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The block universe: a theory where every moment already exists
Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili explores why our sense of time may be incredibly misleading, including the idea that past, present, and future might all exist at once.
with
Jim Al-Khalili
Time is relative, and yet we have this strong psychological feeling that there's a past, a future, a now. Our consciousness is moving along this river of time, gobbling up the future, spitting out the past.
The philosophy of indoctrination and how to fix it
Some people are always at war.
The 3 types of reading (and the 2 you’ll pick)
Skim or scan this. No need to deep-read.
Consciousness may be more than the brain’s output — it may be an input, too
A new framework suggests that bursts of neural chaos could be the fingerprints of a conscious mind at work.
by
Conor Feehly
The philosophy of indoctrination and how to fix it
Some people are always at war.
AI that acts before you ask is the next leap in intelligence
Today’s AI is built to respond. The future belongs to proactive systems.
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How the U.S. Constitution protects liberty from the powerful’s dark impulses
In this excerpt from Separation of Powers, Cass Sunstein explains how the U.S. Constitution prevents such a concentration of authority from turning democracy into despotism.
The brain after blindness: How newly-sighted people build a visual world
When people born blind gain sight, the hardest part isn’t opening their eyes — it’s teaching the brain how to see.
The ghost in the machine has changed sides
The quiet transfer of human agency in the age of artificial intelligence.
What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with
Jonny Thomson
3 ways to think and talk like a philosopher
"Broadly speaking, it's at least plausible, this might be right."
How to spot a stupid person with Carlo Cipolla’s “golden law of stupidity”
How many stupid acts does it take to make a person stupid?
Which of the 5 philosophical archetypes best describes you?
I'm definitely a Kitsune, but would a Kitsune actually say that?
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
13mins
The idea so strange Einstein thought it broke quantum physics
Jim Al-Khalili introduces the technologies emerging from the second quantum revolution.
23mins
Why alien civilizations may bloom and die unseen
Brian Cox examines why, despite billions of stars and trillions of planets, we have found no evidence of other intelligent life.
18mins
A look into the mind of someone without empathy
Abigail Marsh unpacks what defines psychopathy, how it differs from antisocial behavior, and why terms like “sociopath” only add confusion.
16mins
The tiny transistors remaking our global order
"The production of the silicon wafers that are used in the chip manufacturing process requires extraordinary levels of purity."
Ask Ethan: How dark will the Universe become?
Over billions of years, fewer stars form, galaxies mutually recede, and the Universe becomes ever darker. Here's how fast it all happens.
A quirk of relativity is the closest thing to achieving immortality
Nothing lives forever, at least, not in the known Universe. But relativity allows us to get closer than ever: from a physics perspective.
NASA’s next X-ray mission, AXIS, has been killed
The path to exploring the high-energy Universe was clear and compelling. Here's how 2025's cuts are still causing NASA casualties in 2026.
The right way to be a scientific contrarian
Not everyone accepts the scientific consensus; some even make careers out of challenging it. But only a select few do it the right way.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
The Moys of New York and Shanghai: A new generational history
A preview of the latest book by Chinese history expert Charlotte Brooks
No Friend of This House: A novel by Natalie Haynes
A preview of the latest novel by the New York Times bestselling author.
“If it sounds literary, it isn’t”: The deceptively simple rules behind good writing
Anne Lamott and Neal Allen join us to discuss why embracing constraints can be the best way to find freedom in the craft.
From myth to machine: The technological evolution of storytelling
Throughout history, the ability to tell increasingly believable stories has become available to more people. Kevin Ashton says that’s a blessing and a curse.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Gretchen Rubin’s simple secrets for a happier, less cluttered life
Rubin joins Big Think for a chat about her one-minute rule, why self-knowledge is key to a good life, and more.
Thumbs-down to “Gladiator Strategy”? Try the Nadella philosophy instead
To bring the best out of your teams, don’t flex like Maximus — lean into a “helpful fight” instead.
How to conquer pressure — the Jim Belushi way
The actor, comedian, and marijuana cultivator on collaboration, success, and overcoming nerves — in business and life.
9 Confucian rules for emotional intelligence at work
The great Chinese philosopher offers a durable and practical blueprint for harmonizing with our work colleagues.
Welcome to McKinley: How the U.S. almost colonized a chunk of Cuba
A century ago, an American colony named after Trump's favorite president was thriving on the Isle of Pines. Then came hurricanes and geopolitical reality.
Memorizing London’s 25,000 streets changes cabbies’ brains — and may prevent Alzheimer’s
One of the toughest vocational exams in the world requires candidates to memorize 25,000 streets in an area five times the size of Manhattan.
7,000-year-old underwater wall raises questions about ancient engineering — and lost-city legends
Scientists found a massive underwater wall off the coast of France that might help explain the origin of the legend of Ys.
America’s post-apocalyptic maps reveal eerily familiar fault lines
In post-apocalyptic fiction, imagined futures turn today’s political and cultural tensions into geography.
Where science meets the human story.
Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.
David Kipping on how the search for alien life is gaining credibility
Big Think spoke with astronomer David Kipping about technosignatures, "extragalactic SETI," and being a popular science communicator in the YouTube age.