Spreading Knowledge, Doubt and Tolerance: TED Talks to Retweet, Post and Pin

We don’t trust media, we don’t trust government, we don’t trust our fellow voters. We’re a world divided and, despite what Gove might think, we’re in serious need of some experts.

Democracy is a wonderful (and frankly threatened) thing, but a spoken opinion doesn’t mean an informed one. We should never stop giving everyone a voice, but it’s time to make sure that voice is as informed as possible. Not everyone is going to have the answers to world crises: its tough to realise that ‘not everyone’ often includes you.

We’ve gathered a few of our favourite topical TED talks of such people sharing their expertise in the fields many are unfamiliar with, but mention a lot. These are people who live what they say, know what they preach, and do it all in the name of making the world a better place.

If what you hear makes you think, then we hope you spread their word: it’s time to admit we don’t know everything.

Deeyah Khan – What we don’t know about Europe’s Muslim kids

This talk takes an incredibly important look at the causes of radicalism, rather than the reactions to it. It’s time we understood why Trump’s new immigration laws play straight into ISIS hands. Alienation is the first and key ingredient to radicalising people – Trump has accomplished that in one foul swoop. He has spoken and immigrated citizens heard. In his eyes, they are secondary and their president doesn’t represent them. Making terrorists can be as simple as treating them like they already are.

Pico Iyer: The beauty of what we’ll never know

Pico Iyer comes across, quite simply, as wise. And yet he’s here to tell us that wisdom, and perhaps more importantly wonder, often lies in what we don’t know. Knowing everything never led us to innovation or discovery. Nobel Prize winning economist Daniel Kahneman believes we are so often blind to our own blindness. Iyer shows us that blindness can be a beautiful thing and that being human means accepting that we cannot – we should not – know everything.

Alexander Betts: Why Brexit happened – and what to do next

Okay – we know. You don’t want to hear about Brexit anymore. Even those voting in want it over with. But really, this is such a worthwhile talk. It’s funny, charming and informative. The real value of this talk is Betts’ ability to question his own liberal leanings. Londoners like to think of ourselves as international, informed and inclusive – yet how much time have we spent listening and learning about the people in our own country? A fantastic talk that’s a real eye-opener for us all.

Casey Gerald: The gospel of doubt

His words are golden, his voice like syrup. It’s a massive understatement to say Casey talks heart and hilarity. Never has a talk gripped me in such a way. The absolute silence in the audience as he holds fort, followed by the standing ovation, says it all. Casey is a preacher that preaches about a world not of saviours and miracles but of doubt and deception. Absolute faith ruled his life – faith in God, in education, in finance, and in himself. And when each of those came tumbling down, he was left with the realisation that he was part of the problem he was trying to fix. Listen, learn and embrace the possibility that you too are wrong.

Simon Sinek: Why good leaders make you feel safe

This talk sheds light on what it means to be not just a good leader, but a good person. The ability to put others before ourselves doesn’t just make us better people: it makes better companies, countries, and comrades too. This talk is so important today, with division and self-serving leaders everywhere. Simon Sinek teaches us that personal sacrifice creates safety and has the power to save everyone around us.

Hans and Ola Rosling: How not to be ignorant about the world

They’re charming, they’re cheeky and they’re here to change your mind. Welcome to the wonderful, insightful world of global data, with the Rosling father and son team as your guides. This TED talk has stuck in my mind since I first saw it and is the one I refer to most. Why? Because I have to so often remind myself and others that, regardless of media and personal misconceptions, the world is always getting better. This message is both hopeful and scientifically, statistically proven – and this talk demonstrates how being wrong isn’t a bad thing.

 

 

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