How mental illness changed human history - for the better: David Whitley at TEDxManhattanBeach

Archeologist David Whitley suggests that the strengths and weaknesses of humans are deeply intertwined and inter-dependent. He shares his journey, taking us back 40,000 years, to discover the origin of human artistic genius.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@Donatuis]

David Whitley is brilliant. Read his Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit. It's truly mind-expanding work.

[@duckydarkstar38]

So lucky to go to Europe. let alone more then once . I would love to go.

[@MindfulNature]

Very interesting. Clarifies a few thoughts I had had myself.

[@joelfry4982]

Thank you for this video.

[@ayotundeoluyeye6016]

What a gem

[@drjohntas]

the various ice-age artistic styles were in play for thousands of years. All that art going on (not in caves of course), generation after generation of humans copying, refining, learning from each other, passing on traditions and skills in design, pigment preparation, application, drawing techniques. The cave paintings would not have been one-off inspirational acts of genius out of nothing. They would have been the application of known and learned skills and styles. Sure we see brilliance in them, and probably the particular artists were the top of their class. But we must stop seeing them as individual and spectacular acts of genius and see them, like the exquisite acheulean hand axes, as one representation of a cultural richness. In some sense we are guilty of denigrating their overall culture by "explaining away" their brilliant art as the product of shamans, geniuses and the mentally unwell. Are we afraid to contemplate the likelihood that these were simply creative and clever people (overall).

[@zacharydoebler3703]

Thank you

[@MissLynSanity]

1) You absolutely cannot say that because we don't know of preserved art older than 40k that art was "invented" around then. In the field of archaeology absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. 2) If the emergence of art was directly tied to the evolution of heritable mood disorders then how could there be artistic people without those mutations in their genes? And although a higher percentage of people with mood disorders are what we today consider "artistic," there are also folks with mood disorders who don't fall into that category. This is speculation, not science.

[@kylevazquez1098]

Mad Scientists, Artistic Genius'.. Induce creative but necessary and innate evolutionary technological enhancements which is human evolution and progression.. Albert Einstein.. Genius with behavioral differences guided by superiority frame of mind such as myself. I am living proof of high functioning "mood" or as I say "nature" disorder enhancing my fight or flight above ordinaries. I do believe there lies a creative genius in all of us, however it must be challenged to shine.

[@justinehornberger3715]

Would anyone know how to obtain hiss references made in the video? I'm working on a project and he seems to bring up a lot of the very topics I wanted to discuss. Great video! Beautiful insight.

[@Donatuis]

Read his book Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit.

[@joeoconnell274]

i tried my very best to watch it but after a long time i had to give up. it kept stalling and a little dot kept going round and round. any one else have this problem ?

[@mikureloaded]

Great video and great speaker!

[@munirkasimov6518]

Great. I watched this three times, and each time it was a great pleasure. The lecturer is magnificent.

[@gkeith64]

Salute!

[@adamm3049]

Excellent, Excellent talk. He is right. But I would say that it wasn't a Mutation of the Dopamine and Serotonin regulating systems, but rather, an enhanced, spurred Evolution of said systems which are as a result of of supplemented neuro-transmitters from ingesting certain plants and animals, as well as intense stressors of the psyche. He is talking about Shamans after-all. The Mental Illness part is Incidental, because these people are actually people of Higher Evolution. They are regarded as Ill because society doesn't create a place for them. Society enslaves them and attempts to subordinate the spirit. Our shamans are tormented and tortured until they Become mentally ill. They are tortured and tormented until they Develop a Mood Disorder. Our Shamans are our World Creators and they are always to be given the respect that is deserved and due.

[@kylevazquez1098]

Yes, oh my god. You understand. You get it. You know the truth we share

[@tfoprincess]

AH HA! So people who are seen as weird today are the more evolved than the people who find them strange! Next time someone calls me weird, I'm going to say, "to the homo erects, homo sapiens were kind of insane." AH HA! X3 thanks

[@sandrajunghall9725]

Hard to believe our species has been making artistic magic for 40,000 years! This must have been when the human soul emerged, not the Garden of Eden; that was just consciousness and self-consciousness that emerged there.

