TED Talks

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by DAVID BROWN | CLEARNFO.com | March 16, 2015

TED Talks_400x400Like many people, I’ve watched and learned from the many TED Talks that have been produced over the years as published on YouTube and other places.  Lots of different, thoughtful topics have been covered, yet I have always been bothered a bit by how their audiences seem to accept the information contained within these talks as fact without question.  I have also wondered who the gatekeepers were and how the topics and speakers were filtered.  These talks use the tried and true TED format wherein someone gets up on stage and gives a personal testimony of some hidden truth or fact and the audience dutifully oohs and awes and claps in adoration.   Reminds me of my early church-going days where the requirement was to turn off all my critical thought processes and accept what the preacher was saying without question. You can find more on my religious proclivities here: On Religion.  In any event, I have wanted for some time to write an article on how TED Talks are like a religion but Megan Hustadmarch beat me to the punch with her excellent Opinion piece in the NYT linked below.  I would have taken a different approach:  Listing common features of Religion and mapping those to the TED Talks.  I applied this technique to my article entitled: Misc Musings on the surety of science or why I am skeptical of ‘Well-Established’ facts:

“Science…I believe in the empirical method. I also believe that many in our scientific community have let their emotions and political point of view turn their science into a religion. You either believe certain “well-established facts” or you do not get tenure or you are ridiculed or…. These “well-established facts” represent a dogma or a credo similar to any religion. The result is that many place their minds in a box and their ability to take in new information and process this information critically and honestly is therefore necessarily aberrated.”  – David Brown

In any event, TED Talks are part of the human condition and should therefore be part of the exhibits we proffer as we explore the world around us and what it means to be human; they are useful, but shouldn’t be taken as gospel.

Banned TED Talk- The War on Consciousness -Graham Hancock

The Church of TED  By MEGAN HUSTADMARCH 14, 2015

And just for fun, the Satire Web Site Called ‘The Onion’ does a great job poking fun at the TED Talkers:

Compost-Fueled Cars: Wouldn’t That Be Great? – Onion Talks – Ep. 1
Young media professional Cameron Hughes delivers a compelling argument for his vision of the future–one filled with cars powered by compost. He outlines the idea he came up with in detail, leaving the formalities for other visionaries in other fields. One thing is for certain: he already came up with the idea.

Ducks Go Quack, Chickens Say Cluck – Onion Talks – Ep. 3
Young media professional Cameron Hughes delivers a compelling argument for his vision of the future–one filled with cars powered by compost. He outlines the idea he came up with in detail, leaving the formalities for other visionaries in other fields. One thing is for certain: he already came up with the idea.

‘Thought Leader’ gives talk that will inspire your thoughts | This is That | CBC

Related ClearNFO thoughts on science and religion:

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