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What drives society’s understanding of right and wrong? In this thought-provoking talk, futurist Juan Enriquez offers a historical outlook on what humanity once deemed acceptable — from human sacrifice and public executions to slavery and eating meat — and makes a surprising case that exponential advances in technology leads to more ethical behavior.
The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.
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Reza Putra
February 25, 2021 at 10:28 am
Another cute thinking a futurist has. Algorithm is not neutral, Juan.
Mauricio Aldana
February 25, 2021 at 11:05 am
Refreshing talk. Thank you, Juan!
Lina Doo
February 25, 2021 at 11:14 am
❤
Ilya Shmakov
February 25, 2021 at 11:17 am
Tech is great, tech is profitable. But what if we adopt it and keep people as slaves too? Oh, wait… corporations and monopolies…
ちゃんみー
February 25, 2021 at 11:36 am
アンビリバボーから
勝翔
February 25, 2021 at 11:38 am
同じく
Jonathan Jackson
February 25, 2021 at 11:42 am
Buy sliver and crypto
Jamie Taets
February 25, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Hey you’re not far from profit,he has taken care of my account for months now..i have 25 wins so far
Jamie Taets
February 25, 2021 at 12:25 pm
My weekly earning from he’s trading strategies are mind blowing 🤑🤑
Jerad karl
February 25, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Good recommendations About Mr Strait McLean Every where I think I should give him a try..
Katy Pearl
February 25, 2021 at 12:27 pm
I just wrote to him on What’s App, hope he replies me
Lewis Zachary
February 25, 2021 at 12:29 pm
@Katy Pearl He definitely will, you just have to be patient because his a very busy man
Trần Mai Trang
February 25, 2021 at 12:03 pm
so incidentally, I have read the book ” the consolation of philosophy” written by Alain de Botton. there is a chapter saying about right and wrong too. Why the Internet is so accurate now. Damn
Douwe
February 25, 2021 at 12:51 pm
Fran Lebowitz is right. Children are more interesting, grownup people just say the same thing over and over again. Ted is becoming a circlejerk.
Agufana Moses Injairu
February 25, 2021 at 12:52 pm
I listen to Ted talks, and I understand that there are really smart people out there.
siti sadiyah
February 25, 2021 at 1:03 pm
Pls Indonesia subtitle 😭😭
I need that🙏
Eduardo
February 25, 2021 at 1:56 pm
This talk went off the rails ten seconds in when he put a silhouette woman in literal crosshairs. I didn’t know someone calling you an a****le online was tantamount to being shot
I’m so sick of apologists bending over backwards to excuse mediocre people’s inability to make good decisions. Like they will blame everything from social media to video games, to genetically modified foods, ANYTHING but blaming people
It’d be pathetic if it wasn’t so dumb and dangerous
Lost In Cyberspace
February 25, 2021 at 2:39 pm
Truth, but that is exactly what active measures and other nefarious group infiltration depends upon. It was especially prevalent here and YouTube and other social media platforms because they’ve been using it as a recruitment method as well as a propaganda method for years now
Of course empathy first for innocent mistakes. What we are dealing with is not so innocent and it’s pretty easy to tell the difference between an account that has a history of cynical and attack and comments looking to stir up a fight versus a random comment from an account it’s been around for years and can easily be identified as maybe just someone with an honest opinion the differs and that’s fine.
My advice is just don’t engage it if you can’t tell the difference and understand exactly how these things work because right now we’re in a war of ideological subversion and we are forced to confront it on the battlegrounds here in cyberspace by simply calling it out.
Pardon typos. One lone. And tough love for transparent Nazis still practicing their propaganda techniques that have become pretty amateur. Pardon typos.
One love. But know the difference.
Noah Aubrey Linus Sorensen
February 25, 2021 at 2:45 pm
1:32 slavery was also practiced by the Arab Empire and the Romans or Greeks
Dmitri Zaslavski
February 25, 2021 at 11:43 pm
And native Americans and Africans and everyone who succeeded to create something bigger than small tight-knoted tribal society.