[@blessings2u826]

Why you cannot speak the correlation between the mutated neuro-transmitters and creativity instead of mood disorders?

[@virginiaalmon8389]

For a scientist he is playing fast and loose with facts, indulged in heavy generalizations, and cited no evidence/studies for his opinions. I question his unsubstantiated premises and would like to have heard some definitions. In my culturally comparative understanding, shamans were not considered mentally ill, they were considered healers of mental illness. Speaker should clean up his presentation and have a second go.

[@drjohntas]

classic pseudoscience presentation

[@Sonic12Lexi]

Maybe Mental Illness are more of a Natural variation that is mostly genetic, I think. Let me know if this is true if you have a mental illness.

[@TheTaskmaster]

before i watch, i just want to let people know that there's an excellent book documenting the history of mental illness, it's called the Holy Bible

[@alessander360]

TheTaskmaster +1

[@leftyelysium]

+TheTaskmaster I love how Atheists only focus on Christianity. You actually inspired me on what to write about on my Psychology Dissertation.

[@DAVID.PRINCIPE.DURAN.]

That book only make people with disorder More mad

[@glowindark64]

@@leftyelysium cool story

[@whotelakecity2001]

Amen.

[@DarkMoonDroid]

Nope.

[@drjohntas]

David Whitley says that evidence of “artistic genius” appeared about 40,000 years ago “and demands explanation” On first viewing of this talk I was convinced this talk is pure pseudoscience claptrap. Are his pronouncements valid? Is good art the inevitable result of “genius”. Is there such an entity as “artistic genius”. Or is art simply another human skill. Art is a craft, a craft which is learned, developed, shared, embellished and intergenerational. Ancient art actually evolved gradually over thousands of years, through a number of stages … from representational images (what you see is what you get) common at 30,000 years ago …..to perceptual images (what you get is an interpretation of what you see) 15,000 years ago. What about the 40,000 years ago “sudden appearance”. Well certain humans may have only started a fashion of painting in caves 40,000 years ago. That is about the only place that art survives for that long. There may have been many art traditions preceding this “cave fashion”. Bold paintings in bold places for everyone to see. Places where art had no chance to survive the passage of time and the forces of the elements. Furthermore, all the artists who produced such amazing art deep in caves by the light of an oil lamp… they were not painting their first pictures. These were seasoned, experienced artists, painting in very recognisable styles, who had learned and perfected their craft in the same way as the skilful tool makers did. Learning from generations of experience and lots and lots and lots of practice. They were carrying forward a tradition of artistic craft that was alive and well in the “outdoors” and, for reasons unknown, transferring their skills into the deep recesses of caves. And many of the frescos (eg Lascaux) were created, not in a single shamanic frenzy, but by multiple artists over thousands of years and by generations of artists adding to and embellishing what was already there. In an absolutely classic pseudoscience presentation style David Whitley goes on to make some bold pronouncements without any scrap of evidence, and then bases further conclusions on top of these as if they are rock solid science. “Shamans painted these artworks” ( stated as a fact, not what it is… speculation.) The correlation between mental illness and creativity is given huge attention. He is even as cheeky as to say things like “you know.. you know this is true… you know about Van Gough’s ear … etc etc”. Classic pseudoscience. A learned, evolving art tradition is not a product of master nutter teaching pupil nutter. Are the overwhelming majority of creative artists sufferers of mental illness. No, the overwhelming majority of creative artists are happy, healthy and quite sane. It gets worse.. in great pseudoscience tradition he leaps from shamans to brain neurotransmitters to a few genes he’s read about is and… hey-presto .. proved beyond doubt. Art was not the province of inspired shamans and mentally unwell ones at that. It was a learned cultural skill developed and passed down through many thousands of years.