Tag Archives: TED Talk

The Anti-Sam Harris Points Us To A Real Moral Operating System

Posted on June 15, 2011 by dianesilver

Google Engineering Director Damon Horowitz tackles the idea of using numbers and science to make ethical decisions and comes up with a delightfully different answer than Sam Harris did in The Moral Landscape. Watching Horowitz’ TED talk, I’m energized and … Continue reading →

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The Barriers to Action

Posted on April 27, 2011 by dianesilver

This video is a good companion to my previous post. Here political activist Dave Meslin talks about the barriers that keep us from working to change the status quo, even when we want to change it. He’s talking about agitating … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Politics | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Compassion as Technology

Posted on February 15, 2011 by dianesilver

NPR journalist Krista Tippett resurrects and redefines the concept of “compassion” at a TED talk sponsored by the Charter for Compassion. A friend just suggested I check out her radio show, Being, so I was delighted to see Tippett show … Continue reading →

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Rules and Incentives are Strangling Society

Posted on December 31, 2010 by dianesilver

Barry Schwartz, Swarthmore College psychology and economics professor, tells us how rules and incentives undermine society and make us feel like we’ve got to shower the grime of immorality off our skins at the end of every day. “Rules and … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness, psychology | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Brene Brown Answers My Questions

Posted on December 23, 2010 by dianesilver

Storyteller and social work researcher Brene Brown has just answered the central questions of my quest for goodness, or at least most of them. I have asked: What is goodness? What enables human beings to be good? What trips us … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, Goodness Personified, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments