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I read about bigthink on IHT - much thanks to Hopkins and Brown. Personally, though I don't know how well this is going to work out, I think it is an awesome idea -- about time we had some intellectual communication on the net. Every time someone tries to have some good, logic-driven arguments on YouTube, well, you know how it goes. I'm glad we have this.

Thanks so much. We've got a long way to go, but we appreciate all the great feedback and the constructive criticism. We're committed to making Big Think a meaningful forum and community of thinkers that's easy to use, fun and informative. Please feel free to post any and all suggestions to that end here.

conventional wisdom is manipulated by institutions defeating the elegance found in simple realizations. spinoza isolated himself but this forum may provide an opportunity for iconoclasts to be heard. as complex as this site could become, there is the possibility of peaceful consideraton.

I feel there should be a way to flag a post/poster for review in case the discussion trends downward, as I'm sure we've all seen on numerous other sites.

I saw this on Colbert. Stephen, I know you're reading this - you are a stone genius! (I like the show better without the you-know-whos, proving that you are the source!)

It was a little gut-wrenching at first when I found out about the site, because I've wanted to put up something similar, (I work in the online video space) just couldn't prioritize it. However, I'm glad you did.

But ultimately, I'm not sure that reasoned discourse is all that useful. It's stimulating and comforting, but life happens more in our gut than our heads (another revelation from the genius Colbert show), and we're always surprised when our 'plans' go awry.

Colbert Rules!!!

I also heard about on Colbert. I'm very curious to see how this site unfolds as it grows. The key is to keep it a respectful exchange of ideas and not become personal. It is very powerful for me to hear what people are thinking about and what is on their minds also reveals what is in their hearts, as well. I appreciate also hearing the different points of view, where I can integrate different ways of thinking without it becoming a right/wrong thing or positions to defend, thus blocking the intellectual exchange that ultimately takes us towards more whole ways of understanding the world, and one another.

As you say in the opening deal - it is good to have a voice, and hear the voices. To strengthen our collective capacity to skillfully address the worlds problems we need all the voices at the table. This site will exclude people who do not have access to the tech tools. However, it makes a far wider reach for discussion on important topics than I have yet seen (particularly if you can keep it respectful). Many Thanks!!!

I am really glad this site exists and look forward to hearing/seeing more discourses from people "in the know".

Hi everyone,
Thanks again for the positive feedback. We too, "whoknows, " wonder how much of an impact the conversations that take here will have once people back away from their TV screens. Though I think we might be a little more optimistic about the more interactive and democratic role users can have on our site. As for flagging conversations Christi, you can "report" abuse on any idea that you find abusive. That being said, we imagine that some conversations are going to get heated, as some of the greatest issues that face us will be discussed on this site. Our hope is that enough well-intentioned folks use the site to moderate conversations and encourage thoughtful dialogue. Thanks again everyone for checking in! And please keep the feedback coming! -BT