The way we think about work is broken | Barry Schwartz

What makes work satisfying? Apart from a paycheck, there are intangible values that, Barry Schwartz suggests, our current way of thinking about work simply ignores. It's time to stop thinking of workers as cogs on a wheel.
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[@Crapweeds]

I had my last shift in my mundane job today. I am going to walk up a hill tomorrow. I have no further plans.

[@RalphDratman]

+Crapweeds What hill?

[@ba8e]

+Ralph Dratman Silent Hill.

[@RalphDratman]

+Crapweeds Beautiful! I'd love to join you. Wrong continent.

[@vizigoti]

+Crapweeds it's like you are describing the last couple days of mine. I can't believe it.

[@Alphfirm]

Good luck mate

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

When slavery existed, slave owners were required to provide their slaves with "adequate" means of living, such as shelter, food and medical needs. They were strategicly deprived of such things as education and freedom. The only difference today is that the "adequate" means of living has turned into a paycheck in the form of minimal wage. The lower class is still strategicly deprived of education and freedom. As long as they work full time, they only make enough money for shelter, food and medical needs.

[@teamcoalhapcharcoal]

+David S. so basically, what youre saying is that poor people NEED other people to improve their circumstances? if thats not an insult, i dont know what is. you can make your way out of poverty if you are determined to do so. most would rather consume kardashian bullshit and get drunk all the time.

[@Altorin]

+1234 abcd just because its possible for some people to do something incredible doesnt make it right to slather the staircase with ky jelly

[@Altorin]

+1234 abcd just because its possible for some people to do something incredible doesnt make it right to slather the staircase with ky jelly

[@LukeJones29]

your so right....

[@LukeJones29]

+Muzik30 you both have some good points

[@RumoAoSul]

"Man wasn't made for work but to create", Agostinho da Silva

[@dpo91]

To quote Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "“To speak of certain government and establishment institutions as “the system” is to speak correctly, since these organizations are founded upon the same structural conceptual relationships as a motorcycle. They are sustained by structural relationships even when they have lost all other meaning and purpose. People arrive at a factory and perform a totally meaningless task from eight to five without question because the structure demands that it be that way. There’s no villain, no “mean guy” who wants them to live meaningless lives, it’s just that the structure, the system demands it and no one is willing to take on the formidable task of changing the structure just because it is meaningless. But to tear down a factory or to revolt against a government or to avoid repair of a motorcycle because it is a system is to attack effects rather than causes; and as long as the attack is upon effects only, no change is possible.”

[@Robyphus]

I understand the issue but aren't these repetitive and "demeaning" jobs necessary to be able to produce goods and services to the scale that we are now? I mean if we want to move from this approach of work towards a more creative and design-based society how do you make it functional in a way that gives us the access to commodities that we have today? Perhaps I am not understanding exactly what is being proposed in these videos but acknowledging this as a problem of modern society is at least pointing me towards the right direction, I just can't imagine how to deal with all this work that needs to be done if there is no monetary incentive involved, what could possibly bring purpose to these tasks that isn't having access to basic necessities?

[@FreeFromWar]

This guy made so much sense. If I or most people were given the opportunity to work with all our basic needs met (food, shelter, clothing, bills) that we didn't have to worry about, we'd work for recognition and with passion and not think of it as a burden or be forced to work for someone we don't want to

[@k3nny111]

+FreeFromWar The thing is, the money to come up with your basic needs has to be generated somewhere. Who can tell for sure that you would, given your needs are met, work in a field that actually generates wealth for your country, which would be providing for your basic needs? Given that everyone can chose his jobs freely, if other factors vanish, I'd expect an complete overflow in arts, philosophy, philology.. fun stuff. Many necessary jobs are inherently un-fun and I really don't see how you get people to do them without money incentives.

[@boaz.bananas]

+FreeFromWar I completely agree.

[@FreeFromWar]

k3nny111 I've actually heard of people who enjoy working in a field. People are so different and they have different preferences. But anyhow most of those jobs can be automated. I don't think there is any obstacle that can't be overcome. But the current system, the monetary system itself is not going to work in the information age. We need a change

[@SaltVinegar2010]

Exactly. I have dreamed about this kind of world for years now. Imagine communities organising shifts with each other. People could swap with each other as the wished. If it's nice weather outside then you might want to work the field shift that day etc. without ever having to worry about money.

[@nanagyamfua]

The marriage between socialism and capitalism. socialism is the idea that we are all one. Capitalism that we are all individuals. If we create a socialist works where all basic needs are met but the individual ambition is not suffocated is to me the best solution for our earth spaceship. Freeing up the survival mode and passion to live.

[@nupurnishant6911]

"Very shape of the institution within which people work creates people who are fitted to the demands of that institution." Amazing.

[@claradusk]

I'd like to email this link to my entire hierarchy. I work in a warehouse that services mostly convenience stores. The rate of rotation is so unreal.... I've seen more faces come and go than anywhere else I have ever worked. And the biggest complaint is "nobody wants to work". IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW. No wonder! The work is challenging, but only in a frustratingly, crippling, degenerative sort of way. I stamp cartons of cigarettes. The work is easy compared to some other work, but it is monotonous and the fact that almost nobody seems to understand how my machine works is devastatingly absurd. Even the senior technician and the stamp service can't figure out these issues... it's like nobody has the time to give even the slightest care... until someone else is breathing down their neck.

[@RalphDratman]

+MissyLeyneous Thank you for describing your workplace and your impressions of it, Missy. Information like yours is tremendously important. Do you think Basic Income would be a good idea?

[@claradusk]

Ralph Dratman Hm, that's tough, I'm not sure that income is the issue. I think the issue is the work structure itself. Too many dull jobs, not enough interesting ones. Of course, I guess it's like my momma used to say "The world needs ditch-diggers, too." Working from the top down might be an option... if the markets weren't so monopolized maybe some extra competition would provide stimulus for more fulfilling work. Maybe there ought to be a cap on how rich someone or some-company can be?

[@RalphDratman]

+MissyLeyneous I agree that there should be a sort of cap on wealth, but my idea is to put that into place indirectly. I suggest that daily, regular-people money should be separate from, and not exchangeable with, large-entity capital money. Regular people should be able to get regular-rich, but no one should be mega-rich just because they are involved in big enterprises or projects. So a company president could not grab any of the big-capital money in his or her company and just take it home. The two kinds of money would not be interchangeable, and big money could not go into ordinary bank accounts. What do you think?

[@claradusk]

+Ralph Dratman That's a very neat concept... this would allow the big dogs to play with what is essentially monopoly money, but they could never use it to line their pockets to insane proportions. So this limits their personal wealth, but how does that free up money and jobs for the little business and employee...? If you leave the monopolies in place and let them play with monopoly money this still doesn't create more opportunity for small businesses... Unless the big businesses can't use the monopoly-cash to spend on anything other than with other big business. This would reduce growth rates of big companies... Hmm...

[@RalphDratman]

MissyLeyneous The small-person economy would have to work differently. The minimum income proposed by some left-leanong economists would be the first step, so at least no one will starve. Then somehow a human-scale system of jobs and money has to replace the corporate embrace. Most of the jobs would probably be services provided by individuals or small groups. I am also hopeful that the arts will flourish, along with custom designs for everyday items, as more high-tech tools become available to artists and craftspersons at low cost.

[@Frostzk]

This speech deserves more views. This is short, meaningful and right on point!

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Total agree

[@darielkenneth2571]

i realize it's quite randomly asking but does anyone know of a good place to watch new tv shows online ?

[@jesiahjakob2180]

@Dariel Kenneth Flixportal :P

[@darielkenneth2571]

@Jesiah Jakob thank you, signed up and it seems to work :) I really appreciate it!

[@jesiahjakob2180]

@Dariel Kenneth No problem :D

[@martensamulowitz347]

I watched 3 ted talks of him and my worldview and ideas of how things should work has basically turned 180 degrees. this mans ideas and his way of conveying them are incredible. Thanks for uploading! awesome talk, profoundly important insight

[@HI-cd8lz]

Can I have his name to watch his videos plz

[@cosmicjustice4139]

Great talk, and hits the nail on the head....most people have no connection with their company anymore because it's all about getting paid. Being part of a company is like being part of a ships crew...you're all in the same boat, and have to work together to keep it sailing. That's the only way to ensure you keep getting paid. If you aren't willing to pull your weight and put in some effort, then you're a fool for joining a company for the wrong reasons. If you only focus on ths money, you're setting yourself up for depression. That said, the other important point of this talk is how we create a system full of mundane jobs that have no real satisfaction. So do we hand it over to machines completely? Or perhaps we should set up a system wherein all employees start at the bottom and have equal opportunity to move up...neither work. What we really need to do is stop babying our children for so long. Teach them the reality of the world and the importance of pushing yourself to the next goal...whatever that goal may be. To teach them a craft and how to take pride in it. Instead, we willingly dumb our kids down and lie to them. They drift through public schools, with the majority having no clue whats really happening or where they are headed....then one day..."welcome to the world! Now, get a job". We can't make the world a better place for ourselves, but we can help our kids to see it in a different light so that they may succeed where we did not.

[@reneperez2126]

What is it with this guy that everytime he gives a lecture leave people wanted for more I. Mean hes so good in making us aware things being before our nose without us truly noticing I think hes truly gifted

[@jorgegomezg.3484]

" The secret to happiness is low expectations" B.Schwartz Inspirational! #Feel free Sisyphus

[@hoarfyt]

Adam Smith was one of the first to recognize that the division of labour increased the production but was alienating, he was not the short sighted moron portrayed in here. In fact whenever you disagree with Smith on any topic, chances are you are probably the one who is wrong. Ted talks are usually shallow answers for deep problems but this one is by far the most idealistic thing I have seen here and I mean it in the original sense of the word idealism.

[@RumoAoSul]

Schwartz's main idea is perfectly fit in to the thinking of the man in your photograph.

[@zuutlmna]

Having a mundane job was the most mentally invigorating, refreshing, essential part of my life! (Retired now, but going back to work for therapeutic and human connectivity value..-being part of the human milieu..). Work can be very-very therapeutic. It's in the way many mundane activities have of distracting our focus, allowing us to refocus, etc.. Work has a built-in health-giving psychological process.. Sometimes, the more mundane, monotonous the work activity, the greater the mentally restorative effect! This is a phenomenon known to some religious/spiritual movements or practices.. So there's positive healthy distraction/focus, and then there's the more common Western hyper-materialistic distractions that can potentially undermine. Some work/jobs can, of course, be more therapeutic than others.. Depends on the person (personality type may be relevant to the work/job). So my opinion is that there's a valid argument for also rethinking how we work our way into our senior years, -with maybe a different spin on conventional "end of working for a living" retirement. To me, it's mind-boggling that there's very little in print on the health imparting aspects of doing work.. I think when we begin to have a better, more thorough (more holistic) understanding of work, we'll begin to get our collective work-ethic back, as a society. In fact i have a theory about the mentally harmful effects of not having work, "work deprivation".. Little thought-tidbit brought to you by a rank-and-file INFP. Thanks for reading! Now then, everybody back to work! Busy, busy, busy! Vitamin "W"!!

