"Penny Universities": How coffeehouses changed the world - Big Think
Coffeehouses were once places where academics would gather to learn. For the price of a coffee, you could get yourself quite an education.| Big Think
Coffeehouses were once places where academics would gather to learn. For the price of a coffee, you could get yourself quite an education.| Big Think
When you don't have enough clues to bring your detective story to a close, you should expect that your educated guesses will all be wrong.| Big Think
10 years ago, LIGO saw its first gravitational wave. After 218 detections, our view of black holes has changed forever. Can this era endure?| Big Think
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.| Big Think
Peter Brennan explains how changes in the Earth's ecosystem led to fire, which in turn shaped human evolution.| Big Think
Congolese uranium fueled the Manhattan Project, exposing the ties between colonial exploitation, global warfare, and propaganda.| Big Think
Progress | Big Think
"Everything that we care about, everything we experience, everything we know, we know it through our conscious awareness of it."| Big Think
Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.| Big Think
All known intelligence has developed in stages: sentience leads to sapiences which leads to selfhood. Where does AI fit into this?| Big Think
In "Dinner with King Tut," Sam Kean examines how a burgeoning field is recreating ancient tasks to uncover historical truths.| Big Think
Kathryn Harkup, author of "V Is for Venom," joins us to discuss why Christie isn’t just a brilliant writer but a unique science communicator.| Big Think
Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)| Big Think
Big Think Business columnist Eric Markowitz prefaces his new series on long-term thinking with the experience that almost cut his life short.| Big Think
Neuropsych | Big Think
Business | Big Think
Business | Big Think
There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds. Let's learn from them.| Big Think
Many readers buy books with every intention of reading them, only to let them linger on the shelf. The Japanese call this practice tsudoku.| Big Think
Social entrepreneur Aaron Hurst explains why the decline of social connection is the greatest challenge of our time.| Big Think
One simple yet surprisingly effective way to improve at something is to imitate someone more skilled than you.| Big Think
Astrobiologist Betül Kaçar on why the simple act of asking questions (without needing a reason) is one of the most powerful things a human can do.| Big Think
Are you ready for the “cybernetic corporation” with its machine CEO? Amir Husain “profiles” the hottest company of 2035.| Big Think
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.| Big Think
In the post-AI startup landscape, the role of the entrepreneur will evolve from operator to orchestrator. Are you ready?| Big Think
The child has no control at all and the adult tries to control too much. But as philosopher Oliver Burkeman notes, there is a third way.| Big Think
An interview with with philosopher Idil Galip on why memes are one of today’s most powerful forms of communication.| Big Think
If someone is into feet, they're more likely to be into certain other things too. But we have no idea why.| Big Think
How can we make a real impact while avoiding burnout? In this week’s Mini Philosophy interview, Rutger Bregman offers a solution.| Big Think
If human happiness is an absolute good, then would having a billion slightly happy people be better than a million people incredibly happy?| Big Think
It’s no easy thing uniting millions of people over thousands of miles. And so, we need to whip up a mighty lie to help.| Big Think
What do Coke bottles, thrill-seeking, and a shrunken prefrontal cortex have in common? They all help explain extremist ideologies.| Big Think
How we handle grief largely depends on our philosophy. Here is how three famous philosophers handled the certainty of grief and despair.| Big Think
Evolution may have built our brains, but it didn't build them to find truth. So, how can we ever know what is true?| Big Think
In this week's Mini Philosophy interview, Agnes Callard explains why we should ask more questions in our conversations.| Big Think
Wonder is not the same as happiness, and it’s not the same as flourishing, but it’s often on the road to both.| Big Think
Get Smarter, Faster. | Big Think
Mini Philosophy | Big Think
High Culture | Big Think
The world is full of great mysteries. This is one of them.| Big Think
Knowledge, wisdom and business advice on the art and practice of leadership, featuring the world’s most innovative and influential business figures.| Big Think
A deep dive into the philosophy of business, counter-intuitive business thinking, and how psychology can enhance our working lives.| Big Think
Business | Big Think
Actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers and doers.| Big Think
