Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnson

Executive Editor, Big Think

A man with short dark hair wearing a dark button-up shirt poses against a plain black background.

Stephen Johnson is Executive Editor at Big Think. His writing has appeared in PBS, U.S. News & World Report, and newspapers and magazines across the Midwest. He lives in St. Louis.

testosterone competition
In tough competitions, men tend to give up early when they feel a low sense of control. Testosterone eradicates that effect.
detransitioners
The results of a recent study suggest that some clinicians might be failing to explore other causes when treating gender dysphoria.
back-burner
The internet has made it easier than ever to keep in touch with our exes. For people in relationships, that can cause problems.
orb weaver
Despite the wide diversity of spider species, most orb-weavers seem to follow the same playbook when building their webs.
general index
The creator of the index called it a public utility for accessing the “vast ocean” of human knowledge.
Our moral attitudes about sex and drugs share a genetic basis, suggests a recent study that examined the attitudes of more than 5,000 twins.
speech is violence
The most unpleasant aspect of intellectual liberalism is that when speech causes emotional or mental pain, the offended parties are morally entitled to nothing.