[@christophervishy8273]

Thank you for that, I have tremendous respect for people in the trades and one day I hope I will get the kind of job where I am able to self-therapeutize to the right degree. We all need interpersonal connection, without it we become unhealthy

[@tommessig2060]

it's always frustrating when people pose problems but don't provide any sort of solution. what a cop-out.

[@metzgergine]

+Tom Messig when they do, they are treated as dumb anti captitalists... and the flag you have as your profile picture can mean you're not open on these ideas... if so, until you might be, enjoy factoryline jobs underpaid low skill jobs... (don't missunderstand, i'm only implying the actual way of doing things is the reason/cause of the poverty/incapability for people to live decently...)

[@SangoProductions213]

+Tom Messig Indeed, it is frustrating. But, let's drop the "importance" down a notch. Let's say you are playing a game. And then, something doesn't work right. Perhaps you fall through the floor. What do you do? You just tell the developers or who ever reads the forums, and hope they have the answer. You don't know the code. You likely don't even know the reason. You just know (what you perceive to be) the problem.

[@tommessig2060]

SangoProductions21 Good point, I guess it's better than nothing.

[@JoeMama-house]

@Secure Administrator basic inome is a bandaid to the problem. Not a solution.

[@JoeMama-house]

i mean he did bring up revolution....

[@ReekieReels]

Speaking as a Scot, Adam Smith was not an Industrialist, nor was he responsible for starting the Industrial Revolution. Adam Smith was an Economist and a Moral Philosopher. It was the better part of a century before his ideas (expressed in the Wealth of Nations) were adopted in his country of birth (Britain), Richard Arkwright mechanized textiles in the 1750s and effectively kicked the whole thing off. Wealth of Nations, not wealth of nation! Smiths book was largely about trade, and the motivation for civic duty, expressed through economic activity. ''It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.'' - Adam Smith

[@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive]

I've always hated this system of working the monotonous jobs over and over and over, the only way to get out of it is to be successful at something you are passionate about or be a homeless hippie.

[@bloomflora1105]

Ahh the question that I need answered for a while!!

[@AsifIcarebear3]

The sad fact of the matter is that we can't all be doctors, lawyers, engineers, inventors, or artists. There simply has to be a majority of menial laborers - at least with the current system, where we can't just wish goods and services into existence. This talk is very lofty and nice, but it wasn't some evil invention that made society what it is. It's simply capitalism. If anything is ever to change, it'll be on the backs of robots doing our work for us, so that we're free to do what we please.

[@myreneario7216]

+AsifIcarebear3 Well, if robots come around and automate all labor, there will definitely be change, but we shouldn´t just sit around doing nothing, but rather try to direct the change in the right direction. If all menial labor was automated today it might not necessarily result in a society where we´re free to do what we please, but rather in a society, where almost all people are unemployed and don´t get anything (which would be really stupid if everything can automatically be produced). And whether automation of all labor leads to one scenario or another depends on social and cultural factors, basically the way we think about stuff, so I would claim questioning the way we think about work can be important.

[@milford30]

+AsifIcarebear3 How do you propose to stop the companies that built the robots to not charge for it?

[@Synthminator]

+AsifIcarebear3 And capitalism itself is much nicer than the lives in medieval times, or feudal times, or in any dictatorship that came after that all the way in the XX century, and that still plagues more than half the world. There is a much greater degree of choice. But this view of meaning on work is also a very romanticized BS...work is boring and numb about 80% of the time at best. I do what i like to do, and still this ratio applies. The other 20% are f%#¤ng worth it though!!

[@milford30]

AsifIcarebear3 Poor is a relative term, till you end up with 2 people with 1 rich person and a poor person, and the poor person gets killed.... Reaching a fully automated system, means true A.I, able to program for themselves and reach max efficiency, humans are obsolete, sooner or later become extinct because humans are inefficient, or you have the Matrix....

[@AsifIcarebear3]

***** Democracy was just an idea once.

[@prashantpandey5129]

one of the most enlighting talks

[@a.s1035]

We work to pay our expenses like an accommodation, food, clothes, education, transport and other desires like hobbies, trips, etc. But this doesn’t mean we live just to work. What is the point of working lots of hours and earning lots of money if later you are stressed and tired and don’t have free time to spend it and enjoy it? It’s totally non sense! We have to balance work with enjoying life! How? Working not too many hours a week that allows us to have enough spare time to relax, socialise and enjoy our hobbies, and very important, working of something that really gratifies you and makes you feel rewarded. Mental health and free time to enjoy life, over making lots of money and having no social life.

[@MrMartinBigger]

this is brilliant!!

[@oriol_fp]

bruuuutal!! cuanta razón! espectacular punto de vista!!

[@XuanNguyen-nf3bi]

brilliant, explain in simple way.

[@ashleighbrotton5021]

I work in a call centre.. i feel this.

[@davarokrollberg9796]

Great talk, one of the best for a while

[@ksyub4956]

책을 보고 강연을 찾아보게 되었습니다. 동기부여에 대한 주제로 책을 찾아서 읽어보다가 교수님의 사회전반적인 시스템에 대한 문제로까지 확장되는 사고의 즐거움을 하게되었습니다.

[@eSKAone-]

Exactly. I'm 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟

[@beldonhuang]

Perhaps this is one of the underlying reasons why today, increasingly more people would choose or be inspired to create a business on their own. I think what Barry is arguing, if I am correct, in this short, less-than-10-minute talk is that, as one of the effects of a capitalistic society ever since the rise of the Industrial Revolution, we have become trapped in the cycle of thinking that work is merely an errand we have to do 5 days a week to survive. Leave alone work-life balance for many of us or satisfaction and wellbeing, sadly, a lot of us do not find joy in what we do. Hope this video and talk by Barry can be a start in the way of not only how work should mean for us, and how, in the future, jobs can be designed in such a way that we may also, hopefully, find some fulfillment in.

