It's a Recipe for Civilizational Disaster -- TED Has Turned into an 'American Idol' for Science, ...

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/culture/its-recipe-civilizational-disaster-ted-has-turned-american-idol-science-philosophy-and-tech


It's a Recipe for Civilizational Disaster -- TED Has Turned into an 'American Idol' for Science, Philosophy and Tech

In our culture, talking about the future is sometimes a polite way of saying things about the present that would otherwise be rude or risky.

But have you ever wondered why so little of the future promised in TED talks actually happens? So much potential and enthusiasm, and so little actual change. Are the ideas wrong? Or is the idea about what ideas can do all by themselves wrong?

I write about entanglements of technology and culture, how technologies enable the making of certain worlds, and at the same time how culture structures how those technologies will evolve, this way or that. It's where philosophy and design intersect.

So the conceptualization of possibilities is something that I take very seriously. That's why I, and many people, think it's way past time to take a step back and ask some serious questions about the intellectual viability of things like TED.

So my TED talk is not about my work or my new book – the usual spiel – but about TED itself, what it is and why it doesn't work.

[etherealtruth]

1. I love TED talks

While I agree with the author that TED has become more inspirational infotainment than purely information, I disagree that this is a bad thing. It piques interest in subjects one may not have had previous interest in ... it inspires one to dig deeper. It introduces the viewer to new and interesting people and topics ... and yes, it does provide information (not in depth ... but the talks last 7 -20 minutes) ... this is why I think TED works.

the author likens TED to a "megachurch" ... a mega "church" for technology, philosophy and science ... is that really a bad thing?

[NV Whino]

2. I, too, love TED Talks

However, I think they've gotten too big. There's a lot of frivolous stuff, or infotainment. I listen to about one in ten these days where I used to listen to everything that was posted.

[dembotoz]

3. it is better than nothing we must remind ourselves that science and learning are good

[snooper2]

4. TED is like IT for dummies

let me know next time they have someone talking about something actually "technical" like WebRTC or what the FCC advisory board considering to help push carriers to interconnect using codecs besides G.711

[spanone]

5. who is ted and what is he cooking?