Think Again – a Big Think Podcast
237 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 556 ratingsWe surprise some of the world's brightest minds with ideas they're not at all prepared to discuss. With host Jason Gots and special guests Neil Gaiman, Alan Alda, Salman Rushdie, Mary-Louise Parker, Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Saul Williams, Henry Rollins, Bill Nye, George Takei, Maria Popova, and many more . . .
You've got 10 minutes with Einstein. What do you talk about? Black holes? Time travel?
Why not gambling? The Art of War? Contemporary parenting?
Some of the best conversations happen when we're pushed outside of our comfort zones. So each week on Think Again, we surprise smart people you've probably heard of with hand-picked gems from Big Think's interview archives on every imaginable subject. The conversation could go anywhere.
SINCE 2008, BIG THINK has captured on video the best ideas of the world’s leading thinkers and doers in every field, renowned experts including neurologist Oliver Sacks, physicist Stephen Hawking, behavioral psychologist Daniel Kahneman, authors Margaret Atwood and Marylinne Robinson, entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, painter Chuck Close, and philosopher Daniel Dennett.
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Episodes
36. Yann Martel (Author) – The Vacuum of Space Leaves Me Cold
March 05, 2016 11:00 - 33 minutesYann Martel, author of the Man Booker award-winning novel Life of Pi and The High Mountains of Portugal, is not a big fan of outer space. Nor of science in general. “Science," he says on this week's episode, ". . . is a truth that exists whether I’m there or not. And that’s what I like about religion and art: To art and religion, I DO matter.” Sparked by surprise video clips on quantum entanglement, linguistic diversity, and whether or not the internet is turning us all into narcissists, Ma...
35. A.O. Scott (Film Critic) – The Right to Be Wrong
February 27, 2016 11:00 - 29 minutesA.O. Scott: The fantasy that I would use to comfort myself [as a child, about death] was…that I’d become other people. I would still be me, but I would inhabit different bodies…and eventually I would just get to see what it was like to be everybody. Jason Gots: That’s a critic’s fantasy. A.O. Scott: Yeah! And you discover shortcuts to do that...through works of art. A.O. Scott's new book Better Living Through Criticism playfully and artfully examines what critics do and why. On this week's ep...
34. Paul F. Tompkins (Comedian) – A Tiny, Cosmic Threat
February 20, 2016 11:00 - 29 minutesShockingly well-dressed comedian Paul F. Tompkins, host of Spontaneanation and the television show No, You Shut Up! joins host Jason Gots for improvised singing and conversation on subjects ranging from supervillains to presidential debates. Also! We debut our amazing new theme song from the mysterious Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
33. Marc Goodman (Cybersecurity Expert) – Dark Web/Nigerian Princes
February 13, 2016 11:00 - 38 minutesAll technology is in effect “dual use.” You can use it for good, or you can use it for ill. – Marc Goodman At what point does government's incompetence at policing sex predators and other internet criminals constitute breach of contract with the general public? Has anyone on Earth actually read the "terms of service"? Marc Goodman, a cybersecurity expert and author of the New York Times bestseller FUTURE CRIMES talks with Big Think'sJason Gots about these questions and more, prompted by surpr...
