Ideas worth spreading

The psychology of evil

8,006,727 views | Philip Zimbardo • TED2008

Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.

Philip Zimbardo knows how easy it is for nice people to turn bad. In this talk, he shares insights and graphic unseen photos from the Abu Ghraib trials. Then he talks about the flip side: how easy it is to be a hero, and how we can rise to the challenge.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Philip Zimbardo

Philip Zimbardo

See speaker profile

Philip Zimbardo was the leader of the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment -- and an expert witness at Abu Ghraib. His book The Lucifer Effect explores the nature of evil; now, in his new work, he studies the nature of heroism.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.