.com

How childhood wiring impacts adult life, in 90 minutes | Becky Kennedy: Full Interview

Dec 4, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “Why would adding shame and blame help me improve my behavior?” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, How the body keeps the score on trauma ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTefkqYQz8g Parenting is often framed as a battle between discipline and chaos, but Dr. Becky Kennedy argues that the real story lives beneath the behavior we see. Kennedy traces how early relationships teach children which parts of themselves are welcome, which emotions feel dangerous, and how those lessons quietly script adult identity. 0:00 Rethinking how we learn, grow, and change 5:41 Two foundations of childhood 6:42 Behavior vs identity 10:11 How to deal with lying 12:29 Fear-based punishment and compliance 14:03 Managing emotions and early relationships 16:22 Gentle Parenting 21:54 Understanding our own “factory settings” 22:08 Attachment Theory 28:29 Internal Family Systems 39:14 Dysregulation, co-regulation 37:32 How to regulate your emotions at any age 1:12:42 Frustration tolerance 1:18:44 Rupture, repair, and Deeply Feeling Kids 1:28:28 Deeply Feeling Kids 1:36:28 4 habits that build emotional strength Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/childhood-wiring/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Becky Kennedy: Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist, mom of three, and founder of Good Inside. Her goal is to empower parents to feel sturdier and manage the challenges of parenting through mindfulness, emotion regulation, and internal family systems theory. She lives in New York City and can be found on Instagram @drbeckyatgoodinside.

3 challenges AI must overcome to unlock major productivity gains | Martin Gonzalez for Big Think +

Dec 3, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “I've started to think about three puzzles we need to solve for as we bring these technologies into our organizations.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The smartest people have mastered these 6 core skills ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32z8Ax1j-Q4 AI is often framed as a force that will either replace us or elevate us in the workplace, but Google’s Organization and Leadership Development Lead Martin Gonzalez argues that the real story sits somewhere far more complicated. The story is a puzzle comprising three challenges shaping the future of work: Selective upgrades that benefit some employees and hinder others, the human need for control that can undermine adoption, and the gradual drift toward isolated, AI-mediated tasks. 0:00 Teams are harder than tech 1:06 AI and transformative potential 1:19 3 puzzles to solve for 1:30 The Selective Upgrade Puzzle 4:07 The Agentic Preference Puzzle 6:42 The Self-Sufficiency Spiral Puzzle Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/ai-workplace-integration/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Martin Gonzalez: Martin Gonzalez is the co-creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project and the co-author of The Bonfire Moment.

The science of delivering cures straight to your cells | Eric Kelsic

Dec 1, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “Until very recently, I thought I would die with the same genome that I was born with.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime | Peter Leyden ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5k72A30kUc&vl=en What if the genome you were born with wasn’t fixed? Eric Kelsic, CEO of Dyno Therapeutics, explains how gene therapy is moving from promise to reality, delivering treatments directly to cells and potentially curing diseases for a lifetime. 0:00 The power of genetic technology 1:17 Meet Eric Kelsic 1:31 Making gene therapy mainstream 2:26 Engineering the capsid sequence 4:34 Producing and purifying capsids at scale 7:50 Automating the analysis of patterns 9:55 Permanent cures 10:26 Zolgensma 12:19 Improving cost efficiency in gene therapy Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/gene-therapy-kelsic/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Eric Kelsic, PhD Prior to founding Dyno, Eric led a team to develop the technology underlying Dyno’s artificial intelligence powered capsid engineering platform in George Church’s lab at the Wyss Institute of Harvard Medical School. There he measured the first comprehensive fitness landscape of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid protein and co-discovered the AAV MAAP gene. He earned a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University and a BS in Physics from Caltech. Under Eric’s leadership Dyno has raised over $100M in VC financing, including a 2021 Series A led by a16z and signed partnership with world-leading gene therapy companies (Novartis, Sarepta, Roche, Spark and Astellas). Dyno was named Xconomy’s 2020 Startup of the Year and Eric was recognized as one of Endpoint’s 20 under 40 next-gen biotech leaders in 2021.