32. James Doty, MD (Neurosurgeon) – Compassion and The Prison State
February 06, 2016 11:00 - 31 minutes“Justice without the opportunity for redemption is torture.” -- James Doty In this week's episode neurosurgeon James Doty, founder of the Stanford University Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and author of Into the Magic Shop , and Think Again host Jason Gots wrestle with questions spiritual, political, and neurobiological. It's a lively good time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
31. Michael Shermer (Author, Friendly Skeptic) – A Dirty Job/We Want to Believe
January 23, 2016 11:00 - 26 minutes“We skeptics need evidence. And then, we’ll believe!” -- Michael Shermer In this week's episode, Michael Shermer, author of Skeptic and The Moral Arc, and Think Again host Jason Gots discuss (among other things) compelling evidence that humanity's getting less evil overall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
30. Howard Gardner (Psychologist) – Porn/Art/Good Work
January 16, 2016 11:00 - 25 minutesAt the risk of alienating your southern listeners, the American South is by far the most religious, and on every measure of turpitude it gets very good scores. -- Howard Gardner In this week's episode, Howard Gardner, creator of the theory of Multiple Intelligences and host Jason Gots discuss (among other things) whether or not pornography can be art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
29. Sir David Hare (Playwright/Screenwriter) – Kleptocracy/A Thin Skin
January 09, 2016 11:00 - 31 minutesI’ve written hit plays. I know what a hit feels like. It doesn’t significantly change your life. You still have to start again and try and write the next one. – David Hare In this week's episode, celebrated playwright Sir David Hare opines along with host Jason Gots, on art, nuclear weapons, and whether it makes sense to bring kids into this messed up world. Sir David's latest book is The Blue Touch Paper, a poignant, searching memoir about his childhood and his life's work on stage and scree...
28. Daniel Levitin (Musician & Neuroscientist) – Rats/Risks/Rewards
December 26, 2015 11:00 - 30 minutes"Now newness is coming at us continuously. And the brain hasn’t evolved to deal with that onslaught of newness. There has to be some sculpting of the input. Otherwise it just becomes random noise." – Daniel Levitin Do you see yourself as in control of your destiny, or do you see things the other way around? Join Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind, and Think Again host Jason Gots for a fascinating, high-energy exploration of human agency in the age of digital overload....
27. Alva Noë (Philosopher) – The Upside of Boredom
December 19, 2015 11:00 - 31 minutes"Art, by letting us get bored, reveals something to us about what we’ve been doing to avoid boredom.” – Alva Noë Why are we so afraid to slow down and think? Is it possible, in any sense, to separate reason and emotion? Is there such a thing as "too far out" in physics? On this week's episode, philosopher Alva Noë, author of "Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature" and host Jason Gots hear surprise clips from a physicist, a Wall Street "quant", and magician Penn Jillette. The far-ranging convers...
26. Ian Edwards (Comedian) – Sex/Guns/Honesty is Honesty
December 12, 2015 11:00 - 29 minutes“How would you control yourself if you knew you were one of the only five people to have guns? You would be an asshole!” –– Ian Edwards Are you "man enough" for non-monogamy? Could citizen gun ownership deter crazy cops? Can brutal honesty launch your comedy career? This week, comedian [Ian Edwards][1], fresh off the release of his album 100% Half-Assed (on Conan O’Brian’s Team Coco Records) talks guns, sex, and laughs with host [Jason Gots][2], and stuns him into silence for a full three se...
25. Sam Harris (Neuroscientist) – Uncomfortable Conversations
December 05, 2015 13:48 - 43 minutesWhat are the limits of tolerance? Can people with fundamentally different world views coexist peacefully? Is faith incompatible with reason? In the wake of the recent Paris attacks, these questions are more pressing than ever. In this week's episode philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris delves deep into all of the above with host Jason Gots, through the lenses of Islamic extremism, the telepathic powers of fiction, and what would happen to your identity if you could be replicated down to ...
24. Maira Kalman (Artist) – Scared of Math/Psycho Killer
November 28, 2015 11:30 - 25 minutes"My goal is always to be laughing. Do you lose the laughter once you become too good at something?” - Maira Kalman Think Again is a spontaneous, brainy variety show – The world's brightest minds grapple with surprise topics. Artist and author Maira Kalman, best known perhaps for her startlingly original New Yorker covers, has a unique way of looking at and living in the world. On this week's episode of "Think Again," she and host Jason Gots try to sort out why they're both so terrified of mat...