Ruvane Friebus
February 25, 2021 at 2:52 pm
Beware
Phoolchand singh
February 25, 2021 at 2:58 pm
❤
Tín Lê Trọng
February 25, 2021 at 3:30 pm
i prefer this way of presentation to the conventional one carried out in previous speeches. It’s like watchig a documentary. Thumbs up to Ted
phuong chi vu
February 25, 2021 at 3:34 pm
what does burn sb at the stake mean ?
SpaghettiMitch
February 25, 2021 at 6:44 pm
Very important msg btw
Vance H
February 25, 2021 at 7:01 pm
Sharing, Truth and Non-violence for All.
Za Az
February 25, 2021 at 7:30 pm
While we _are_ machines, we are not just _0_ or _1_
We’re complex and our views evolve. I think the majority of people are “in between”.. it’s the extreme polarization that, while may help evolve our beliefs, are also quite disruptive. Take gay marriage… while someone may have an extreme view of it, they _may_ change their viewpoint _if_ someone they love or care for very much comes out to them. That variability or ability to change, not necessarily instantly but over time, is what really moves us _forward_
pool Boy
February 25, 2021 at 8:52 pm
There is no right and wrong. there is only correct and incorrect. Correct moves one forward in the currents of evolution, incorrect halts the forward progress.
Hot Dogg
February 25, 2021 at 9:04 pm
The speaker transitions from a correct title to incorrect and even some false or misleading statements . “Our sense” of right or wrong changing does not mean what “is” right or wrong has changed. I agree 100% social media and all forms of media have and will continue to change “our” sense of what is right and wrong. Which is why we should be concerned with who controls or has the power to manipulate these platforms and safe guard every ounce of our 1st amendment, but i digress. The slavery mentioned, for example, is wrong no matter how many accepted it as “right” at the time. BTW the Pope is NOT in favor of civil unions. Rat poison came to mind after i digested this video, mostly edible with the bits that can kill. haha
Dmitri Zaslavski
February 25, 2021 at 11:46 pm
In nature there is no right or wrong. So slavery is neither right of wrong it just is. And given the current wordview you would make different choices.
creativus
February 25, 2021 at 11:53 pm
I am disappointed at the lack of non-voters, the more non-voters means the more initiative for different and/or better policies to be proposed by the politicians and therefore a better candidate.
B UU
February 26, 2021 at 1:04 am
An awe inspiring talk — well presented with humility and succinct reason… may our society take up this quest to achieve a better life for all. Thank you.
الأسود العنسي
February 26, 2021 at 1:41 am
Very very insightful, also technology has facilitated women equality. With running water, vacuum cleaners, washing machine, gas stoves, …etc house chores and child care became less and less demanding which freed women to pursue positions that are traditionally for men.
물고기
February 26, 2021 at 2:20 am
First non sucky ted talk in a long time, pleasant change to not be attacked for my race and gender!
John Njende
February 26, 2021 at 8:20 am
I really enjoyed this talk! Thanks Juan!
I think this was much needed given the times we are currently in.
However, I don’t think right and wrong changes (as was said in the first 6 minutes of the talk). I think it’s our understanding of right and wrong that changes (as Juan said at 6:36). Better put, our perception and/or interpretation of right and wrong changes overtime with various influences, including that of the quickly evolving technologies.
But to this, I have a remark:
Slavery was never right, it was only viewed, understood and accepted as right in previous centuries. Moreso, because of the colonialist perception of slavery being right, it lead to a lot of suffering and exploitation for people and nations all over the world. Hence, I think right and wrong are moral laws, not rules. Which means, when these moral laws are broken due to our free will interpretation of right and wrong, equivalent consequences follow. The real question would therefore be “How do we correctly understand right and wrong, and not create our own interpretations of it which lead to grievous consequences?”
I will appreciate your thoughts in the comment section 🙂
John Plaza
February 28, 2021 at 5:32 pm
Read Righteous Minds by Jonathan Haidt for a good explanation of moral psychology.
