After his mainstage talk on the opening night of TED, psychologist Steven Pinker sat down with Chris Anderson to dive into his new book, Enlightenment Now. The two examined some criticisms of the book and the thesis behind it, dug into the data, and then threw the floor open for questions, in a session that offered the luxury of time to real...

Well, Met “I am delighted that digital technology can open the doors to this trove of images from our encyclopedic collection," said Thomas Campbell of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as he unleashed more than 400,000 high-resolution digital images for free (non-commercial, scholarly) use. (See Campbell’s TED Talk.) A tale of two inequalities...

TED’s river of ideas is a constant flow -- and sometimes vital topics make their way onto our site far before they head into the mainstream. As part of the 10th birthday of TED Talks, we highlight seven Talks that foresaw big trends when they were only ripples in the pond. Wikipedia: Is it really a thing? At TEDGlobal 2005, Jimmy Wales ...

Chrystia Freeland writes about the power of money. As a journalist, she examines how money shapes society, impacts politics and essentially makes the world go ‘round. In today’s talk, given at TEDGlobal 2013, Freeland tackles the growing global plutocracy, looking at how 21st century democratic capitalism is making the rich richer while pulli...

At TED2014, we challenged attendees to vote on 10 potential drivers of change in the next 30 years, via that enormously sophisticated piece of technology: the sticky note. As we could likely have predicted, there wasn't much consensus among those in Vancouver, but the range of opinions was vast and intriguing. And what do you think? Take the...

What's going wrong with democracy? Iavan Krastev is a political scientist to speak about crisis in Europe. Not, in his words, an inspiring topic. And he's here to talk about some of the problems with openness, in contrast to most of the talks. "You people in the church of TED," says Krastev, "are very optimistic. You believe in complexity...

Cross-posted from TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell's blog on the Huffington Post. Last month, the Black Lives Matter movement was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize, a global prize that honors those who pursue “peace with justice.” Past honorees include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Irish President Mary Robinson. The prize...

Chris Anderson, left (with Bruno Giussani, right): "It's a beautiful truth that all knowledge is connected. And now: It's time for TED!" Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED Biologist Lee Cronin at #TEDGlobal asks: What is life? What is the most basic unit of matter that can evolve? Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED Annie Murphy...

In Session 2 of TEDWomen 2019, we met some extraordinary pattern makers: people helping us predict the future, improve our relationship to technology and unearth powerful discoveries. The event: TEDWomen 2019, Session 2: Pattern Makers, hosted by Pat Mitchell and Cloe Shasha When and where: Thursday, December 5, 2019, 8:30AM PT, at La ...

During day three of TED2016, we felt both wonder and terror. Below, some of the strongest messages cutting through a day of incredible talks. A swarm of autonomous robots, as magical as fireflies. When you hear the word ‘drone,’ you probably think of something either useful or scary. But could they have aesthetic value? Raffaello D'Andrea...

A recent Gallup poll listed the most- and least-trusted professions in America. At the bottom of the list: car salesmen and members of Congress. It’s not hard to understand why our politicians rate so poorly — scandals, myopia, obstinance, party loyalty over common good, fiscal cliffs. All have left voters exasperated and confused. But while con...

Inequality has been a big theme in the U.S. of late. The stats are still stark. Incarceration rates among African Americans are astronomical — 1 in 3 black men will go to prison in their lifetime. Gay marriages may be taking place across the country, but hate crimes and workplace discomfort are still very real concerns. Women still face threats ...

British lawyer Alexander McLean's fascination with issues of inequality began at a young age. At 9, he was reading about the Civil Rights movement and the death penalty, fascinated by the power of the law to inflict punishment as well as deal out justice. At 18, he traveled to Uganda to volunteer as a hospice worker, where he saw that while ...

Many nations of Africa have suffered so many misfortunes for so long -- poverty, diseases, famines, wars -- that it sounds refreshing and even strange to hear someone talk about the day Africa won’t need aid from other countries. Other cultures around the world have been so conditioned to photos of displaced or malnourished Africans that the...

Chef David Hertz is trying to build a movement that uses food to create jobs, increase empathy, and even address inequality. Everything changed for Brazilian chef David Hertz when he visited a favela for the first time. It was 2004, and he’d just quit his job as a chef at an upscale restaurant on the most expensive street in São Paulo. A friend...

