The Next Big Idea
Next Big Idea Club
The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.
Categories: Education
Listen to the last episode:
You may think the English language is static, solid, set in its ways. But the language of Shakespeare has changed quite a bit since the Bard's day. Some rules have been bent, others broken. Old words have faded into obscurity, while new slang has burst onto the scene. (Goodbye, crapulous. Hello, awesomesauce!) When faced with this linguistic upheaval, you have two choices, according to today's guest, Anne Curzan, dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan and author of "Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words." You can turn into a grammando who ruthlessly corrects grammatical faux pas, staunchly defends "correct" usage, and rails against neologisms. Or you can embrace your inner wordie by becoming a linguistic gourmand who not only savors fresh vocabulary but celebrates lexical innovation as a reminder that our language is evolving, becoming more expansive, more inclusive, and perhaps more playful. Host: Rufus Griscom Guest: Anne Curzan THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB We all know that reading is the best investment we can make in ourselves, but figuring out what to read — well, that’s another matter. Which is why we started the Next Big Idea Club. We get the best new books (as chosen by our friends Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink) into the hands of curious people. Like you! Join us today at nextbigideaclub.com
Previous episodes
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361 - FUNNER: How Language Evolves and Why It Matters Thu, 16 May 2024
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360 - DEMON OF UNREST: Why the Civil War Matters Today (with Erik Larson) Thu, 09 May 2024
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359 - ALGEBRA OF WEALTH: Scott Galloway’s Formula for Financial Success Thu, 02 May 2024
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358 - WHY WE REMEMBER: The New Science of Improving Your Memory Thu, 25 Apr 2024
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357 - SLOW PRODUCTIVITY: Can We Get More Done by Doing Less? Thu, 18 Apr 2024
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356 - MAGICAL OVERTHINKING: Why Modern Life Is Making Us More Irrational Thu, 11 Apr 2024
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355 - Everything Paul Bloom Knows About Psychology Thu, 04 Apr 2024
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354 - GET THE PICTURE: Why Bother With Art? Thu, 28 Mar 2024
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353 - LOOK AGAIN: How to See Your Life With Fresh Eyes Thu, 21 Mar 2024
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352 - GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World Thu, 14 Mar 2024
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351 - BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech Thu, 07 Mar 2024
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350 - SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone Thu, 29 Feb 2024
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349 - MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity Thu, 22 Feb 2024
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348 - RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift Thu, 15 Feb 2024
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347 - BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters Thu, 08 Feb 2024
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345 - BIG BETS: A Practical Guide to Changing the World Thu, 01 Feb 2024
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344 - CLIMATE OPTIMISM: Can We Still Build a Sustainable World? Thu, 25 Jan 2024
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343 - FREE WILL: Are We Better Off Without It? Thu, 18 Jan 2024
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342 - ATOMIC HABITS: James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (and Breaking Bad Ones) Thu, 11 Jan 2024
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341 - THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness Thu, 04 Jan 2024
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340 - How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (2021) Thu, 28 Dec 2023
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339 - Rory Stewart on Politics, Ambition, and Making a Difference Thu, 21 Dec 2023
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338 - PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: Timeless Lessons from Morgan Housel Thu, 14 Dec 2023
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337 - EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution Thu, 07 Dec 2023
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336 - THE FAMILY OUTING: Secrets, Memory, and Living Authentically Thu, 30 Nov 2023
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335 - Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations (with Anna Sale) Thu, 23 Nov 2023
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334 - ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE: What It’s Doing to Our Kids—and to Us Thu, 16 Nov 2023
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333 - FAILURE: The Science of Learning From Your Mistakes Thu, 09 Nov 2023
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332 - HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply (with David Brooks) Thu, 02 Nov 2023
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331 - HIDDEN POTENTIAL: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things Thu, 26 Oct 2023
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330 - FACIAL RECOGNITION: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It Thu, 19 Oct 2023
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329 - Daniel Pink and Brian Lowery Aren’t Sure That You Exist Thu, 12 Oct 2023
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328 - Susan Cain on the Power of the Bittersweet (2022) Thu, 05 Oct 2023
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327 - HUMAN COMPATIBLE: Can We Control Artificial Intelligence? Thu, 28 Sep 2023
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326 - UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY: The Power of Giving People More Than They Expect Thu, 21 Sep 2023
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325 - ELON MUSK: Walter Isaacson on the World’s Most Polarizing Person Thu, 14 Sep 2023
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323 - CHANGE: How to Excel When Everything Is in Flux Thu, 07 Sep 2023
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322 - DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity Thu, 31 Aug 2023
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321 - PERENNIALS: How to Thrive in a Post-Generational Society Thu, 24 Aug 2023
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320 - ULTRA-PROCESSED: What Fake Food Is Doing to Our Health Thu, 17 Aug 2023
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319 - How to Succeed by Quitting (2022) Thu, 10 Aug 2023
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318 - Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction (2021) Thu, 03 Aug 2023
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317 - WORK: Henry David Thoreau on Making a Meaningful Living Thu, 27 Jul 2023
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316 - RISE AND SHINE: How to Have the Perfect Morning Thu, 20 Jul 2023
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315 - Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds: The Future of Sentience Thu, 13 Jul 2023
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314 - You Should Have More Fun This Summer. Here’s Why. Thu, 06 Jul 2023
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313 - PARKING: How It Explains the World Thu, 29 Jun 2023
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312 - OUTLIVE (Part 2): How to Optimize Your Diet, Sleep, and Emotional Health Thu, 22 Jun 2023
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311 - OUTLIVE (Part 1): Peter Attia’s Guide to the Science of Longevity Thu, 15 Jun 2023
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310 - THE WAGER: David Grann Tells a Tale of Shipwreck and Mutiny Thu, 08 Jun 2023