Milo Montang
February 26, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Adem banget cuy
Danilo gonçalves
February 26, 2021 at 6:34 pm
Cool, it’s been a long time since I couldn’t see a whole Ted Talk or not change the speed. Great idea, and it’s worth spreading!
CaffeineMachine
February 26, 2021 at 11:33 pm
I agree wholeheartedly.
SteVeL
February 27, 2021 at 4:38 am
It’s sad that this video even had to be made because not enough people comprehend this concept.
TL
February 27, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Thank you
Manny Rae
February 27, 2021 at 3:53 pm
I like this video; unfortunately, some people need to make and keep friends by believing what’s wrong. It snowballs into the momentum of an obligation of being right when it is clearly wrong. That’s why America has become unrecognizable to the extent that we all become in the follower trap at someone else’s expense.
Meow Milev
February 27, 2021 at 6:22 pm
*Muslim should look at their own privilege before judging others. They worship loudly with their loudspeaker 5 times a day and they wanted others to respect their religion rights.*
Nikki's Crafty Life
February 27, 2021 at 6:37 pm
I couldn’t agree more!
Gaasuba Meskhenet
February 28, 2021 at 4:15 am
Automation made slavery worse. Look into the history of the cotton gin
Gaasuba Meskhenet
February 28, 2021 at 4:17 am
These advances could be happening faster if we weren’t all wage slaves and actually had time to use our talents for good
Gaasuba Meskhenet
February 28, 2021 at 4:17 am
I suggest Peter Coffin’s video on cancel culture
John Plaza
February 28, 2021 at 5:25 pm
While I enjoyed the talk and agree with some points his basic premise is wrong. His primary example of slavery ignores the impact of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. The gin made growing cotton more economical by decreasing the effort required to process it. The result was the explosion of cotton growing and an increased demand for slavery and for more land to be devoted to to cotton. The end of slavery began with the Enlightenment not tractors. Technology by itself is neither bad nor good. We must use our intellect to use it wisely. Moral psychology tells us while some morality is universal and even innate much of it is written by our culture and as our culture and its technology changes so will our moral code. Technology does drive morality in that we must expand our moral code to deal with new technology such as social media, AI, genetic engineering, etc.
Hồng Nhung Nguyễn
March 1, 2021 at 3:22 am
I love this talk!
Erwin Jesse Aljas
March 1, 2021 at 3:30 am
If right is only a matter of popular opinion, then I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it.
I take the truth as the highest value.
I don’t humble myself to evil people, and I certainly don’t want to forgive them.
Your arguments sets the stage for revising history to make the perpetuators look innocuous, and thus allow whole communities to go through a repeat of those wicked parts of their past.
If we are really interested in building resilient communities we must stick with truth and justice.
Humility and forgiveness always sounds good in other peoples lips, but never stopped the spawning of evil, in most cases meek and rescindable people were actively put to use by sinister groups.
Humility and forgiveness give way to gratitude, which is the weapon of choice by the depraved.
Dev Rajput
March 1, 2021 at 4:34 am
Beautifully said!🌸🌻🌼
TED always brings great videos to enrich our lives!!!
kome360
March 1, 2021 at 6:29 am
Unfortunately, I have some issues with how you’ve presented your findings.
While many sides aren’t that different, what appears to be a slight difference set may ultimately lead to a fundamentally varied conclusion range.
Exponential GDP helps prosperity, but the distribution of that wealth is a major factor in whether the economy is stable (and ethical) in the long run.
And ultimately, we are attempting to search for the concept of right and wrong. That doesn’t always mean we will willingly choose rightness. In fact, experimenting with what we believe is wrong, while sometimes dangerous, may be the only way to find a path to change.
Mari padawan
March 2, 2021 at 1:13 am
does anyone know wtf he says here – 7:13? “a middle ground, a ….????, and a space of empathy” ?????
Cloud ‘
March 2, 2021 at 4:48 am
Mmmm sounds like someone who has a lot of slurs on his fb tl