Explore every episode of the podcast Big Think

Peter Schwartz, the futurist behind Minority Report, explains 3 steps for predicting what comes next. It's very easy to imagine how things might go wrong, but it's much harder to imagine how things might go right. "Futurists" are those who study the future so that the people alive today can make better decisions for tomorrow. It is impossible to get all of the predictions right. The point of futurism, however, is to envision multiple scenarios in which we can test our decisions so that we are ready for whatever actually occurs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is part of The Progress Issue, a Big Think and Freethink special collaboration. In this inaugural special issue we set out to explore progress — how it happens, how we nurture it and how we stifle it, and what changes are required in how we approach our most serious problems to ensure greater and more equitable progress for all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Peter Schwartz: Peter Schwartz is an internationally renowned futurist and business strategist, specializing in scenario planning and working with corporations, governments, and institutions to create alternative perspectives of the future and develop robust strategies for a changing and uncertain world. As Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Salesforce, he manages the organization’s ongoing strategic conversation. Peter was co-founder and chairman of Global Business Network. He is the author of several works. His first book, The Art of the Long View, is considered a seminal publication on scenario planning. Peter has also served as a script consultant on the films "The Minority Report," "Deep Impact," "Sneakers," and "War Games." He received a B.S. in aeronautical engineering and astronautics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychopathy is actually a spectrum, and care is the variable that differentiates true psychopaths from highly empathetic people. Here’s why that matters, and how it can be treated, according to Professor Abigail Marsh. Humans are among the most altruistic species that we’ve studied, due to our alloparental instincts – a trait we evolved into that allows us to care for offspring who are not our own. Across species, the ones who alloparent the most appear to be the most altruistic. Very altruistic people seem to be the opposite of those who are psychopathic in terms of their neural structure, neural function, and characteristic emotional traits. Science has been studying psychopathy for decades, but only more recently have we been identifying the basic neurocognitive building blocks of those deficits in psychopathy, says Abigail Marsh, PhD. Here, Marsh explains how the psychopathic break is different, early warning signs that may indicate a lack of empathy, and how psychopathy can be treated. Timestamps: 0:00 - The psychopathy spectrum 1:08 - An alloparental species 2:32 - The physiology of psychopathy 5:53 - The lateral prefrontal cortex 6:29 - Treating psychopathy About Abigail Marsh: Abigail Marsh is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University. She received her PhD in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 2004. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes --------------------------------------------------------10:15-14 ---------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Many people get stuck in feeling responsible for their psychological state, and there's a way in which simply being with whatever uncomfortable emotions rather than believing that you are controlling them can be extremely beneficial for psychological wellbeing.” Are you actually in the driver’s seat of your own life? The illusion of free will says that our choices are determined by factors greater than our intentions and actions, that total conscious control is purely an illusion. We may assume that illusions like this have evolved for their usefulness, but most illusions that we experience are actually glitches, says bestselling author Annaka Harris. Take for example the illusion of self – the other side of the illusion of free will coin. We think of ourselves as solid, unchanging entities that move through time and space, separate from the rest of the physical world. This illusion confuses us about our place in nature, and the state of our reality. Harris explores these two illusions and how they shape our everyday experience.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 Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes -------------------------------------------------10:15-14 ---------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**How You’ll Really React in a Disaster (And How to Survive)** You think you know how you'd handle a life-or-death crisis—but the truth is, most of us *freeze, delay, or deny* reality when disaster strikes. In this eye-opening episode, we uncover the hidden forces shaping your "disaster personality" and why survival isn't just about bravery—it’s about *preparation and mindset*. From the shocking psychology behind why people ignore alarms to the real reason heroes emerge, we break down the phases of crisis response and how you can train your brain to act *before it’s too late*. Because in a real emergency, hesitation kills. Are you ready? "Humans, like most mammals, tend to shut down in really frightening situations for which they have no training or prior experience. Researchers call it negative panic. People do nothing. They shut down." We all have ideas about how we're gonna behave in a crisis or emergency, but it’s almost never how it actually plays out when we’re faced with a disaster situation, says bestselling author Amanda Ripley. In fact, you have another personality – a ‘disaster personality’ – and it's helpful to understand what it is before you are forced to embody it. Studying human behavior in different disasters across history reveals a huge spectrum of responses. Sometimes people start hysterically screaming, others shut down. Some laugh in the face of a life or death situation. In Ripley’s book, "The Unthinkable," the author followed people who had survived disasters of all kinds, and found that there's a pattern, even across very different contexts, from plane crashes to earthquakes. Almost always, people go through a period of certain emotions. Do you want to learn how to master your disaster response before facing a crisis? Ripley explains how. Timestamps: 00:00: The psychology of surviving a crisis01:20: The crisis pattern01:52: Denial03:06: Deliberation04:54: The decisive moment About Amanda Ripley:Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, Washington Post contributor, and co-founder of consultancy firm, Good Conflict. Her books include The Smartest Kids in the World, High Conflict, and The Unthinkable. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

### 👽 Are We Alone? — David Kipping’s Cosmic Quest (Fun Summary) 🔭 **We’re the new-age explorers.** Astronomers are mapping **exoplanets**—worlds beyond our solar system. Think of it like Google Maps for the galaxy. 🌍 **Earth twins? Not quite.** Many so-called “Earth-like” planets aren’t as friendly as they seem. Finding real alien life? Tough. **No signal ≠ no aliens.** 🛸 **Where *are* they, though?** Enter the **Fermi Paradox**: If the universe is full of planets, why haven’t we met anyone? Maybe intelligent life is **extremely rare**, or maybe they just don’t want to talk. 🧬 **Life = ???** Nobody agrees on what life *is*. Carbon-based? Self-replicating? What about **AI** or weird alien chemistry? 🧪 **How we search:** - **Biosignatures** = chemical clues in alien atmospheres. - **Technosignatures** = signs of alien tech (like lasers or satellites). 🔢 **Maybe we’re bad at math.** The classic **Drake Equation** multiplies guesses. Kipping says we should *also add* possibilities—there might be many paths to life. 🧼 **Should we shout or stay silent?** Sending signals (METI) might be risky. What if aliens aren’t friendly? But Kipping argues: if we’re visible anyway, **we can’t really hide**. 🛰️ **Aliens might send... Sculpture?** Instead of radio, they could leave **giant space objects** to block starlight in patterns—a cosmic "hello" that lasts forever. 🌌 **In the end:** We’re just getting started. The universe is huge. The hunt for alien life is a **long game**, and we’re only in inning one. **🔑 Keywords:** Exoplanets, Alien Life, Intelligent Civilizations, Fermi Paradox, Drake Equation, Technosignatures, Biosignatures, Space Exploration, SETI, METI, David Kipping, Astrobiology, Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Life Beyond Earth, Interstellar Communication, Cosmic Silence, Earth-like Planets, Habitability, Exoplanet Detection, Deep Space Signals, Alien Megastructures, Scientific Curiosity, Rare Earth Hypothesis, Great Filter, Cosmic Perspective, AI and Alien Life, Astronomy, Planetary Science Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ----------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chapters: 00:00: The overpopulation concern 02:01: Global population growth rates 02:28: The fall in global fertility rates 03:06: Amount of food produced per person 03:50: Per capita CO2 emissions 04:17: The underpopulation concern ### 🌍 **Is Overpopulation Really the Problem? Or Is It a Dangerous Myth?** For decades, one idea has haunted environmental debates: **"There are just too many people on Earth."** From forced sterilizations to cutting food aid, some of the so-called “solutions” to this perceived crisis have been deeply unethical—and alarmingly popular. 📘 This fear peaked in the 1960s–70s with the release of *The Population Bomb*, predicting mass famine and chaos. But the world evolved in two critical ways: #### 1. 📉 **Global fertility rates fell sharply** In 1950, the average woman had **5 children**. Today, it's just **2.3**—and still falling. #### 2. 🌾 **Technological leaps in agriculture** Yields have doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled across many regions. We're growing **more food per person** than ever before—even with billions more people. 🔍 Still, many argue that population—especially in **low-income countries**—fuels climate change. But here’s the truth: - These regions often have **extremely low CO₂ emissions per person.** - You could add **billions** more people at those levels and barely affect global emissions. ### 🧓 **A New Crisis: Underpopulation?** In high-income nations, the worry has flipped. Aging populations threaten economies as **working-age groups shrink**, weakening the very engine that drives productivity and growth. ### 💡 **The Most Dangerous Idea?