Science & Technology

An Ethicist’s Guide to Living a Good Life | Ira Bedzow | TED

Published

1 year ago

April 8, 2025

It’s easy to say you have values — but how can you actually put them into action? Ethicist and rabbi Ira Bedzow helps people wrestle with this big question so they can navigate life with a sense of meaning and direction. He sits down with Shoshana Ungerleider, physician and host of the “TED Health” podcast, to discuss why you may have more than one singular purpose, how to define success on your own terms and the role of community in a fulfilling life. (Recorded at TEDNext 2024 on October 23, 2024)

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Related Topics:Culture emotions ethics featured Identity Personal Growth Relationships socity TED TED Talk TED Talks TEDTalk TEDTalks Work work-life balance

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20 Comments

@Emily-z8z4g

April 8, 2025 at 7:01 am

Your channel has become a source of inspiration for me. Thank you for interesting topics and quality execution.👆💥🚖

Reply
@Olivia-r5s4b

April 8, 2025 at 7:03 am

Thanks for the video. I really appreciate your work.
🧡 ( ♣️

Reply
@sooma-ai

April 8, 2025 at 7:11 am

Ethicist Ira Bedzow discusses strategies for living a purposeful life, redefining success, combating burnout, and the importance of community. He emphasizes intentional living, self-reflection, and actively seeking meaning rather than passively waiting for it.

Reply
@BatBrakesBones

April 8, 2025 at 7:41 am

Same thing I’m doing now but more of it need good promotion. Need good promotion

Reply
@fraac

April 8, 2025 at 7:56 am

Where does he stand on Israel?

Reply
- @SkyGravity137
  
  April 8, 2025 at 8:23 am
  
  I doubt his ethics would dare conflict with his complicity. He probably still eats meat too.
  
  Reply
- @Ninja9JKD
  
  April 8, 2025 at 8:56 am
  
  My question exactly. What does this Rabi Ira think of the genocide being conducted by Israel???
  
  Reply
- @henrietta9206
  
  April 8, 2025 at 11:20 am
  
  What do you think.
  
  Reply
- @jmsl_910
  
  April 8, 2025 at 11:24 am
  
  @@SkyGravity137jewish people can eat meat. some jewish people only eat kosher certified meat
  
  some jewish people choose not to eat shellfish bc it’s not kosher.
  
  Reply
- @ocramocram1
  
  April 8, 2025 at 1:39 pm
  
  Probably on the correct side.
  
  Reply
- @fraac
  
  April 8, 2025 at 2:52 pm
  
  @@henrietta9206lot of jews are against it. but i don’t know any without an opinion
  
  Reply
@DominionAnako-bb7ry

April 8, 2025 at 8:04 am

Beautiful message ❤️ 💖 💕

Reply
@harrypearle9781

April 8, 2025 at 10:17 am

SHA (LO) M = SHAM LO, His Name
I once pulled out the middle of SHALOM, as His and combining the rest as SHAM, name.
Era mentions SHARING CREDIT. Can we mention the names of others (& HaShem)
========= I think SHARING CREDIT might help us be more HUMBLE ===========

Reply
@VidSkipperAI

April 8, 2025 at 10:49 pm

*_TIMESTAMPS_* & Summary: An ethicist explains how to live a good life by defining purpose, redefining success, and addressing burnout through intentional living, emphasizing the importance of values, community, and active exploration of meaning.
0:04 🤔 Defining Ethics and Purpose
• Professor Ira Bedzow helps people navigate ethical challenges and turn values into action.
• He defines ethics as helping people make decisions based on who they want to be and what they care about, focusing on goals and strategic implementation.
• Bedzow emphasizes the importance of self-defined, long-term intentions that are meaningful and impactful, guiding decisions and providing a sense of direction.

1:49 ❓ Strategies for Clarity on Purpose
• Purpose is a self-defined, long-term intention that is meaningful and impactful.
• Bedzow suggests asking questions like “What do I want to do?” and “Do I want to want what I want?” to clarify purpose.
• He uses the cheesecake example to illustrate the importance of aligning actions with values and understanding oneself.

5:26 🏆 Redefining Success
• Success is defined as achieving goals through, not at the expense of, beliefs and values.
• Playing the game of life according to one’s skills and desires is key to a fulfilling life.
• Focus on activities and the pleasure of the pursuit, rather than possessions, to align success with continual engagement.

8:33 🤯 Addressing Burnout and Urgency Culture
• Burnout involves environmental and situational factors, not just individual responsibility.
• Distinguish between urgency and importance to manage time effectively.
• Overwork can stem from self-pressure, external pressures, or a lack of value in one’s work.

13:47 🙏 Tools for Intentional Living
• Intentional living involves using tools like questioning, prioritizing, and clarifying issues.
• The maxim “repent one day before you die” encourages daily reflection on one’s aspirational self.
• Repentance is about returning to the ideal self and giving life everything.

17:03 🤝 The Role of Community
• Community and relationships play a crucial role in a fulfilling life.
• Culture is made up of individual behaviors, so changing individual behaviors can change culture.
• Sharing successes and credit fosters a positive-sum game, making community more important.

19:44 🗣️ Experiential Activity: Reframing Introductions
• Introducing oneself through activities and values provides more insight than simply stating roles.
• This approach reminds individuals of their core values and what they care about.
• The activity encourages openness and deeper sharing among individuals.

23:40 🌟 Finding Meaning Actively
• Meaning is an active, exploratory, and creative endeavor, not a passive one.
• Trying new ideas and actions is like trying on clothes to see if they fit.
• This approach allows for better choices and the ability to squeeze meaning out of life.

** Generated using ✨ *_VidSkipper AI_* Chrome Extension

Reply
@Ram5g1

April 9, 2025 at 12:52 am

bahut badhiya🎉🎉🎉🎉

Reply
@gofeeder2326

April 10, 2025 at 7:03 am

I love ted videos.

Reply
@erin88888

April 10, 2025 at 11:49 am

we need a leena and material grrrlz collab please!!

Reply
@koubbiali8588

April 10, 2025 at 4:08 pm

I’m 2025🎉 0:13

Reply
@miguelsuarez-solis5027

April 11, 2025 at 10:59 am

So he’s not an ethicist… nothing he’s talking about has anything to do with ethics

Reply
@Anonymouslyyourstruly

April 11, 2025 at 5:36 pm

Get the latest episode hereon

Reply

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Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T. (2018). “We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.” Academy of Management Journal
Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., König, A., Demann, F., & Diessner, M. (2025). “Shades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs’ Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.” Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., & Healey, M. P. (2019). “Actions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.” Academy of Management Journal
Jiang, L., Yin, D., & Liu, D. (2019). “Can Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur’s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.” Academy of Management Journal.
Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., & Kotha, S. (2009). “Entrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists’ Funding Decisions.” Academy of Management Journal
Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., & Bauman, C. W. (2024). “Linking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., & Short, J. C. (2017). “Persuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.” Journal of Business Venturing
Clark, C. (2008). “The Impact of Entrepreneurs’ Oral ‘Pitch’ Presentation Skills on Business Angels’ Initial Screening Investment Decisions.” Venture Capital

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Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5 Review: Just What I Was Asking for

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#sennheiser #momentumtruewireless5 #earbudsreview