[@JohnVKaravitis]

I wrote an essay about the philosophy of work in "Downton Abbey and Philosophy." Worth reading. Cheers.

[@toufikasart2817]

Can you plz show me that?

[@LimmingKenny]

Barry Schwartz previous ted talks were great too, encourage all to view all of Barry Schwartz ted talks if you like this one

[@bbatman360]

It looks like I'm as stupid as I can become then...

[@ajhaward5522]

Pretty much

[@DeepValueOptions]

+bbatman360 What you fight you are stuck with but what you accept you transcend.

[@supercoolio120]

That means your only way to go is up.... to be un-stupid :)

[@carlanderson8799]

+bbatman360. Well, I think, which your "self ironic" sentence proves, is that you (and we all) are in a "waking up" state - and therefor we are no longer "as stupid as we can become" - we are slowly leaving that state, I would say. Just because we start to see and understand that we are used/have been used and that we are all sort of slaves in the system doesn't make us "dumb" - instead we are in the beginning of making a far better world, with help of technology and awareness.

[@j_freed]

I think it is interesting that many people can't wait to retire, so that they can for example build acoustic guitars or become expert carpenters or master furniture restorers. They dream of finally being able to buy a countryside bed-and-breakfast, or run a small café or a European kitchen in a part of town they love. None of these passions are expressed in their life work with me up to this point. There is only this time we called "later." And in 20 years we not regret anything we did, but only what we did not.

[@eSKAone-]

Exactly. I'm 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟

[@MarcoMedina_P]

I think I would love to buy this book now.

[@slave2truth4freedom]

Brilliant!

[@user-nv3zf7ch2s]

It’s amazing that we all/ or hopefully most of us understand it, but in a century there’s no way to change or to survive(period) if you are the minority, when we can define everything to be ‘’correct’’

[@TNHODA]

6:50 exactly this is what (many?) people seem to not understand. By saying a certain race or minority is more criminal or problematic than other actually makes people from that race or minority act like it (subconciously). If you think you'll fail, the chance you fail is bigger than when you think you'll succeed. Luckily there is a solution. It's simply becoming more aware of yourself, your innerworld, your responses to everything. Some say 95% of our behavior is subconcious, I do really believe that is the case for most people. People like to think they're in control, but think about it: from what point on did you REALLY start choosing? It was not when your parents decided to have you. It was not when (and where) you were born. It was not who your family was. It was not the neighborhood you grew up in or the school (if you even went to one). The culture you grew up in? Things you find important (faith, political stance, money). Look at your surroundings, do they represent your life style because you choose to life like that? Or did it shape you? When did you start choosing?

[@uqkhan]

So watching this talk and reading some of the comments, I couldn't stop myself from responding here. Some would call it religious but think of it from a philosophical perspective. If I tell you that providing the basics (food, shelter, bills) is my responsibility, you would do better/greater things in where you see purpose. Not something that you're just mindlessly doing. Right? I think all monotheistic religions (or other one's too maybe, not sure) give the idea that your sustenance is God's responsibility. And you have to do great work on earth for fellow humans. Now If we just start believing that for once. And act with faith that there will be sustenance. We can still do great things. The issue with this is that in order to do it, we have to have that strong a faith. Which is hard. So we want to manage those things ourselves. And most of us end up just managing those very things and never growing up towards greatness.

[@thisisntallowed9560]

Humans aren't lazy, they're depressed and overworked

[@jimroscovius]

I don't believe it. People nowadays don't work anywhere near as hard as we did a number of years ago. Unless you're a farmer or a trade worker, you aren't working very hard. They need to stop whining and start working!!

[@jimroscovius]

Years ago, people worked to put food on the table. Now they think they should work only when they feel like it and have food handed to them through handouts.

[@presidential3228]

@@jimroscoviusyou obviously dont live on planet earth

[@jimroscovius]

@@presidential3228 Why do you say that? Because I believe in working for a living and not taking government handouts? Back when we were first married, we were flat broke. We were getting calls from bill collectors, and even got an eviction notice. Do you how many handouts we took? None. We clawed our way out on our own. I've been laid off a number of times. Do you know how many handouts I took? None. I always had another job within a month. After one layoff, I qualified for a program where I would get 50% of the difference if I took a lower-paying job, until I hit $10,000 or 6 months, whichever came first. I got one payment, because I found a higher paying job within a month. If I can survive without handouts, so can anyone else because I'm not that special. Those who don't are just lazy.

[@presidential3228]

@@jimroscovius true but not everyone can do what you do, doesnt mean they are lazy.

[@RiverElias]

It’s much more simple. We work because we all have needs that need to be met. There are so many of us that we now have to spend large parts of our day meeting the needs of other people, and we do get rewarded for it. With what? An object that we’ve all agreed has value to meet our own individual desires and needs. It gives us more choices. The work has to happen regardless if we want to survive.

[@Grumpini]

"How is it that we allow the majority of the people on the planet to do work that is monotonous, meaningless, and soul-deadening?" Because someone has to do that work.

[@ShakinJamacian]

+Cetifiably Snuggly And yet, that is changing, but our ideas about it are not. Automation is going to eventually do all of that work, but with the way we value work, this will actually punish those who lose those jobs. We're not making nearly enough jobs as technology is disrupting, and with our idea that everyone must work, a race against the machines will only result in a crash.

[@milford30]

+ShakinJamacian I would say it results in a roll over by the machines, and a generation of people will be forfeited, branded as lazy people.