** Comparing humanity to a **cancer on the planet.** It implies people are the problem—and removal is the solution. But we’re also the **innovators, problem-solvers, and stewards** of Earth’s future. **If we dehumanize each other, how do we build a better world together?** 👀 **So if not overpopulation… what *is* the real environmental threat?** Let’s explore that next. overpopulation, population growth, fertility rates, demographic transition, The Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich, agricultural advancements, food per person, global population, climate change, CO2 emissions per capita, underpopulation, aging populations, working-age population, sustainable development, climate solutions, environmental impact, economic stability, population density, global cooperation, human impact on environment, overpopulation myth, technological advancements in agriculture Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**"We’re on the brink of a crisis—one of meaning, of truth, of civilization itself."** In this gripping Big Think episode, Sam Harris unpacks the silent catastrophe unraveling in modern society: a shattered culture where digital isolation, political extremism, and misinformation have made genuine conversation nearly impossible. He warns that without open, honest dialogue, we’re left with only one alternative—violence. With striking clarity, Harris exposes how our deepest conflicts aren’t driven by "bad people," but by **good people trapped in bad ideas.** The stories we believe shape our world, and when those stories become untethered from reality, chaos follows. But there is hope. The future isn’t set in stone—it depends on what we choose to believe, what we choose to fight for, and whether we can still find common ground in an era of division. Can we break free from the toxic cycle of outrage and misinformation? Or are we doomed to spiral into deeper conflict? **The answer may decide the fate of civilization itself.** "I think we need a truly open-ended conversation with 8 billion strangers, andwhat makes that hard to do increasingly is a level of political fragmentation and extremism andpartisanship born of our engagement with these new technologies." Our culture has atomized: We’re all on our own with our phones, laptops, and digital media experiences. No one knows what everyone else is seeing. In some ways, these technologies have caused a shattering of culture, and we can’t seem to agree about our perceptions of the world, says philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris. To combat this, we need to secure some semblance of human wellbeing. What makes that an increasing challenge is the political fragmentation and extremism born from our engagement with new technologies. We’re witnessing a zero-sum contest between those of us who want to maintain open societies and those who increasingly want to build closed, belligerent ones that make it impossible to share space. We have to become more intelligent to deal with these threats without losing the values we seek to defend. That’s why dogmatism is an intellectual sin, and overcoming it is key to building a better future for us all, says Harris. Timestamps: 0:00: A crisis of meaning2:03: Conversation vs. Violence3:51: Good people, bad ideas5:37: Eliminating dogma7:36: Your mind is all you have About Sam Harris: Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction.Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, and many other journals. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Nature, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere.Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and holds a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA, where he studied the neural basis of belief with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). He is also a Co-Founder and CEO of Project Reason. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes -------------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our world is filled with an abundance of data. Albert-László Barabási, a network scientist, believes that understanding the underlying structure and relationships of complex systems is crucial. Barabási’s research has challenged the notion of random connections and led to the discovery of a more accurate representation of how these systems are organized. Barabási’s exploration began with the vast internet. Surprisingly, he found that the intricate web of connections did not follow random patterns but instead followed a power load distribution. He named these networks “scale-free networks.” Barabási’s groundbreaking work reveals that new connections in our networks tend to form with already well-connected elements. Scale-free networks exist in various complex systems, such as cellular interactions and social networks. This discovery is an important step toward comprehending the remarkable complexity that arises from countless interactions among the world’s many components. 0:00 Networks: How the world works 1:23 The theory of random graphs 3:15 What is network science? 6:49 Complex systems ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Albert-László Barabási: Albert-László Barabási is a network scientist, fascinated with a wide range of topics, from unveiling the structure of the brain and treating diseases using network medicine to the emergence of success in art and how science really works. His research has helped unveil the hidden order behind various complex systems using the quantitative tools of network science, a research field that he pioneered, and has led to the discovery of scale-free networks, helping explain the emergence of many natural, technological, and social networks. Barabási is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the author of The Formula (Little Brown), Network Science (Cambridge), Bursts (Dutton), and Linked (Penguin). He co-edited Network Medicine (Harvard, 2017) and The Structure and Dynamics of Networks (Princeton, 2005). His books have been translated into over twenty languages. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can we let go of the need to win arguments without losing a part of who we are? As Founder of Interfaith America Eboo Patel explains, there’s something romantic about a fist-in the-air approach, so much so that we often become caught up in the roles we play and the persona we adopt for ourselves. This can cause us to be perceived in ways we never intended; we can become misinterpreted, and even more disconnected to our true selves and intentions. How easy is it to ride our anger and our outrage, to chase the adrenaline of ego, the desire to be correct? Of course, it feels good to win, to “catch” your opponent, but why does it matter? Is succeeding in a debate truly more impactful than fueling a comprehensive discussion? When we move beyond the need to be right and let go of the desire to dominate, we can make room for something far more powerful: genuine curiosity. Letting go of the allure of competitive discourse - where there are winners and losers - allows us to create more meaningful conversations where both sides can learn and grow. This is The Dilemma with Irshad Manji, a series from Big Think created in partnership with Moral Courage College. About Irshad Manji: Irshad Manji is an award-winning educator, author, and advocate for moral courage and diversity of thought. As the founder of Moral Courage College, she equips people to engage in honest conversations across lines of difference. ----------------- Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have hiring power, here are 6 steps to help you act on diversity. Chapters: 0:00 The 'Lean In' Myth 2:06 Hypervisibility & Invisibility 4:44 BRIDGE: 6 Steps for Inclusion Imposter syndrome has a long-term, damaging impact on people in the workforce, particularly women of color. To improve inclusivity in the workplace, Ruchika T. Malhotra recommends six interpersonal habits that she calls the BRIDGE framework: Be okay with being uncomfortable. Reflect on what you don’t know. Invite feedback. Defensiveness doesn’t help. Grow from mistakes. Expect that change takes time. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ruchika T. Malhotra: Ruchika T. Malhotra is the author of Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work (MIT Press). She’s also the founder of Candour, an inclusion strategy practice. A former international business journalist, Ruchika is a regular contributor to The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Futurist Ari Wallach asks, “how do you want to be remembered?” Humans have a "lifetime bias." When we plan ahead, we do so by thinking in terms of years and decades rather than centuries and millennia. We need to escape this short-term thinking if we want to be great ancestors to the generations of humans that will come after us. One way to do so is through transgenerational empathy, by which we reconcile ourselves with the past in order to focus on the attributes that we want to pass on to the next generation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is part of The Progress Issue, a Big Think and Freethink special collaboration. In this inaugural special issue we set out to explore progress — how it happens, how we nurture it and how we stifle it, and what changes are required in how we approach our most serious problems to ensure greater and more equitable progress for all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ari Wallach Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator and host of the forthcoming series on PBS A Brief History of the Future, which is being executive produced by Kathryn Murdoch and Drake. He has been a strategy and foresight advisor to Fortune 100 companies, the US Department of State, the Ford Foundation, the UN Refugee Agency, the RacialEquity 2030 Challenge and Politico’s Long Game Forum. As adjunct associate professor at Columbia University he lectured on innovation, AI, and the future of public policy. Wallach's TED talk on Longpath has been viewed 2.6 million times and translated into 21 languages. Ari was the co-creator of 2008's pro-Obama The Great Schlep with Sarah Silverman. He has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Vox, and more. He lives in the lower Hudson Valley with his wife, three children and wonderdog Ozzie. More at Longpath.org and @ariw. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**"Menopause isn’t the end—it’s an evolutionary power move."