Why do we have to go to school, really? | Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Ph.D. | TEDxNashville

The reason is not what your parents told you - and has to do with how 16 billion cortical neurons give us human capabilities, but not abilities Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Ph.D., is a biologist and neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University, where she is Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on what different brains are made of; what that matters in terms of cognition, energy cost, and longevity; and how the human brain is remarkable, but not special, in its makeup. She is the author of The Human Advantage (MIT Press, 2016), in which she tells the story of her discoveries on how many neurons different species have-and how the number of neurons in the cerebral cortex of humans is the largest of them all, thanks to the calories amassed with a very early technology developed by our ancestors: cooking. She spoke at TEDGlobal 2013 and TEDxNashville 2018 and is an avid communicator of science to the general public. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@CarlosAugusto-yr3bn]

I'm so proud of her, a Brazilian talking to TED

[@dmb555]

Suspeitei que fosse pelo nome!

[@OrangesXx]

I remember when i used to go to school (i was autistic) my “friend” took me around the whole playground and asked everyone (even the boys, older and younger years) to play with me. They all said no :( i used to take the gifts from magazines/comics and give them out to my random children asking them to play with me, i was only 8-9 at the time but liked to “act like a baby” by bringing toddler toys and dummies/pacies to school. Now i am 14 and home-educated and learn through doing things you would do in every day life, i have 3 jobs, i have an online business, deliver letters to people in the early morning and babysit. My 16 year old sister works at a cafe, my 25 year old sister is an educational psychologist and my brother has 2 kids and a girlfriend. We did terrible in school and hardly did any work at all :) keep trying if your struggling with anything at all ❤

[@fanestimothy6637]

But I think School is not the only place to learn and shape our brain. There's other solutions to that rather than school. Not all of us get to have good school systems.

[@tionneanddavid]

And you think well.

[@neptune0909]

Exactly....... The greatest genius of all time never went to school.. SCHOOLS were not even there at that time.. Still the greatest he became.. His father just taught vinci to read and write .. He learned from curiosity, from experience not from information... THIS IS WHERE SCHOOLS ACTUALLY LACK! THEY KILL CURIOSITY SAYING "IT'S A SILLY QUESTION" OR "DON'T DISTURB THE WHOLE CLASS"

[@absolutelynot524]

Yes, I think education is more important than school. not all schools offer decent education, other institutions and platforms besides school can also offer education.

[@thesecondslit1710]

I can't get enough of this woman speaking. She is the first person ever to actually count neurons whatsoever. So unsung.

[@jrbresolin7616]

She is so amazing. I'm a geology student and I'm so inspired by her and her way of making science! I hope to become a scientist so useful to society and passionate for knowledge sharing as she is.

[@jovicpo]

Dra. Suzana, as always, giving great and inspiring lectures.

[@airtonsoares7844]

i think this is about pass the knowledgs , not necessarily about go to school. Unless, not the atctual form of school.

[@greenvibe3682]

I went to school just to make friends. Not learn actually.

[@markvincentordiz]

i'm thinking philosophical and ask that the same question right now...looking a quick answer in youtube and im here.

[@tionneanddavid]

Did you see the prince Ea video with the same title?

[@virtuouslyvirtual7626]

So glad I found this

[@pilarcama3269]

You always enlighten us. Suzana !

[@tompat9166]

Elephants has to digest plants for a long time to extract nutrients, it's efficient to eat prolonged in their case. Omnivore (humans) and carnivore can extract nutrient faster from meat even without manupulating it. It's silly for a scientist to make that time-required-to-eat statement.

[@alfredhitchcock45]

To be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, IT To learn how to read, write, compute, think critically

[@amandaseixas]

I love her so much.

[@ligiafascioni]

She is the best!

[@dayydayane3756]

Ela é um máximo!! Made in Brazil❤

[@marcellacals7221]

maravilhosa palestra!!!!!

[@neptune0909]

But schools are feeding info which is one click away.. The era of feeding knowledge is vanished really... Its just about memorise and pass and forget nothing more... We need to adapt self education to think and be knowledgeable... School's are just turning into a monopoly

[@pranshu123pandya]

I've chosen. I'm gonna teach for a living.

[@NirjharK]

I am a trader, your videos help to understand brain working, thank you 👏👏

[@maxton1279]

I don’t get it.If we have google why do we learn .

[@Ana-ko9px]

Googling is sometimes slower than knowing it

[@markthenice9089]

@@Ana-ko9px .0001% of time are slow

[@electricimpulsetoprogramming]

@@Ana-ko9px what about in the cases where what you said is not the case?

[@markthenice9089]

Did she say what I think she said school shaps your brain funny studies have showed that when you go to school you become less intelligent also it shapes you future to fall in life as if you didn’t go to school you would be smarter and able to understand what happens around you and you be self dependent and well prepared for your life

[@markthenice9089]

She probably was paid to say that by the schools or government

[@ColocasiaCorm]

More connections are pruned in school. Shaping is losing.

[@neptune0909]

Where's the technology to school?!

[@sunriselotus]

I believe learning skills important for survival and skills that you want that enhance creativity are important, but the current school system is…well it does not explain much. Why do we learn to read, write, talk, and do math? Well, it is because if we don’t, we won’t learn to survive in the human jungle. We won’t learn to make that dollar that we need to get food, shelter, and all necessary things for survival. We won’t be able to sustain ourselves and our loved ones. So you see, we just traded natures jungle, for the man made jungle. And schools are. Just an impression of that jungle that we have to get through to learn the skills needed for survival in the current times.

[@Anniecurls]

But why? Why do i have to make homeworks and i have my own interests and own goals. I'll tell u, school subjects and topics were very interesting. Imagine if you're not a human being and then u heard there's a creature that explains a certain thing works. But i lose interest in school lately and think to myself, i prefer reading my books at home bc school is my root of anxiety

[@adammoonlord2106]

if we have so much neurons, why human industrial IT technology started past 100-200 yrs and not 2000 yrs ago

[@ColocasiaCorm]

This started off well but failed when she glanced over the mutually exclusive tradeoff of the more we know as a species each new student is forced to accept at face value.

[@ColocasiaCorm]

The more we must accept at face value the less we learn and the riskier we are for dogma

[@dimgnu6569]

meanwhile in the US, want to contribute to the society development? that would be $100k

[@haithemlamri4376]

I respect you but i think schools teach you nothing. The person who did not want to school likely to be smarter and richer . Systems of education are so bad. We have inexprienced teachers doing their work badly. I think life is the learner not schools. And what i hate about schools is that it does not accept mistakes which is part of the learnig proccess .

[@kirapirrone1307]

This does not answer the question, really. "Why do I have to go to school,...?" This video would explain the question "Why not to go to school, really?" Really. Really!

[@kirapirrone1307]

Every single brain is unique. - That is why we have to go to school. I do not get it.

[@aperson6303]

First

[@troyhayder6986]

you are being mass produced...so you can get a job...to provide enough money to produce more whilst feeding a bigger fish... i just sit here drinking beer laughing at you... but im a lunatic...so what would i know???

[@electricimpulsetoprogramming]

LMAO