How one psychedelic trip can alter an entire lifetime | Matthew Johnson: Full Interview

Nov 28, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=membership&utm_content=bt-ytdesc-text-fi-johnson-U_sFWG5WFjo “Psychedelics crosscut so many interesting domains. They've been used for time immemorial by indigenous cultures. In our own Western cultural history, they really exploded on the scene in the 1960s, and were associated with radical changes to society.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Are drugs really frying your brain? | Dr. Carl Hart ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90MHZbXrmY0 Psychedelic research is enjoying a renaissance. Matt Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, is at the forefront of the movement to redefine our understanding of the mind and its interaction with these powerful substances. As psychedelic compounds steadily enter the sphere of clinical trials, Johnson's groundbreaking research underscores their potential to bring about a paradigm shift in psychiatry, neuroscience, and pharmacology. 0:00 Meet Dr. Matthew Johnson 0:25 Why are psychedelics unique among drugs? 3:42 What does the term ‘psychedelic’ mean? 7:40 What is hallucinogen vs. entheogen vs. psychedelic? 13:46 The first wave: Hofmann, Leary, and the CIA 18:54 Are psychedelics legal? 21:39 What are the main effects of psychedelics? 24:28 How do psychedelics work in the brain? 39:57 Are psychedelics dangerous? What is the link to schizophrenia? 48:43 What are the biggest risks of psychedelics? 50:42 How do “all arounders” get to the core of psychiatric disorders? 54:48 What is the role of a guide in a psychedelic session? 58:22 What is the focus and impact of your research? 1:03:44 What really amazes you in your research? 1:09:54 Why are we in a psychedelic renaissance? 1:17:09 What are some pitfalls of psychedelic medicine? Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/psychedelic-drugs-101/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Matthew Johnson: Matthew W. Johnson, Ph.D., is The Susan Hill Ward Endowed Professor of Psychedelics and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins. Working with psychedelics since 2004, he is one of the world’s most widely published experts on psychedelics. He has published research on psychedelics and mystical experience, personality change, tobacco smoking cessation, cancer distress treatment, and depression treatment. In 2021 he received as principal investigator the first grant in 50 years from the US government for a treatment study with a classic psychedelic, specifically psilocybin in treatment of tobacco addiction. He is also known for his expertise in behavioral economics, addiction, sexual risk behavior, and research with a wide variety of drug classes. He’s been Interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Fox Business News, BBC and in Michael Pollan’s book How to Change Your Mind.

The strongest arguments for and against the existence of God | Alex O'Connor: Full Interview

Nov 27, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “I think that there are very good arguments to believe that there are some kind of foundational principle of the universe, some necessarily existing being, some first cause.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, How to grow deeply happy | Jonny Thomson ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WShJeNX7W8 Instead of treating belief as a private preference, philosopher Alex O’Connor examines how our moral positions shape institutions, obligations, and the ways we justify our choices. His arguments invite a closer look at why we hold certain principles, and whether those principles survive contact with their real-world consequences. 00:00 The lure of meaning 01:15 The strongest arguments for and against the existence of God 03:38 Hierarchical causes and borrowed causal power 06:33 Sustaining causes and necessity of foundation 10:04 How classical thinkers framed the first cause 14:27 Suffering as the challenge to God 17:42 Between classical theism, deism, and atheism 20:58 Understanding nihilism and the human condition 24:36 Self-justifying motives and meaning 28:00 Meaning in a materialist world 31:41 Ecclesiastes and the first nihilist 36:38 Why stories explain what logic can’t 48:55 Emotion’s grip on belief 54:20 How emotivism shapes ethics 1:05:18 Where morality meets emotion Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/first-cause-argument/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Alex O'Connor: Alex O’Connor, also known as Cosmic Skeptic, is an English public speaker and content creator recognized for his work on philosophy, ethics, religion, and secularism. He hosts the podcast Within Reason

Why you should see the world like a large language model | Dan Shipper: Full Interview

