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  • The author is plain wrong about Bernouli????? The scientist in question is Englishman Thomas Bayes!!!! The speaker has to do his homework better. Another word smith, funny but without depth.

  • Saying that money doesn't make you happy is such a foolish thing to say, and a complete strawman I might add. Money can buy you education, health, time, and new experiences. The same applies to your friends and family. Now try and tell me that those things don't play a large part in our happiness. Money is power, and power can make you either happy or unhappy, it all depends on how you use it. Find a less childish saying to mindlessly repeat please.

  • @ScionAscendant Money doesn't buy happiness, there's plenty of research telling us that money doesn't produce a lasting feeling of happiness. Initially, winning the lottery would make you very happy and if you were to ask accident victims recently becoming paraplegic how happy they were, they would be at the other scale of happiness. But due to hedonic adaptation, winners and accident victims get used to their new circumstances and both groups are becoming much more like the population at large.

  • @ScionAscendant Surveys have made clear that people in rich countries are happier than people in poor countries, so obviously money matters....but not as much as one would think. Once a society's level of per capita wealth crosses a threshold from poverty to adequate subsistence, further incresases in national wealth have almost no effect on happiness. You'll find as many happy people in Poland as in Japan, even though the avarage Japan is almost ten times richer than the avarage Pole.

  • @mrgaltasae And what is "adequate subsistence"? What most would define as such is far more now than it would have been in the past. Of course, expectations shift with the times, but are we not now living longer? Do we not have more? Failure to appreciate and utilize what we have is a detriment to our own happiness, but I don't think that it follows that redistribution is a moral course of action. Longer life means nothing to an unhappy person, but that doesn't mean that longer life is wrong.

  • Congratulation! Great video.

  • I have a bit of a problem with his argument about buying lottery tickets... by my logic, we all waste a few dollars each week in less potentially profitable ways. For example, the common lotteries up here in Canada each cost $5 or less -- put another way, that's less than a visit or two to Starbucks. Skip Starbucks, buy the ticket. At least with the lottery ticket, there is a slim chance of a bigger and longer-term gain.

  • He reminds me of a psychology professor I had back in university. Miss you Mr. McCann! :-)

  • thinking about the possibility of winning the lottery, is the anticipation.

    Thinking economically about the investment in the ticket, to avoid the drawback from disappointment of loosing, is to prolong the time of finding out whether you won or lost. So for a small investment, you can have weeks of spending illusionary millions you might have won. When you then find out you did not, you had all the fun, it, and it was money better spend then on immediate gratification of eating a chocolate bar.

  • I believe, that this idea of "what else could i get for this money" should be applied to the stock market more often. Buying a share of Apple today is equivalent to buying all of apple for it's current market capitalization. I don't believe that most people think that way - seeing what you could buy for this amount of 308 billion dollars of apple's market cap would drastically lower the market caps of those overpriced companies. Just look at facebook/groupon/linkedin - CRAZY!

  • It was funny to see Jay Walker trying to justify a gambling dollar as a well spent one . His company " Walker Digital" manufactures gambling machines.

  • For the question about "poverty vs. terrorism", I think we tend to try to solve the "terrorism" issue rather than "poverty" as it resounds closer to home i.e. it can happen to all of "us". There is poverty in America, but the ones that make decisions about which problems to solve rely heavily on the ones with money. The 'rich' may see no immediate threat to their wealth, thus between the 2 issues, terrorism would seem like the more urgent problem to solve.

  • Great. Thank you. Greetings from France

  • That's not a Big Mac, dude.

  • @Sallyheins1

    You apparently have never seen a real Big Mac.

  • This guy is 5 genuises..^5th power

  • This is a pretty good video, makes sense.

  • Wow! Jaw-Dropping Lecture! :) I wish all lectures on every university were so interesting and well performed as this one.

  • I would just like to say that everyone insulting Americans disgusts me. Just because you have known some people who were probably losers anyway, doesn't mean all Americans are the same. That is so annoying and not mention why the world is shit. Everybody is quick to judge others based on preconceived notions or because one person ruins the image of the whole, and it's RIDICULOUS and makes me angry because the very nations that I love are the ones that say things.

  • nothing is better pleasure for the money than COCAINE...

  • Excellent talk.

  • Why is there always a wanker that wants to talk about the sexy or it topic, when in reality it has little to do with the talk? Terrorism? Really? Was that so close to the topic?