Walking is rarer in the U.S. compared to similar nations. It is also deadlier: Nearly 7,500 pedestrians were killed in 2021.| Big Think
In the early 1900s, some Americans feared that teddy bears would not instill maternal instincts in girls, thereby causing "race suicide."| Big Think
Biologists, mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers are all working to figure out how birds carry out these displays.| Big Think
Smart Skills | Big Think
Smart Skills | Big Think
Smart Skills | Big Think
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.| Big Think
An interview with Simon Critchley on Luther, Kant, James, and why we need to rethink the public-private divide when it comes to mysticism.| Big Think
Sick of mindless social media scrolling? Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff explains how to consciously redirect your reward system.| Big Think
Confronting mortality can help clarify what truly matters beyond superficial achievements. Memento mori practices can lead to a fuller life.| Big Think
Agentic AI pioneer Chetan Dube considers ways that everyone can be lifted by the tide of AI, not just those with the capital to leverage it.| Big Think
Over the first half of 2025, the USA has cut science as never before. This disaster for American science is a gift to the rest of the world.| Big Think
The ANITA experiment found cosmic rays shooting out of Antarctica. One interpretation claims "parallel Universes," but is that right?| Big Think
In “The Ghost Lab,” Matt Hongoltz-Hetling spent time with paranormal investigators to understand their relationship with science and society.| Big Think
Many, from neuroscientists to philosophers to anesthesiologists, have claimed to understand consciousness. Do physicists? Does anyone?| Big Think
Psychiatrist Dr. Bessel van der Kolk discusses key methods for rewiring the brain, kickstarting the healing process, and opening your mind to new perspectives.| Big Think
Neuropsych | Big Think
Big Think Books | Big Think
In "Cross Purposes," journalist Jonathan Rauch argues that American democracy needs a more Christlike Christianity.| Big Think
The Gospels aren’t historical biographies but genre-defining works that blend myth, theology, and a promise of hope.| Big Think
Experts and Big Think writers recommend their favorite reads for diving deeper into the history and perspectives found in the Book of Books.| Big Think
A paradigm should be elastic enough to accommodate new data and broad enough to explain the world. For Rupert Sheldake, ours does neither.| Big Think
Books | Big Think
Big Think Books is your direct line to the books and ideas shaping our world. Join a community of lifelong readers coming together to think bigger and indulge their curiosity.| Big Think
A selection of essential essays from the cutting edge of the digital revolution, featuring the latest ideas about the impact of AI and other technologies.| Big Think
Business | Big Think
Mini Philosophy | Big Think
Mini Philosophy | Big Think
Neuropsych | Big Think
Thinking | Big Think
NASA astrophysics, which gave us Hubble, JWST, and so much more, faces its greatest budget cut in history. All future missions are at risk.| Big Think
Mini Philosophy is a space to explore ideas. It’s where we pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.| Big Think
According to Tolkien, fantasy requires a deep imagination known as "sub-creation." And the genre reflects a fundamental truth of being human.| Big Think
“You need to run towards the pain and darkness and not away from it. I think the best leaders always run towards the darkness. They always run towards a problem.”| Big Think
Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz thought that “blowing sunshine” was a smart answer to pressure. He corrected his mistake.| Big Think
From medieval myths to Shakespeare's plays and modern cinema, British culture has kept the Roman Empire alive long after its fall.| Big Think
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.| Big Think
The award-winning nature writer, Robert Macfarlane, talks with Big Think about how to reacquaint ourselves with the rivers in our lives.| Big Think
From “crave” packs to Valentine bookings, the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain values innovation from every level of the organization.| Big Think
Perception Box | Big Think
The world isn’t ending! But we are likely at the beginning of a profound transformation.| Big Think
We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions, writes Jason Crawford. Call it “solutionism.”| Big Think
Business | Big Think
Business | Big Think
Business | Big Think
The Past | Big Think
Mini Philosophy | Big Think
Business | Big Think
Nobody lives life as a single, unaltered personality. Rather, our personalities change, grow, and deepen with each day.| Big Think
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.| Big Think
