What’s So Exceptional About America?

Big Think Home

This content is locked. Please login or become a member.

Become a member Login
What’s So Exceptional About America?
bigthinkeditor
Close-up of a person's face with brown eyes and freckles, next to an abstract blue and white pattern resembling tree branches and lightning.
7mins
Perception Box
How our expectations shape what we see, hear, and feel
Paul Ekman, Lisa Feldman Barrett & Esther Perel
Unlikely Collaborators
A digital illustration of a human brain with glowing neon lines and a translucent geometric cube overlay at the center.
3mins
Perception Box
The science of spirituality, and how it can change your brain
Lisa Miller, Reza Aslan & Rob Bell
Unlikely Collaborators
Close-up view of mushroom gills with overlaid chemical structure diagrams, including molecular formulas and lines, set against a blue-tinted background.
5mins
Perception Box
3 experts reveal how psychedelics can expand the walls of perception
Jamie Wheal, James Fadiman & Matthew W. Johnson
Unlikely Collaborators
Illustration of a brain with highlighted regions overlaid on a close-up image of blue synapses and neurons, representing neural communication.
2mins
Perception Box
How and why your memories shift over time, explained by neuroscience 
André Fenton & Lisa Genova
Unlikely Collaborators
Person wearing a light blue suit and floral shirt, flexing both arms, set against a brick wall background.
7mins
Perception Box
How record-breaking swimmer Diana Nyad found strength and healing in the water
Diana Nyad
A man with dreadlocks standing in front of a bush.
6mins
Perception Box
Shaka Senghor explains how he found inner peace after life in prison
Shaka Senghor
Unlikely Collaborators
A black man with his hands on his head.
6mins
Perception Box
Comedian Jay Pharoah on fear, forgiveness, and not fitting in
Jay Pharoah
Unlikely Collaborators
A man in a black shirt with speech bubbles that say trauma comics art.
6mins
Perception Box
Comics, trauma and art: the origin story of Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Unlikely Collaborators
Black outline of an atomic symbol with three intersecting ellipses on a solid blue background.
38mins
The Well
Finding the secret of human existence in an atom-smasher
Kmele Foster & Brandon Stewart
Two detailed anatomical illustrations show human heads: one sliced horizontally to reveal the brain, and the other showing exposed facial muscles, bones, and tissue.
5mins
The Well
The neuroscience of trauma
Lisa Feldman Barrett
Black and white vintage illustration of a human brain viewed from the side, set against a solid light pink background.
7mins
The Well
An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes
Lisa Feldman Barrett
Two parallel strands of orange barbed wire set against a black background.
8mins
The Well
The case against trigger warnings
Jonathan Haidt
A sequence of black-and-white frames showing a horse and rider in motion, depicting various stages of a gallop.
9mins
The Well
Embrace the “dark horse” mindset to find success
Sarah Robb O'Hagan, Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Todd Rose & Alex Banayan
Black and white illustration of circular, radiating patterns with one large labeled circle "A" showing a central orbit-like design among several smaller circles.
7mins
The Well
The strong force: holding our Universe together
Frank Wilczek
9mins
Personal Growth
How to build a success mindset
Todd Rose, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Alex Banayan, Michio Kaku & Sarah Robb O'Hagan
The Present
Live on Monday: Does the US need one billion people?
Charles Duhigg & Matthew Yglesias
The Future
Radical innovation: Unlocking the future of human invention
Matthew Putman
Thinking
David Epstein: Thinking tools for ‘wicked’ problems
David Epstein
Neuropsych
Why reading is a form of therapy in times of crisis
Elisa New
Latest Videos
Straight to the gut
Mark Moring
Hard Science
‘One Strange Rock’
Adam Frank
Latest Videos
Catching up with Iron Man
Mark Moring
The Present
Why eating ice cream is linked to shark attacks
Eric Siegel
Latest Videos
Celebrating Black inventors
Mark Moring
Hard Science
Elon Musk interview reveals whether he prefers Nikola Tesla to Thomas Edison
Paul Ratner

David Gergen, Lisa New and Chris Matthews weigh in on the question of America's Exceptionalism.

No transcript available for this video.

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.
© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.