  • no reason???......

  • Love the talk. It really doesn't help that there are far more entities that WANT the masses kept stupid.

  • That is one huge beard at 32:00

  • Greetings Dan, saw you on PBS last nite at wpbt2 in Miami florida. What I found interesting is the main key to happiness only mentioned by one word only once was by the nurse with cancer. One word that covers everything you mentioned and that comes free to all no money required. "Peace"

  • oooh the bmw 3 series

  • ggreeeeeat

  • LOL looks it's gimli @ 32:10 haha

  • haha Aubrey at the end excellent. =D

  • I honestly think that the idea was never that more money = more happiness, but that with money you can have more freedom to choose how you live. So more money = more freedom, not more happiness.

    What if you were to make the conscious decision that happiness is only a state of mind and can never be gained through fulfilling sensual desires, pursuing outward perfection or maximizing freedom? Because it seems obvious to me that all these objectives ultimately lead to misery and dissatisfaction!

  • the second guy asking questions was a douchebag.

  • There is no error if you refuse to pay 4$ to bet with the coin for the win of 10$. Clearly, the other one begging you into this bet, has changed the odds someway. People are less stupid than scientists think. Good luck for the scientists! (I admire Gilbert's work and that of many other social scientists, but I love to have the whole picture.)

  • Comment removed

  • google Doe's Account

  • What people don't get in this clip is that this talk is not about about happiness or making your lives happier!! Its a talk on how to understand all the tricks played on our minds by people who already knows how our brains tick.. Its like a doctors advice on what is good and what is not.. We never follow that to the word and end up eating healthy foods only?? Rather we r cautious about it bcuz we know the danger of OVER DOING it!! Its the same here. Just know what u r getting in to b4 its 2 late

  • For instance the lottery issue is not for someone who already knows the odds of loosing and still plays it for a different reason like the "serotonin rush" or for the temporary feeling of high expectations.. But for people who are addicted to gambling, people who believe in gambling and for all those people who are financially miserable and plays the lottery with the remaining money hoping it will solve all their troubles.. They end end up committing suicide because they made the wrong move..

  • The Q & A session is more powerful than the actual talk! "If you had to solve one of these problem Chris which would you solve, terrorism or poverty?" Both are wonderfully convincing. I was told last year to buy "Stumbling on Happiness". After reviewing this talk, I don't have much of a choice do I?

  • LOL, well I'll tell you what... I'm sure you could have a much better feeling about flushing your money down the toilet if you can convince yourself that you'll win it back a million times over.

  • Danial Bernoulli is swiss

  • Actually, according to Wikipedia, Daniel Bernoulli was both Duch and Swiss (his parents maybe?)

  • His family is swiss, but he is just born in Netherlands, and wenn he was 5 they move back to Basel Switzerland. Remenber in 17th we dont have the modern citizenship like today, so Bernoulli was legaly and cultural and educational swiss... I dont know how he become a Dutch becouse his 5 years was in Netherlands. But a scientist like Dan Gilbert should not tank Wiki as source doesnt he?

  • Oh my God, Daniel Bernoulli is a swiss mathematician~~

  • People play the lottery, I think, because they want the fantasy of winning. I bought a lottery ticket once, knowing the astronomical odds against my winning.  For a whole week I got a nice fantasy, which was worth just about the dollar I paid for it.

  • thats not a big mac

  • @thenewrapstyle - Indeed, i think its not...

  • The variable that he does not bring into the conversation is "how much" (of whatever) you have to start with. I.e. Using his formula, if I were to play the coin toss game (pay 4$ to possibly win 10$) and I already have a lot of money, I can risk it. But if all I have in the world is 4$ and I have needs of food and shelter, I'd be foolish to play because I'm limited to the number of times I can play. Mathmatically logical gambling only works for the rich, same goes for decision making.

  • @Jeffreykip yes but he did talk about the ticket and the 20$

  • that second to last guy who was talking about the lotto was really abrasive.

  • What a great guy, I very much enjoyed to watch this, and it is an eye-opener, for sure.

    I have a serious question, the hippie (from Cambridge) that asks a question at 31:58 says that he's working on something that has killed the most people, and then he says WHAT? (What is the thing he is working on?)