** Most animals die after they reproduce, but humans? We keep going. Why? The **Grandmother Hypothesis** suggests menopause is a strategic advantage—giving older women the freedom to guide, protect, and strengthen their families. But the journey there? It’s no walk in the park. From hot flashes to brain fog, the menopause transition can last up to **seven years**, bringing a storm of symptoms. What actually helps? Exercise is the gold standard, but when it comes to treatment, **hormone therapy is both misunderstood and controversial.** In this eye-opening episode, we cut through the misinformation, expose the snake oil, and reveal **what actually works.** Should you take hormone therapy? Are “bioidenticals” a scam? And how can you separate science from marketing hype? **Get the facts—because your health shouldn’t be left to influencers and guesswork.** What can you do to support your health during menopause? “If exercise were a drug, that would be the one thing that we would be giving to everybody.” If every facet of the reproduction process is based in evolution, how does menopause, something where reproduction is no longer possible, benefit our species? We think it's because of an idea called the wise woman hypothesis, says Dr. Jen Gunter, an OB/GYN and author. The wise woman hypothesis describes the idea that historically for humans, having a grandmother in your family unit meant you had an extra pair of knowledgeable hands that themselves weren't occupied with child-rearing. Someone who could go out and help gather food, build shelter, find water, and pass on historical knowledge from other generations. And so menopause represents evolution in the long game, the idea that we retain our power as we age. Dr. Jen Gunter explains both the science and common myths behind the biological process of menopause, and how to know who to trust to guide you while going through it. About Dr. Jen Gunter:Dr. Jen Gunter is an OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician. She writes a lot about sex, science, and social media, but sometimes about other things because, well, why not?She's been called X's resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB/GYN, and one of the fiercest advocates for women’s health. She has devoted her professional life to caring for women. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ------------------------------------------------------07:42-16 ----------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. military once used Google’s tech without their employees knowing. Anna Butrico explains the complicated history behind “Project Maven.” Google famously used the slogan, “Don't be evil,” to guide its business practices. However, many Google employees were upset when they learned that the company had partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense on Project Maven, whose goal was to produce AI that could track people and vehicles. Is it immoral for a tech company to partner with the military to create war technology? Or is it immoral not to? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Anna Butrico: Anna Butrico is Chief of Staff of Odgers Berndtson U.S. Anna supports the OBUS leadership team in driving the firm’s growth strategy. Prior to joining Odgers, Anna was a senior communications associate at the McChrystal Group, where she advised Fortune 100 leaders on how to tap into human potential to achieve stronger business outcomes. A communications expert and former speechwriter, she is the co-author, with GEN (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal, of Risk: A User’s Guide. Anna earned her undergraduate degree in English from Vanderbilt University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She also studied literature at St. Anne’s College at the University of Oxford. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Expert Matthew Ball explains how the Metaverse is a golden opportunity to fix the internet. The Metaverse does not yet exist. At the moment, it is a vision of the future of the internet. One problem facing its development is that current problems with the internet — like misinformation, privacy issues, and security breaches — have not been solved. Inside the Metaverse, these problems could be amplified. Thankfully, developers, consumers, voters, and regulators have the power to implement change. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Matthew Ball: Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, a diversified holding company which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games. Ball is also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups. His first book, “The Metaverse and How it Will Revolutionize Everything”, was published in July 2022 and became an instant national and international bestseller. Ball is also an “Occasional Contributor” to The Economist, holds bylines at Bloomberg, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and wrote the August 8, 2022 cover story for Time Magazine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Big Think* brings together the world’s leading minds to explore the questions that matter most. From philosophy and science to psychology, technology, and beyond, it challenges conventional wisdom and encourages critical thinking. Through expert insights and bold ideas, *Big Think* pushes the boundaries of knowledge, helping audiences navigate complex topics with clarity and curiosity. Whether questioning the nature of reality, exploring human potential, or seeking practical solutions for a better future, *Big Think* delivers thought-provoking conversations that inspire action and deeper understanding. ----------- Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------- -----------------------------------------07:42-16 ------ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"If we're related to every living thing on the planet, do we not have a special responsibility for every living thing on this planet? They are really all our relatives." What does it truly mean to be alive? Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Paul Nurse answers biology’s most fundamental (and elusive) question in his full interview with Big Think. Drawing from decades of research, Nurse explores how five core ideas redefine life, from the hidden power of the cell to the bizarre machinery inside us all. Chapters: 00:00 Why title the book ‘What is Life'? 00:53 What is the current biological definition of "life"? 02:38 What is the cell, and why is it important for understanding life? 07:09 What is the connection between humans and yeast? 11:37 The genetic advantage of yeast 13:45 Genes, dna, and evolution 22:39 What exactly is cell division and how is it important for understanding life? 23:50 How important is natural selection? 26:29 What are the consequences of natural selection? 30:25 Our responsibility to steward nature 31:09 Life = Chemistry + Information 40:39 What is the basis of all life? -------------------------------------------------- About Paul Nurse: Paul Nurse, Ph.D, is a British biochemist. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Leland H. Hartwell and R. Timothy Hunt for their discoveries regarding cell cycle regulation by cyclin and cyclin dependent kinases. He became Rockefeller University's ninth president in 2003 -----------------------------------------------------10:15-14 ---------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Most of us aren't sure what to think about everything, but we don't really see that modeled anywhere, right? You're supposed to know for sure, and there's very little intellectual humility on social media or on TV.” **"How Political Division is Ripping Us Apart—And the Simple Fix"** Why do we turn every debate into *good vs. Evil*? In times of anxiety, humans crave certainty, forcing the world into rigid camps of "us" and "them." But what if that’s an illusion? In this eye-opening discussion, we uncover the hidden forces fueling division—social media distortion, political “conflict entrepreneurs,” and our own psychological biases. Turns out, most people *aren’t* as extreme as they seem. But misunderstanding breeds hate, and hate breeds chaos. The good news? There's a proven antidote: real relationships with people who think differently. When we see each other *as we really are*, the walls start to crumble. Today, you see it among many, many millions of people because there's a lot of anxiety about the future and fear about the present. We assume that the other side is more extreme than it is, partly because we hear so much from them. 95% of political tweets are written by around 10% of users, so we extrapolate and assume everyone on the other side thinks a certain way. So, are we being manipulated into conflict? And more importantly—can we break free? This episode holds the answers. About Amanda Ripley:Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, Washington Post contributor, and co-founder of consultancy firm, Good Conflict. Her books include The Smartest Kids in the World, High Conflict, and The Unthinkable. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------------09:49-15 ----------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Ackman is one of the top investors in the world, and he's said that he's aiming to have "one of the greatest investment track records of all time." As the CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund he founded, he oversees $19 billion in assets. But before he became one of the elite, he learned the basics of investing in his early 20s. This Big Think video is aimed at young professionals just starting out, as well as those who are more experienced but lack a financial background. Ackman takes viewers through the founding of a lemonade stand to teach the basics, explaining how investors pay for equity, a word interchangeable with "stock." In the example, the owner starts with $750, with $250 of that coming from a loan. WILLIAM ACKMAN: William Ackman is founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management. Formed in 2003, the hedge-fund has acquired significant shares in companies such as JC Penney, General Growth Properties, Fortune Bands and Kraft Foods. Ackman advocates strategies of "activist investing," the practice of using stock shares in publicly-traded companies to influence management practices in a way that benefits shareholder interests. