Category Archives: TED talks

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty (TED talk of the week)

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

This week’s TED talk is an amazing and aesthetically pleasing talk on a Darwinian theory of beauty. The talk is given by Denis Dutton but is done in collaboration with animator Andrew Park to produce a truly beautiful, but controversial presentation. … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, TED talks | 5 Comments

Julian Baggini: Is there a real you? (TED talk of the week)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

This week’s TED talk comes from Julian Baggini, a philosopher, writer, and the cofounder and editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine. The talk (Is there a real you?) was given at the TEDxYouth@Manchester 2011 event. I thought the presentation was clear and even … Continue reading →

Posted in TED talks | 2 Comments

VS Ramachandran on your mind (TED talk of the week)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

This week’s TED talk comes from VS Ramachandran, who is Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition and Distinguished Professor with the Psychology Department and Neurosciences Program at UC San Diego. I first became aware of Dr. Ramachandran, as I’m sure many others did, … Continue reading →

Posted in TED talks | 2 Comments

Dan Dennett on our Consciousness (TED talk of the week)

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

Last week, I linked to Antonio Damasio’s TED talk in which he spoke about his theory for how “self comes to mind” to generate consciousness. This week, we get a different picture of consciousness, from Dan Dennett. Dennett has two … Continue reading →

Posted in consciousness, Mind, Philosophy, TED talks | Leave a comment

Antonio Damasio: The quest to understand consciousness (TED talk of the week)

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

This week’s TED talk is by Antonio Damasio, a neuroscientist who is most well known for his book, Descartes Error, and his research on the importance of emotions to cognition.  In the talk, Damasio describes consciousness as the combination of your mind, which … Continue reading →

Posted in consciousness, Human nature, Mind, TED talks | 8 Comments

Science vs Wonder… wait, what? (TED Talk of the Week)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Often, scientists are charged with removing mystery and wonder as we delve into the inner workings of the natural realm. I don’t agree with that, and neither does Randall Munroe (xkcd “Beauty”, above). In this week’s TED talk, Robin Ince discusses how … Continue reading →

Posted in TED talks | 5 Comments

This week’s TED talk = honor the Sabbath?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

Stefan Sagmeister does a very interesting thing with the design studio he runs. Every 7 years, he gives everyone (including himself) a year off for a sabbatical. Watch this video to see the effects it has on him personally and … Continue reading →

Posted in TED talks | 1 Comment

TED talk of the week

Posted on December 23, 2011 by

I love TED talks. Early in the semester, I tweeted, “That’s it. I’m watching a TED talk a day.” Well, I couldn’t keep that up, but I still try to watch as many as possible. New Year’s is right around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education and mentoring, TED talks | Leave a comment