People & Blogs

How to Live a Good Life — on Earth and in Space | TED Intersections

Published

4 weeks ago

September 1, 2026

Philosopher Meghan Sullivan and space architect Ariel Ekblaw don’t usually work at the same altitude … but put them in a room together, and they’ll answer the big questions. Drawing on wisdom from Aristotle to astronauts, they discuss what humans inherently owe each other, what it takes to live a good life and what a rulebook for a better world might look like. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.)

0:00 – TED Intersections
0:39 – What is the common good?
2:21 – What do we owe each other?
4:02 – Designing a better world
5:34 – The hope for humans
7:18 – The barriers to thriving
10:07 – Systems that influence good

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17 Comments

@MrinmoySarkar-u2f8c

September 1, 2026 at 10:33 am

Hello

Reply
@MrinmoySarkar-u2f8c

September 1, 2026 at 10:33 am

I am from India

Reply
@thomascunning8248

September 1, 2026 at 11:14 am

Liberalism

Reply
@lbr88x30

September 1, 2026 at 11:18 am

Greed

Reply
@Jasonxbr

September 1, 2026 at 11:20 am

Ask Dolly ❤❤❤❤❤

Reply
@ulfhadner

September 1, 2026 at 11:32 am

Billionaire’s

Reply
@MrRoberthafetz

September 1, 2026 at 11:57 am

Viktor Frankl answered this question. The meaning of life is a life with meaning.
The Three Sources of Meaning
By creating a work or doing a deed (Creative Values): You find purpose through your contributions, actions, career, creative projects, or goals you accomplish in the world.

Medium
·Rational Badger
+1
By experiencing something or encountering someone (Experiential Values): You find purpose by experiencing goodness, truth, beauty, nature, or culture, and by loving another human being deeply.

Quora
+1
By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering (Attitudinal Values): You find purpose in how you handle hardship, tragedy, or a difficult fate with courage, dignity, and inner strength when suffering cannot be changed.

Medium
·Rational Badger
+1

Reply
@theodorearaujo971

September 1, 2026 at 12:51 pm

Aspirational delusions.

Reply
@meowmi-s8n

September 1, 2026 at 2:20 pm

as a 15 year old who just opened the video to try and improve her english language, that was amazing ladies

Reply
- @TED
  
  September 2, 2026 at 11:16 am
  
  Thank you for watching!
  
  Reply
@nicopfeifer4849

September 1, 2026 at 3:38 pm

Questions asked:

What does the common good actually mean and how do we build towards it?
What do we owe each other as humans?
If you could design a better world for humans from scratch, what’s the first rule?
What is a hope you have for humans in the next 10 years?
What is the biggest barrier to human thriving?
How do we build systems that influence the good in each other?

Reply
@jkwithme

September 1, 2026 at 5:58 pm

Great discussion! Love to see people share ideas & build off of each other

Reply
- @TED
  
  September 2, 2026 at 11:17 am
  
  Thanks for watching — we’ll have a new episode next Tuesday!
  
  Reply
@chasmenear7130

September 1, 2026 at 7:57 pm

The “Biggest barrier to Thriving” is the most simple yet complex thing in your life. That thing is what is BETWEEN YOUR EARS. The way you approach and view your creativity, and perception is literally EVERYTHING. The ‘man on the mountain ‘ can’t show you – though it’s possible he/she MIGHT get you closer. The best bet (as I can see it) is to simply be open to the moments in front of you, and to be as honest with yourself and the world as you can. Seems like a good start!🙂

Reply
@lukejackson3901

September 1, 2026 at 10:17 pm

Capitalism, it’s capitalism. That’s why everything sucks right now. All the money is at the top and we’re all struggling to survive.

Reply
@auczema

September 2, 2026 at 5:54 am

Awesome

Reply
@TarunPulgam

September 2, 2026 at 6:37 pm

great discussion and how both of them are building on both of their ideas, really inspiring

Reply

People & Blogs

News Tells You What Happened. Drawing Shows You How It Felt | George Butler | TED

Published

1 day ago

September 27, 2026

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What does a war look like when you sit still long enough to draw it? Reportage artist and TED Fellow George Butler sketches the people that the news passes by: a 99-year-old survivor of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, a man gathering books blasted into a rose garden, an architect whose home was hit by a Russian missile. Urging us to slow down in the age of immediate news, Butler shows how a drawing reveals what a headline can’t. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 16, 2026)

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Is this why adult friendships feel so hard?

Busy schedules, quiet group chats and no one’s sure who should text first. Sound familiar? On this episode of Corner Piece, host Melissa Fernandes asks psychologist Marisa Franco why friendship gets so complicated as we get older, and what we can do to build closer connections. Visit the to listen to the full episode. (edited)

Published

2 days ago

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Being a person is better than being perfect all the time #TEDTalks

Published

3 days ago

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Why are we so obsessed with productivity? Horticulturist Rebecca McMackin (who wants people to let their lawns grow wild) and author Catherine Price (who wrote a book about the power of fun) come together to discuss the relief of giving up control. From growing milkweed to taking up unproductive hobbies, they dig into the benefits of rest and why doing something for its own sake shouldn’t need defending at all. (This conversation is part of “TED Intersections,” a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.)