[@Bastogne1944]

We all, if not a majority of the population are too busy trying to live a lifestyle or we are stuck in one. "There is no reality only perception" - Dr. Phil (TV host)

[@matth1839]

Must be nice to live in your world.

[@xDMrGarrison]

+Danger King Does mr or miss Cactus really need to elaborate? It's obvious that it means that most beings don't enjoy their work. I don't know the mind of a cactus, but I can imagine if it is bored by the profound mundaneness of its existence.

[@matth1839]

***** It's Mr, and yeah, you pretty much nailed it.

[@matth1839]

Danger King I understood the point of the video, I was just being flippant. The fact that he has made it illustrates that he doesn't live in the same world as one of what he describes as the 'majority of people'. The source of our poverty that he is asking us to identify is the minority of people that employ us. Those who like being wealthy and have no intention of not being wealthy, who do not want to do the 'soul crushing and demeaning' work that we do, so they pay someone else to do it. People, like him and the dozens of people in that room, who live in a world where you can just get together and verbally jerk each other off about improving the lot of the majority so that they can actually sleep at night with the knowledge that their greed is the problem. People who live in a world in which gaining enjoyment from your work is even conceivable, let alone possible. I don't live there, and would like to.

[@fahimahmed7439]

+Holstered Cactus Why in all this are you assuming that you must be submissive to the 'wealthy'? Is there really no way for you to do worthwhile work? A very 'look at them' attitude... It won't get you anywhere.

[@chromanin]

+Holstered Cactus Actually it's the greed (and guilt) of people who vote for extravagant social spending and the greed of the politicians who take those votes and sell their tax-slaves down the creek. It should make no difference to a low income earner whether the rich person is a millionaire or billionaire, what matters is that each of his own dollars doesn't buy half of what they did 20 years ago and that's the government & brainwashed mob's fault.

[@welumamoura6900]

I was think about it days ago....

[@mcgahey82]

Wow. Heavy.

[@gulerekinciyasamilebagkur4428]

the human idea more important than tecnology. and people should useful own idea for work. people should not forget human nature.

[@tacticalnewfie2922]

Finally a good video.

[@acajudi100]

I worked to support myself, travel, get an education, and help non beggars. I love my computer jobs, and ignored the evil co workers. Living well was my best revenge. My parents did not have inside trading to make them billionaires, or accept payoffs from lobbyists, and foreign countries. You do live paycheck to paycheck, when housing and utilities takes 70% of our income. I worked overtime, extra jobs etc. My penion was the first time I had savings, and I was lied to about health insurance, so God is my doctor.

[@RalphDratman]

+k3nny111 I agree with your approach. It makes no sense to redesign a social system without first carefully figuring out in detail how the new design is going to function.

[@Szchandler]

if only we start thinking in terms of energy, work would make more sense, but we have always thought in terms of money.

[@jamespardee8534]

FINALLY!!!

[@oiinvadar]

Damm that guy was good!

[@Anomyos]

We already have words for a such thing. Religion = Idea Technology = Way of thinking = World View When your company's (Group) or your's Computer (World view) can't longer effectively support latest software (Cannot help to solve problems), that requires certain requirements (Facts) to be filled. In that case you or your company just needs to get a new computer which solves all problems. Sadly most of the people do not want to throw a old pc away, because their very own and only meatbag (Body and mind) were used to the older one. Moving into a unknown is almost never easy. That's why only few dare to go there alone and even less want to share their way. Some have facts to back them up, some just have faith and some are just feeling lucky. Which one Would you trust? We need to learn to trust into new computers. Your first selection of computers do not please you? You can try a new ones till your money or 14 day return policy last (European thing) or you can just use your old computer and deal with the problem a other way. (I have a no idea who this Barry is) Fix my Grammar please.

[@mediastarguest]

Some good points made by the speaker and some good points made by people commenting below. I would like him to explain why it is possible to own the land but not possible to own the sea or the air. Now here´s my point, which is not subjective nor an opinion, it is a fact: POVERTY is not part of nature like the clouds, rivers and trees and daylight. Nature or the universe did not give us p o v e r t y - it is an entirely human invention, mankind´s most significant contribution to the world.

[@SuperLammens]

mediastarguest I found his message interesting and very important as I agree that ideas are indeed rarely questioned, what is poverty(the lack of physical goods according to our western extractive unsustainable system) I would rather be poor in this way and rich in spirit and mind and knowledge and relations with other humans and other species. GDP is one of those strange things to measure material wealth poverty of a country and it's citizens. If wealth is measured in transactions of currency then sick people in a sick society add to yr wealth in rich countries where fake money is circulating more and jobs in health related sector are numerous. I'd rather live in a "material" poor village in Africa eating healthy and surrounded by family and community members being healthy emotionally and physically then living as a work slave in a western country and needing doctors, therapist, hospitals, nursery's... to keep me alive but miserable emotionally and physically

[@IgnacioAguilarToledo]

You were born naked. The only reason why you are dressing today is preciselly because we humans worked naked for a loooong time to achieve the wealth we can enjoy today, but the natural state of humanity is poverty. It's not like food or healthcare falls from the sky you know. There are people working in mundaine jobs behind all of that. The fact that there are some who don't it's a miracle from only the last 100 years, not the norm in human history

[@CartoonManWhoo]

a group of founders/colonizers decided that EVERYONE beneath them was inferior and as a result the poverty/wealth paradigm was invented.

[@KarlosEPM]

@@SuperLammens I think what you mention is objectively true. We are now losing quality of life due to overdoing science/industrialization and destroying our own nature- environment and human gregariousness. Former migrants from so called 3rd world countries who had gone en quest of a better life to developed countries are returning to their "poor" countries because of this. Life is not what we see in tv, we are still animals and haven't evolved to sit in front of a computer and speak to no one, breath smog and eat platicky overprocessed crap. But it's hard for people who know nothing else to dismiss these ideas. Weird times we live in.

