Jerry Brotton, professor of English and history at the University of London, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how something as simple as a compass has come to define our world — from how “the West” defines political power, what we mean by “the Global South,” and why cardinal directions might have been some of the very first words used in human language.
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New York Times business features writer Emma Goldberg joins host Krys Boyd to discuss hyper-efficiency in philanthropy — attracting donors by promising the most bang for their buck — and why this leaves smaller nonprofits behind. Plus, we’ll ponder the question: Should multiplying our dollars be the only reason we give?
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Sarah Hart is professor of geometry at Gresham College and professor emerita of mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we so often look for coincidences in our lives — and why that’s a mathematically futile endeavor — why the blind luck behind lottery wins might not be so blind after all, and why revealing this magic with numbers makes the phenomenon all the more interesting.
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Maia Szalavitz is a contributing Opinion writer for The New York Times. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss age and race gaps in opioid death statistics, how naloxone is helping to prevent overdoses, and why people of color aren’t seeing the same results as their white peers.
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Russell Muirhead is Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why non-elected workers in “the administrative state” find themselves in the crosshairs from both the right and the left, how Donald Trump’s term might affect them, and what elimination of their functions might mean for the nation.
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Richard E. Cytowic, professor of neurology at George Washington University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how our attention is now pulled in multiple directions, how that affects our neurotransmitters and dopamine levels, and to offers tips on how to get our habits back on track for a healthier mind.
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Mark Lilla, professor of the humanities at Columbia University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the age-old impulse to shield ourselves from information, why that might save our sanity, and what that means for our deep-seated ideas of innocence.
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Journalist and author Adam Chandler joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the myth of meritocracy, his travels around the country talking with people from all walks of life who have the work ethic but success still eludes them, and what needs to change for us to really obtain that American dream.
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Joanne Silberner, co-founder of the Association of Healthcare Journalists, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why it’s taken so long for the mental health community to take hypochondria seriously, the new ways it’s being diagnosed, and the devastating outcomes for those who don’t find help.
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Sara C. Bronin, architect, attorney, and policymaker, and professor at Cornell University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how code dictates our daily lives from parks, housing, restaurants, and the architecture around us, and why it’s difficult to overcome inequalities built into the books.
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From December 23rd to January 3rd, we’ll be revisiting some of our most listened to Think conversations of 2024.
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For comedian Hari Kondabolu, becoming a father changed how he accesses pure joy. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how becoming a parent has shifted his worldview, how he sees roles for Indian Americans changing in Hollywood and how making a live audience laugh helps him process his new philosophies.
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