    I am hearing impaired, and usually I do fine on YouTube, but to me he was hard to understand :(

  • ageing :D

  • @Singularum Ah yeah, thanks a bunch! :)

  • @TheRealXesc

    aging

  • Comment removed

  • ageing

  • it's about happiness because he's talking about, in a sense, the fabled equation for happiness. from what I understand, that's what behavioral economists study... how humans invest time, money, energy in search of happiness... what drives them to do so... and what we can do to manipulate that knowledge to our advantage. great talk.

  • incredible!

  • this guy is a genious

  • this was very interesting and very engaging, the only thing is that I didn't see the link to "happiness" in here

  • The point you're looking for is the following: Smoking 2 packs per day now, saying you don't think it'll matter to you later that you'll suffer an agonizing death from lungcancer is stupid, because you will still be alive then, and you will - then - care about your happiness then. (the same thing applies to saving money, etc.)

  • so money and happiness are the same thing? the ancient Greeks would beg to differ, so would Buddhists

  • Comment removed

  • yes I watched it, thanks a lot, and it did not cover the topic of 'happiness' at all as far as I was concerned

  • watch his other videos. It is about how peoples perceptions and choices make them happy.

  • he is talking about how peoples' perceptions and choices make them happy or unhappy. He doesn't even talk about MONEY as the only examples, like when he talks about the chips, France, the speakers not matching the house. Watch his other TED video. you will get it more.

  • I know a lot of rich people and a lot of poor people. I can tell you with no hesitation that money does NOT equal happiness- and that this is the big lie told to Americans to destroy their often wasted, pathetic lives.

  • @tristramshandy3

    Money may not equal happiness, but it sure as hell makes life a lot easier...

  • @KemaTheAtheist intelligence is worth more than money.

  • @tristramshandy3

    Your comment makes no sense in reference to mine... though I do agree intelligence is worth more than money.

  • @KemaTheAtheist

    if that is the case, and I have no reason to doubt your sincerity, you'll want to do yourself a big favor: read the complete essays of Montaigne. That text represents the single greatest collection of wisdom ever assembled by one human being.

    Also, it's fun as hell.

    Have a good time!

  • @tristramshandy3 Americans? Humans.

  • @tristramshandy3 “Money can’t buy happiness, but neither can poverty.” - Leo Rosten

  • @silverpen weak.

  • @tristramshandy3 Money doesn't buy happiness, but it can sure calm you down. Studies show that people are happier with more money to a certain level. That is, if your material situation is wanting and you are struggling to keep afloat then you are going to be more happy if your income improves. But once you reach a certain level of security and reasonable comfort, then the happiness dividend stops there. After that level any further increase in income does not add to your happiness.

  • @yowzephyr I understand that we all need the basics to survive and be happy. I get that.

  • @tristramshandy3

    That's total horseshit, money can buy happiness.

    Humans don't want to be diseased.

    If they can afford great health care, they can prevent some disease and suffering,

    and are happier than the person who cannot afford healthcare and becomes diseased.

  • @Blackshayde Read the post you responded to again- I say people need the basics- health is a basic. Hell, health is the ultimate basic, for everything else rests on that.

    Here is the spirit in which I critique massive wealth accumulation: I know some very rich people. I know some very poor people. Some of the rich people I know are happy, and some are miserable. Some of the poor people I know are happy, and some are miserable.

    Therefore, chasing after money to be happy is a fallacy

    Adios amigo

  • Please stop assuming things about americans from what you see on tv and those americans that travel the world, how well is your country represented by those that travel the world and are on your tv programs? Even if you've traveled to the United States and visited places like Los Angeles or New York, people from those places are NOT the typical Americans. Unless you've lived and worked in the united states you've probably not interacted with average Americans.

  • @parishfalls I have definitely seen more of the USA than you have. I have probably spoken, in person, with more Americans than you have. Please stop assuming I have not had extensive experience with American idiots of all shapes and sizes. Also, I don't watch TV.

  • @tristramshandy3

    drugs make you happy ... try cocaine

  • @squirttilithurts I'm a pot smoker. I don't use dangerous, deadly drugs like cocaine. Have a nice day.

  • @tristramshandy3 well... There is problems in most of the conclusions drawn in this talk. The most important reason is that definitions of the critical words are not precise enough. About definition: I can tell you with absolute certainty that rich people are happier than poor people if the definitions are as follows: Poor = not able to support yourself - rich = easily able to do so. I've been in africa and scandinavia and I've got evidence for this.

