Innovation expert Elliott Masie explains the goal of his MASIE Center think tank: to investigate the connections between technology, innovation, and learning. Part of this is understanding the instantaneous nature of commercial innovation.

"People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point."

Is innovation always a good thing? In the right hands, the myriad tech innovations on the immediate horizon could help solve humanity's most pressing problems. In the wrong hands, change could lead to struggle.

"Human beings are good at many things, but thinking about our species as a whole is not one of our strong points."

During a recent bout with depression, comedian Ruby Wax took time off from her career to pursue a Master's degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford University.

The OkCupid co-founder has authored a best-selling book that analyzes user data from social media and dating sites to draw conclusions about modern human behavior.

The Russian-American author of Lolita wrote constantly on themes of oppression, subversion, and tyranny.

Big Think expert Nicholas Negroponte believes that access to education is a human right. He also believes that the internet is integral to a 21st century education. Therefore, access to the internet is a human right.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”

Former NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen comments on the consequences of climate change in the Arctic and why geopolitical tensions are growing in the region.

"I am utterly convinced that Science and Peace will triumph over Ignorance and War, that nations will eventually unite not to destroy but to edify, and that the future will belong to those who have done the most for the sake of suffering humanity."

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity."

"I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness."

In case you missed it from earlier this week, former NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen visited Big Think to discuss how NATO deals with terrorist threats and what the international community must do to combat ISIS.

In case you missed it from earlier this week, economist Larry Summers visited Big Think to discuss infrastructure spending and why there's no better time than now to perform maintenance on our roads, ports, and schools.

Investigative journalist Eric Schlosser shares the chilling history of myriad Americans who have at one time or another had the authority to launch nuclear weapons.

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral."

"Good science and good art are always about a condition of awe … I don’t think there is any other function for the poet or the scientist in the human tribe but the astonishment of the soul."

Today's featured Big Think interview is about hacking... but probably not the sort of hacking you'd expect. Learning expert Elliott Masie explains how Hackathons can help teams develop creative solutions.

"What after all, has maintained the human race on this old globe despite all the calamities of nature and all the tragic failings of mankind, if not faith in new possibilities, and courage to advocate them."