[@user-rb5xs5lw8p]

Humanism in Karl Marx's mind is a belief that each individual can dominate his or her own life according to the principle of spontaneity and voluntariness in the context of social reality, an authentic form of labor, i.e., the acquisition of self-knowledge in the process of interacting with nature and its material resources. In short, you engage in production for survival, know yourself in the process, and gain meaning for your existence, while loving the activity from the bottom of your heart. Most of Marx's early writings take this as a starting point to critique the alienated labor of man under the conditions of capitalist society. In the Philosophical Manuscripts of Economics, Marx wrote that the basic economic fact of capitalist production is alienated labor, i.e., the industrial worker produces in his or her labor something that is not his or her own, and receives a reward that cannot be equated with what he or she produces. At the same time, industrial production deprives labor of its autonomy and innovation. Labor is just a series of separated monotonous repetitive actions that do not lead to pleasure or cognition.

[@beldonhuang]

The most academic, educational and informative comment I've seen on TED so far. Thanks for this and your time!

[@user-rb5xs5lw8p]

A necessary prerequisite for communism is a very high level of productivity, and the collapse of the Soviet Union is a good example of this. My personal opinion: unfortunately, the productivity of human beings is now far from what Marx said about productivity in the communist era, but AI gives us human beings hope.@@beldonhuang

[@reddir]

How is this not already widely understood? Do people not talk about this? I'm sure almost anyone who considers work and engagement must have some idea about this.

[@eSKAone-]

Exactly. I'm 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟

[@arthurdent6256]

Did he say anything? I'm a factory worker and thus must be a complete moron but I could have sworn he said absolutely nothing.

[@lordmetroid]

+Nathan C. You are absolutely correct!

[@metzgergine]

+Nathan C. he did... but well... if the point has gone through without ringing a bell, well... it makes his point valid

[@arthurdent6256]

Kuzko Ha, my small auto-worker brain gets the joke. Really though, all he said is that we need to change the way we think about work. That's like saying racism is bad or prostitution isn't fun.

[@stevestyles559]

I think that if this video was titled "Ideas Matter" you may have gotten more out of it.

[@RalphDratman]

+Nathan C. Racism is bad but prostitution is unsatisfying

[@Raanan613]

It doesn't have to be that way & it wasn't that way everywhere. In Havana, Cuba as well as certain southern US towns, cigar factories had lectors read newspapers & other material to the workers.

[@hippoo25]

well, at the end of day some one has got to do those kind of "boring" jobs, right? It has sth to do with your family, your education, your effort in learning knowledge and yourself in the pass, after all. Of course, it's never too late to improve to transform.

[@danielobi7169]

Facts

[@geot4647]

True, but the very nature of mass production leads to drudgery one way or another. The original Luddites weren't so much protesting new technology as forced regimentation. They were told to work in factories vs. keeping their former self-sufficient lives and skills they'd developed.

[@Ken19700]

I was expecting a more scientific explanation for the title of this video but it's nothing but an 8 minute rant.

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

One can learn about life from a mundane job.. and then it will no longer be mundane but worth more than a University education. I learned from my hedge trimming business all the nuances of life.. one in particular.. When one sprig stands up above all the rest.. I (life) have to cut it down..

[@imre.peto1983]

Everybody should be given enough money to be get on, then we would do fulfilling work. I met a guy. He worked in a factory and in his free time he went to the church choir and then he was offered to join a good Budapest theater choir.

[@JonathanHartwig]

Make your dreams come true or you'll spend your life making someone else's dreams come true.

[@mariavairo1640]

Jonathan, primero tenes q saber (tomar conciencia) de que PODES tener sueños. Y eso depende de quien te crió. SI, ya sé, de vos también, algunos, demasiados, años después...

[@michaelcurry3111]

How about this for an idea... the main point he is making isn't the particular work per se, but the meaning behind the work. How can we give more meaning to the work we do? For one, we can stop working for money and work for something more meaningful. How can this be done you ask? Allow people to be part owners in the business. Rather than working for a pay check, you are now working to make the company better and ultimately you make more money. Rather than a bunch of hourly employees a company would have a bunch of owners each owning a small share of the business. How will the average laborer buy into the business? They work for their share of the company. For example, for 5% of the company they work x amount of hours. This would give the average worker a lot more incentive to do a better job and it would give the job more meaning. Obviously, there would have to be clauses written to protect against people quitting or not pulling their own wait. To finish, the entrepreneur would start a company and get the most equity and the workers (laborers) would all share in the rest of the equity. Thoughts?

[@Longboard914]

so now what do i do?

[@MetsuryuVids]

+Jeff Hlavatovic We need to implement a Basic Income, so that people won't be forced to work anymore to earn a living. That will incentivize even more automation, and even more people will be free not to work and do whatever they want to instead.

[@MuadDib1402]

+Jeff Hlavatovic Open a breakfast cafe in the trendy part of town and charge £4.50 for cereal, with the option to add a specialty milk for a further £1.50.

[@clearmenser]

+My ex-wife This sounds like a perfectly reasonable business plan. Dunno the red tape of it, but the profit looks sick.

[@tommessig2060]

+Metsuryu with welfare we kind of already have this. i know lots of people who haven't worked for years and their basic needs are met. the problem comes when they try to live beyond their means.

[@Forseenlife]

John Malkovich that totalitarian socialism. You my friend want a dictatorship. That would make a great new planet. Go explore!

[@treborironwolfe978]

@01:47 -- I cannot help but wonder if some of the ancient Holy scriptures were warning of what you describe here... (loose translation/expression), "selling our souls to the devil".

[@Kevin-Schmevin]

Well the good news is that most of these brainless jobs will be eliminated by guys like me (engineer/mba) pretty soon as we develop AI and robotics to do these jobs. There's really no reason to have any employees in McDonalds, or Walmart, or grocery stores, and it's not going to be long before they're gone. The real problem then is what to do with the majority of American's who will have no prospects for income? We'd better implement a basic income soon, because simply watching people starve to death as corporations grow profits by eliminating jobs is so fundamentally unfair that it will certainly bring an end to our democracy. This will soon become the biggest threat our country has ever faced and the fact that so few people are talking about it is pretty scary.

[@depthoffield4744]

Plumber should have a TED talk.

[@user-do7if2yv7h]

WOW

[@3rdaxis609]

Sometimes human brain actually works.. like in this video.

[@victorpinasarnault9135]

Wow

[@darsoulr]

I'm insane going more insane and a survival part of my mind kicked kn

[@JanAndhisfiets]

So what can we conclude out of this? (don't get the conclusion he tries to get across)

[@BN-ff3nw]

Schwartz misses the point. He had the answer why people work right there in the beginning: "We have to make a living" (0:39). That's all there is to it. THAT's what's obvious; all the other points he mentions don't describe work. Work is an action performed to sustain one's existence. We work to get paid and we use that pay to sustain ourselves. Every action that goes beyond sustaining oneself is not work. People with capital (a.k.a. the means to sustain people) exploit the needs of people without capital, which is why people work tedious jobs. If they wouldn't, they would die, either directly through hunger or indirectly because of the lack of shelter etc. To suggest that people work because of false ideas about work is ironically a false idea about work itself and needs to be abolished because it obscures the real reasons why people can be exploited and thus supports the exploiters.

[@felixthecrazy]

Well who is supposed to do the meaningless and soulless work? And if those jobs are eliminated/automated what will those who did those jobs do for income?

[@felixthecrazy]

But isn't a "Resource Based Economy" how we all started out thousands of years ago? Seems like human nature kind of found that not to work as societies became more developed.

[@MarkoKraguljac]

+John Malkovich Jacque* I made the same mistake long ago.

[@milford30]

+John Malkovich So we somehow come up with self maintained robots, and in 2 generations no one knows how to fix them if anything goes wrong? Just like there the stock market is so complex no one actually know how every part of it works anymore, and there is nothing you can do in a crash except spend less/cut jobs/print more money?

[@Patrick-ud3vu]

I'm having flash backs to George Carlin's comments on the human species.

[@dean7603]

Oh it's broken is it ? Who dropped it ? Maybe the class of billionaires and politicians who have an interest in keeping it this way. It's designed this way

[@tobelebo9]

Or the more logical answer: Because many tasks are soulcrushing by default! currently many jobs can be automated but even more can't be automated for many differend reasons. And many jobs which require humans are repetitive, which causes the job to be soul crushing.

[@michaelrosche]

What different reasons or types of jobs can't we automate?

[@hungh0]

+Michael Rosche only limit would be our technology & level of AI

[@michaelrosche]

+Danger King watch this video (humans need not apply) robots are more creative and better at making complex decisions than humans, hence everything can be automated. We have this bias thought that humans are the smartest but we have machines that exist now that can out perform us physically and mentally in many ways. So automating everything is just a tedious step that needs to be taken but it's already in our grasp and we are getting there.

[@milford30]

+Michael Rosche Robots are more creative and better at making decisions? Did you build a true A.I while I wasn't looking? All human created robots NOW are pre-programmed, they are only as creative as the software engineer that built them i.e you see x keyword, run event y.... as for decisions, all data analysis now is just playing with a set of logic routines set by the programmer, i.e stock falls below 5000 then sell as quickly as possible.

[@michaelrosche]

mil ford Robots can learn now, meaning they learn from their mistakes and progress at an exponential rate. E.g. Watson, read up on it, and also computers that beat humans at chest, the moves that are possible 3 steps into a game are more than the atoms in our observable universe but robotic brain can calculate the best path better than any human can. Seriously just watch the video 'humans need not apply'.

[@user-rn7xl3fl7j]

우성쌤 이거 시험 내주셔서 감사합니당 ❤️❤️

[@Byemiek]

pls, subtitle in spanish!

[@edgarmorales4476]

Because the Ego (the guardian of individuality) itself possesses the electric momentum of Activity-Creativity and the emotional magnetic impulses of "Bonding-Rejection," whatever is born of the "Ego-drive" by its thoughts, feelings and actions, is charged with physical electromagnetic life which will produce replica life forms and will be eventually materialized within the life of the Ego-creator. These created forms not only manifest eventually as experiences but also disturb the functioning of the physical processes of their creator and are the origin of physical discomforts or viruses or diseases. ​ Therefore, is it a great cause for rejoicing when the soul emerges from its encapsulating human consciousness of the Ego (the guardian of individuality), for the ascending spiritual consciousness will create the harmonious life-giving conditions it holds in consciousness. Conversely, it is a cause for sorrow while the human consciousness is submerged in Ego control, producing upsets, trials and tribulations both in life experiences and the physical condition itself. Therefore, I tell you: if you do not like the world, you have it within your power to change the "conditions of existence," right where you are - if you have the faith and consistent will to do so. I repeat in another form to gain your attention: If you continue in your present level of human functioning and thought, you will only experience your present level of human existence. You will be bound down to working hard for a paltry living, beset by numerous problems, such as poverty, ill-health, addictions, immobilized by prostrating fear and exposed to ill-intentioned attacks of all kinds. You will be burdened by present conditions until you understand how to change them. This is the golden opportunity to take control of your lives as never before, by getting control of your thoughts and emotions - the electrical and magnetic impulses - the blueprints of your future experiences. For - you are like potters possessing clay and daily shaping pots and utensils for your use. CONSCIOUSNESS is the clay - the substance with which you make your life - and every condition pertaining to it. You, alone, shape your life into the forms you experience. By your thoughts, you can change your personal future - if you will but accept the Christ Letters, A Course In Miracles and A Course Of Love. You can affect your environment, your homes, families, work, the people you associate with, and even plants, animals and climate. Whatever you hold steadfastly in mind externalizes.

