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Big Think
By bigthinkEducation
Big Think episodes
- Earth used to look like Mars. Here’s why that changed. | Robert Hazen
### 🪨 **Minerals: The Silent Architects of Life**
*— A Mineralogist’s Perspective*
#### 💎 Minerals Are Everywhere
- They power our **technology**, **transport**, **agriculture**, and even **biology**.
- Every living thing on Earth depends on minerals — **you, me, and the food we eat**.
#### 🧠 Minerals Tell Stories
- Each mineral is a **time capsule**, holding clues to Earth’s **4.5-billion-year history**.
- They're **information-rich**, revealing how our planet evolved over time.
#### 🌱 The Origin of Life
- Life couldn’t have started without minerals:
→ They acted as **catalysts**, **reactants**, and **protective surfaces**
→ Essential for the chemistry that sparked life
#### 🌍 Earth’s Colorful Evolution
- **Black**: Born covered in dark basalt rock
- **Blue**: Rains and oceans gave rise to a water-covered world
- **Gray**: Plate tectonics created granite continents
- **Red**: Oxygen-rich life rusted the surface
- **White**: Ice Age turned the world into a frozen planet
- **Green**: Life colonized land, transforming Earth yet again
#### 🦴 Life and Minerals Co-Evolved
- Life didn’t just adapt **on Earth** — it adapted **with Earth**.
- Minerals gave us:
→ **Shells, teeth, bones**
→ The tools for survival and evolution
- This is the story of **the geosphere and biosphere evolving together**.
### 🔁 Final Thought:
> “We wouldn’t be here talking about minerals...
> **if minerals hadn’t made us possible.**”
Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes-------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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5 min - The grindset has left us depressed. Here’s one thing that can save us. | Lisa Miller
Excessive goal-setting has made us depressed. Lisa Miller, a Columbia psychology professor, explains what could save us.
What if our innate spirituality was the antidote to the escalating rates of mental health issues in the world? Dr. Lisa Miller, a Columbia University professor, studies the profound interplay between spirituality and mental health. She argues that our modern obsession with achievement has led to neglect of our spiritual side, contributing to increased depression and despair. In contrast, "awakened awareness," a state where we are receptive to life's signals and guidance, can serve as a neuroprotective mechanism against such issues. Emphasizing the universality of spirituality, irrespective of religiosity, she suggests altruistic acts as a means to strengthen our spiritual core. Such acts, according to her, could ignite a journey of recovery and holistic wellness.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Lisa Miller:Lisa Miller, Ph.D., is a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the Founder and Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute in spirituality and psychology, and has held over a decade of joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School.Her innovative research has been published in more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Cerebral Cortex, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child.-------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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10 min - It doesn’t matter if you fail. It matters _how_ you fail. _ Amy Edmondson for Big Think +
There are three kinds of failure. Only one can help you have a better shot of succeeding in the future. Amy Edmondson, a Harvard professor recently named the #1 thinker in business and management at the Thinkers50 Awards, and author of RIGHT KIND OF WRONG explains.
Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, explores the concept of failure and its connection to success. She challenges our prevailing cultural belief that success requires avoiding failure altogether and instead suggests that failing is a natural part of the path forward.Amy also shares her three types of failure and outlines four criteria for failing smarter.-----------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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11 min - 4 reasons leaders seem worse than regular people | Brian Klaas
University College London professor Brian Klaas exposes the ugly truth about world leaders.
Political scientist Brian Klaas uses philosophical thought experiments like the "trolley problem" to explore the moral complexities faced by leaders when making decisions under immense uncertainty.According to Klaas, Winston Churchill's World War II choices serve as real-life examples of such dilemmas. Klaas identifies four factors—dirty hands, learning, opportunity, and scrutiny—that may falsely appear as corruption in leaders. "Dirty hands" refers to leaders making harm-inflicting decisions when all options are bad. "Learning" means leaders becoming more efficient at causing harm over time. "Opportunity" signifies the increased chances of those in power to cause harm, while "scrutiny" refers to heightened public examination of leaders' actions.Klaas asserts that misinterpretations of these factors can lead to incorrect problem diagnoses and solutions. While these factors should not absolve leaders from accountability, they do provide a nuanced understanding of leadership complexities.0:00 Cracking the Enigma code: Churchill’s WWII trolley problem2:07 Why all leaders make bad decisions2:42 4 factors of the corruption illusion3:12 #1 The dirty hands problem3:38 #2 The idea of learning4:09 #3 The problem of opportunity4:30 #4 The problem of scrutiny----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Brian Klaas:Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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10 min - Why do the worst people rise to power? | Brian Klaas
Why do the worst people rise to power? University College London professor Brian Klaas responds.
