How to disagree productively and find common ground

3 tips from a world debate champion. Read online

This week on TED.com November 25, 2018

Talk of the week Julia Dhar: How to disagree productively and find common ground 14:56 minutes · Filmed Oct 2018 · Posted Nov 2018 · TED@BCG Toronto Some days, it feels like the only thing we can agree on is that we can't agree -- on anything. Drawing on her background as a world debate champion, Julia Dhar offers three techniques to reshape the way we talk to each other so we can start disagreeing productively and finding common ground -- over family dinners, during work meetings and in our national conversations. Watch now »

Playlist of the week Talks to help you get through the work week We spend so much of our time at work -- so how we can make it better? These TED Talks will give you jolt of motivation to help you start the week off right. Watch » 8 TED Talks • Total run time 1:40:14

This week's new TED Talks Our oceans are under-explored -- in fact, we know more about other planets than our own. How can we understand this vast, important ecosystem? Explorer Sebastien de Halleux shows how a new fleet of wind- and solar-powered drones is collecting data at sea in unprecedented detail, revealing insights into things like global weather and the health of fish. And a better grasp of the ocean could mean good things for those of us back on land. Watch » Do you ever order clothes online in different sizes and colors, just to try them on, and then send back what doesn't work? Aparna Mehta used to do this all time, until she one day asked herself: Where do all these returned clothes go? In an eye-opening talk, she reveals the unseen world of "free" online returns -- which, instead of ending up back on the shelf, are sent to landfills by the billions of pounds each year. She shares a plan to help put an end to this growing catastrophe. Watch » Have you ever watched a film or read a novel, wishing that you could change the narrative to save your favorite character? David Cage allows you do just that in his games, where players make decisions that shape an ever-changing plot. In a talk and live demo, Cage presents a scene from Detroit: Become Human, letting the audience control a character's decisions. As he says: "Interactive storytelling can be what cinema was in the 20th century: an art that deeply changes its time." Watch » Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker has developed his own style of cello; he puts chopsticks between his strings, uses the instrument as a drum and experiments with electronics like loop pedals. Moving between reflective storytelling and performance, Rucker shares his inspiration -- and definitely doesn't play the same old Bach. (And it may inspire you to pick up an instrument too.) Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com How do you discover a brand-new blue pigment? By accident. The recent creation of YInMn blue is a thrilling tale complete with expletives, accidents and invisible abilities. Just ask chemist and materials scientist Mas Subramanian. Read » Why is voting in the US so difficult?   Inside the outdated, under-supported world of local voting. Read » 6 tactics to help you turn heated dinner arguments into real conversations Want to persuade a friend or family member to open up to your perspective? A debate coach tells you how. Read »

New podcast: The TED Interview Robin Steinberg’s passionate quest to reform cash bail. On any given night, 450,000 people in the United States stay in jail without having been convicted of any crime. Most of them are there because they don't have enough money to pay bail. On this week's episode of The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, hear how public defense lawyer Robin Steinberg came up with a bold plan to fix things. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Is civility a sham?

"Civility makes our disagreements tolerable." Read online

This week on TED.com November 17, 2018

Talk of the week Teresa Bejan: Is civility a sham? 13:53 minutes · Filmed Oct 2018 · Posted Nov 2018 · TED Salon Brightline Initiative What exactly is civility, and what does it require? In a talk packed with historical insights, political theorist Teresa Bejan explains how civility has been used as both the foundation of tolerant societies and as a way for political partisans to silence and dismiss opposing views. Bejan suggests that we should instead try for "mere civility": the virtue of being able to disagree fundamentally with others without destroying the possibility of a common life tomorrow. (This talk contains mature language.) Watch now »

Playlist of the week How did the internet take over our lives? 7 TED Talks that try to make sense of this brave new virtual world. Watch » Total run time 1:49:54

This week's new TED Talks Author AJ Jacobs wanted to do one simple thing: to personally thank each and every person who helped make his morning cup of coffee. More than one thousand "thank you"s later, Jacobs reflects on the globe-trotting journey that ensued -- and the life-altering wisdom he picked up along the way -- in this funny, thoughtful talk about the value of gratitude. Watch » Viruses have a bad reputation -- but some of them could one day save your life, says biotech entrepreneur Alexander Belcredi. In this fascinating talk, he introduces us to phages, naturally occurring viruses that hunt and kill harmful bacteria with deadly precision, and shows how these once-forgotten organisms could provide new hope against the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Watch » Libraries create a better world: they connect communities, promote reading, spark lifelong learners. But one scary thing keeps people away: the fear of overdue book fines. In this thought-provoking talk, librarian Dawn Wacek makes the case that fines don't actually do what we think they do. What if your library just ... stopped asking for them? Watch » Only if you are truly open to the possibility of being wrong can you ever learn, says researcher Alex Edmans. In an insightful talk, he explores how confirmation bias can lead you astray on social media, in politics and beyond, and offers three practical tools for finding evidence you can actually trust. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Why you should always say "thank you" for your coffee   The simple idea that gave A.J. Jacobs a mental makeover. Read » How the Standing Rock protests re-energized Native American activism A conversation with Tara Houska on how the massive 2016 protests built energy to preserve and protect culture. Read » Want to really connect at your next family gathering? Try this. A professional event organizer shares the best trick she ever learned: How to get new stories from the people you love. Read »