23. Orhan Pamuk (Nobel Novelist) – Write to Live/No Logic In War
November 21, 2015 11:00 - 29 minutes"There is no central logic in war. Victor Hugo wrote about street fights in Paris. In one street people are killing each other. In the next street people are enjoying their coffee. They’re not even aware of what’s happening." – Orhan Pamuk Think Again is a spontaneous intellectual variety show–The world's brightest minds grapple with surprise topics. On the heels of the publication of A Strangeness in My Mind, his extraordinary epic novel of life in Istanbul over four decades through the eyes...
22. Wendell Pierce (Actor, 'The Wire') – Godot Ain't Coming
November 14, 2015 11:00 - 26 minutesSmart people. Surprise topics. Deep fun. This week, actor and New Orleans native son Wendell Pierce ('The Wire', 'Treme'), author of the new book "The Wind in the Reeds," about his work at the local and national level rebuilding New Orleans over the past decade since Hurricane Katrina. Surprise clips from Big Think's interview archives launch a deep discussion between Wendell and host Jason Gots about sexuality, generosity, and the power of art across time and culture. Learn more about your a...
21. Saul Williams (Poet, Musician, Actor) – An Army of Poets/the 10,000 Things
November 07, 2015 11:00 - 40 minutesSend in the poets. Send in the seducers. Vulnerable people, not invulnerable drones who can mistake a wedding party for a terrorist cell. When those mistakes are made, that is how ISIS is born. – Saul Williams Saul Williams is a fiercely original, multitalented artist who burst on the scene as an actor and a slam poet in the 1998 film Slam, which won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance, and as a rapper/musician with the 2001 album Amethyst Rock Star, produced by Rick Rubin. He has since released...
20. Jesse Ventura (Wrestler, Governor) – Off the Grid/Life on Mars
October 30, 2015 18:49 - 23 minutesHow to tell conspiracy and crazy apart. How six months a year "off the grid" in Mexico changes your perspective on everything. The "water bear", a possible alien life form among us. This week on Big Think's podcast, host Jason Gots talks with legendary professional wrestler, author, actor, and Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura, who has just published his latest book, American Conspiracies. Three surprise clips from Big Think's interview archives launch a thoughtful, searching, sometimes per...
19. Ruth Reichl (Food Critic) – Identity Crisis/The Cooking Cure
October 24, 2015 10:00 - 20 minutesWhen you lose everything, what do you reach for first? This week on Big Think's podcast, food critic Ruth Reichl, author of My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life talks with host Jason Gots about cooking, identity, and her year-long journey back to herself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
18. Junot Díaz (Pulitzer-Winning Novelist) – Double Lives/Hidden Culture
October 17, 2015 10:00 - 27 minutesIs everybody leading a double life? Why are great comic books STILL NOT part of the "literary canon"? Would having a gay president actually change anything in America? This week on Big Think's podcast, Junot Díaz, Dominican-American, Pulitzer prize winning author of The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao talks with host Jason Gots about deception, culture, and techno-optimism. Three surprise clips selected from Big Think's interview archives spark intense, funny, fascinating observations on wh...
17. Norman Lear (TV Legend) – An Authentic Horse's Ass/The Capacity to Choose
October 10, 2015 10:00 - 25 minutesWe surprise the world's sharpest minds with unexpected topics. This week, legendary TV producer Norman Lear, author ofEven THIS I Get to Experience joins host Jason Gots to discuss Mars colonies, immigration, and the upside of stress. “If I learned anything writing the book, it was that it’s hard to be a human being. I don’t care what the circumstances of one’s birth: if there is nothing in life that makes trouble, or mischief, we’ll make it up. It’s a hard game. But the kick is in knowing th...
16. Jane McGonigal (Game Designer) – Game On!/Death to "Gamification"
October 03, 2015 10:00 - 21 minutesFantasy can save your life but how much is too much? This week on Big Think's podcast we discuss three surprise ideas with game developer and researcher Jane McGonigal, author of the new book SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient--Powered by the Science of Games. Archival Big Think interview clips from President Grimsson of Iceland, last week's guest Salman Rushdie, and business guru Jerry Kaplan launch three in-depth discussions that ma...