George Washington famously didn’t want to become the president of the United States, but he accepted the job and performed it well. That’s how people should feel about important leadership positions, according to how political scientist Brian Klaas thinks about the role of power in society.Klaas says that power should be a burden on people because leaders have to make decisions that will ultimately have negative consequences for many people. One problem: some humans don’t care about those consequences. And, according to Klaas, our institutions don’t do a very good job of screening these people out of important leadership spots.Klaas suggests implementing psychological screening for top jobs, asking questions to determine why someone seeks power, and identifying whether they are in it for themselves or for the greater good. These measures can help to ensure that the right people are in positions of power, whether that means leading a company, governing a nation, or handling nuclear weapons.0:00 Power should be a burden / Power should keep you up at night1:18: The dark triad personality traits1:43 Machiavellianism2:06 Narcissism2:40 Psychopathy4:04 Psychological screening for powerful jobs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Brian Klaas:Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, Contributing Writer for The Atlantic, author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and Creator/Host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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9 min - Loneliness: The silent killer, and how to beat it | Richard Reeves & more
Three psychology and sociology experts, Robert Waldinger, Michael Slepian, and Richard Reeves come together in this compilation to discuss the psychology of loneliness and the way we can combat the “friendship recession.”
It’s 2024. It’s harder than ever to foster deep connections with others. Everyone feels like they’re missing out on friendships, and every day of isolation makes it even harder to escape the rut.From keeping secrets to workism, these experts are unpacking why we feel lonely and suggesting the ways we can combat it. They encourage us to reach out, be vulnerable, and prioritize our relationships, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggle and that meaningful connections are within reach.By following their advice, we can transform our social lives and experience the joy and fulfillment that come from true companionship. Understanding the root causes of our loneliness and actively working to build and maintain connections can help us break free from isolation and create a more connected, fulfilling life.About Robert Waldinger:
Robert Waldinger, MD is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and a Zen teacher and practitioner.For the last two decades, Waldinger has been the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. This study, conducted over more than 85 years, has analyzed the entire lives of 724 families to determine the activities, behaviors, and dynamics that enhance a person’s life-long well-being. Waldinger has dedicated his career to examining these elements and discovering what brings true fulfillment to human existence.He is the author of several books, including his most recent, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of HappinessAbout Michael Slepian:Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia University. A recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, he is the leading expert on the psychology of secrets and author of The Secret Life of Secrets. Slepian has authored more than fifty articles on secrecy, truth, and deception. His research has been covered by The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and more.About Richard Reeves:Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Future of the Middle Class Initiative and co-directs the Center on Children and Families. His Brookings research focuses on the middle class, inequality and social mobility.Richard writes for a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, Guardian, National Affairs, The Atlantic, Democracy Journal, and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Dream Hoarders (Brookings Institution Press, 2017), and John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic Books, 2007), an intellectual biography of the British liberal philosopher and politician.Dream Hoarders was named a Book of the Year by The Economist, a Political Book of the Year by The Observer, and was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. In September 2017, Politico magazine named Richard one of the top 50 thinkers in the U.S. For his work on class and inequality.A Brit-American, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2012. Other previous roles include director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank; social affairs editor of the Observer; principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, and research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. Richard is also a former European Business Speaker of the Year and has a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes----------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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31 min - Learn these 3 triggers to have more productive arguments | Jefferson Fisher for Big Think+
“What did you win? You won awkward silence. You won their contempt. You won the first to apologize. When you win an argument, you will lose their confidence, you will lose their respect, you will lose the connection.”
