Category: Notes

There has recently been a lot of research on choice, much of which is interesting. Salecl discusses how we used to think that choice was a liberating force, that the more choices on has, the more freedom and sociable they would be. We are finding that this is not true. Instead, we spend a lot of time being anxious over our choices and their moral and social implications. When we make the wrong choice, we feel strongly judged and by society, that we have somehow failed to live up to our humanity and we become ashamed of ourselves. When we make the right choice, we feel a bit of joy from making a good choice and then are plummeted into self-doubt about whether we actually made the right choice. Additionally, as we continue to make so many choices about consumption we begin to feel empowered by our consumption and thus liberated when in reality we have actually subjected ourselves to consumption and are not really the masters we thought we were.

Renata Salecl – The Paradox of Choice (RSA)
RSA Animate – Choice

Specter has a very hard agenda that drives regarding the acceptance of science in our lives. Namely, he advocates that we be more informed before we dismiss science in favor for “organics.” Specter is clear to state that we should always have a healthy questioning of science, that is, that we should not accept everything science gives us. As part of this line of thinking, he suggests that we need to better the difference between correlation and causation.

Michael Specter: The danger of science denial (TED)

It is not often that someone takes the heady concepts of deep science and brings it down to a level that the rest of us can understand. Greene takes the ever high concept of string theory and delivers it in a way that is easier to understand along with some updates on current scientific pursuits to proof the theory.

Brian Greene: The universe on a string (TED)

This is a humorous lecture given with some serious underlying thoughts. Robinson outlines some thoughts about the education system and how it seems to strip child of the creativity. He argues that part of the reason for removing creativity is because sciences are revered as the “most important” subjects in school while the arts, and creative functions in particular, are considered lower forms of education and sometimes even despised. This hierarchy likely comes because schools were designed to make laborers, not thinkers.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity? (TED)

Abrams discusses the incredible power and appeal of the unknown. He talks about how people are enthralled by the pursuit of that unknown and how we need some mystery in order enjoy life. He gives some practical advice for content production and some interesting stories from his own life.

J.J. Abrams: The mystery box (TED)