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------------------------09:49-15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**"Will AI Replace Human Relationships? Yuval Harari’s Shocking Take"** What if AI understands you *better* than your closest friends? Imagine a world where machines grasp your emotions with laser precision—while humans remain frustratingly out of sync. Historian and futurist Yuval Noah Harari dives into this chilling possibility, exploring how AI could redefine love, power, and even democracy itself. From AI-powered corporations earning billions to the unsettling prospect of an AI president, Harari unpacks a future that feels eerily close. But amidst the warnings, there’s hope—AI could also revolutionize healthcare, education, and self-awareness. The real danger? We’re racing ahead without brakes. So, will AI become our greatest ally or our biggest mistake? Harari leaves us with a haunting question: Are we thinking fast enough to control the future we’re creating? Tune in for a conversation that will change how you see AI forever. “What happens if you incorporate an AI? It's now a legal person, and it can make decisions by itself. So you start having legal persons in the U.S., which are not human, and in many ways are more intelligent than us.” What are some arguments for and against a future where humans only have relationships with AI, and not with humans? AI is rapidly becoming better at understanding human feelings and emotions and developing intimate relationships with us, says historian and the best-selling author of 'Sapiens' @YuvalNoahHarari, in conversation with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin ‪@92NY‬. Often our peers, friends, and family aren’t able to understand or hold space for our feelings, partly because they are so preoccupied with their own. But AI is able to dedicate immense amounts of time to analyze and decipher our moods. Rather than the cold, mechanical, unfeeling robots depicted in science fiction, the AI would be nearly the complete opposite. This presents a future where AI will be so good at understanding us and reacting in a way calibrated to an individual’s personality at this particular moment that we may become disappointed with our fellow humans who don’t have this same capacity. But this invites a host of important questions to ask now: Will AI develop their own emotions? Will we start to treat them as conscious beings? Will we grant them legal status? Will we allow them to earn money? Invest it? Make billions? Lobby for politicians? Become our next president? About Yuval Noah Harari:Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, the series Sapiens: A Graphic History and Unstoppable Us, and Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. His books have sold over 45 Million copies in 65 languages, and he is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ---------------------------------------------------09:49-15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"We're awash in lies and misinformation to a degree that was not possible before we got the internet and in particular before we got social media." Our world seems more fragmented than ever. Author and podcaster Sam Harris thinks that an open conversation with 8 billion strangers could solve that. Here's his full Big Think interview, in its entirety. Sam argues that the real problem isn’t bad people but bad ideas. He believes there’s a growing “crisis of meaning” caused by secularism, social media, and political division, making honest discussions harder. He points out how online platforms spread misinformation, push people to extremes, and make cooperation difficult. He values reason over blind faith and encourages open conversations. He also promotes mindfulness and meditation to quiet the constant noise in our minds. He’s worried about rising populism and authoritarianism, warning that ignoring big issues like climate change and AI could have serious consequences. To protect free societies, he says we need to stay rational and deal with these threats wisely. Chapters for easier navigation: 00:00:00 - Finding meaning in a world of disinformation00:00:21 - When did you first become interested in debate?00:01:28 - What is causing the polarization we are seeing in our society?00:08:46 - How do we experience meaning?00:14:37 - What concerns you most about the future?00:21:49 - Why is freedom of speech such a powerful concept?00:28:48 - How do our belief systems affect the world around us?00:37:05 - How do we navigate the current landscape?00:45:00 - What can individuals do to make the world a better place?00:51:15 - How can we become better versions of ourselves?01:04:44 - How can we reframe our mental state into a positive experience?01:14:01 - Is artificial intelligence friend or foe?01:22:08 - How can we develop artificial intelligence responsibly?01:26:39 - How can the media regain lost trust?01:36:13 - How can you tell who is telling the truth in media? About Sam Harris:Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction.Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, and many other journals. His writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Nature, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere. Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ------------------------------------------------------------------------07:42-16 ------ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**🌌 What If the Universe Expands Because of… Selection?** Sounds wild? It is. But maybe it’s not nonsense. Let’s dive into this provocative idea — that **life, selection, and novelty** might be *fueling* the Universe’s expansion. ### 🌀 The Setup: A Universe in Motion The Universe, as far as we can tell, has been **expanding** ever since the Big Bang. Not just drifting outward — **accelerating**. But **why** is it expanding faster? And what’s it expanding *into*? (Trick question — probably *nothing*. There’s no “outside” to space-time.) ### ❓ A Bigger Question: What If Selection Drives Expansion? Now for the bold idea: > **Could the Universe be expanding because of selection?** Not natural selection in the Darwinian sense, but a **broader concept**: - Wherever **matter interacts**, - Wherever **patterns emerge**, - Wherever **choices are made**, there’s **selection** — and selection may be the engine of **novelty**. ### 🧠 Here’s the Thought Experiment: 1. **Big Bang** happens → universe starts expanding. 2. **Complexity arises** — atoms, molecules, stars, life. 3. **Life generates novelty**, explores possibilities, selects paths. 4. **Selection** becomes embedded in physical processes. 5. That selection might be **linked to the flow of time** — and maybe even **fuels the expansion**. Think of it as: > **The more selection, the more expansion.** Wherever *stuff* interacts and selects — from particles to consciousness — **space inflates** to accommodate complexity. ### 🔄 But What Even *Is* Time? Time, in this view, isn’t just a backdrop — it’s **active**, driven by **irreversible change**, the one-way arrow of causality. And if time is real — and not reversible — then maybe **selection through matter** is what keeps the clock ticking. And keeps the cosmos stretching. ### 🔬 Is It Testable? No, not yet. Maybe not ever. But maybe we’ve been asking the wrong questions. Instead of: > “What force is driving expansion?” Try asking: > “What role does *novelty* play in the evolution of the cosmos?” ### 🧬 Life as Localized Selection If selection per unit volume = life, then maybe **life isn’t separate from the cosmos** — it’s just **one expression of the Universe’s selection process**. That means: - Even if no humans exist, - Even if no Earth exists, - **Wherever there’s interaction, there’s selection.** And **where there’s selection… the Universe expands**. ### 🤯 Final Thought This isn’t settled science. It might even be nonsense. But **isn’t it thrilling** to wonder if your thoughts, your choices, your very existence are *not just observers of the cosmos* — but **contributors to its expansion**? > What if we’re not just in the Universe… > **What if we’re part of what keeps it growing?** Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes ------------------------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Columbia Professor Carl Hart breaks taboos surrounding drug use in America. The U.S. Was founded on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So, why does the government prohibit Americans from altering their state of consciousness with drugs it has deemed illegal? After all, drug prohibition has not only proven ineffective and unjust in many cases, but it also impinges on one’s right to live life as they see fit. It restricts liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Given these inconsistencies between principle and policy, what role should the U.S. Government play, if any, in regulating mind-altering substances as we move forward into the 21st century? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Dr. Carl Hart: Dr. Hart is an Associate Professor of Psychology in both the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at Columbia University, and Director of the Residential Studies and Methamphetamine Research Laboratories at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. A major focus of Dr. Hart’s research is to understand complex interactions between drugs of abuse and the neurobiology and environmental factors that mediate human behavior and physiology. He is the author or co-author of dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles in the area of neuropsychopharmacology, co-author of the textbook, Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior, and a member of a NIH review group. Dr. Hart was recently elected to Fellow status by the American Psychological Association (Division 28) for his outstanding contribution to the field of psychology, specifically psychopharmacology and substance abuse. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Economist Tyler Cowen confirms there are good reasons to be crypto-skeptical. Cryptocurrency is truly a new idea, and it's rare for society to encounter fundamentally new ideas. Cryptocurrency is well positioned to serve a crucial financial and transactional role as a globalized internet grows to include more of our lives. Crypto enthusiasts espouse grand plans that do not sound realistic, while crypto skeptics fail to appreciate the revolutionary nature of the technology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Tyler Cowen: Tyler is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and serves as chairman and general director of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is co-author of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution and co-founder of the online educational platform Marginal Revolution University. Tyler also writes a column for Bloomberg View, and he has contributed to The Wall Street Journal and Money. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek profiled Tyler as “America’s Hottest Economist” after his e-book, The Great Stagnation, appeared twice on The New York Times e-book bestseller list. He graduated from George Mason University with a bachelor's degree in economics and earned a Ph.D. In economics from Harvard University. He also runs a podcast series called Conversations with Tyler. His latest book Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives and Winners Around the World is co-authored with venture capitalist Daniel Gross. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ed Yong explores the hidden features that make dog noses so incredible. Many animals, from sharks to elephants, are champions of olfaction (smelling). Dogs are the most famous. Through their sense of smell, dogs can tell which direction a person traveled and even can distinguish between identical twins. Dogs can be trained to detect just about anything, including electronic devices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ed Yong: Ed Yong is a Pulitzer Prize–winning science writer on the staff of The Atlantic, where he also won the George Polk Award for science reporting, among other honors. His first book, I Contain Multitudes, was a New York Times bestseller and won numerous awards. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, National Geographic, Wired, The New York Times, Scientific American, and more. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Liz Neeley, and their corgi, Typo. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t take the prodigy pathway. David Epstein says become a broad thinker instead. The idea for Nintendo’s Game Boy system was born from a philosophy that had a much less catchy name: lateral thinking with withered technology. The term was coined by Gunpei Yokoi, a Nintendo employee who started at the company with a similarly dry job: machine maintenance worker. One day, a Nintendo executive noticed that Yokoi had built a simple extendable-arm-grabber toy in his free time. Let’s sell it, the executive said. It became a small hit. Yokoi was eventually promoted to help build out the company’s video game business. But he recognized that he didn’t have the expertise to advance the cutting edge of the video game world. So he decided on a very specific strategy: take already well-understood knowledge and technology from different domains and combine them in unique ways to create new products. The result was the Game Boy. In this interview with Big Think, David Epstein, author of the 2019 book "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World," explains how lateral thinking — a type of thinking where you approach problems from non-obvious angles — is a problem-solving strategy that’s surprisingly well-suited for our fast-changing world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About David Epstein: David Epstein is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and The Sports Gene. He has master's degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He lives in Washington, DC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black women are 3x more likely to die giving birth. Here’s one plan to fix that. Where you live matters to your health. Life expectancy can vary dramatically between neighborhoods in the same city. The U.S. Has a particular problem with maternal mortality, which is much higher than in comparable countries. The CEO of Northwell Health describes how a program the company implemented decreased hospitalization due to life-threatening complications by nearly half. This video was created in partnership with Northwell Health. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Dowling: Michael J. Dowling is president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, New York's largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, more than 800 outpatient locations, and 75,000+ employees. One of health care's most influential executives, Mr. Dowling has received numerous awards, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an honorary degree from the prestigious Queen's University Belfast and his selection as the Grand Marshal of the 2017 St. Patrick's Day Parade in NYC. He also serves as chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can’t predict success. But according to minds like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku & more, you can hot wire it. It’s perhaps never been easier to feel as if you’ve fallen behind in life. From the anxieties of comparing yourself to others online to our fetishization of success, it can seem like everyone else is out there attaining their goals and feeling happy while you feel stuck. The reality is that many people feel stuck — even those who present themselves as models of conventional success. So, what are some ways you can meaningfully work toward your goals, while also making sure that your goals are worth pursuing in the first place? Todd Rose, the co-founder and president of the think tank Populace, offers a framework called the “dark horse” mindset. As a rejection of conventional wisdom about how to succeed, the mindset includes four main strategies: know your micromotives, know your choices, know your strategies, and ignore the destination. Weighing in on those strategies and broader questions about success are other Big Think contributors, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, and Alex Banayan. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:43 What is a 'dark horse'? 1:20 Dark horse lesson #1: Know your micro-motives 2:09 Neil deGrasse Tyson's mindset 2:57 Dark horse lesson #2: Know your choices 3:12 Steven Spielberg's mindset 6:06 Dark horse lesson #3: Know your strategies 6:30 Michio Kaku: Eisenhower's mindset 7:42 Dark horse lesson #4: Ignore the destination 8:15 Sarah Robb O'Hagan's mindset ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Shapiro, the head of Harvard’s International Negotiation program, shares 3 keys to a better argument. Americans are increasingly falling into the “tribal trap,” according to Dan Shapiro, author of “Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts.” The tribal trap often centers on politics. Those ensnared in it will do anything they can to shut down the other side in an effort to prove that their side is right, just, and the only way forward. But from abortion to immigration, the problem is often not what we’re arguing about, it’s how. So, how can we have more productive conversations? In this Big Think interview, Shapiro uses his negotiating expertise to outline several strategies to escape the tribal trap and communicate effectively, including understanding the core values of the other side, listening intently to what they’re saying, conveying that you understand what they’re saying, and finding common ground. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Dan Shapiro: The founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program, Daniel Shapiro teaches a highly evaluated course on negotiation at Harvard College; instructs psychology interns at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital; and leads executive education sessions at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital. He also has served on the faculty at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is author of Negotiating the Nonnegotiable, which Matthew Bishop of the Economist Group called “quite simply, the best book I have ever read on negotiating in situations of extreme conflict.” He also is coauthor with Roger Fisher of the negotiation classic “Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are 38 kinds of secrets. The average person has 13 at any given moment. Michael Slepian explains how that can affect your health. We all have secrets. The average person has as many as 13 secrets at any given time. Usually, we hold secrets to protect something, such as our reputation or someone we care about. But this doesn't always protect what we hope to protect. Additionally, secrets can lead to loneliness and shame, which are particularly toxic to our health and wellbeing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Slepian: Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He previously was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. From Tufts University. He is an elected fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, has received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How psychedelics work, explained by Johns Hopkins professor Matthew Johnson. Humans have been consuming psychedelic substances for millennia, but only in the past century have we made significant progress in understanding how they affect the brain and our psychology. We have learned, for example, that psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT cause psychedelic experiences primarily by affecting a particular type of serotonin receptor, while other drugs like ketamine and PCP primarily affect the glutamate system. But there remain open questions about how these biological effects contribute to profound psychological changes in people who take psychedelics. One answer seems to center on how the drugs spark communication between different brain regions. What’s more, psychedelics seem to encourage greater neuroplasticity, meaning the brain becomes primed to learn new things in the wake of a psychedelic experience. Check out this Big Think interview with Matthew Johnson, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University who explains how psychedelics work, and what researchers hope to uncover about the substances in the future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TOPGUN fighter pilot Guy Snodgrass shares his 3 key leadership lessons from the cockpit. Commander Guy Snodgrass is a retired fighter pilot. His intense training and experience in the cockpit helped him craft 10 skills for leadership and personal performance. These lessons apply to everyone from medical doctors to social media influencers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Guy Snodgrass: Guy Snodgrass is the CEO of Defense Analytics, a national security and foreign policy strategic advisory firm specializing in strategy development, government policy, and technology adoption. Recognized as an influential national security and foreign policy expert, Snodgrass recently published his first book, _Holding the Line_, to incredibly positive reviews. Snodgrass appears as a commentator on CNN, FOX, and multiple international outlets; an opinion contributor to _The Washington Post_, _USA Today_, and other national security outlets; and a prominent commentator to publications such as _Politico_, _The New York Times_, _The Washington Post_, and _Bloomberg_. A career Navy F/A-18 fighter pilot, Commander Snodgrass led combat missions in support of forces on the ground in the Middle East. Subsequently selected as a TOPGUN instructor, he served as the US Navy and Marine Corps expert in air-to-air combat and tactics development. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The groundbreaking approach to stopping PTSD before it happens. Bandages, gauze, sterile eye dressings — these are some standard supplies you can expect to find in a first aid kit. But what about tools to help mend the mental and emotional wounds people suffer during traumatic experiences? After traveling to Greece to help Syrian refugees during the height of the refugee crisis, child psychiatrist Essam Daod came to the realization that, just as it’s important to treat physical wounds as quickly as possible, tending to psychic injuries is also an urgent matter. “I think that we have this very short window of opportunity — what I call the “golden hour” — that we can really do the intervention before the, you know, [traumatic] experience can be stored and imprinted in the brain, especially for kids.” In 2015, Daod and his wife started Humanity Crew, an organization that has so far provided more than 32,000 hours of free mental health services to refugees in the Mediterranean. The organization does its best to reframe traumatic experiences for people when it makes sense to do so — for example, helping a young refugee boy who survived a dangerous ocean journey to see himself as a strong and capable hero. This can nudge the mind to store memories as positive experiences instead of traumatic ones. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Dr. Essam Daod: Essam is a psychiatrist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist who grew up in Israel in a small Arab Palestinian village in the Galilee. He specialized in child and adolescent psychiatry and graduated from psychoanalytic school. In 2015, he flew to Greece for a humanitarian rescue mission where he co-founded Humanity Crew and has been working with refugees ever since. Humanity Crew specializes in the provision of psychological aid to refugees and people in crises, working to deploy mental health and psycho social support to displaced populations in order to improve their wellbeing, to restore order in their lives, and to prevent further psychological escalation. Currently, he is an avid refugee mental health activist and researcher who has spoken at countless conferences and media outlets all over the world advocating for the importance of mental health support for refugees. In 2016 Essam and Humanity Crew were awarded "The Defenders of Refugee Rights Award" at the 4th Edition of Cities Defending Human Rights in Barcelona. In 2018, he became a WHO mental health expert team member, and a TED Fellow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimena Canales shares the “demons” that shaped computer science. Just like the mailer demons you may have seen pop up on an undelivered email, there are hundreds of other software “demons” that live inside your computer. Whenever a computer completes an automated task, they are said to be done by computer demons. These demons are anthropomorphized figures that help computer scientists understand complicated processes, which in turn drives AI forward. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Jimena Canales: Jimena Canales is an expert in 19th and 20th century history of the physical sciences, working for a better understanding of science and technology in relation to the arts and humanities.She received an M.A. And Ph.D. From Harvard University in the History of Science and a BSc in Engineering Physics from the Tecnológico de Monterrey. Her first book, A Tenth of a Second: A History explored the relation between science and history as one of the central intellectual problems of modern times. Her widely-acclaimed second book, The Physicist and the Philosopher: Einstein, Bergson and the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time has been translated in Chinese, Greek, Spanish and excerpted in other languages. Her third book Bedeviled: A Shadow History of Demons in Science, covering four-centuries of scientific discovery, is now available. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Carroll: We might solve free will one day. But here’s why I doubt it. Debates about the existence of free will have traditionally been fought by two competing camps: those who believe in free will and those who don’t because they believe the Universe is deterministic. Determinism is the thesis that every event — from when a volcano erupts to what cereal you buy at the supermarket — is a theoretically predictable result of the long chain of events that came before it. Free will, it was long thought, cannot exist in a world where all events are already causally determined. But free will and determinism aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. As physicist Sean Carroll told Big Think, the compatibilist conception of free will argues that it makes sense to conceptualize ourselves as able to make free decisions, regardless of whether the Universe is deterministic or indeterministic. Why? The main argument centers on the phenomenon of emergence. 0:00 Free will vs. Determinism 0:27 Determinism 0:51 The biggest mistake in the free will debate 1:07 Libertarian free will 2:39 Compatibilist free will 4:01 Objection to compatibilism 5:06 The experience of free will ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two-thirds of our days are spent alone. The Metaverse will bring us together, argues leading Metaverse thinker Matthew Ball. Will the metaverse lean more toward dystopia or utopia? If you base your answer solely on Hollywood’s vision of the future, you might say the former, considering that blockbusters like “The Matrix” and “Blade Runner” paint an ominous future where technology has helped fuel massive inequality and human suffering. But that’s just one vision. In many ways, humans have been exploring metaverse-like worlds for decades, through text-based role-playing games to “Second Life” to the consumer-grade VR systems that have become popular over the past decade — and we’ve done it all without ushering in a dystopia. The metaverse will soon enable immersive, collaborative, and social experiences that could change not only leisure, but also learning. For young students, the technology could replace paper mache models of volcanoes with something very much like “The Magic School Bus.” That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate concerns about the metaverse, especially when it comes to questions about who owns what in this emerging world. Matthew Ball, author of “The Metaverse,” explains more in this interview with Big Think. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Matthew Ball: Matthew Ball is the CEO of Epyllion, a diversified holding company which makes angel investments, provides advisory services, and produces television, films, and video games. Ball is also a Venture Partner at Makers Fund, Senior Advisor to KKR, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company, and sits on the board of numerous start-ups. His first book, “The Metaverse and How it Will Revolutionize Everything”, was published in July 2022 and became an instant national and international bestseller. Ball is also an “Occasional Contributor” to The Economist, holds bylines at Bloomberg, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and wrote the August 8, 2022 cover story for Time Magazine. ----------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Futurist Ari Wallach shares how to become future-conscious.   Futurist Ari Wallach knows it can be very difficult, but he's going to need you to think about yourself. Not yourself right now — that's easy to do. You're already doing it! He means thinking about yourself in the future. Keeping what may lie ahead in mind — being future-conscious — makes you more likely to eat right and exercise; more likely to plan ahead financially; more likely to forge strong, healthy relationships and treat people right. Researchers have found we see our future selves like celebrities, like some vaguely knowable figure. And when that extends society-wide, we make decisions that may not benefit us, like spending recklessly or harming the climate for quick gain. Wallach is the founder and executive director of Longpath, an initiative that wants to foster being future-conscious. If you can keep tomorrow in mind, it can be possible to have a better today. 0:00 Meet the two yous 1:01 The Matt Damon experiment 2:41 The 'longpath' mindset ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ari Wallach: Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator and host of the forthcoming series on PBS A Brief History of the Future, which is being executive produced by Kathryn Murdoch and Drake. He has been a strategy and foresight advisor to Fortune 100 companies, the US Department of State, the Ford Foundation, the UN Refugee Agency, the RacialEquity 2030 Challenge and Politico’s Long Game Forum. As adjunct associate professor at Columbia University he lectured on innovation, AI, and the future of public policy. Wallach's TED talk on Longpath has been viewed 2.6 million times and translated into 21 languages. Ari was the co-creator of 2008's pro-Obama The Great Schlep with Sarah Silverman. He has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Vox, and more. He lives in the lower Hudson Valley with his wife, three children and wonderdog Ozzie. More at https://www.longpath.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

33% of people cheat, and 77% of people want to know about their partner’s infidelity. Would you tell your partner? Michael Slepian, an expert on secrecy, explains how. About one-third of people have committed infidelity at some point in their lives. If you're one of them, should you confess it to your romantic partner? One way to answer the question is to consider whether you would want to know if your partner had cheated on you: Surveys show that 77% of people would want to know, but that still leaves about a quarter of us who'd prefer ignorance. It's also worth questioning your own motives: Maybe you only want to get the secret off your chest to make yourself feel better. It's a difficult dilemma with no one-size-fits-all solution. But fortunately, as psychologist Michael Slepian explained to Big Think, recent research has been revealing insights on the nature of secrets, what happens when we harbor them, and how and when we should consider getting them off our chest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Slepian: Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He previously was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. From Tufts University. He is an elected fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, has received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Short-term thinkers take shortcuts. Take the longpath instead, explains futurist Ari Wallach. Long-term planning is tough. With all of the pressures and distractions of daily life, it’s often a hassle to stop and consider whether what we’re doing at any given moment is putting us on track toward our future goals. And if the answer is no, it often takes even more effort to consciously change course and sacrifice immediate gratification for long-term gain. Long-term thinking is difficult for anyone, but especially for those living paycheck to paycheck. Does that mean “longtermism” is only for the privileged? The answer is no, according to the futurist Ari Wallach, author of "Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs." Although it might be harder for some people to consider how our current actions will affect the future, it’s a moral question that we all should ask ourselves. Chapters: 0:00 What is ‘longpath’ thinking? 