Barry Schwartz: Our loss of wisdom

www.ted.com Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for practical wisdom as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

[@gontortv]

10:48 to 12:22 is the most valuable part of this video. Thank you for this mind-blowing insight on how incentives could sometimes demotivate people.

[@PR-pr8zq]

"A wise person is made and not born"... Thank you Barry Schwartz for a talk full of wisdom

[@ErichoTTA]

Can't believe this isn't more popular! It's one of the best TEDTalks out there! Simply fantastic and a great appeal to ethics and morality!

[@piotrgoacki9070]

Maybe morality and ethics isn't that attractive as self-centered advice

[@Iloveannzi]

i Agree

[@RichardKoenigsberg]

431 VIEWS is not enough for you? Greedy.

[@dollaresque]

Wow, I found myself applauding to my computer screen several times during this talk. Old-fashioned wisdom never dies and if we can draw inspiration and insight from it still, the difficulties of today are nothing but an exciting challenge. Thanks for this great TEDtalk.

[@MUSICOBLISS]

"Honesty is the firstchapter in the book of wisdom" --Thomas Jefferson

[@ArizonaMakingLeight]

+Asgeir Bragason No, discernment is the first chapter of wisdom.

[@greywolf271]

Neither. It's called "Watch your back"

[@nnenna2469]

Alright TJ, did you look into your slave ownership? LOL

[@wordsculpt]

@@nnenna2469 Grow up

[@engineerated5627]

One of my best TED Talks. . . A must watch!!!

[@GetMeThere1]

I've thought all these things many times, and with frustration. I'm glad these ideas are finally getting some audience.

[@jesusrivera389]

Provocative, inspiring and a great eye opener to see things from different perspective. Amazing - Loved the wisdom shared thing this talk. Kudos!!!!

[@hyeyoungheather]

Thank you for the Wisdom. I was happy to watch this and grateful to learn 'Respect Learning'. Thank you ~ Thank you ~

[@Hallibutbouy]

EXCEPTIONAL!! Flawless speech, one of the best TED talks I have seen.

[@teasofavors8522]

I really enjoyed this. Information was passed! Thank you 🙏🏿

[@JeanKM1]

How did I miss seeing this lecture before now? I've been subscribed to TED for quite a long time. Good lecture.

[@kidmecha]

Very well done, we need more wisdom and respect.

[@Pasdriz]

Amen. I get the chills when I watch ted videos like this

[@EcumenicalYellow]

Woaah this was one of the best talks ever done, what an orator he made !

[@inosentz]

this was my favorite ted talk of all time. I honestly have nothing else to say, i only pray that our society makes a reversion toward success through selflessness rather than falsely rewarding selfishness.

[@VinayakaVinayaka-mn9ov]

Great talk. Thank you❤🙏

[@hasatum]

Thanks for the pointing me towards Schwartz's other work. It's good to see that I wasn't reading too much into this one. Cheers!

[@Zhamour]

Brilliant talk... 'remoralizing work'...the virtue of practical wisdom and hope, and paying attention.

[@kamariahrahmah6249]

So much to think on and appreciate.

[@abyssquick]

years ago, i used to improvise when recommending medicine and food therapies. i would take a minute or two to listen to the customer's concerns. overall, i sold more product, and was the regualar customers' favorite. i would utilize the knowledge from dozens of books i have read, and assist people directly, particularly, in the best way i knew how. i got fired. they wanted me to parrot advertising literature and what was in their book. so much for character and moral fortitude in retail.

[@rizzamaeong]

these days its hard to choose morality over finance. our environment screams cash. ☹️

[@motivationwavedailypositiv2857]

The WISEST TED talk ever. Thank you 🤗

[@calikyle]

This is one of the BEST talks ever!

[@flowewritharoma]

This guys's talk is easy to understand! THanks for great infomation/.

[@Desert2GardenLV]

WOW, that was a great one. I love TED Talks!

[@BrassStorm]

Well hot damn...and I thought no one cared about morals/character anymore. Favorite sentence in the whole video, "A wise person knows when and how to make "the exception to every rule."" It is hard to break free of rules sometimes even when you know when and how to make the exception because people around you will criticize you breaking a rule. But you must have wisdom AND courage to do wise things or else wisdom is lost. Every action starts with courage!

[@tisiaan]

There’s a verry good point! Courage is so important!!!

[@ManLikeNells]

Brilliant words indeed. #Inspired

[@cappie2000]

Awesome talk.. very inspiring!

[@pharaon73]

fantastic speeach! very motivational

[@SykarReakor]

Very nice to listen to the guy's voice, he speaks the truth of course, great talk!

[@GodsCommunity]

_Blessing full of blessings._ 😇

[@waynzwhirled]

Fabulous talk! Barry Schwartz, you are a moral hero.

[@AmmorMagnusDoctorEst]

"scripts insure against disaster, but what they ensure in its place is mediocrity" "the reductive appeal to self-interest as the master human motive is a false description of human nature & lead to over-prescription and addiction to surface-level incentives" love :)

[@Voiceguitar]

dead on! one of the best crowd reactions from ted's audiance yet

[@Muffinarm_]

This talk is simply outstanding.

[@evilednafilms]

Another great talk. TED is my new favourite thing.

[@FangRider144]

Barry for president 2020

[@LearningThings]

This is terrific because it is so self-evident.

[@Zephymos]

This guy is amazing. I support this!

[@trudychristian3718]

Best ted-talk ive ever heard

[@dollgonegood]

Thank you

[@Winger222]

So true! I think people in the UK should listen to this talk, especially the banks and the government.

[@jasmeetk0]

Amazing talk! =)

[@Cmdrlucky8]

Eloquently said!

[@Ms21Night]

I love the talk ❤️

[@styx123456]

I am so, so glad there are still people out there willing to act as the voice of reason and common sense. Slowly but surely we continue to smother ourselves in red tape while an ever-dwindling few act against it.

[@TheSanityInspector]

Looking forward to curling up with this later, when I'm not at wor--errrr!!! I mean, once I get back home.

[@Wallyworld121212]

God, I love TEDtalks. These videos should be mandatory in . . . IDK school? Work? Everyone needs to see 'em. They open the eyes and the mind.

[@WPXTacoMan477]

Amen!

[@maddcatone]

Thank you Barry Schwartz... No one listens to me when I say moral responsibility is the structure of a successful, civilized society. Now maybe someone will now that I'm not the only one saying it.

[@DanLackey]

Distant memory sparked by this talk: how the janitor at my grade school was a beloved guy.

[@atultripathi19]

one word for it -- masterpiece!!

[@molewizard]

I love this guy. He's brilliant.

[@rizzamaeong]

same. i love his books.

[@MrMarktrumble]

Excellent.

[@tinnturps]

Barry you are my hero!

[@jespaparx]

Ted Talks are valuable and motivating.

[@russianspringbeauty]

Janitors don't have it easy. Very true.

[@VuthyVa]

teach kids and adults both young and old on the right things to do

[@lanceawatt]

Your a smart guy for making that point. I entirely agree!

[@Jester123ish]

In principle I agree with you. In this case it was more like advocating responsible behavior over irresponsible behavior. As much as this requires some reasonable guidance about the specifics it still seems like the better path as a principle.

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

President Obama appealed to virtue, and Americans overwhelmingly said, "No."

[@MangaManiac]

All sounded interesting and very plausable. I´m not sure about the surveys but either way he had valid points in telling the psychological developement of the people in the terms of moral thinking. As far as the part with the teachers and the curiculum goes, that part gave me a small tear because it´s exactly how I´ve thought throughout the years in the teachers academy. Sure we get security in these rules but we get only mediocry.

[@elizabethwhittaker-william6598]

This is so true.

[@agropaco]

thanks!

[@TheFractalFreak]

need more people like you

[@PaekaYate]

This talk was six years ago and still not much evolution has happened around this subject, though it is so necessary, it rather has been going in the other direction in my country. All Belgium leaders should have a look at this, the rules here are getting absurd and are taking place of morality, which is incredibly problematic... Glad to have run into this talk since it confirms what my assumptions on morals and rules are, if someone not gets what I say now, I can show them this talk which explains it very clearly.

[@hamida185]

Now it's 11 years ago

[@Sunfawx]

adding on to my comment from before, its like what a lot of antique pickers say "one mans trash is another mans treasure" and a happy mood is my treasure I give to the people, whether its the free food thing, talking to them about their day, or just making them laugh, its all worth it to me and I dont regret a single thing

[@abyssquick]

i'm so sick of control freaks running everything. humans don't need a box- what we need (clearly) is to use our brains more. we have mediocrity everywhere. you can't create true quality of life without inspiring people, and reinforcing social relationship. we have to cultivate our character, raise our leaders; become lights to ourselves and each other. i like this speech, it is very insightful.

[@shjakes]

I wish I had this video to email to my "seniors" (whose moral compass was totally bent) at my last major job...

[@paulsandin8282]

Now we're getting into semantics. I'm on the side of there being no difference between hard and soft science. Mapping out our culture sounds like cultural science. After this discussion, I am also now changing my thinking. Wisdom does come from experiences, self- and social awareness, but also from science. And will continue to grow as scientists increase our knowledge of the both the physical and social sciences.

[@JarieSuicune]

YES!

[@michael616joaquin]

@finishstrongdoc Reminds me of "Do what thou wilt" - A Crowley the Book of the Law

[@shiddy.]

very good

[@DeepSukhwani]

Great respect for Barry's words. For some reason when I hear him I remember A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (11th President of India).

[@MrSagalag]

such an amazing talk... "wisdom: should be our top value

[@saraswuati]

Beautiful:.

[@washaway]

its true, moving forward isn't on how many people we pass. but how many people we help.

[@Jernespand]

Very interesting !

[@MrSidney9]

That's what I call an ethical sermon.