Nov 21, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “What's really interesting about neural networks is the way that they think or the way that they operate is a lot like human intuition” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Yuval Noah Harari: How to safeguard your mind in the age of junk information ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1OvbwY6GPM What if we could use automation not just as a tool, but as a mirror for our own human behaviors? From the limits of rationalism to the rise of neural networks, Dan Shipper, CEO and co-founder of Every, traces a history of knowledge that spans Socrates, the Enlightenment, and modern machine learning. Shipper explains why “if/then” rules break in messy reality, and how large language models actually see the world through context and pattern. He explores how AI can work with our own creativity and why these tools are unlikely to steal our humanity. Explore more of Dan's work by reading an excerpt of his forthcoming book here: https://every.to/chain-of-thought/where-explanations-end 0:00 Neural networks and human intuition 1:13 The limits of rationalism, from Socrates to neural networks 1:23 Rationalism 2:42 Socrates, the father of Rationalism 5:47 The Age of Enlightenment 7:36 The structure of social sciences 8:51 Defining AI 9:47 The origins of AI 10:39 The General Problem Solver 15:09 Neural networks 18:22 Metaphors for the mind 23:00 Seeing the world like a large language model 30:25 Should we stop looking for general theories? 32:22 Training neural networks 39:32 Will AI steal our humanity? 43:43 AI and rational explanation 47:17 Could LLMs be dangerous? 51:12 Knowledge economies and allocation economies Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/human-intuition-ai/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Dan Shipper: Dan Shipper is the CEO and cofounder of Every, where he explores the frontiers of AI in his column, Chain of Thought, and on his podcast, ‘AI & I.’

How two superpowers built fundamentally different futures | Dan Wang and Kmele Foster

Nov 20, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “China has built essentially one New York City plus a Boston's worth of housing every single year for roughly the last 30 years.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime | Peter Leyden ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5k72A30kUc What does it mean to witness a society transform at breakneck speed? Kmele Foster and Dan Wang explore the contrasts between the U.S. and China. Through the lens of immigration, culture, and personal experience, they reveal how policies and national ambition have redefined these two global superpowers. 0:00 China’s rapid progress 7:17 China’s first-tier city wealth boom 11:02 The contrast between China and the U.S. 12:50 American elites as lawyers 17:33 Chinese innovation and competition 21:00 “Made in China” 22:37 American manufacturing challenges 24:56 Autocratic societies and innovation 28:06 One of China’s biggest challenges 31:22 U.S. Tariffs and the trade war 38:06 Law students and the federal government 43:28 The benefit of a lawyerly society 51:37 U.S. and China's futures © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every major leap in human progress has this in common | Jason Crawford: Full Interview

Nov 19, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “Progress happens when we choose to make it happen. It happens through choice and effort. And ultimately, to make progress happen, we have to believe in it.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, We are living through a slowdown in human progress | Jason Crawford ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ebqoan4SE Humanity’s progress is neither automatic nor inevitable – from the printing press to the Industrial Revolution, and today’s digital age, every leap in technology has reshaped what’s possible for our civilization. Jason Crawford traces the history and philosophy behind these breakthroughs, revealing the forces that drive innovation and the risks that come with unchecked advancement. 0:00 The philosophy of progress 2:17 The idea of progress throughout history 2:52 Francis Bacon 4:30 The Gutenberg printing press 6:38 The Industrial Revolution 8:47 The end of wars? 9:17 After the world wars of the 20th century 11:58 The idea of progress 14:38 Material progress and the human experience 15:01 The technologies of progress 15:38 Agricultural advancements 16:43 Sources of power 18:36 Energy 19:12 Medicine 20:58 Transportation 26:15 Why does the pace of progress accelerate? 29:03 The future of progress 32:55 Has progress slowed down in the last 50 years? 33:36 The regulatory apparatus 34:12 Organizing scientific research 34:46 Loss of confidence and ambition Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/the-philosophy-of-progress/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jason Crawford: Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. He is also the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online learning program for high schoolers; and a part-time adviser and technical consultant to Our World in Data, an Oxford-based non-profit for research and data on global development. Previously, he spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder. From 2013–2018, he was co-founder & CEO of Fieldbook, a hybrid spreadsheet-database. He has also been an engineering manager at Flexport, Amazon, and Groupon, and a co-founder or early employee at other startups. Before that, he was a research engineer at D. E. Shaw Research, working on a new supercomputing architecture for computational biochemistry. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