1:33 Take the pause 2:16 Who is taking shortcuts? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Ari Wallach: Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator and host of the forthcoming series on PBS A Brief History of the Future, which is being executive produced by Kathryn Murdoch and Drake. He has been a strategy and foresight advisor to Fortune 100 companies, the US Department of State, the Ford Foundation, the UN Refugee Agency, the RacialEquity 2030 Challenge and Politico’s Long Game Forum. As adjunct associate professor at Columbia University he lectured on innovation, AI, and the future of public policy. Wallach's TED talk on Longpath has been viewed 2.6 million times and translated into 21 languages. Ari was the co-creator of 2008's pro-Obama The Great Schlep with Sarah Silverman. He has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Vox, and more. He lives in the lower Hudson Valley with his wife, three children and wonderdog Ozzie. More at https://www.longpath.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When you start to accept that you have profound influence on the world, but very limited control, you start to see the world differently.” We like to believe that everything happens for a reason. But what if that belief is a comforting illusion? Political scientist Brian Klaas argues that randomness, not reason, drives much of human life. The stories we tell ourselves about cause and effect aren’t reflections of truth, rather, they’re coping mechanisms to make chaos feel like order. 0:00 The limits of control 0:30 Does everything happen for a reason? 1:58 Science and chaos 2:27 Religion and the scientific revolution 4:23 Making sense of patterns 6:56 “The delusion of individualism” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Brian Klaas: Dr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London, an affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is also the author five books, including Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (2024) and Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us (2021). Klaas writes the popular The Garden of Forking Paths Substack and created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, which has been downloaded roughly three million times. Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, American politics, political violence, elections, and the nature of power. Additionally, his research interests include contingency, chaos theory, evolutionary biology, the philosophy of science and social science, and complex systems. In addition to Fluke and Corruptible, Klaas authored three earlier books: The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy (Hurst & Co, 2017); The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy, (Oxford University Press, 2016) and How to Rig an Election (Yale University Press, co-authored with Professor Nic Cheeseman; 2018). -------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Consciousness is fundamental. It's a fundamental property of the world that we inhabit, a fundamental property of the universe.” What does it mean to be conscious, and why does it feel like something to be you? Neuroscientist Anil Seth argues that consciousness isn’t a mysterious spark but a deeply biological process, one that depends on prediction, perception, and the body’s constant negotiation with the world. In this conversation with philosopher Jonny Thomson, he explores how our brains don’t passively observe reality but actively construct it. Chapters: 0:00 Einstein — underrated? 1:00 The network of genius 1:16 Classical mechanics 1:48 Space and time 2:21 Electromagnetism 2:59 The speed of light 4:20 Spacetime 5:38 Special theory of relativity 6:31 Inverse square law of gravity 7:56 General theory of relativity 9:07 Schwarzschild solution 10:12 Quantum field theory 13:22 Quantum mechanics 16:16 Why physics is a conversation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -----------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Consciousness is fundamental. It's a fundamental property of the world that we inhabit, a fundamental property of the universe.” What does it mean to be conscious, and why does it feel like something to be you? Neuroscientist Anil Seth argues that consciousness isn’t a mysterious spark but a deeply biological process, one that depends on prediction, perception, and the body’s constant negotiation with the world. In this conversation with philosopher Jonny Thomson, he explores how our brains don’t passively observe reality, but rather actively construct it. Chapters: 0:00 Non-human consciousness 1:40 The current state of consciousness science 2:10 What is consciousness? 4:05 The similarity of conscious experiences 5:48 Consciousness in the brain 11:23 Technology for measuring consciousness 16:03 Measuring consciousness levels 20:33 Pragmatic physicalism and functionalism 23:25 Pansychism 28:25 Emergence 32:35 AI and consciousness 36:49 The difference between non-human animals and AI 41:49 Is artificial consciousness possible? 48:12 Consciousness in the body and outside the brain Consciousness in the future and AI 50:27 Audience Q&A 50:41 Could computers could simulate the brain and body? 59:55 Why are you skeptical about asserting the dependency of life to the consciousness? 1:03:31 If consciousness is so clinical, does it undermine free will? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Anil Seth: Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and public speaker who has pioneered research into the brain basis of consciousness for more than 20 years. He is the author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness. About Jonny Thomson: Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He’s a columnist at Big Think and is the award-winning, bestselling author of three books that have been translated into 22 languages. Jonny is also the founder of Mini Philosophy, a social network of around two million curious, intelligent minds. He's known all over the world for making philosophy accessible, relatable, and fun. -----------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know treadmills were invented as prison torture machines? Modern exercise is confusing. Harvard professor Dan Lieberman sets it straight. Today, most of us tend to medicalize exercise, turning it into something that we “have” to do. Case in point: the treadmill. If our main goal was enjoyment, there’s no way we’d regularly spend 45 minutes walking in place on these expensive machines. But our relationship with exercise — or, more generally, physical activity — was not always so discrete and joyless. For much of human history, people got plenty of physical activity by not only walking long distances, but also by doing activities that were both necessary and socially rewarding, like hunting, dancing, and sports. Harvard biologist Daniel Lieberman argues it’s time to rethink our relationship with exercise, and to understand physical activity as a complex and integral part of human evolution. After all, while walking thousands of steps through the environment to find our next meal was a major part of our evolution, walking on the treadmill was not. 0:00 Treadmill torture (really) 1:54 Exercise vs physical activity 2:40 Why exercise stresses us out 3:12 “Medicalizing” exercise 3:48 The 10,000 steps myth 5:02 Warrior origins of exercise 6:12 Aggression: Proactive vs. Reactive 7:15 The anthropological view ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Daniel Lieberman: Daniel Lieberman is Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He received degrees from Harvard and Cambridge, and taught at Rutgers University and George Washington University before joining Harvard University as a Professor in 2001. He is a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lieberman loves teaching and has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, many in journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS, as well as three popular books, The Evolution of the Human Head (2011), The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease (2013), and Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do is Healthy and Rewarding (2020). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stress shrinks your brain. Neuroscientist Lisa Genova explains how to strengthen it. It may not feel like it when you can't find your phone or "lose" your sunglasses sitting atop your head, but your memory is an amazing ability -- and one we want to protect. So it's little wonder that any blips or blank spaces can send us spiraling into concern. Some recall issues here and there are normal, says neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova, and not every lapse means looming problems. (And don't worry, forgetting names is a surprisingly tough thing for our brains to do!) But, Genova says, there's ways we can improve our memory, increase resilience and recall and be more comfortable with ourselves and our minds. From making lists and getting Google's help to giving yourself a pop quiz, getting some meditation in, and just plain paying attention, these tips will have your steel trap gleaming. Chapters: 0:00 Introducing the problem 1:19 #1: Practice paying attention 1:45: #2: Bulk up your hippocampus 3:18 A 9-second meditation you can try 3:59 #3 Secure your sleep 5:14 #4 Drink caffeine 5:36 #5 Create associations (the Baker-Baker Paradox) 6:36 #6 Repetition 7:14 #7 Write it down 8:03 #8 Self-testing 8:31 #9 Just Google it 9:14 Forgetting is human ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Lisa Genova: Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Every Note Played. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, “What You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s,” has been viewed more than five million times. The New York Times bestseller REMEMBER is her first work of nonfiction. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bo Seo, Harvard’s former debate coach, explains a good argument. If our ancestors could see modern society, odds are they would be impressed with our technology and horrified with how we use it — particularly when it comes to debate. Debate is crucial to a healthy society. After all, having productive debates is how people have learned, resolved conflicts, and generated new solutions for thousands of years. In Ancient Greece, it was even considered a kind of civic duty to be able to persuasively argue your point about the various issues of the day. There are plenty of skilled rhetoricians around today. But as two-time world debate champion Bo Seo told Big Think, it has become rare to see thoughtful, productive, and smart debates broadcast on a large scale to the general public. We more often encounter short video clips or tweets featuring people whose main goal is to “win” the argument instead of trying to understand and refute the opposing side’s ideas in good faith. A major part of the problem is that we have outsourced our debates to avatars we see in media: politicians, pundits, and celebrities. So, can we develop better models of disagreement to help us become better debaters? Seo thinks the answer is yes, and that the process starts with polishing our skills offline. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Bo Seo: Bo Seo is a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of the Australian national debating team and the Harvard College Debating Union. One of the most recognized figures in the global debate community, he has won both the World Schools Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championship. Bo has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and many other publications. He has worked as a national reporter for the Australian Financial Review and has been a regular panelist on the prime time Australian debate program, The Drum. Bo graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University and received a master’s degree in public policy from Tsinghua University. He is currently a student at Harvard Law School. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Columbia professor Michael Slepian collected thousands of secrets. They all had 3 things in common. How many secrets are you holding right now? If the answer is around 13, you're about average, according to research on the nature of secrets. Secrets aren't all bad. Some are rather trivial. But sometimes, keeping secrets can weigh us down and cause psychological distress. Michael Slepian, an associate professor at Columbia Business School, has spent years studying the nature of secrets, why we hold them, and which kinds of secrets people tend to deem the most serious. As Slepian explains in this Big Think video, his research has revealed that secrets can generally be sorted into three domains. Gaining a better understanding of your secrets can help you improve your well-being. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Slepian: Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He previously was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. From Tufts University. He is an elected fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, has received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The real risks of psychedelics, explained by Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Matthew Johnson. A pattern emerges when you compare the harmfulness of different types of psychoactive drugs: alcohol and hard drugs like heroin and crack cocaine rank as the most harmful, while psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD score as the least harmful. It’s perhaps not too surprising. After all, psychedelic substances are generally non-toxic and medically safe to consume. The drugs do not come with the same kind of overdose risks that substances like alcohol and heroin do. Still, psychedelics can have profound effects on the psyche. Bad trips are a real phenomenon. But bad trips are sometimes the result of an interplay between the drugs and the user’s environment. As explained by Dr. Matthew W. Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, the conditions under which someone experiences psychedelics can significantly influence the trip — for the worse or the better. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychologist Todd Rose debunks 8 myths so mainstream we all believe them. Collective illusions — false assumptions about society that many people share — have existed for thousands of years in many different ways. Today, because of social media and modern technology, they have become even more common. One example of a collective illusion is the commonly held belief that everyone wants fame, wealth, and power. That’s not true. Most of us want lives of purpose and meaning. But because of false assumptions, many of us spend our lives chasing things that won’t fulfill us. Another example of a collective illusion is the pervasive idea that the U.S. Is an irredeemably divided nation. Sure, Americans have plenty of disagreements. But fundamentally, they have more in common than they might think. As former Harvard professor and bestselling author Todd Rose explains, the antidote to collective illusions is becoming a more authentic individual, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of how our innate drive to conform to social norms often works against that. 0:00 What is a “collective illusion”? 2:43 How myths invade private opinion 4:54 Myth: Other people can’t be trusted 8:32 Myth: Success is wealth, status, and power 11:12 Myth: Social media reveals what society thinks 13:56: Myth: Group consensus is vetted and factual 17:53: Myth: Elite jobs matter to us 21:11 Myth: America is on the verge of civil war 24:18 Myth: People want university degrees 26:57 Myth: Cultural norms exist to protect you ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Todd Rose: Todd Rose is the co-founder and president of Populace, a think tank committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to pursue fulfilling lives in a thriving society. Prior to Populace, he was a faculty member at Harvard University where he founded the Laboratory for the Science of Individuality and directed the Mind, Brain, and Education program. Todd is the best selling author of Collective Illusions, Dark Horse, and The End of Average. He lives in Burlington, Massachusetts. ------------------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can psychedelics solve the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness? Johns Hopkins professor Matthew Johnson explains. It seems safe to say that you have subjective experiences of what it’s like to exist. But things get complicated when you try to prove that phenomenal experiences, or qualia, extend to every human being that you see around you. And things get even more complicated when you try to scientifically explain how the physical matter in your brain gives rise to consciousness, and why such experiences exist in the first place. This is known as the hard problem of consciousness. It has yet to be solved. Could the mind-altering power of psychedelics offer a solution to this longstanding problem? Dr. Matthew W. Johnson is leaving open the possibility. As a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Johnson is one of the world’s most published scientists when it comes to the effects of psychedelics on the human brain. In this Big Think interview, Dr. Johnson explains why we should be both open and careful about the prospect of psychedelics helping us crack the hard problem of consciousness, which remains one of the world’s most puzzling questions. Chapters for easier navigation: 0:00 Defining consciousness 0:47 The ‘hard problem’ of consciousness 1:44 Psychedelics & consciousness ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do physicists actually mean when they talk about the Multiverse? Sean Carroll explains. The Multiverse is having a moment. From “Rick and Morty” to Marvel movies, the idea that our Universe is just one of many has inspired countless storylines in recent popular culture. Why is the Multiverse so compelling? To theoretical physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll, one reason is that we’re drawn to wondering how things might have turned out differently. What if you had chosen a different career path? Married someone else? Moved to a different city? Of course, there’s obviously no guarantee that you’re living out those alternate timelines in a different universe. But there are real scientific reasons to think that the Multiverse exists. And as Carroll explains, that possibility comes with some fascinating philosophical implications. Chapters: 0:00 Hollywood’s Multiverse 1:35 Physics’ Multiverse: Cosmology vs. Many Worlds 3:28 The Many Worlds theory 4:25 Are there many versions of you? 6:39 Your alternate lives 8:09 Your one life in our Universe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------07:42-16 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**🌍 Feeling hopeless about climate change? You're not alone — but the data tells a more hopeful story.** Oxford researcher Hannah Ritchie was once overwhelmed too. But by zooming out and studying centuries of progress, she discovered something remarkable: humanity *has* solved massive environmental problems before — and we can do it again. She breaks climate change down into four critical battlegrounds: **energy, transport, food, and construction**. The good news? We already have the tools — solar and wind are now cheaper than coal, EVs are surpassing gas cars in sales, and we can cut land use and emissions by rethinking how we farm and eat. Even cement, a notoriously dirty material, is seeing exciting innovations. But this isn't blind optimism. It's what she calls **"urgent optimism"** — knowing that change is possible, but only if we fight for it. 🔥 We’ve passed the tipping point on some trends — the rest is up to us. 👉 *Ready to see how technology, policy, and people power can rewrite our future?* Timestamps: 0:00 - An ‘insurmountable’ problem? 1:10 - 4 key targets to solve climate change 04:27 - How we reduce our emissions 09:36 - Being an ‘urgent optimist’ Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes -----------------------------------------------07:42-16 ---------------------------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices