Food for Thought Topics

Uniquely Stupid: Dissecting the Past Decade of American Life

- Jonathan Haidt is a well-known social scientist who has written a number of best-selling books. His most famous is "The Righteous Mind" which talks about the basic moral instincts and how liberals and conservatives give different priorities to these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKRuvKtFvqo

What are the most important moral problems of our time?

- Prof. Will MacAskill - Of all the problems facing humanity, which should we focus on solving first? In a compelling talk about how to make the world better, moral philosopher Will MacAskill provides a framework for answering this question based on the philosophy of "effective altruism" -- and shares ideas for taking on three pressing global issues.

https://www.ted.com/talks/will_macaskill_what_are_the_most_important_moral_problems_of_our_time

The Evolution of the Self

- Robert Kegan - Kegan explains how relevant the understanding of people's differences is, in terms of the stages they are in. People at the socialized mind stage may very well not be able to understand what people at the higher levels of self-authoring mind or self-transforming mind say or do. Those at the lower level may even react violently towards those at the higher levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhRNMj6UNYY&list=PLnPEAYSg65PSH3IFUjGtXd3uZGKzOtvHg&index=4

The Negative Path to Happiness and Success

- Oliver Burkeman “Get motivated!” and “stay positive!” are common bits of self-help advice. But have we gone too far in our penchant for positivity? Leaning on research (including a story about Mount Everest climbers), reporter and author Oliver Burkeman shares the counterintuitive insight of how abandoning goals and allowing some negativity in can actually be helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKxzszeIPkE