Sam Richards: A radical experiment in empathy

www.ted.com By leading the Americans in his audience at TEDxPSU step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand -- not approve of, but understand -- the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone truly understand and empathize with another?
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[@andregdj]

One of the best fucking TED Talks in all the years I've been watching

[@ichwillnick]

I could watch this video every day, because it just feels good to hear someone talk the truth and do something about all the hate in the world. This vid is one of the best i have ever seen and worth spreading on any given occasion.

[@dudepal187]

When you look your enemy in the eye and feel that hatred and frustration yet still have the humility and audacity to say "I understand you," I think the implications there are limitless. Definitely one of my favorite tedtalks.

[@RichT519]

Quite possibly one of the best speeches I've ever seen. Just amazing in every way. Gives great commentary on not judging people before you put yourself in there shoes. Imagine how great the world would be if everyone was able to do this.

[@LINKotis333]

i never thought to realize that i was being empathetic towards the whole world this whole time,understanding where everyone is comming from,feeling their pain and everything else they might feel.i have stepped out of my own little world ,interlinking myself to everyone and being a part of this complex web of this complex world. i... understand.

[@nguyentuandangkhoi]

This made me cry...

[@baishihua]

Perhaps a lot of people don't get the point of his presentation, firstly it is really just a thought experiment so the conditions he described about middle east don't have to be true, they are just need to be convenient and lucid to help constructing the experiment to get his point across(of course I still get it if people are offended as you know, empathy :) ). Also the point of this talk is as he's said "if you can step in the shoes of those terrorists even for a tiny inch, you can have so much more empathy and understanding towards everyday matters and people around you". And to me that is a positive message.

[@sanssleep]

Perhaps the most important talk I have ever listened to....SHARING this with all my FB friends, this is EXACTLY what social media is all about...lets change the world good people.

[@Tolstoievsky]

as a "becoming" sociologist myself i can completely relate to what he is saying about empathy. it's really a wonderful tool

[@ErichoTTA]

One of my favorite TEDtalks. It's about time someone stood up for the good religious people.

[@EllaABo]

This is brilliant and inspirational. Thank you so much.

[@tomcen]

this is a powerful speech.

[@ReasonablePerfection]

Great talk man! keep it up !!

[@098anne]

Great exercise! Something else it leads to if taken to the imaginative mile is that we are all one and connected. War against anyone is war against self in the end. Understanding is how to get past the trap.

[@tecnoblix]

Man this is powerful! Please keep talking!

[@winstonsmith478]

"Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.” Captain G. M. Gilbert, U.S. Army psychologist at the Nuremberg trails

[@gadzometer]

Holy crap.. finally!!!!!! Some perspective. Thankyou TED. This should get the Talk of the year.

[@MonkeyRecords]

Every American should watch this talk.

[@ktmg6]

I was born in a foreign country, but moved to the US when I was barely a month old. So basically, I've been a US citizen my whole life. And I must say, this video is dead on. All those bashing this video and its ideas are truly ignorant or are misinterpreting the video. You see, terrorists don't see themselves as terrorists. They see themselves as defenders of their country. You have to put yourself into the shoes of the average "infidel." He has people who care for him. Think about it.

[@hokiehoorah]

Very powerful- thank you sir!

[@grayxy]

Great lecture. Respect.

[@nigelsenchez]

The intellectuals of the enlightenment felt themselves to be a part of a great movement representing the highest aspirations and possibilities of mankind.They where reformers who believed their cause was best served by the new passion for argument, criticism and debate.

[@tintiringa]

I wonder how many Americans would be capable of understanding the video. "imagine going outside and seeing a tank....and KNOWING EXACTLY why it's there." He had me there. Yes, I understand the rage. I've always been sympathetic, but now I think I understand, a little.

[@barrywilliamsmb]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@BlowDevilUp]

This is what I'm talking about. Thank you TEDTalksDirector you are on the pulse of the world. Bravo Sam Richards! Bravo! Well Said!

[@Bfavrestarr415]

This was amazing!!

[@Orygyn]

TED is on a roll today.

[@weaskun]

Mr Richards, your students are lucky to have you.

[@TheNerdygrrlx]

Beautiful! Thank you!

[@dunnobutwayne]

every kid in school on college should watch this

[@SrRulao]

Why so many dislikes? Do so many people believe that humanity will be able to coexist without having to understand each other?

[@chuchaichu]

Wow, almost unthinkable that some people actually need a TED Talk to learn how to do this kind of thought experiment. I miss those day when I thought this is what people do automatically when watching news.

[@Arghira]

TED I love the buzz...is very professional

[@devilscry01]

Very few TED talks have made me feel true sadness like this. This more than did it.

[@andrewrossburgess]

This video has really got me thinking. In my martial arts we train for development of character and we take on aspects of the way of the zen buddhist. A buddhist will kill if nessecary to defend himself but holds no grudges. The thought of human suffering is unbearable to him and he does not love his mother/father any more than a complete stranger. I realise that I can still improve my own character and this video is something i shall take on board and seek to develop a better understanding of

[@HamsterPants522]

Everybody should practice this. Sure most Americans don't care, but some do! And those of us who do care should not be afraid to encourage empathy among other people.

[@Raziel_Knight]

Great TED Talk!

[@TylerN1993]

I nearly felt like crying by the end of that, and I'm from New Zealand.

[@saerain]

As well presented as this is, I have a hard time imagining that these are new thought experiments to many people.

[@AKNigel]

I like that he brought up the topic, because it's important. The presentation was confusing though. He really should've conveyed empathy in more direct, gutteral ways. like stating death statistics of non-combatants being ~9/10 of all deaths. Or the crippling sanctions of the decade prior being credited for the preventable deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children. He also should've took the thought experiment further: "Don't you feel like indiscriminately killing Sunis (or Shiias) now? "

[@playyiee]

thank u

[@liquidminds]

he's right, but I found it much easier to get to that point by thinking about how others might see my actions. That helped me alot beeing able to understand others, creating that network in mind, that explains the world a lot better than boxed thinking. But everything has it's bad sides... Now I have to answer every question with "it's complicated"....

[@royohz]

@matrixinterface I said none of the kind. I was raised a protestant Christian, and have found to take distance from them, that's why I say I am glad to not be generalized with them. Moral is individual and yet so very environmental/cultural. That's what I'm saying. Being selfish is human nature, but it's not an excuse.

[@Shelbzism]

Ideas spread not based on merit but on how easy they are to understand and how the make the thinker feel.

[@basilbaker9]

Brilliant exercise. The dialectic method at its finest!

[@RedOrangeSystem]

Great speech.

[@dismutased]

I don't have to step outside of my own (western, non American) shoes to see the strangeness and scariness of the American war movement and it's strong ties with Christianity. But it's always heartening to see Americans doing it. :)

[@DaBrainFarts]

History is written by the victor.

[@DaBrainFarts]

Which, depending on society and the government at the time, could be the most dangerous thing you could do.

[@theorygeek00]

beautiful stuff

[@Nephtys80]

@stainglassfox I agree that the lesson is valuable, it's the delivery that feels patronising to me: you can do this exercise and convey a concept that may be new to people but still address them as adults.

[@RoZZ92]

This should be spread. Ironically i'm doing this to my girlfriend, but she rejects it still living in her own shoes. Almost every teenage girl is living in their own shoes, i encourage you, go try figure it out.

[@caseyforever]

I WISH THIS VIDEO HAD COME OUT 8 YEARS SOONER. Amazing. i feel like i've been saying this all along and 8 years ago people would throw empty patriotic dribble at me to defend themselves from actually having to look at or understand what our military is doing internationally.

[@excitedsynapses]

Empathy = Understanding Understanding > Ignorance

[@Neanderthalcouzin]

amazing

[@Jotto999]

@CrimsonRefractions Not just what we interact with, of course. But yes, we are. It is useful to note how dependent we are on what we've been expose to (or haven't been) in who we are. I did not say we do not add new things, where did you get that from? I never said that. We assimilate the information, but every time we, say, say something to another person, we give some to them. Not sure where you went with that...

[@linux750]

@sirspiff i think the angst and negative emotion is that is coming from him is his natural reaction to the task he has given himself in this presentation. He knows he is trying desperately to make contented individuals empathize with an unpopular group of people, but he fears too many people might reject his message.

[@NwZ2]

@Aslapacrosstheface actually its absolutely necessary because there *are* people who think like that and their perspective *needs* to be understood, as its part of the broader analysis.

[@RaymondBurton]

Powerful.

[@liquidminds]

@Nannirk It's not about religion or nationality. Whenever greedy people meet they find a way to form a group and exploit the others. If that group is formed nationally, through religion or simply by the wish to make money, doesn't really make a difference. In the end it isn't more than a label on a group of people damaging others because they believe it makes them more important.

[@dryan2259]

It's even more difficult to have empathy for the natural habitats, species, and aboriginal peoples that are being decimated, killed, and diseased through oil (and other natural resource) exploitation. Living sustainably is about living with empathy. It's about the reciprocity and connectivity between ourselves and everything outside ourselves. And the boomerang time is getting shorter and shorter every year.

[@Tzadeck]

Was this taken down temporarily or something? This must have had more than 86,000 views---it made its way around social media sites a few years ago.

[@royohz]

@matrixinterface Yup, I'll be more cautious from now on. I'm glad you understand and that this didn't turn into a flame war.

[@axelphd]

To me being neither from the U.S. or the middle east this is mind boggling. How could it happen that there exists a nation that needs a phd in jibberish to tell them this after ten years of "WW2 germanish" ideology? And to top it people respond as if this is a genius novelty. Media controls the path of U.S. empathy.

[@TheCbear11]

He used this example bc it is so powerful and strikes a nerve in both the Muslim and Christian worlds. I think there are some Important things to take away because lack Of understanding the other side is what contributes to these conflicts and both Sides should be held accountable.

[@omegavalerius]

@gadzometer Well as you surely know there is a thing called google where you put the name of the study. You have noticed that there are never direct links on comments on youtube haven't you? So where is your source data?

[@DontTouchMyCroissant]

I'm an Iraqi and I just listened to what I'm thinking according to this guy, and apparently I'm an idiot.

[@DannyHonan]

@mikesomething I'm thinking you missed the point of the video

[@louiseegan4180]

wonderful

[@hotkonto]

I believe very few Americans understood the essence of your message. They just don't have the tools required.

[@jonxjquee]

it's way to depressing to think about what people do to eachother without thinking about these things

[@8legsFreak]

Brilliant!

[@EclecticSceptic]

@MarkArandjus You mean 'pit' not 'bid'. Sorry, I'm not trying to show you up, just noting the little typo.

[@ZombieX13]

Great talk but I Noticed he was too afraid to just come out and say it: "People don't kill people. Governments do."

[@HolyBmXfReAk2]

This is why I love TED. Mind Fucking Blown.

[@iunlearn]

@guringo YOU WROTE: "Try a macroscope to grasp the complexity of social organisms, and if you can't tell a soldier from a terrorist -adjust the damn focus." I think you really missed the point of the talk. I mean, isn't this what he's talking about? The difference between these two will depend on the ground upon which you are standing?

[@MonikaWoodstraveler]

You have to watch the whole thing. The guy never said he believed everything he said, but it is enough to cause anti-American sentiment. It does concern me.

[@channel403]

Sam Richards known as professor!!! is telling us we need to be in the shoes of terrorists who beheaded people and raped women because they are not Muslims.He forgot when USA army bombed serbian Christians in Yugoslavia to protect Muslims in Bosnia. He forgot why USA army went to middle east? not to spread Christianity but to protect Saudi Muslims and their oils during Sadam Houssin's war against Kuwait that means to protect Saudi arabia specially the muslims' holy places as al kaaba where Muslims pray but not against them .after this video I dislike empathy.

[@daw329]

@jgbloyd part of the problem is that people tend to be short-sighted or have no, or else narrow vision

[@TheGoldenKing20]

@JexiesGhost You know something? In a lot of discussions I've had in the past, one of the last things my opponents always did was start to claim victory RIGHT BEFORE their will broke and they fled with their tail between their legs.

[@Jotto999]

@CrimsonRefractions I don't see a relevant distinction between external and internal (neural) circumstances. All the knowledge I have is a circumstantial result of what my brain has assimilated, even if these days we have more of that to work with. Arguably, it became no less circumstantial just because the difference is inside my skull or not. So when I said "products of circumstances" I was being very broad about that, and I really did mean everything, even internal things.

[@professormaxtrinity]

Empathy, we're designed for it. They say there is a great awkening occurring. Maybe, just stretching our personal bubble enough to see what it's like for another, to share a view, is a primary scenario in this awakening. I sense this calming down as thigs ramp up. I sense a coming together in understanding in the paradoxical presence of the epic crescendo of our long period of isolation from one another. I sense peace coming thru exposure. I sense many good things.. oh yeah, 250BOYCOTT it's time

[@Ko252]

I like his point, but he isnt totally right. He is understanding everything as the person he is. It is impossible to understand how everybody else thinks. But I agree, one should have a perspective.

[@gulllars]

@samuelmichaud to expand on the court analogy. God being guilty of existing is Theism, not guilty is Atheism (or what you called agnosticism), and innocent is anti-theism (what you thought of as atheism). The burden of proof is on the prosecutor to prove god is guilty of existing, as he is the one that made the positive claim. Theists constantly try to shift the burden of proof for the atheists or anti-theists to disprove gods existence (innocent). Skeptic atheists are content with "not guilty".

[@RantKid]

how are there 113 dislikes? are there really people disagreeing with this? How can that be so? Also, 58,000 views isnt enough.

[@cliff101georges]

@RantKid Post it to your facebook. Tell people you know to watch it.

[@heltok]

Watch 0:00 to 3:40, the rest is just repeating to get the point through.

[@PixelSlayer247]

All I could think most of the time was, this stuff is news to people? I figured empathy out early, and was honest with myself in regards to it all my life. Guess it explains the lack of empathy out there.

[@Terrible_Peril]

@IaoGawd kissinger was quoted [from memory, on my part] as saying 'america has no friends, only interests'. a leading political scientist says that international affairs function largely like the mafia. a cursory glance seems to confirm this. once that's internalized, and you keep a finger on the pulse of money exchanges with politicians and businessmen and between governments, it gets a little clearer as to what's going on.

[@superdog797]

if i'm not mistaken there was no satellite TV in Iraq prior to 2003

[@royohz]

@Arghira You see I was raised a protestant Christian, and have found it rewarding to take distance from it. He did mention the "Christian crusading", that's why I said that. I meant no offense.

[@Ghazzawi9]

@austpom333 9/11's reaction was the war in Afghanistan. Iraq was completely unrelated to 9/11.

[@nueinx08]

@CrimsonRefractions I think you missed the point man. I have to admit this was a tough video for me to watch as a military vet of OIF, but he raises valid points. It's not about the absolute value of having control of the oil, but about the perceptions of what it will bring. Consider the argument that goes on in America about how "illegal aliens are taking all the jobs!" [extended above]

[@ddnguyen278]

@theiliad2000x Last reply, I wasn't addressing that point. The point i was addressing was your assertion that NO ONE could stop the US if it wanted to commit genocide. I pointed out several countries who if came too it could stop the US, and the more likely scenario of military alliances with nuclear countries which will curtail predatory behavior by the US if it ever came too that.. So it wouldn't matter about moral evolution of countries, since nuclear alliances enforces a morality on it own

[@aleidius192]

Next to the definition of "conjecture" there should be a picture of this guy in the dictionary.

[@carefulcarpenter]

Not for the oil directly -- 1. Remove cheap crude from the world market to enable market control. 2. Petrol-dollar. 3. Protection of reserve currency 4. Control of Middle East

[@renegaed]

unorthodox method but relevant points.

[@TheGoldenKing20]

@JexiesGhost Economics 101: no matter how big you are, as a freemarket society, it is IMPOSSIBLE to make your consumers 'irrelevant'.

[@MidgarZolom]

@MillionIT Number one fallacy that anyone makes in understanding others is placing too much emphasis on cultural/regional differences and not realizing that people of the world operate primarily as humans. We all have the same basic emotions, which are triggered for precisely the same reasons, and our emotions are the ultimate determiner of our actions.

[@Umbalafum]

How has to be the level of development of a country, that this theme has to be brought up in such a elementary school way for to be understood?

[@MarkArandjus]

@EclecticSceptic You mean 'noticing' the little typo ;D

[@linux750]

@TheElectricShaman please explain what you mean, so that i may empathize with you in order to see why you reject his message.