TED Talks
George Papandreou: Imagine a European democracy without borders
Greece has been the poster child for European economic crisis, but former Prime Minister George Papandreou wonders if it's just a preview of what's to come. “Our democracies," he says, "are trapped by systems that are too big to fail, or...
TED Talks
Jochen Wegner: What happened when we paired up thousands of strangers to talk politics
In spring 2019, more than 17,000 Europeans from 33 countries signed up to have a political argument with a complete stranger. They were part of "Europe Talks," a project that organizes one-on-one conversations between people who disagree...
TED Talks
TED: Governments don't understand cyber warfare. We need hackers | Rodrigo Bijou
The Internet has transformed the front lines of war, and it's leaving governments behind. As security analyst Rodrigo Bijou shows, modern conflict is being waged online between non-state groups, activists and private corporations, and...
TED Talks
Dambisa Moyo: Is China the new idol for emerging economies?
The developed world holds up the ideals of capitalism, democracy and political rights for all. Those in emerging markets often don't have that luxury. In this powerful talk, economist Dambisa Moyo makes the case that the west can't...
TED Talks
TED: American bipartisan politics can be saved -- here's how | Bob Inglis
Former Republican member of the u.S. Congress Bob Inglis shares an optimistic message about how conservatives can lead on climate change and other pressing problems -- and how free enterprise (and working together across ideologies) hold...
TED Talks
TED: How to have better political conversations | Robb Willer
Robb Willer studies the forces that unite and divide us. As a social psychologist, he researches how moral values -- typically a source of division -- can also be used to bring people together. Willer shares compelling insights on how we...
TED Talks
TED: How (and why) Russia hacked the uS election | Laura Galante
Hacking, fake news, information bubbles ... all these and more have become part of the vernacular in recent years. But as cyberspace analyst Laura Galante describes in this alarming talk, the real target of anyone looking to influence...
TED Talks
TED: How the US government spies on people who protest -- including you | Jennifer Granick
What's stopping the American government from recording your phone calls, reading your emails and monitoring your location? Very little, says surveillance and cybersecurity counsel Jennifer Granick. The government collects all kinds of...
TED Talks
TED: The beauty and complexity of finding common ground | Matt Trombley
How can we disagree with one another, respectfully and productively? In this thoughtful talk, team builder Matt Trombley reflects on "agonism" -- the tendency to take a rigid stance on issues -- and shares why finding aspects of...
TED Talks
TED: We're building a dystopia just to make people click on ads | Zeynep Tufekci
We're building an artificial intelligence-powered dystopia, one click at a time, says techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufekci. In an eye-opening talk, she details how the same algorithms companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon use to get...
TED Talks
Julius Maada Bio: A vision for the future of Sierra Leone
When Julius Maada Bio first seized political power in Sierra Leone in 1996, he did so to improve the lives of its citizens. But he soon realized that for democracy to flourish, its foundation needs to be built on the will of the people....
TED Talks
TED: Capitalism will eat democracy -- unless we speak up | Yanis Varoufakis
Have you wondered why politicians aren't what they used to be, why governments seem unable to solve real problems? economist Yanis Varoufakis, the former Minister of Finance for Greece, says that it's because you can be in politics today...
TED Talks
Carole Cadwalladr: Facebook's role in Brexit -- and the threat to democracy
In an unmissable talk, journalist Carole Cadwalladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super-close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Tracking the result to a barrage of misleading Facebook ads...
TED Talks
TED: We can fight terror without sacrificing our rights | Rebecca MacKinnon
Can we fight terror without destroying democracy? Internet freedom activist Rebecca MacKinnon thinks that we'll lose the battle against extremism and demagoguery if we censor the internet and press. In this critical talk, she calls for a...
TED Talks
Dolores Huerta: How to overcome apathy and find your power
"Sí, se puede!" -- "Yes, we can!" It's the rallying cry Dolores Huerta came up with as a young activist in the 1970s, and she's lived by it in her tireless pursuit of civil rights ever since. With her signature wit and humor, Huerta...
TED Talks
Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim
There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That's the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar...
TED Talks
TED: How deepfakes undermine truth and threaten democracy | Danielle Citron
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. The use of deepfake technology to manipulate video and audio for malicious purposes -- whether it's to stoke...
TED Talks
TED: Stand with Ukraine in the fight against evil | Garry Kasparov
Ukraine is on the front line of a war between freedom and tyranny, says chess grandmaster and human rights advocate Garry Kasparov. In this blistering call to action, he traces Vladimir Putin's rise to power and details his own path from...
TED Talks
TED: Why journalists have an obligation to challenge power | Jorge Ramos
You can kick Jorge Ramos out of your press conference (as Donald Trump infamously did in 2015), but you can never silence him. A reporter for more than 30 years, Ramos believes that a journalist's responsibility is to question and...
TED Talks
TED: Can a divided America heal? | Jonathan Haidt
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. How can the US recover after the negative, partisan presidential election of 2016? Social psychologist Jonathan...
SciShow
What Honeybees Can Teach Us About Democracy
Hank fills us in on the democratic ways of the honeybee and makes a request for more interpretive dance in our own political systems.
TED Talks
TED: Dear Facebook, this is how you're breaking democracy | Yaël Eisenstat
Lies are more engaging online than truth, says former CIA analyst, diplomat and Facebook employee Yaël Eisenstat. "As long as [social media] algorithms' goals are to keep us engaged, they will feed us the poison that plays to our worst...
TED Talks
TED: The radical act of choosing common ground | Nisha Anand
To achieve lasting change sometimes requires the hard, even radical, choice of partnering with people you'd least expect. Justice reform advocate Nisha Anand shares her story of working with her ideological opposite to make history and...
TED Talks
TED: Could a DAO build the next great city? | Scott Fitsimones
Could DAOs, or "decentralized autonomous organizations," be the key to building the next great city? Experimental urbanist Scott Fitsimones shares how these mission-driven, blockchain-governed, collectively owned organizations could...