TED Staff
Youtube activist Theo E.J. Wilson wondered about the people posting racist comments on his videos, and where they were getting their facts. So he adopted a pseudonym and joined their conversation.
At the prison where Cheryl Steed works, certain inmates are chosen to be caregivers for elderly inmates. The program has made her wonder — can altruism be learned?
Philosopher Peter Singer’s work focuses on “effective altruism” — how to do the most good to make the world a better place. He argues effective giving involves balancing empathy with reason.
Entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin describes how the marketing of ideas has changed since the invention of sliced bread, as well as the type of ideas that stick in consumer’s minds.
Physician and social scientist Nicholas Christakis explains how face-to-face social networks and their structures influence behaviors and phenomena in human society and the natural living world.
Psycho-economist Sheena Iyengar explains how we can actively use choice as a tool to help us arrive at decisions we can live with.
Why build a virtual world? Philip Rosedale talks about the virtual civilization world he created, Second Life, and how virtual reality might only get better — and more integral to our lives.
Eli Pariser explains why being trapped in “filter bubbles” is bad for us and bad for democracy. He says we don’t get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview.
Suzanne Barakat speaks about the challenge of reconciling shock, anger and acceptance after her brother and sisters-in-law were murdered in an anti-Muslim hate crime.
Negotiator William Ury offers an elegant (but not easy) way to get two opposing sides to agree: the approach? Find the “third side.”
Astronaut and retired colonel Chris Hadfield discusses how to prepare your mind for the unexpected, and the worst.
What’s the future of technology and design that’s driven by Big Data? Kenneth Cukier of the Economist looks at what’s next for machine learning and human knowledge.
Mindfulness expert Andy Puddicombe says one path to happiness is ten minutes, each day, to stop and enjoy the sensation of doing nothing.
Entrepreneur Astro Teller rewards colleagues when their ambitious projects fail. Teller says this helps people take risks so they can achieve their “moonshot” goals, like a balloon-powered internet.
How can a simple adjustment - a nudge - change our behavior for the better? Professor Richard Thaler says his “nudge theory” can make it easier for people to save money, eat healthily and more.
Carol Dweck finds that the words adults use to describe kids’ progress affects the children’s belief in their own potential.
Advocate Tony Porter’s wisdom focuses on masculinity and ending violence against women. He explains how he draws on his own upbringing to help the next generation of men redefine manhood.
When a stranger shows up at an AirBnB rental, what ensures that all goes well? Careful design of the website that brought them together, says Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb.