The Next Big Idea

Is America a ‘Country of Lords’?

America was founded on a radical promise: all people are created equal. But for 250 years, some of the country’s most powerful thinkers have been arguing the opposite. I

A Storytelling Masterclass with Will Storr (NBI Vault)

Will Storr is the author of the dazzling books The Science of Storytelling and A Story Is a Deal, and in this episode, he tells us everything he knows about humanity’s gr

What Can Henry David Thoreau Teach Us About Work?

Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and pencil-maker. He was a great resigner and, above all, a superb writer whose masterpiece, "Walden," is considered by many

How French Philosophy Wired Modern Thinking

How did a group of notoriously difficult French philosophers become intellectual rock stars on American college campuses — and how much do their ideas matter today?  In

A Nobel Prize Winner’s Plan to Save Democracy

Democracy is in the dumps. OK, that's a bit dramatic. But it's definitely not working as well as it used to. Good thing Daron Acemoglu — Nobel laureate, MIT Institute Pro

How to Unlock the Creativity You Already Have

What if creativity isn’t a talent you’re born with, but a muscle you’ve simply stopped using? In Daily Creative, Blythe Harris and Mallory May make the case that everyon

Caroline Webb on the Leadership Skills AI Can’t Replace

Want to be a better leader? Start by doing less. In her new book, Leadership Intelligence, Caroline Webb shows how smart delegation, ruthless prioritization, and the righ

Can Democracy Survive the AI Revolution?

Today, we're revisiting Rufus's conversation with Yuval Noah Harari about his book Nexus. It's Harari at his best — a soaring overview of human history that turns, almo

Your Mind Is a Propagandist

Your brain is a master storyteller. The problem? It’s also an unreliable narrator. We like to think our beliefs are built on facts, logic, and careful reasoning. But psy

The Bedazzling Mystery of Why We’re Here

We’ve had many bracing thinkers on this show, but Sara Walker might take the cake. A physicist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, her book Life as No One Kno

How to Lead a More Gratifying Life

We’ve optimized nearly every part of modern life. So why does it feel like we’re missing the experience of actually living it? In The Small Stuff, Ian Bogost argues tha

Best Of: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things

We live in a world that worships talent, a world that cheers natural athletes, exalts child prodigies, and venerates virtuosos. But admiring people who are blessed with i

Are Robots About to Change Everything?

We've spent the last few years watching AI transform the digital world. Now it's coming for the physical one. Humanoid robots are leaving the lab and entering homes, fac

You Can Just Do Things

Why do some people seem to create opportunities wherever they go while others spend years waiting for the right break? According to Cate Hall — lawyer turned poker player

The Lost Art of Asking Questions

In the age of AI, endless information, and instant certainty, philosopher Lani Watson argues that questions — not answers — are humanity's greatest intellectual advantage

Sorry, Skeptics — AI Is Not a Bubble

First, a few numbers. This year Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta will spend more than $700 billion building AI infrastructure. There are 1,500 data centers in develo

Why Creating Beats Consuming | Mark Pincus (Part 2)

Most people think success comes from having an original idea. Mark Pincus thinks that's one of the most expensive mistakes you can make. After building one of the most s

Living at the Speed of Play

Podcasting is lousy with guests who peddle advice about starting businesses, building careers, and living full lives. Few of these gurus have actually accomplished anythi

How to Be a Super Ager

For years, cardiologist Eric Topol hunted for the rarest people in America: those over 80 who had never been sick. When he finally found 1,400 of them, he made a shocking

What If Saving the Planet Could Be Fun?

Despite decades of urgency and alarm, progress on climate change has felt frustratingly slow. What if we've been going about it all wrong? Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying "JZ"