Quote of the Week “ What exactly is civility? Well, to start, it is not the same thing as being respectful or polite, because we need civility precisely when we're dealing with those people that we find it the most difficult, or maybe even impossible, to respect. Similarly, being civil can't be the same as being nice, because being nice means not telling people what you really think about them or their wrong, wrong views. No, being civil means speaking your mind, but to your opponent's face, not behind her back. Civility is having the courage to make yourself disagreeable, and to stay that way, but to do so while staying in the room." Teresa Bejan Is civility a sham? (Get the transcript)

New podcast: The TED Interview Steven Pinker argues that our pessimism about today's world is profoundly wrong. Was 2017 really the "the worst ever," as some would have us believe? Cognitive psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker shares data that shows: actually, it was one of the best overall. On The TED Interview podcast, Chris Anderson sits down with Steven to take a closer look at the data that suggest the world is improving, and to unpack why so many people find this idea so challenging. Listen for free here.

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Why I have coffee with people who send me hate mail

"Conversation is the most difficult thing in a democracy, and also the most important." Read online

This week on TED.com November 10, 2018

Talk of the week Özlem Cekic: Why I have coffee with people who send me hate mail 15:21 minutes · Filmed Sep 2018 · Posted Nov 2018 · We the Future Özlem Cekic's email inbox has been full of hate mail since 2007, when she won a seat in the Danish Parliament -- becoming the first Muslim woman to do so. At first she just deleted the emails, dismissing them as the work of fanatics, until one day a friend made an unexpected suggestion: to reach out to the hate mail writers and invite them to meet for coffee. Hundreds of "dialogue coffee" meetings later, Cekic shares how face-to-face conversation can be one of the most powerful forces to disarm hate -- and challenges us all to engage with people we disagree with. Watch now »

Playlist of the week How passion becomes purpose Be inspired to find the work you love to do with these TED Talks full of passion and zeal. Watch » 10 TED Talks to browse • Total run time 2:16:03

This week's new TED Talks In a lively talk and tech demo, physicist Suzie Sheehy shows us where some of our most useful modern technology (including the tech you're using right now) comes from: A centuries-old, curiosity-driven experiment that seemed to have no practical purpose at the time. Because sometimes, she says, "pointless" scientific research can lead to world-changing discoveries.  Watch » How does Hollywood choose what stories get told on-screen? Too often: groupthink. As a producer, Franklin Leonard saw too many great screenplays never get made because they didn't fit the mold. So he started the Black List, an anonymous email that shared his favorite screenplays and asked: Why aren't we making these movies? Learn the origin story of some of your favorite films with this fascinating insider view of the movie business. Watch » "We are living in a world that is tantalizingly close to ensuring that no one need die of hunger or malaria or diarrhea," says economist Michael Green. To help spur progress, back in 2015 the UN drew up a set of 17 goals around important factors like health, education and equality. In this data-packed talk, Green shares his analysis on the steps each country has (or hasn't) made toward these Sustainable Development Goals. Watch » Who controls the internet? Increasingly, the answer is large corporations and governments, a trend that's threatening digital privacy and access to information online, says web developer Tamas Kocsis. In this informative talk, Kocsis breaks down the different threats to internet freedom -- and shares his plan to build an alternative, decentralized network that returns power to everyday users. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com Do the same 3 people dominate all your meetings? How to change that   These lessons from diversity and inclusion research will help broaden the conversation -- and raise more great ideas. Read » Who dunked Ariana Grande in a pool of paint? This artist What it took to create the powerful imagery in "God Is a Woman." Read » Meet some awesome dogs who help conserve our wildlife These incredible pups catch poachers, sniff out invasive plants and diseases, and a whole lot more. Read »

Quote of the Week “ Now, I can't take credit for the success of any of those movies. I didn't write them, I didn't direct them, I didn't produce them, I didn't gaff them, I didn't make food and craft service -- we all know how important that is. What I did was change the way people looked at them. Accidentally, I asked if the conventional wisdom was correct." Franklin Leonard How I accidentally changed the way movies get made (Get the transcript)

New podcast: The TED Interview Dalia Mogahed on Islam in the world today: Just after 9/11, Dalia Mogahed asked: what do 1.8 billion Muslims really think? In a grand research project with Gallup, she interviewed more than 50,000 Muslims about their lives, their dreams, and the state of their religion. Today, she continues her research on Muslims as the director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. In this intimate conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, she opens up about her own faith and shares what she believes are the most common misconceptions of the world’s second-biggest religion. Listen for free here, or anywhere you go for podcasts.

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How to let go of being a "good" person -- and be a better person

The puzzling psychology of ethical behavior. Read online

This week on TED.com November 3, 2018

Talk of the week Dolly Chugh: How to let go of being a "good" person -- and become a better person 11:48 minutes · Filmed Oct 2018 · Posted Nov 2018 · TED@BCG Toronto What if your attachment to being a "good" person is holding you back from becoming a better person? In this accessible talk, social psychologist Dolly Chugh shares the puzzling psychology of ethical behavior -- like why it's so hard to acknowledge when you're wrong -- and shows how the path to becoming a better person starts with learning to accept your own mistakes. "In every other part of our lives, we give ourselves room to grow -- except in this one, where it matters most," Chugh says. Watch now »

Playlist of the week The eternal search to prolong life Why are we so obsessed with age? From quests for youth to immortality, these speakers explore the science of staying alive. Watch » 9 TED Talks • Total run time 2:26:58

This week's new TED Talks Have you ever actually read the terms and conditions for the apps you use? Finn Lützow-Holm Myrstad and his team at the Norwegian Consumer Council have, and it took them nearly a day and a half to read the terms of all the apps on an average phone. Learn about the personal information you've agreed to let companies collect -- and how they use it in ways you may not expect. Watch » Are China and the US doomed to clash? Taking lessons from a historical pattern called "the Thucydides Trap," political scientist Graham Allison shows why a rising China and a dominant United States could be headed towards a violent collision no one wants -- and how we can summon the common sense and courage to avoid it. Watch » How do you turn a memory of a traumatic event into hard evidence of a crime? Memory scientist Julia Shaw is working on this challenge, combining tools from science and artificial intelligence to change how people can report harassment. She shares three lessons (and a smart new app) that will help if you've been harassed or discriminated against and want to be heard. Watch » Technology architect Fadi Chehadé helped set up the infrastructure that makes the internet work. In a crisp conversation with curator Bryn Freedman, Chehadé discusses the ongoing conflict between the West and China over artificial intelligence, how tech companies can become stewards of the power they have to shape lives and economies ... and what everyday citizens can do to claim power on the internet. Watch »

Read more on ideas.ted.com 5 basic skills of power, and how you can learn to use them  How to understand systems of power -- and claim yours. Read » What it's like to take a midlife gap year When Caroline Harper suddenly found herself jobless in her mid-40s, she decided to step off the corporate ladder ... Read » How can you uncover your best self? Look for your micro-motives The little things that make your heart sing are the key to fulfillment. Learn a fun trick for figuring them out. Read »

Quote of the Week “ We have this definition of good person that's either-or. Either you are a good person or you're not. Either you have integrity or you don't. And in this either-or definition, there's no room to grow. But this is not what we do in most parts of our lives. Like, if you needed to learn accounting, you would take an accounting class, or if you become a parent, we pick up a book and we read about it. We talk to experts, we learn from our mistakes, we update our knowledge, we just keep getting better. But when it comes to being a good person, we think it's something we're just supposed to know." Dolly Chugh How to let go of being a "good" person — and become a better person (Try reading the transcript)

New podcast: The TED Interview Sam Harris on using reason to build our morality: Many philosophers draw a hard line between the worlds of facts and values, but not Sam Harris. In this thought-provoking conversation with head of TED Chris Anderson, he makes the case that reason can indeed answer moral questions, and then explores the many controversies that emerge from that claim. Moral superiority? Cultural superiority? How about moral progress? Chris and Sam dig in to discuss the right ways to think about defining right from wrong, and reason’s role in it all. Subscribe to The TED Interview here or on your favorite podcast platform.

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You are receiving this email because you've subscribed to our mailing list. We also send out daily emails, if you can't get enough of us. We love you too. Copyright © 2018 TED, All rights reserved. You're receiving the TED Talks weekly newsletter because you subscribed to it on TED.com. (Was this forwarded by a friend? You can sign up here: http://www.ted.com/newsletter ) Our mailing address is: TED 330 Hudson Street 11th Floor New York, NY 10013 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list   update subscription preferences   view email in browser