What if every argument you’ve ever “won” actually cost you something way more valuable? Whether that be respect, connection, or trust, lawyer and author Jefferson Fisher argues that when you try to control the conversation, you end up losing something far more important.Instead of fighting to be right, Fisher invites us to unravel the tension of disagreement and examine the real triggers that lie beneath.---------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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10 min - Become excellent. Be unreasonable. | Will Guidara for Big Think+
Will Guidara, owner of iconic restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park, explains how hospitality is the number one thing that can help your business truly succeed.
Eventually, someone is going to make a better product, or build a better brand, than you have. The way to keep people from switching sides? Harboring a loyal customer base. The way to harbor a loyal customer base? Relentless hospitality.Famed restaurateur Guidara credits his successful career to what he calls “Unreasonable Hospitality” - also the title of his book - which he achieved by abiding by three main keys: Being present, taking the work seriously (but himself less seriously), and creating individualized customer experiences. By considering how you’re making your customer feel, you’re fostering connections and lifelong memories your patrons will never forget.Not only will these actions keep your customers returning to your business, but it will also work as a way of natural marketing; they’ll share stories of your service and draw even more people in, keeping your company alive.-----------------------About Will Guidara:Will Guidara is the author of the National Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants.He is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.He is the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form community.A graduate of the hospitality school at Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of WSJ Magazine's Innovator Award.Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes---------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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10 min - Physics: The big questions of existence | Sabine Hossenfelder
Sabine Hossenfelder talks about Albert Einstein, dead grandmothers, the physics of aging, and more in this full interview with Big Think.
In this Big Think interview, physicist Sabine Hossenfelder discusses a variety of topics, including the search for a theory of everything, information preservation in the laws of nature, the mysteries of entropy, and the measurement process in quantum mechanics. She further provides an overview of the four fundamental forces of nature and the challenge of uniting them into one coherent whole.Hossenfelder also addresses John Horgan's book The End of Science, which posits that humanity is nearing the end of major scientific discoveries. Contrary to Horgan's perspective, Hossenfelder believes that we are nowhere close to a theory of everything or the end of scientific discovery. She highlights the lack of a successful theory for quantum gravity and the unresolved issues in the measurement process in quantum mechanics as evidence that there is much more to discover.Hossenfelder also suggests that finding answers to these questions could lead to significant technological advances, emphasizing the ongoing potential for progress in both theoretical understanding and practical applications.0:00 Meet Sabine Hossenfelder0:20 Why did you pursue a career in physics?2:07 Are spiritual ideas compatible with modern physics?3:28 Is my dead grandmother still alive?4:38 What is Einstein’s concept of “Now”?9:52 What is the block universe?11:41 How do the laws of nature preserve information?13:21 What are the two cases where information could get destroyed? (Hawking radiation & wave function collapse)21:02 Why doesn’t anyone get younger?25:11 Is there any way to slow down the increase of entropy?29:19 Is the human soul just a delusion?36:07 Are we close to solving a theory of everything?42:09 When will we solve the measurement problem?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Sabine Hossenfelder:Sabine Hossenfelder is a physicist, author, and creator of "Science Without the Gobbledygook". She currently works at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy in Germany.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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50 min - Debunking the #1 myth about enlightenment | Robert Waldinger
**🧘 What Enlightenment *Really* Means in Zen — And Why It’s Not What You Think ✨**
Enlightenment. We chase it like a prize—something to attain, something to *keep*. But in Zen, it's not about bliss or a permanent state of awakening.
Instead, it’s about *seeing clearly*:
🌐 Realizing the deep, ever-shifting interconnectedness of everything—where *you* and *I*, this chair, and the whole universe, are not truly separate.
Yes, people have intense spiritual experiences—moments of pure oneness. But Zen warns: don’t cling to them. Even after awakening, you still have to do the laundry 🧺 and brush your teeth 🪥. There’s no escape from daily life.
True enlightenment isn’t about staying “high.”
It’s about how you *act* in each moment:
🌱 Are you kind?
🌍 Are you living with awareness of how deeply connected you are to others and the planet?
Zen reminds us:
**There are no enlightened people—only enlightened actions.**
So skip the perfection fantasy. Enlightenment is not an endpoint—it’s a way of *being*. One compassionate moment
Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes----------------------------------------------------------------06:30-17
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9 min
About Big Think
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Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life.
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