Tim Urban: The Right Way to Be a Skeptic

Think for yourself. Subscribe to The Free Press today

When I first stumbled across the Wait But Why blog nearly a decade ago, it felt like I’d found a corner of the internet that actually respected my intelligence, and challenged it. Tim Urban writes about human behavior, futurism, and society with depth and clarity—and the help of his signature stick figure illustrations—in a way that makes even the most abstract concepts seem urgent and human.

Tim has become one of the most original voices of our time. His TED Talk about procrastination has over 75 million views, making it one of the most‑viewed of all time. He is a thinker who isn’t afraid to take on messy, polarizing topics, and who refuses to sacrifice nuance at the altar of virality. That’s rare.

Tim’s most recent book, What’s Our Problem?, is more than just a political or philosophical treatise. It’s a blueprint for how to think more clearly in an age of tribalism, outrage, and intellectual laziness. It feels more urgent today than ever.

That’s why I wanted to sit down with Tim for my podcast, Conversations with Coleman, to talk about what it means to pursue truth in a time when everyone seems more interested in choosing sides. I asked him why so many smart people get swept up in dumb ideas, how social media hijacks our thinking, and what an actually productive political discourse might look like.