People want to be religious, says scholar Karen Armstrong; we should help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help build a Charter for Compassion -- to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has devoted himself to healing relations between Muslim-Americans and their neighbors, and bringing that message of peace to the wider Muslim world.

As the first woman in the UK to be ordained in the Jewish faith, Rabbi Jackie Tabick has forged a path of inclusiveness from her work’s beginning.

With her groundbreaking "On Being" podcast, Krista Tippett takes up the ancient, animating questions for 21st-century life: What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other?

Known as the preacher’s preacher, Rev. James Forbes is a spiritual leader with charismatic style and radically progressive opinions.

One of Google's earliest engineers, Chade-Meng Tan is now Google's Jolly Good Fellow -- the head of personal growth at the groundbreaking search company.

With the Charter for Compassion, Karen Armstrong challenged the world to bring the Golden Rule to the center of life. Learn about how her vision inspired Greg Fischer -- the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky -- to lead the city in fascinating new directions.

I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect. The plan Compassion isn't just a warm feeling. Reli...

Karen Armstrong -- winner of the 2008 TED Prize -- is a provocative, original thinker on the role of religion in the modern world.

Must-listen talks about the future of the environment, crime, technology, government and the human race.

With a little help from Dave Stewart, actor Djimon Hounsou reads the stirring words of the Charter for Compassion. As it plays, onscreen, visit some of the places around the world -- synagogues, mosques, churches, ashrams, even a prison -- where the Charter for Compassion is hung and its words are lived.

The TED Prize's Charter for Compassion reached Pope Benedict XVII this week, just days before the Pope announced to the world that he would be resigning. A plaque engraved with the Charter was presented to the Pope on Wednesday in Vatican City by TED's European director, Bruno Giussani. The meeting, pictured above, took place on the margins of t...

About this event: 'Live Compassionately' is TEDxSingapore's first global TED Prize event. Treat all others as you'd like to be treated yourself. Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you. In 2007, Karen Armstrong was invited by Singapore to speak about compassion to more than 800 community and government leaders, diplomats and Singapo...

Has an act of compassion changed your life? Share your story -- and join the Charter for Compassion in a brand-new video initiative: Assignment Compassion. In the video above, actor Adrian Grenier gives the first assignment: Share a moment of compassion that changed your life. Record your video response to Adrian's assignment and share...

It's hard to always show compassion -- even to the people we love, but Robert Thurman asks that we develop compassion for our enemies. He prescribes a seven-step meditation exercise to extend compassion beyond our inner circle.

The term "compassion" -- typically reserved for the saintly or the sappy -- has fallen out of touch with reality. At a special TEDPrize@UN, journalist Krista Tippett deconstructs the meaning of compassion through several moving stories, and proposes a new, more attainable definition for the word.

Today, Thursday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. ET, join us in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Charter for Compassion -- Karen Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize Wish. The event, TEDPrize@UN -- hosted by the United Nations -- will be streamed live over the web, and feature talks on compassion by a number of fascinating speakers: Ka...

This week, religious scholar and 2008 TED Prize winner Karen Armstrong released 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life, a practical guide to the understanding and practice of compassion. On Christmas eve, the TED Blog had a chat with Karen about the ways people around the world are embracing the Charter for Compassion -- the result of her TED Priz...

On Nov. 18, TEDsters gathered at the UN to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Charter for Compassion -- Karen Armstrong's 2008 TED Prize Wish. The event, TEDPrize@UN featured talks on compassion by a number of fascinating speakers. Watch the archive of the TEDPrize@UN webcast >> Photos from the event: Kare...

Join Rev. James Forbes at the dinner table of his Southern childhood, where his mother and father taught him what compassion really means day to day -- sharing with those who need love.

A few numbers to keep in mind: 3, 31, and 1 million. That’s because nominations for the 2016 TED Prize are being accepted through the end of the day on March 31, 2015. You have until then to nominate a mentor, a co-worker or a visionary leader whose work you admire from afar for this prestigious prize, which brings with it $1 million for a w...

About this event: This is a salon (or small-scale event) with 200 people (half adults and half kids) to take place on November 9th, 2010. This event is leading up to our large-scale event (with 500+ participants) planned for 2011. The salon event will comprise live speakers and performers delivering the talk of their lives in 12 minutes or less, pre-recorded T...

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf combines the teachings of the Qur'an, the stories of Rumi, and the examples of Muhammad and Jesus, to demonstrate that only one obstacle stands between each of us and absolute compassion -- ourselves.

A TED Prize wish must be ambitious and bold, with the ability to impact lives all across the globe. And yet, a TED Prize wish must also be practical -- an actionable plan that can flourish with $1 million in seeding and access to leverage the power of the TED community. With nominations open for the 2016 TED Prize -- you can nominate a visionary...

Dave Isay was shocked to learn he was in the running for the 2015 TED Prize. And yet, his TED Prize wish — to grow StoryCorps’ digital archive of the collective wisdom of humanity — was granted, fueled by $1 million and the vigor of TED’s global community. Could your idea win the TED Prize? In a word: yes. Nominations for the 2017 TED Pri...

After hearing an idea that struck them at their core, these people were no longer satisfied to sit on the sidelines -- so they jumped in. Hearing an inspiring idea is like experiencing a great book or movie; it stays with you. For most people who watch a TED Talk, this occurs subtly, with the concept going into our minds where it serves as a ki...

Karen Armstrong looks at religion's role in the 21st century: Will its dogmas divide us? Or will it unite us for common good? She reviews the catalysts that can drive the world's faiths to rediscover the Golden Rule.

Kiran Bir Sethi shows how her groundbreaking Riverside School in India teaches kids life's most valuable lesson: "I can." Watch her students take local issues into their own hands, lead other young people, even educate their parents.

The current coronavirus pandemic is a truly global one; in fact, Antarctica is the only continent with no cases (although that could change). Most nations have responded with similar measures -- stay-at-home advisories, shutdown of non-essential businesses, social distancing -- but the scope of these changes has varied and so has the human impac...

How can we bridge the gap between left and right to have a wiser, more connected political conversation? Journalist Gretchen Carlson and op-ed columnist David Brooks share insights on the tensions at the heart of American politics today -- and where we can find common ground. Followed by a rousing performance of "America the Beautiful" by Vy Hig...