How big tech is censoring LLMs

Nov 18, 2025

This interview is an episode from ‪@The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the ‪@TempletonFoundation. Subscribe to The Well on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/thewell-youtube Watch all of Mchangama's interviews ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_B7bI1QVmJBpGqPZQP1mSFrN1Rfy0CR5 What happens when the technology mediating nearly all our information begins to decide what speech is acceptable? Free speech scholar Jacob Mchangama warns that AI’s growing role in search, email, and word processing means its hidden biases could shape freedom of thought itself. With his team at the Future of Free Speech, Mchangama ran an experiment that tested 268 prompts against popular LLMs and found that the results often reflected inconsistent standards. According to Mchangama, this shows why ownership of AI models matters, since their values, incentives, and pressures ultimately shape public access to information. Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/the-well/when-ai-self-censors/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description_bigthink ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jacob Mchangama: Jacob Mchangama founded and leads The Future of Free Speech, is a research professor at Vanderbilt, and a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). A prolific commentator and author on free speech and human rights, he created the podcast “Clear and Present Danger” and wrote the 2022 book “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About The Well Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter ► https://bit.ly/thewellemailsignup ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Well on your favorite platforms: ► Facebook: https://bit.ly/thewellFB ► Instagram: https://bit.ly/thewellIG

We are living through a slowdown in human progress | Jason Crawford

Nov 17, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “People got skeptical, fearful, doubtful of the very idea of progress in the 20th century and we allowed that to slow down progress itself.” To learn more about Jason's upcoming book, visit: https://technohumanist.org/ Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime | Peter Leyden ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5k72A30kUc Have we begun to lose faith in the future? The idea of ‘progress’ didn’t truly exist throughout the majority of human history. Most ages didn’t see history as an upward curve – they saw history as cyclical, full of ups and downs. This belief only shifted around the 1500s, says Jason Crawford, founder of The Roots of Progress and the author of The Techno-Humanist Manifesto. The idea that progress would automatically continue became widespread, until the first World War shattered the illusion that technology would bring peace and cooperation. Out of this rose a counterculture concern that modernity was a mistake, that progress itself was the problem. But was it? Are we now moving backwards? How can we regain trust in pushing forward? 00:00 Was modernity a mistake? 00:45 The history of progress 02:02 Francis Bacon 03:33 The Industrial Revolution 06:07 A period of optimism 07:25 Technology and world wars 08:29 The cost and risks of progress 11:46 What our future can bring Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/is-progress-inevitable/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jason Crawford: Jason Crawford is the founder of The Roots of Progress, where he writes and speaks about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. He is also the creator of Progress Studies for Young Scholars, an online learning program for high schoolers; and a part-time adviser and technical consultant to Our World in Data, an Oxford-based non-profit for research and data on global development. Previously, he spent 18 years as a software engineer, engineering manager, and startup founder. From 2013–2018, he was co-founder & CEO of Fieldbook, a hybrid spreadsheet-database. He has also been an engineering manager at Flexport, Amazon, and Groupon, and a co-founder or early employee at other startups. Before that, he was a research engineer at D. E. Shaw Research, working on a new supercomputing architecture for computational biochemistry. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.

