TED Talks
Seth Shostak: ET is (probably) out there -- get ready
SETI researcher Seth Shostak bets that we will find extraterrestrial life in the next twenty-four years, or he'll buy you a cup of coffee. He explains why new technologies and the laws of probability make the breakthrough so likely --...
TED Talks
Aaron O'Connell: Making sense of a visible quantum object
Physicists are used to the idea that subatomic particles behave according to the bizarre rules of quantum mechanics, completely different to human-scale objects. In a breakthrough experiment, Aaron O'Connell has blurred that distinction...
TED Talks
Alanna Shaikh: How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's
When faced with a parent suffering from Alzheimer's, most of us respond with denial ("It won't happen to me") or extreme efforts at prevention. But global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh sees it differently. She's taking three...
TED Talks
Arthur Ganson: Moving sculpture
Sculptor and engineer Arthur Ganson talks about his work -- kinetic art that explores deep philosophical ideas and is gee-whiz fun to look at.
TED Talks
Yann Dall'Aglio: Love -- you're doing it wrong
In this delightful talk, philosopher Yann Dall'Aglio explores the universal search for tenderness and connection in a world that's ever more focused on the individual. As it turns out, it's easier than you think. A wise and witty...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What is consciousness? - Michael S. A. Graziano
Explore the theories of human consciousness and the science of how your brain works to create a conscious experience. -- Patient P.S. suffered a stroke that damaged the right side of her brain, leaving her unaware of everything on her...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What's the definition of comedy? Banana. - Addison Anderson
What makes us giggle and guffaw? The inability to define comedy is its very appeal; it is defined by its defiance of definition. Addison Anderson riffs on the philosophy of Henri Bergson and Aristotle to elucidate how a definition draws...
TED Talks
Tom Honey: Why would God create a tsunami?
In the days following the tragic South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Rev. Tom Honey pondered the question, "How could a loving God have done this?" Here is his answer.
TED Talks
Onora O'Neill: What we don't understand about trust
Trust is on the decline, and we need to rebuild it. That's a commonly heard suggestion for making a better world ... but, says philosopher Onora O'Neill, we don't really understand what we're suggesting. She flips the question, showing...
TED Talks
Julian Baggini: Is there a real you?
What makes you, you? Is it how you think of yourself, how others think of you, or something else entirely? Philosopher Julian Baggini draws from philosophy and neuroscience to give a surprising answer.
TED Talks
Sherwin Nuland: The extraordinary power of ordinary people
Sherwin Nuland, a surgeon and a writer, meditates on the idea of hope -- the desire to become our better selves and make a better world. It's a thoughtful 12 minutes that will help you focus on the road ahead.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How do you know you exist? - James Zucker
How do you know you're real? Is existence all just a big dream? Has some mad scientist duped us into simply believing that we exist? James Zucker investigates all of these questions (and more) in this mind-boggling tribute to Rene...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read "Moby Dick"? | Sascha Morrell
A mountain separating two lakes. A room papered floor to ceiling with bridal satins. The lid of an immense snuffbox. These seemingly unrelated images take us on a tour of a sperm whale's head in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." Though the...
TED Talks
TED: Why Africa must become a center of knowledge again | Olufemi Taiwo
How can Africa, the home to some of the largest bodies of water in the world, be said to have a water crisis? It doesn't, says Olufemi Taiwo -- it has a knowledge crisis. Taiwo suggests that lack of knowledge on important topics like...
Crash Course
How Words Can Harm: Crash Course Philosophy
Content warning: today’s episode contains language that some viewers might find upsetting and that may not be viewable in all settings. We’ve talking about how language works and how powerful it can be. Sometimes, that power can be...
TED Talks
Dan Dennett: Dangerous memes
Starting with the simple tale of an ant, philosopher Dan Dennett unleashes a devastating salvo of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of memes -- concepts that are literally alive.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler
Sisyphus was both a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, and a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. While his violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods, it was...
TED Talks
JP Rangaswami: Information is food
How do we consume data? At TED@SXSWi, technologist JP Rangaswami muses on our relationship to information, and offers a surprising and sharp insight: we treat it like food.
TED Talks
Valorie Kondos Field: Why winning doesn't always equal success
Valorie Kondos Field knows a lot about winning. As the longtime coach of the UCLA women's gymnastics team, she won championship after championship and has been widely acclaimed for her leadership. In this inspiring, brutally honest and,...
Crash Course
Nonexistent Objects & Imaginary Worlds: Crash Course Philosophy
Today we transition between units on language and aesthetics with a discussion of nonexistent and imaginary objects. Is it possible to make true assertions about things that aren’t real? We’ll explore Meinong’s Jungle and the concept of...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Mary's Room: A philosophical thought experiment - Eleanor Nelsen
Imagine a neuroscientist who has only ever seen black and white things, but she is an expert in color vision and knows everything about its physics and biology. If, one day, she sees color, does she learn anything new? Is there anything...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The ethical dilemma of self-driving cars - Patrick Lin
Self-driving cars are already cruising the streets today. And while these cars will ultimately be safer and cleaner than their manual counterparts, they can't completely avoid accidents altogether. How should the car be programmed if it...
TED Talks
Laura Snyder: The Philosophical Breakfast Club
In 1812, four men at Cambridge University met for breakfast. What began as an impassioned meal grew into a new scientific revolution, in which these men -- who called themselves “natural philosophers” until they later coined “scientist”...
TED Talks
Nick Bostrom: What happens when our computers get smarter than we are?
Artificial intelligence is getting smarter by leaps and bounds -- within this century, research suggests, a computer AI could be as "smart" as a human being. And then, says Nick Bostrom, it will overtake us: "Machine intelligence is the...