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What the Past can Teach Us (w/ Nate DiMeo) | How to Be a Better Human, a TED Podcast

How do you make sense of the present? Nate DiMeo might suggest you look at the past. Nate is the host of the podcast and book, The Memory Palace. Nate joins How to Be a Better Human host Chris Duffy to discuss how the past can teach us to live life in a new, rich,…

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How do you make sense of the present? Nate DiMeo might suggest you look at the past. Nate is the host of the podcast and book, The Memory Palace. Nate joins How to Be a Better Human host Chris Duffy to discuss how the past can teach us to live life in a new, rich, and complex way. Nate shares how to exercise the muscle of curiosity, how to tap into your sense of wonder to escape algorithmic filters, and urges you to seek moments of meaning in between life’s biggest plot points.

This is an episode of TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast. Listen on your favorite podcast app:

For the full text transcript, visit

Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from THE MEMORY PALACE by Nate DiMeo; excerpt read by Nate DiMeo. © 2024 Nate DiMeo ℗ 2024 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

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9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. @29011970

    June 4, 2025 at 11:17 am

    The past teaches us today that the human being is the stupidest species that inhabits this planet, other than improving, he gets worse and worse, no mouse would build a lethal trap for himself but man has thousands of atomic bombs to destroy the planet hundreds and hundreds of times because one time is not enough for him … A species in which less than one percent play with the life of the remaining 99 percent because more than 90 percent let them do it… This is what history teaches us, most likely it was not the dinosaurs that deserved extinction…

    Reply

  2. @havo5684

    June 4, 2025 at 11:23 am

    *Anyone in 2346?* 💖

    Reply

  3. @sooma-ai

    June 4, 2025 at 11:24 am

    Nate DiMeo discusses how engaging with history can enrich our present lives, cultivate wonder and empathy, and provide perspective. He explores finding meaning in historical stories, exercising curiosity, and escaping algorithmic thinking to appreciate life’s nuances.

    Reply

  4. @ben_hell4437

    June 4, 2025 at 11:30 am

    Are you kidding me? There needs to be a video on why the past matters? That’s why we teach history class.

    Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
    – George Santayana

    Reply

    • @BonnieShadow33

      June 5, 2025 at 7:59 pm

      Well, if you actually watched the video, you’d know there’s more to it than just that, as important as it is.

      Reply

  5. @dlanska

    June 4, 2025 at 1:40 pm

    Excellent and insightful interview. Well done.

    Reply

  6. @FeliciaMedina-j2p

    June 4, 2025 at 7:46 pm

    These are the types of projects you want to be in before the headlines start.

    Reply

  7. @MichaelAnderegg-b7o

    June 4, 2025 at 7:46 pm

    These are the types of projects you want to be in before the headlines start.

    Reply

  8. @NightmaresStorm

    June 5, 2025 at 7:53 am

    I like to think this way too. I would like to add that history likes to repeat every 100 years.

    Reply

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