What almost dying taught me about living | Suleika Jaouad
TED Talks Daily
- 3.1K views
- over 4 years ago
- 17:45
"The hardest part of my cancer experience began once the cancer was gone," says author Suleika Jaouad. In this fierce, funny, wisdom-packed talk, she challenges us to think beyond the divide between "sick" and "well," asking: How do you begin again and find meaning after life is interrupted?
Theranos, whistleblowing and speaking truth to power | Erika Cheung
TED Talks Daily
- 4.9K views
- over 4 years ago
- 17:40
In 2014, Erika Cheung made a discovery that would ultimately help bring down her employer, Theranos, as well as its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, who claimed to have invented technology that would transform medicine. The decision to become a whistleblower proved a hard lesson in figuring out how to do what's right in the face of both personal and professional obstacles. With candor and humility, Cheung shares her journey of speaking truth to power -- and offers a framework to encourage others to come forward and act in the service of all.
"A Bird Made of Birds" | Sarah Kay
TED Talks Daily
- 9.9K views
- over 4 years ago
- 05:46
"The universe has already written the poem you were planning on writing," says Sarah Kay, quoting her friend, poet Kaveh Akbar. Performing "A Bird Made of Birds," she shares how and where she finds poetry. (Kay is also the host of TED's podcast "Sincerely, X." Listen on the Luminary podcast app at luminary.link/ted)
How to foster productive and responsible debate | Ishan Bhabha
TED Talks Daily
- 1.9K views
- over 4 years ago
- 11:05
The clash of ideas is fundamental to creativity and progress, but it can also be deeply destructive and create divisions within companies, communities and families. How do you foster productive debate while protecting against harmful speech and misinformation? Constitutional lawyer Ishan Bhabha lays out structures that organizations can use to navigate ideological disagreement and responsibly bring facts and context to a larger dialogue.
The Great Migration and the power of a single decision | Isabel Wilkerson
TED Talks Daily
- 4.8K views
- over 4 years ago
- 18:48
Sometimes, a single decision can change the course of history. Join journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson as she tells the story of the Great Migration, the outpouring of six million African Americans from the Jim Crow South to cities in the North and West between World War I and the 1970s. This was the first time in American history that the lowest caste people signaled they had options and were willing to take them -- and the first time they had a chance to choose for themselves what they would do with their innate talents, Wilkerson explains. "These people, by their actions, were able to do what the powers that be, North and South, could not or would not do," she says. "They freed themselves."
The global movement to restore nature's biodiversity | Thomas Crowther
TED Talks Daily
- 2.7K views
- over 4 years ago
- 13:36
Biodiversity is the key to life on Earth and reviving our damaged planet, says ecologist Thomas Crowther. Sharing the inside story of his headline-making research on reforestation, which led to the UN's viral Trillion Trees Campaign, Crowther introduces Restor: an expansive, informative platform built to enable anyone, anywhere to help restore the biodiversity of Earth's ecosystems.
The lie that invented racism | John Biewen
TED Talks Daily
- 3.1K views
- over 4 years ago
- 19:02
To understand and eradicate racist thinking, start at the beginning. That's what journalist and documentarian John Biewen did, leading to a trove of surprising and thought-provoking information on the "origins" of race. He shares his findings, supplying answers to fundamental questions about racism -- and lays out an exemplary path for practicing effective allyship.
Why we must confront hard historical truths | Hasan Kwame Jeffries
TED Talks Daily
- 3.3K views
- over 4 years ago
- 14:19
To move forward in the United States, we must look back and confront the difficult history that has shaped widespread injustice. Revisiting a significant yet overlooked piece of the past, Hasan Kwame Jeffries emphasizes the need to weave historical context, no matter how painful, into our understanding of modern society -- so we can disrupt the continuum of injustices massively affecting marginalized communities.
Why we must confront the painful parts of US history | Hasan Kwame Jeffries
TED Talks Daily
- 3.3K views
- over 4 years ago
- 13:44
To move forward in the United States, we must look back and confront the difficult history that has shaped widespread injustice. Revisiting a significant yet overlooked piece of the past, Hasan Kwame Jeffries emphasizes the need to weave historical context, no matter how painful, into our understanding of modern society -- so we can disrupt the continuum of inequality massively affecting marginalized communities.
Why I fight for climate justice | Xiye Bastida
TED Talks Daily
- 2.1K views
- over 4 years ago
- 09:20
In a deeply moving letter to her grandmother, Xiye Bastida reflects on what led her to become a leading voice for global climate activism -- from mobilizing school climate strikes to speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit alongside Greta Thunberg -- and traces her resolve, resilience and profound love of the earth to the values passed down to her. "Thank you for inviting me to love the world since the moment I was born," she says.
Does your vote count? The Electoral College explained | Christina Greer
TED Talks Daily
- 2.4K views
- over 4 years ago
- 06:41
You vote but then what? Discover how your individual vote contributes to the popular vote and your state's electoral vote in different ways--and see how votes are counted on both state and national levels. [Lesson by Christina Greer, directed by Mark Phillips, narrated by Christina Greer].
Why you should define your fears instead of your goals | Tim Ferriss
TED Talks Daily
- 7.9K views
- over 4 years ago
- 14:34
The hard choices -- what we most fear doing, asking, saying -- are very often exactly what we need to do. How can we overcome self-paralysis and take action? Tim Ferriss encourages us to fully envision and write down our fears in detail, in a simple but powerful exercise he calls "fear-setting." Learn more about how this practice can help you thrive in high-stress environments and separate what you can control from what you cannot.
The psychology of inequality and political division | Keith Payne
TED Talks Daily
- 2.7K views
- over 4 years ago
- 13:12
"If we want to fix our politics, we have to do something about inequality," says social psychologist Keith Payne. Showing how economic inequality changes the way people see and behave towards one another, Payne helps explain the rise of the political polarization that's slicing up society -- and challenges us to think twice the next time we dismiss someone for the sake of politics.
How to win an argument (at the US Supreme Court, or anywhere) | Neal Katyal
TED Talks Daily
- 2.7K views
- over 4 years ago
- 17:27
The secret to winning an argument isn't grand rhetoric or elegant style, says US Supreme Court litigator Neal Katyal -- it takes more than that. With stories of some of the most impactful cases he's argued before the Court, Katyal shows why the key to crafting a persuasive and successful argument lies in human connection, empathy and faith in the power of your ideas. "The question is not how to win every argument," he says. "It's how to get back up when you do lose."
Why specializing early doesn't always mean career success | David Epstein
TED Talks Daily
- 3.5K views
- over 4 years ago
- 14:59
A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life could undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally.
Do schools kill creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson
TED Talks Daily
- 15K views
- over 4 years ago
- 19:08
Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
What it means to be intersex -- and how the false sex binary harms us all | Susannah Temko
TED Talks Daily
- 2.8K views
- over 4 years ago
- 14:44
For intersex people -- those born with sex characteristics outside the traditional definitions of female and male -- the stakes to appear "normal" are high. Drawing on her personal experience, Susannah Temko reveals the shame, prejudice and harm faced by the intersex community, as they're forced to conform to a binary understanding of sex that ultimately hinders their health and well-being. She calls on us all to discard outdated notions of biological sex and accept the complexity within humanity.
The tyranny of merit | Michael Sandel
TED Talks Daily
- 3.8K views
- over 4 years ago
- 09:20
What accounts for our polarized public life, and how can we begin to heal it? Political philosopher Michael Sandel offers a surprising answer: those who have flourished need to look in the mirror. He explores how "meritocratic hubris" leads many to believe their success is their own doing and to look down on those who haven't made it, provoking resentment and inflaming the divide between "winners" and "losers" in the new economy. Hear why we need to reconsider the meaning of success and recognize the role of luck in order to create a less rancorous, more generous civic life.
Big data, small farms and a tale of two tomatoes | Erin Baumgartner
TED Talks Daily
- 3.1K views
- over 4 years ago
- 15:31
The path to better food is paved with data, says entrepreneur Erin Baumgartner. Drawing from her experience running a farm-to-table business, she outlines her plan to help create a healthier, zero-waste food system that values the quality and taste of small, local farm harvests over factory-farmed produce.
Grief and love in the animal kingdom | Barbara J. King
TED Talks Daily
- 3.1K views
- over 4 years ago
- 14:45
From mourning orcas to distressed elephants, biological anthropologist Barbara J. King has witnessed grief and love across the animal kingdom. In this eye-opening talk, she explains the evidence behind her belief that many animals experience complex emotions, and suggests ways all of us can treat them more ethically -- including every time we eat. "Animals don't grieve exactly like we do, but this doesn't mean that their grief isn't real," she says. "It is real, and it's searing, and we can see it if we choose."