Why the body doesn't keep the score: the real science of trauma in 90 mins I George Bonanno

Nov 14, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “There are at least three very much interrelated misconceptions about trauma right now.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 We may think that trauma leaves irreversible scars, reshaping our brain and emotional regulation permanently. The science, however, shows the opposite, says psychologist George Bonanno. Our biology is much more resilient than we give it credit for. Bonanno dismantles common myths surrounding trauma and PTSD, and shares a practical mindset shift to navigate difficult experiences. 0:00 Rethinking trauma 01:07 The human capacity for resilience 04:33 Potentially traumatic vs. just really hard 09:28 Four pathways after adversity 15:45 How our brains encode trauma and shape our memories 26:20 The resilience paradox 31:27 The flexibility sequence 37:00 Why flexibility matters for healing 50:41 The history of PTSD 1:00:54 The psychology of grief 1:03:31 How the brain processes loss Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/myths-of-trauma/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About George Bonanno Dr. George Bonanno is a professor of psychology, chair of the department of counseling in clinical psychology, and director of the Loss, Trauma, and Emotion Lab at Teachers College Columbia University. He’s the author of The Other Side of Sadness and The End of Trauma.

How evolution works | Sean B. Carroll

Nov 13, 2025

Become a Big Think member to unlock expert classes, premium print issues, exclusive events and more: https://bigthink.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “Chance invents and natural selection propagates that chance invention.” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The mind-bending probability of our existence | Sean B. Carroll: Full Interview ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hOjpxNHgQc Evolution doesn’t create with intent: it begins with error. Random mutations, filtered through time and circumstance, give rise to the astonishing order of the natural world. Evolutionary biologist Sean B Carroll explains how chance and chaos operate as life’s quiet architects. 0:00 Evolution starts with error 0:44 The staircase of evolution 2:30 The speed of adaptation 3:14 The randomness of mutation 4:12 Icefish, antifreeze, and clear blood 6:43 Speciation 8:27 If humans evolved from apes, why are apes still around? 9:20 Our records of evolution 11:26 Evolution and the origin of life Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/error-and-evolution/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Sean B. Carroll: Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, author, educator, and film producer. He is Distinguished University Professor and the Andrew and Mary Balo and NIcholas and Susan Simon Chair of Biology at the University of Maryland, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was formerly Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and led the Department of Science Education from 2010-2023. He is also Professor Emeritus of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin. An internationally-recognized evolutionary biologist, Carroll's laboratory research has centered on the genes that control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution of animal diversity. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Carroll has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and elected an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. His latest book is A Series of Fortunate Events.

How to break the hidden limits of expertise | Atul Gawande for Big Think+

Nov 12, 2025

Become a Big Think member and watch Atul Gawande's full class: https://bigthink.com/my-classes/true-ingredients-of-successful-leadership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=yt_desc “The purpose of a coach is to not be the one to set the goals, but instead to say, "Here are the kinds of goals we can work our way through.”” Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, The smartest people have mastered these 6 core skills | Michael Watkins for Big Think+ ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32z8Ax1j-Q4 Atul Gawande has spent his career studying how professionals improve, and why most eventually hit a plateau. At this point, even the most skilled experts need a coach to reveal their blind spots, as true expertise hinges on having the humility to keep learning once success arrives. Gawande explores the paradox of mastery: the point at which experience becomes limitation, and the only path forward is to let someone else see what you can’t. 0:00 How professions approach skill improvement 1:10 The Federer Mindset 2:22 Recognizing why coaches matter 3:46 Getting ongoing feedback 6:23 Agree on development goals Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/skill-plateau/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Atul Gawande: Atul Gawande, MD, MPH is a renowned surgeon, author, and public health leader whose work explores how humans design and improve systems for better outcomes in complex environments. He is Professor of the Practice of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and holds the John and Cyndy Fish Chair in Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He also serves as Distinguished Professor in Residence at Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, which he co-founded and formerly chaired. From January 2022 to January 2025, he served as Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID. Gawande also co-founded Lifebox, a nonprofit organization making surgery and anesthesia safer worldwide. From 2018-2020, he was CEO of Haven, the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase healthcare venture. A longtime staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, Gawande is the author of the best-selling books Complications (a National Book Award finalist), Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal. He is the winner of two National Magazine Awards, AcademyHealth’s Impact Award for highest research impact on healthcare, a MacArthur Fellowship, and the Lewis Thomas Award for writing about science.