15. Salman Rushdie (Novelist) – Happiness/Monsters
September 26, 2015 10:00 - 21 minutes“For most of the time, writing any book, it's not going well."–– Salman Rushdie on Think Again This week on Big Think's popular podcast, we're joined by the brilliant and occasionally notorious Salman Rushdie, author of the new book Two Years, Eight Months, and Twenty Eight Nights. Surprise video clips from Big Think's archives launch a fascinating conversation about reason, imagination, bad grammar on Twitter, theoretical physics, literary hoaxes and the late Oliver Sacks. Learn more about y...
14. Freakonomics' Stephen Dubner – Free $#!+/Hidden Costs
September 19, 2015 10:00 - 20 minutesAre Pirate Bay (illegal, free) and Spotify (legit, really cheap) undermining artists' incentive to create? This week on Big Think's podcast, we're joined by Freakonomics' Stephen Dubner. An interview clip from film producer Jonathan Taplin launches an in-depth discussion of the way we consume and pay (or don't pay) for media in the post-Napster age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
13. "Reply All" Hosts PJ & Alex – Future Crime/Personal Yoda/Bonus Track
September 12, 2015 10:00 - 27 minutesCan we escape our own irrationality? Is weaponized DNA something we should be worrying about? Does the future look like "Mad Max"? This week on Big Think's podcast, we're joined by the astounding Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt, creators and hosts of "Reply All," (one of our very favorite podcasts, EVER) and the astonishing Matt Farley writes us a theme song in under an hour. Interview clips from futurist Steven Kotler, psychologist Dan Ariely and actor/activist George Takei get us talking (and laug...
12. George Takei (Actor + Activist) – Ego/Focus/Xenophobia
September 05, 2015 10:00 - 29 minutesIs attention an endangered species? How do you collaborate with someone who hates you? Is xenophobia a natural side effect of religion? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by actor, activist, and internet superhero George Takei. Interview clips from Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Parr, and Daniel Kahneman launch a lively conversation about religion,human rights, and the three types of attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...
11. Tina Roth Eisenberg (AKA @swissmiss) – Culture Theory/Color Theory
August 29, 2015 10:00 - 23 minutesHow do colors affect us psychologically? Will a less hierarchical, more collaborative society lead inevitably to robot wars? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by Tina Roth Eisenberg (AKA Swissmiss), Swiss-born designer and entrepreneur who runs the popular SwissMiss blog and the Creative Mornings lecture series. Interview clips from Adam Alter and Chris Fussell launch a lively discussion of design, entrepreneurship, and the purpose-driven lif...
10. Mark Epstein (Buddhist Psychotherapist) – Nature/Nurture/Neither
August 22, 2015 10:00 - 31 minutesWill nanobots someday deposit Shakespeare directly into our brains? If we paid politicians tons of money would they do a better job? Does epigenetics solve the nature/nurture debate? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by Mark Epstein, Buddhist-influenced psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without a Thinker and The Trauma of Everyday Life. Interview clips from Stephen Dubner, Kayt Sukel, and Nicholas Negroponte launch a probing discussion of e...
9. Henry Rollins (Artist), pt. II – American Trauma/The Word "Genius"
August 15, 2015 10:00 - 24 minutesCan anything cure what ails America? What's a "genius", exactly? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, we air part two of our conversation with legendary hardcore musician and spoken word artist Henry Rollins. Interview clips from Paul Ekman and James Gleick launch a discussion of a nation divided and the character traits of "geniuses". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
8. Maria Konnikova (Author) – Mindset/Creativity/Suburban B-Boyz
August 08, 2015 11:39 - 22 minutesCan "positive thinking" keep you physically and mentally young? Do schools kill creativity? Should white boys ever rap or breakdance? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Interview clips from Kelly McGonigal, Lawrence Krauss, and Tavis Smiley launch a discussion of 21st century education, racial identity, and the powers and limits of positive thi...