[@murdochc5062]

I enjoyed when Barry used to call Clay Douglas

[@jeremyebert3309]

Translation: Don't be a garbageman, because being a garbageman is beneath your dignity - you're better than that. Leave those jobs for the people whose existence is meaningless anyways.

[@MRSketch09]

You know.. if I didn't get almost a quarter of my paycheck taken away before I even see the darn thing. I'd be working less and doing the things I enjoy. But since there is no state-hotline I can call to opt in and out of certain services.. I'm screwed. I live in one of these states with a glorious income tax, because federal income just wasn't enough. Yay! #Sarcasm

[@mariavairo1640]

Tecnología of ideas: the Master of it , mi MADRE, o "lo" q te crie, Es lo q introduce en tu cabecita(mientras te da, con muucha suerte, la teta) lo q empezarás siendo: en relación a eso, es el tiempo q te llevará "Rehabilitarte". A mi me llevó 60 años pero estoy contenta, hay gente q nunca lo logra...

[@mariavairo1640]

4: perfecto!!!

[@MRSketch09]

@@mariavairo1640 Listen, I don't speak Spanish, I used google translate, and got something about " 60 years & some never make it".. . I appreciate the response, I just wish you'd been a little more transparent on what your talking about.

[@serradjsoma8240]

❤❤❤❤

[@vonnavicagad1900]

same analogy on GENDER-it is a social construct, its fluid. Thank you sir

[@gustavojohannessautter9484]

So the point of the video is that humans work for satisfaction, not for just money?

[@sea_triscuit7980]

Then they trap people who have kids and responsibilities. I see a bunch of commenters (young kids) saying they're quitting their job. Not going to lie, I'm jealous, I wish I had the means to just up and leave my job but the problem is anything I qualify for is on the line between work and indentures servitude.

[@mercantilism954]

Great thoughts but what can we do? What can I do? Nothing

[@eSKAone-]

I'm 40 years old and live in the center of beautiful Heidelberg Germany. I inhabit a flat with 2 students, to save money. I can walk to work (ICU nurse), but I have an old used bike for less then 200 bucks. I don't need to travel. Heidelberg is paradise. No car, no kids. I only work part time so I have enough money for my hobbies: Bouldering, Running, Gaming on Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch (when our house burns down, I can't lose those games, I own them in the cloud). Life is beautiful nowadays, why would I waste it at work. I only buy cloths when I really need them, mostly cheap. You can eat healthy for 5 bucks a day (coffee included). I consider whole grain pasta to be healthy, but you should have them split up in to maximum 2 meals a day, and with a good amount of healthy plant seed oils (I prefer olive). Other than that I eat nuts and vegetables. Only drink water, coffee, and tea without milk or sugar. If you're vegan have your vit.B12 and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids (like algae oil), maybe vit.D if you're a nightshift worker or not out in the sun much, and you're good. I'm 40 years old, athletic, everyone thinks I'm much younger. Take good care of your bodies folks and enjoy life 💟

[@gardnerj44]

as someone who used to bus tables, i look at people in janitorial positions, and i think, "that shouldnt exist. that position shouldnt exist. we should all clean up after ourselves. why is someone else cleaning up after me?"

[@supercoolio120]

+gardnerj44 Janitorial work is fine, but what is really disgusting is how much they get paid. For someone who does such an important job such as them, they should be getting paid double.

[@Patrick-ud3vu]

Why does the human species work for currency? Does any other species on this planet have any type of monetary in their culture?

[@leagueoflanky]

I have to write an essay on this. It's a shame he is literally rambling

[@vincentkeyes9854]

I am currently going through this dilemma as well. I can't even remember hardly anything he said lol

[@binglebangle8661]

TONGUE TECHNOLOGY

[@jussara_lima.manicure]

Muito bom🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 show

[@bw6639]

I hate Goin to work every day myself lol but I go anyways l...

[@Anastasia-xp3qt]

May the Schwartz be with you!

[@marce11o]

I don't understand. In the case of the assembly line worker - that is work that needs to be done by whoever is willing to do it in exchange for money. However, there are some jobs that I wonder are created just for the sake of someone having a job. I thought he was going to talk about that.

[@ralphschraven339]

How much dimension can you add to an assembly line? How interesting can you make putting caps on bottles? We don't let people do monotonous tasks that they would only do for money because we are inconsiderate. We do it because otherwise there is no production of goods. How else are you planning on getting that cap on the bottle? Or the box of bottles into a warehouse? Before robots can do it, a human will have to do that job. All he needed to do is give an example of a kind of structural change within a company that _could_ make such jobs more interesting. Something to make me feel like he's not preaching, but actually making sense. Now it just sounds like someone who gets on stage and says "bad things in the world are bad" and then leaves the stage. I can't imagine how that's going to help us get rid of this issue. Also, I object to calling monotonous work "meaningless". Surely, there is a lot of meaning to a task that allows a factory, and thereby society, to operate properly. Now who exactly did you say is belittling their work again? The guy that started the industrial revolution and realized the necessity of these workers? Or someone who calls these people "cogs in a weel" and calls their work meaningless and monotonous?