Congressman Jim McGovern makes an impassioned plea for lawmakers from both sides of the political divide to end hunger in America. It's totally do-able, he says. As inequality in America grows, so does the number of hungry Americans. A couple of weeks ago, I spent the night in a homeless shelter for families in my hometown of Worcester, Ma...

"Give me liberty or give me death," says global economist Dambisa Moyo, quoting Patrick Henry from 1775. In Western ideology, freedom is the most cherished value of all, and its government and economic systems have freedom deeply embedded in them. Over the past century, these systems have delivered prosperity and innovation: US incomes have ...

Week 7 of TED2020 featured conversations on where the coronavirus pandemic is heading, the case for reparations, how we can better connect with each other and how capitalism must change to build a more equitable society. Below, a recap of insights shared throughout the week. Bill Gates, technologist, philanthropist Big idea: The corona...

As we perused the Time 100 today, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people of the year, we couldn't help but notice many familiar faces. Among those included for 2015: investment expert Mellody Hobson, public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, political scientist Samantha Power, economist Tho...

Economists Robert Gordon and Erik Brynjolffson see very different things when they look at the stagnation of the U.S. economy in recent years. It’s almost as if they’re looking at an optical illusion image – one seeing a candlestick while the other sees two faces just inches apart. In today’s talks, they both outlined their thoughts. Gordo...

Most of us enter the professional world believing that the focus and hard work which got us through our education will help us rise there, too. But we don't yet realize that there are significant obstacles lying in our path. Author Michelle P. King explains how the need to conform can stand between women and success. Between the ages of 24 a...

Yesterday, nearly every seat of the theatre at the Admiralspalast was filled for the TEDBerlin Salon, the first official TED event in Germany (and, with TEDGlobal's move to Rio in October, the only one taking place in Europe this year). In two sessions hosted by Bruno Giussani, 15 speakers and performers covered an eclectic array of topics, wh...

In 2011, a single email launched what became a worldwide movement calling out wealth inequality. Yet three years on, Occupy hasn’t delivered on its utopian promises. Why? In opening Session 2 at TEDGlobal 2014, techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci talks about the shortcomings of social movements galvanized by social media. To be sure, online...

In October 2012, a Taliban-affiliated gunman shot Ziauddin Yousafzai’s daughter Malala soon after she boarded a bus en route to her school. In Swat, Pakistan -- where Ziauddin and Malala live -- the Taliban had outlawed all girls from attending school -- but Yousafzai, an educator and steadfast crusader for women’s rights in Pakistan, refused ...

The suspension bridge, says Acumen founder and session host Jacqueline Novogratz, provides the perfect metaphor for the leadership we need to see in this "fractured, divided, too often cynical world." Why? Because its structure balances a strong, deep, unwavering foundation with its ability to stretch across vast distances to connect and bri...

Last night in our office, we held a miniature TED session around the theme “Examining Prejudice.” And while it explored issues of discrimination and homophobia, it also veered to some unexpected places -- like your dislike of Brussels sprouts. “When we think of prejudice, we think of stupid people doing stupid things,” said psychologist P...

The penultimate session of TEDSummit 2019 had a bit of everything -- new thoughts on aging, loneliness and happiness as well as breakthrough science, music and even a bit of comedy. The event: TEDSummit 2019, Session 5: Stages of Life, hosted by Kelly Stoetzel and Alex Moura When and where: Wednesday, July 24, 2019, 5pm BST, at the Edi...

In an incredible session, speakers and performers laid out the biggest problems facing the world -- from political and economic catastrophe to rising violence and deepfakes -- and some new thinking on solutions. The event: TEDSummit 2019, Session 3: The Big Rethink, hosted by Corey Hajim and Cyndi Stivers When and where: Tuesday, July ...

In today’s talk, Bono -- U2 frontman, founder of the anti-poverty organization ONE, and 2005 TED Prize winner -- reflects on the past decade’s dramatic reduction in extreme poverty worldwide. “Exit the rockstar, enter the evidence-based activist, the factivist,” he says. Since 2000, according to Bono’s data, eight million more AIDS patients a...

A shift implies a subtle move — up, down, to the right or left. In this session, a look at things in flux, from masculinity to poverty to glaciers, with new thoughts on some shared conversations. Short recaps of the talks in this session... Why gender inequality is bad for men. “I am here to recruit men to support gender equality,” say...