[@galacticplastic1741]

also 18:32 till the end, that's the foundation then the mastery of chosen skill comes next & then maybe we'll have a better world

[@terrancehandy1133]

There cannot be a loss of wisdom unless there's a loss of knowledge first !

[@SM-zw3on]

This is a big problem nowadays. This video has to go viral. At this age, being moral can get you a lawsuit and losing the job.

[@wordsculpt]

I lost 2 jobs by standing upon principle. I believe that it is a test of character.

[@JarieSuicune]

@@wordsculpt True. I think there is a saying, something like "Would you rather work at a job where you hurt people because 'it's just my job' or be fired from a job for doing the right thing and helping those in need?" If a job would fire you for doing the right thing, then you should probably be proud to not be supporting or representing such an organization. (Though I'm sure the immediate reprecussions of being fired were no less challenging and I hope you got through them ok!)

[@ThePocketbass]

I couldn't agree more with many of the points. Question: "teacher's must lead by example," is one of the premises. If the use of force is wrong (not virtuous) and teachers must lead by example for your model to be successful, how can they teach from a position of moral authority and strike (a forceful action?)

[@TobiLytle]

"Excessive incentives demoralize and reduces morality. Celebrate moral exemplars. Demand that people who teach - acknowledge and celebrate moral heroes. Any work you do that involves other people is moral work. We should strive to be moral exemplars - someone is always watching. Practical wisdom allows the other virtues to be displayed. People want to be allowed to to be virtuous. Organizations should structure themselves to support rather than suppress wisdom."

[@gdibble]

👍 3:35 “Practical wisdom," Aristotle told us, "is the combination of moral will and moral skill.” ― Barry Schwartz

[@gdibble]

The standing ovation was deserved. What a great speech!

[@casserras]

@Crazylalalalala Yes. He wrote a book called "The Paradox of Choice".

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Every time I do what I know is the right thing, I am punished for it. I see the same happen to others. We are all training each other to be bad people, because that is what makes the rich richer and the powerful have more power. And how dare we do otherwise?

[@wordsculpt]

Congratulations ! Your life journey includes advanced ethical behavior : doing what is right Because it is right, without regard to personal gain. This is "the heros journey". A difficult path....

[@KarlosEPM]

Some professions seldom allow for goodness. It is tough to make a loving being a moral individual in these times.

[@LanceWinslow]

Please watch this video twice if you run a company or organization - then really think on it.

[@rizzamaeong]

is what i did. even took notes.

[@africanchina1]

I think this guy is totally right and everything he said makes sense... What we need, are heroes.

[@JarieSuicune]

Slight rephrase: What we need is to BE heroes.

[@Trazynn]

I have trouble finding the psychology research about the nuclear waste dump in Switzerland. Where did he get that research from?

[@chawk111]

W/ regards to education specifically, I think part of the reason "scripts" are used is because to do this kind of great, individually specific teaching about character/respect for learning may entail telling pupils that the correct way to think/act is something very different from the way their parents think/act, or form the way most people in their part of the country/tax bracket act. To teach you what cartoon robots at the state legislature told you to is much more benine /populist.

[@casserras]

@maddcatone I've been saying for quite some time. Barry Schwartz says what numerous have noted, discussed, but have not voiced loudly. However I think his paradox of choice in tandem with this brings forth numerous problems of the modern world.

[@ImOnTheTube]

Hehe I was thinking about the same concepts today and incidentally stumbled on this video (funny how some days seem to have a theme to them). For example whats wrong with being stopped by a police officer while speeding? Its never the intention that counts but only the act of (usually biased) observance. Our society is very limiting and does not breathe. It is very stiff and inorganic. Its only up to everyday folk - the foundation of everything - to change anything.

[@RoninDave]

we have put rules before our sanity and souls. Look what happened recently at a supermarket in Georgia where the police restrained poor people from taking perfectly good food that was bound to the landfill because the landowners (sun trust bank) ordered it so.

[@michaelbasher]

Another great guy.

[@enriccatala3129]

Great!

[@Jester123ish]

I think I'd distinguish between simple specific advice to 'go shopping' which after all is just being told what to do, vs a general directive that encourages you to use your own virtue. If it turns out that using your own virtue is more dangerous than shopping so be it.

[@paulagonzalez6911]

It is so important to stand for ordinary heroes

[@P00P0STER0US]

Very wise words.

[@aethra88]

I loved this speech, but I wish it would have also addressed the issue of this belief, birthed by the Western hustle-culture, that virtue somehow counters success. This fear that being virtuous makes you weak, or at the very least puts you at a disadvantage to someone who is not inclined to be virtuous. How do we fix that? How do we incentivise someone to model themselves after Atticus Finch rather than the "mergers & acquisitions" guy who is somehow always portrayed as being more "successful". When we talk about celebrating moral exemplars, we need to address, what we have been taught to value and reward as a society, what we understand as "abundance" and how we achieve it and the fear mentality that we have cultivated to support our modern version of success.