It’s called the ”Flynn effect” — the fact that each generation scores higher on an IQ test than the generation before it. Are we actually getting smarter, or just thinking differently? In this fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn suggests that changes in the way we think have had surprising (and not always positive) consequences.
Historian George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the modern computer — from its 17th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of some early computer engineers.
Who controls the internet? Increasingly, the answer is large corporations and governments — a trend that’s threatening digital privacy and access to information online, says web developer Tamas Kocsis. In this informative talk, Kocsis breaks down the different threats to internet freedom and shares his plan to build an alternative, decentralized network that returns power to everyday users.
Hundreds of ”dialogue coffee” meetings later, Cekic shares how face-to-face conversation can be one of the most powerful forces to disarm hate — and challenges us all to engage with people we disagree with.
This talk was presented at “We the Future,” a special event in partnership with the Skoll Foundation and the United Nations Foundation.
Designer Tea Uglow is creating a future in whoch humanity’s love for natural solutions and simple tools can coexist with our need for information and the devices that provide us with it. ”Reality is rocher than screens,” she says. ”We can have a happy place filled with the information we love that feels as natural as switching on lightbulb.”
Technology architect Fadi Chehadé helped set up the infrastructure that makes the internet work — essential things like the domain name system and IP address standards. Today he’s focused on finding ways for society to benefit from technology. In a crisp conversation with Bryn Freedman, curator of the TED Institute, Chehadé discusses the ongoing war between the West and China over artificial intelligence, how tech companies can become stewards of the power they have to shape lives and economies and what everyday citizens can do to claim power on the internet.