7. Baratunde Thurston (Comedian, Cultural Critic) – Stupidity Scaled/Robot Rights/Brand You
August 01, 2015 10:52 - 26 minutesAt what point do sex robots become sex slaves? How are bandwidth and storage capacity changing our lives? Can you have a "personal brand" and "be yourself" at the same time? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by author and tech pundit Baratunde Thurston, "a philosopher comedian fighting for the future." Interview clips from Rick Smolan, Lawrence Krauss, and Guy Kawasaki launch a discussion of human potential, social status, identity, and how K...
6. Brian Greene (Theoretical Physicist) – Student for Sale
July 24, 2015 10:00 - 15 minutesCan anyone afford college anymore? Would it help if we sold stock in students? Would Young Einstein have been a popular commodity? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots and sometime co-host Eric Sanders are joined byBrian Greene, theoretical physicist, director of the World Science Festival, and author of The Elegant Universe. An interview clip from economist Daniel Altman launches a discussion of why we bother to learn anything in the first place. Learn m...
5. Clint Smith (Poet, Educator) – Genetics/Racism/Harvard
July 18, 2015 10:50 - 21 minutesWill our brainpower soon be exponentially enhanced by technology? Or will the world turn into a Terminator movie? Can genetics overcome its early history of racism? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by poet and educator Clint Smith. Two interview clips from Ray Kurzweil and Alain de Botton launch a discussion of human potential, social status, and identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4. Bill Nye (Science Guy) – Geek Chic/TMI/Future Money
July 11, 2015 04:01 - 32 minutesWas Einstein a fashion genius? Why is Malcolm Gladwell unimpressed by search engines? What will money look like in 500 years? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by beloved actor/educator Bill Nye, host of the "Tuesdays With Bill" series on Big Think. Big Think interview clips from Simon Doonan, Malcolm Gladwell, and Kabir Sehgal launch Bill and host Jason Gots on a spirited discussion that spans continents and centuries. And Bill Nye commits, ...
3. Wendy Suzuki (Neuroscientist) – Brain Health/Consumerism/Women In Science
July 04, 2015 12:01 - 23 minutesIs the modern world designed to kill you? Do Fitbit and meditation apps make us healthier and happier? Are women changing science for the better? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, host Jason Gots is joined by neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki, author of the book Healthy Brain, Happy Life. Two interview clips from Dan Ariely and Arianna Huffington spark lively conversation about healthy living in the modern world and the changing face of science. Learn more about your ad cho...
2. Henry Rollins (Artist) – Monogamy/Sexual Opportunism
June 27, 2015 09:37 - 19 minutesIs monogamy ridiculous? Does this change with age? What do we really want out of love and sex? In this week's episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, we're joined by legendary hardcore musician and spoken word artist Henry Rollins. This clip from columnist Dan Savage launches Henry and host Jason Gots on an intense, personal conversation about love, big cities, and whether the two are incompatible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
1. Jason Silva (Futurist) – Awe/Information Overload
June 20, 2015 12:40 - 18 minutes"Dealing with the everyday requires us to close ourself off. . . But when you see art you want the opposite of shutdown.. . . .How do you adjust the treble and the bass of experience as it’s coming in?" With everything competing for your attention, how do you decide what to pay attention to? Can a movie, a song, or a novel transform your life? Your society? This week, on the first ever full episode of Big Think's Think Again podcast, we're joined by psychedelic pop philosopher and futurist Ja...
Episode Zero – Think Again - Curiouser and Curiouser . . .
June 04, 2015 15:22 - 4 minutesYou've got 10 minutes with Einstein. What do you talk about? Black holes? Time travel? Why not gambling? The Art of War? Contemporary parenting? Some of the best conversations happen when we find ourselves outside of our comfort zones, thrust into unfamiliar, unexpected territory. So each week on Think Again, we surprise some of the world's brightest and most energetic minds with ideas they're not at all prepared to discuss. We listen together to a short interview clip from Big Think's archiv...