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Big Think
By bigthinkEducation
Big Think episodes
- William Ackman: Everything You Need to Know About Finance and Investing in Under an Hour | Big Think
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.
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51 min - Yuval Noah Harari on AI: A non-human billionaire with an agenda
**"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.
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16 min - How close are we to finding alien life? | David Kipping
### 👽 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
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25 min - 24 huge questions about psychedelics | Dr. Matthew Johnson
Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Matthew Johnson answers 24 huge questions about psychedelics.
Psychedelic research is enjoying a renaissance. Matt Johnson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, is at the forefront of the movement to redefine our understanding of the mind and its interaction with these powerful substances.Johnson's research focuses on unraveling the scientific underpinnings of psychedelic substances, moving beyond their historical and cultural context to shed light on their role in modern therapeutic applications. With a perspective that merges traditional psychiatry and cutting-edge neuroscience, he posits that psychedelics harbor a unique capability to induce transformative, enduring changes, sometimes after a single encounter. These effects span from perceptual alterations to profound spiritual experiences, demonstrating their intrinsic “mind-manifesting” attributes.As psychedelic compounds steadily enter the sphere of clinical trials, Johnson's groundbreaking research underscores their potential to bring about a paradigm shift in psychiatry, neuroscience, and pharmacology. His empirical pursuit unveils the promise of these substances in navigating the complexities of human consciousness.0:00 Meet Dr. Matthew Johnson0:25 Why are psychedelics unique among drugs?3:42 What does the term ‘psychedelic’ mean?7:40 What is hallucinogen vs. Entheogen vs. Psychedelic?13:46 The first wave: Hofmann, Leary, and the CIA18:54 Are psychedelics legal?21:39 What are the main effects of psychedelics?24:28 How do psychedelics work in the brain?39:57 Are psychedelics dangerous? What is the link to schizophrenia?48:43 What are the biggest risks of psychedelics?50:42 How do “all arounders” get to the core of psychiatric disorders?54:48 What is the role of a guide in a psychedelic session?58:22 What is the focus and impact of your research?1:03:44 What really amazes you in your research?1:09:54 Why are we in a psychedelic renaissance?1:17:09 What are some pitfalls of psychedelic medicine?1:24:04 Will psychedelics answer the hard problem of consciousness?1:28:31 What medicine is used in psychedelic therapy sessions?1:34:16 What is the ‘heroic dose’ given in a psychedelic therapy session?1:37:45 What is a psychedelic therapy session like?1:43:04 What are some experiences people have in their sessions?1:49:24 What does the integration phase entail?1:52:53 Why does psychedelic therapy seem to be so effective?1:57:38 Are DMT elves real?2:01:02 Why are psychedelics poised to treat so many conditions?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------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.-------------------------------------------------------06:30-19Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 hr 17 min - Peter Singer: Are we prepared for AI to become conscious?
"If we did create beings that were more like non-human animals, we ought to treat them much better than we now treat non-human animals."
What happens when AI becomes conscious? Philosopher Peter Singer explores the ethical dilemma that could follow the creation of sentient machines. If AI can feel pain or experience pleasure, do we have a moral obligation to protect it?Singer argues that governments, scientists, and ethicists must prepare now for the rights and protections conscious AI may require.0:00 Will we create conscious AI?1:30 The ethical dilemma of sentient AI1:56 Does AI deserve rights?2:48 How we treat sentient AI3:42 Experts in AI------------------------------------------------------------About Peter Singer:Peter Singer has been described as the world’s most influential philosopher. Born in Melbourne in 1946, he has been professor of bioethics at Princeton University since 1999. His many books include Animal Liberation - often credited with triggering the modern animal rights movement - Practical Ethics, The Life You Can Save, The Most Good You Can Do, and Ethics in the Real World. In 2023, he published Animal Liberation Now, a fully revised and updated version of the 1975 original.Singer’s writings have also inspired the movement known as effective altruism, and he is the founder of the charity The Life You Can Save. In 2021 he was awarded the $1 million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, which he donated to nonprofit organizations working for the causes he supports. In 2023 he received the Frontiers of Knowledge Prize for the Humanities, from the Spanish BBVA Foundation.Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes----------------------------------06:30-19---------------------
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7 min - The overpopulation myth, debunked by a data scientist | Hannah Ritchie
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
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11 min - You have no free will at all | Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky
How your biology and environment make your decisions for you, according to Dr. Robert Sapolsky.
Robert Sapolsky, PhD is an author, researcher, and professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University. In this interview with Big Think’s Editor-in-Chief, Robert Chapman Smith, Sapolsky discusses the content of his most recent book, “Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will.”Being held as a child, growing up in a collectivist culture, or experiencing any sort of brain trauma – among hundreds of other things – can shape your internal biases and ultimately influence the decisions you make. This, explains Sapolsky, means that free will is not – and never has been – real. Even physiological factors like hunger can discreetly influence decision making, as discovered in a study that found judges were more likely to grant parole after they had eaten.This insight is key for interpreting human behavior, helping not only scientists but those who aim to evolve education systems, mental health research, and even policy making.-----------------About Robert Sapolsky:Robert M. Sapolsky holds degrees from Harvard and Rockefeller Universities and is currently a Professor of Biology and Neurology at Stanford University and a Research Associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya. His books include New York Times bestseller, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst and Determined.Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes--------------------------------------------------------------06:30-19
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1 hr 1 min - Sam Harris: The great problem of our time
**"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.
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14 min - The hidden networks of everything | Albert-László Barabási
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 works1:23 The theory of random graphs3:15 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.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-19
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11 min - Michio Kaku: Quantum computing is the next revolution
"We're now in the initial stages of the next revolution."
Dr. Michio Kaku, the renowned theoretical physicist, walks through the evolutionary journey of quantum computing, from analog to digital to the quantum era. Quantum computers hold immense promise because of their ability to tap into parallel universes, which boosts their computational power exponentially. They could revolutionize agriculture, energy, and medicine, solving complex problems like creating efficient fertilizers, achieving fusion energy, and modeling diseases at the molecular level.The race between major tech companies and intelligence agencies to actualize this power is intense, as they could redefine industries and even global power structures if they succeed.The endeavor isn’t without challenges; we’ve yet to create a fully functional quantum computer. But Kaku envisions a future where quantum computers unravel complex equations, potentially shedding light on profound cosmic mysteries.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------About Dr. Michio KakuDr. Michio Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, and is one of the most widely recognized scientists in the world today. He has written 4 New York Times Best Sellers, is the science correspondent for CBS This Morning and has hosted numerous science specials for BBC-TV, the Discovery/Science Channel. His radio show broadcasts to 100 radio stations every week. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study as well as New York University (NYU).--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------06:30-19
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17 min
About Big Think
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Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster.…
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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