Search
Monthly Issue
January 2026
The Pursuit of Mastery
In this monthly issue, we explore what mastery is, how it’s cultivated, and why some people are willing to trade it all for a chance to be the best.
11 articles
You can only truly master one thing, according to Epictetus
The Stoic philosopher argued that most of life is outside our control — but the little we do control defines who we are.
The systems that build star performers
Many top performers start behind — and overtake the early leaders later.
by
Rachel Barr
From self-erasure to self-mastery: Ethan Suplee’s second act
The actor learned control, endurance, and focus on-set. Those lessons became the foundation of his real-world fight with addiction and self-hatred.
by
Mike Wehner
You can only truly master one thing, according to Epictetus
The Stoic philosopher argued that most of life is outside our control — but the little we do control defines who we are.
7 must-read books for mastering essential life skills
Timeless guidance on communication, time management, creativity, and more from some of today’s most influential thinkers.
FIND US ON SUBSTACK
The last masters: The international effort to preserve an ancient craft
The revival of Pasto Varnish shows how living heritage can survive if knowledge is passed on in time.
Mastering the edge: How success raises the stakes for elite adventurers
For elite climbers, divers, and explorers, mastery can fuel an escalation loop in which identity and danger rise together.
The 5 myths that make us quit before we get good
These cultural lies make normal struggle feel like failure. A habit of experimentation makes it feel like progress.
What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with
Jonny Thomson
“Epistemic trespassing”: Why brilliant people can say idiotic things
Not all knowledge carries over.
Buried alive, leeched, and attacked with a poker: The dark history of nostalgia “cures”
Today, nostalgia is somewhat kitsch. Back then, it was something to be feared.
The Oprah Rule: What everyone wants you to say in a conversation
People don't want you to buy their stories — they want you to listen to them.
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
25 min
The computing revolution that secretly began in 1776
"In the process of mapping the heavens, it doesn't take long to realize the data problem they generated."
19 min
Why modern fitness culture misunderstands human bodies
"It's this modern idea of doing voluntary discretionary, physical activity for the sake of health and fitness."
22 min
Why even the healthiest people hit a wall at age 70
"By keeping people biologically younger, we can enjoy a longer health span, a longer period of healthy life where we're active, where we're happy, where we can engage in our hobbies, and play with our grandkids and great grandkids."
Members
7 min
Our intuitions about consciousness may be deeply wrong
We tend to trust our intuitions about consciousness because they feel immediate and personal, but feeling convinced is not the same as being right. Annaka Harris explores what happens when […]
Dark matter’s “nightmare scenario” looks more likely than ever
Our great hope is that today's indirect, astrophysical evidence will someday lead to successful direct detection. What if that's impossible?
JWST finds nine category-defying objects. Have astronomers found their “platypus?”
Just like animals, galaxies often have bizarre, unusual, or even unique properties. But finding many, all at once, really does raise alarms.
Yes, one image from space can change humanity’s perspective
Our view of the world, the Universe, and ourselves can change with just one glimpse of what's out there. It's happened many times before.
What the Universe looks like: from nearby to far away
Outer space begins just over 100 kilometers up, but what we can see extends for billions of light-years. Here's what all of it looks like.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
The dinosaur that vanished twice: How WWII nearly erased Spinosaurus from history
Ernst Stromer discovered Spinosaurus in Egypt. His fossils were destroyed in WWII, yet still shape how we imagine this mysterious dinosaur today.
Why “read more” may be the most underrated thinking advice we have
Reading isn’t just writing prep; together, reading and writing help writers think and generate original ideas through extended cognition.
Your brain loves labels — even when they limit your potential
Labels help your brain make sense of a complex world, but when self-attached, those same labels can convince you that you're unable to grow.
The surprising case for denial as a path toward resilience
Tara Narula shares how journalist Richard Cohen challenged conventional ideas about illness, identity, and strength while living with MS.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
How a small shop in Kyoto connects mastery with meditation
What 150-year-old Japanese workshop Kaikado can teach us about finding calm through focus in an age of distraction.
How to find success the “autotelic” way
Too many rich and prominent people turn out to be egotistical jerks: Brad Stulberg argues for a more grounded path towards excellence.
How leaders can deliver the social connection most of us crave
Disconnection is not a personal failure, but a systems challenge — and an opportunity for employers to strengthen our social fabric.
Measure–Meet–Repeat: Why tracking happiness is crucial to AI at work
AI will shape the future of work, but human leadership will decide whether that future is good — and happiness should be the touchstone.
Memorizing London’s 25,000 streets changes cabbies’ brains — and may prevent Alzheimer’s
One of the toughest vocational exams in the world requires candidates to memorize 25,000 streets in an area five times the size of Manhattan.
7,000-year-old underwater wall raises questions about ancient engineering — and lost-city legends
Scientists found a massive underwater wall off the coast of France that might help explain the origin of the legend of Ys.
America’s post-apocalyptic maps reveal eerily familiar fault lines
In post-apocalyptic fiction, imagined futures turn today’s political and cultural tensions into geography.
“The Chinese Job”: Spain’s wild 1580s plan to conquer the world — via Beijing
The plan — conquer China and push west to attack the Ottomans — was peak imperial hubris, as the Spanish themselves eventually realized.
Where science meets the human story.
Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.
David Kipping on how the search for alien life is gaining credibility
Big Think spoke with astronomer David Kipping about technosignatures, "extragalactic SETI," and being a popular science communicator in the YouTube age.
6 questions about consciousness with Annaka Harris
A conversation with Annaka Harris on shared perception, experimental science, and why our intuition about consciousness is wrong.