  • @Ruxistico I understand that the BASICS are needed, and if they are not met, then yes, being poor is akin to being miserable. My posts have been about poor people, who DO have the basics, versus rich people- and from my unscientific survey and experience, there is NO difference in happiness levels between those two groups.

    To reiterate:

    I know rich people who are miserable, and poor people who are very happy.

  • @tristramshandy3 Im american, why is my life pathetic to you?

  • @MyNameIsAshleyB how much time do you spend watching TV? How do you achieve meaning in your life? How often do you read books or walk in the woods?

    Answer these questions, and I will tell you exactly why your life may or may not be pathetic.

    Also, you were responding to what was CLEARLY a generalization.

    I am American, and I am perfectly happy (almost all the time!).

    Viva Montaigne- the greatest man to ever live!

  • @tristramshandy3 Umm...actually I don't have the privilege of having "time" to watch tv because I work my ass off to pay for my education. I read books, but not often for my leisure time because I have little. I love the outdoors and I find meaning through my family and the small things in life as pathetic as that may sound. And I know you were CLEARLY making a generalization which led me to believe you were a foreigner which is why I asked about myself specifically to point that out.

  • @MyNameIsAshleyB watching TV isn't a privilege, it is a slap in the face to life itself; an insult of the highest order.

    Your education won't be worth much unless it teaches you history, philosophy, and critical thought. I sincerely hope you are either an English or History major.

    If not, switch.

    Adios amiga!

  • @tristramshandy3 if you know alot of Rich people huh.. cool.. why couldn't you cheer them up.. lol..

  • @tristramshandy3 i grew up in a 2 bedroom trailer in alaska with 10 people living in it. money does not equal happiness, but money does make people happy. i really hope you aren't a wealthy person preaching this. i do agree with you, but also disagree with you

  • @tristramshandy3

    fucken aye

  • @tristramshandy3 you've obviously never been rich before...the sense of security, power and freedom money gives you is unmatched

  • @since1970 That is your worldview and your reality. Mine is very different. I am not rich and I want for NOTHING! I have everything I need- including the kind of fulfillment and meaning in life that MONEY CANNOT BUY.

    Please read Montaigne; if you can't get into him, try Thoreau's Walden.

    Lots of great wisdom; it might help you out.

    Adios.

  • @tristramshandy3 seems like you know a lot of people.howd you do that?

  • @tristramshandy3 You may be correct, but I'd rather be unhappy in my Lamborghini than schlepping around on my bicycle collecting cans.

  • @MrDavidCWelch I never said people collecting cans are happy- one needs to be able to meet the minimum material requirements before happiness can be achieved. I am poor by most standards, teachers don't get a lot of money, but I can pay my bills and travel the world. I wouldn't switch places with you if you had seven ferraris. Enjoy your unhappiness :)

  • @tristramshandy3 It is true. But being sad on 100ft yacht is much more plesant then being sad in a small flat.

  • @MrPrankmastergeneral I respectfully disagree; in fact, I would argue being sad on a big yacht is much worse than being sad in a small apartment. The person in the small apartment at least has something to blame their unhappiness on; the sad person on the yacht has a much deeper existential crisis that is not so easily solved.

    take care.

  • @MrPrankmastergeneral how can you possibly tell?

  • @MrPrankmastergeneral Nope, it would actually be the exact same thing...

  • @alSation81 if you see his talk from the year before, it will be alot more obvious how this relates to happiness

  • @alSation81 Happiness is optimizing pleasure.

  • @Drewsufer666 "pleasure" whether optimized or not is "feeling good". Is happiness - a very broad construct - simply about feeling good? Don't people "optimize pleasure" to make up for a lack of happiness and its true foundations? If not there would be no such thing as an addict.

  • Dan is a really good speaker. Not only the prepared speech. The answers to queries were very good too.

    I liked the content in this presentation very much.

  • This guy is such a great speaker!..i wish i could do that...

  • I'm a little curious as to what Gilbert means by 'irrational', because he seems to use the word often.

  • probably something related to pareto optimality.

  • I agree with Jay that lottery players dont necessarily have to be stupid. I've written a follow-up article on this: spreadinghappiness (dot) org - would love to hear your comments

  • 23:20 is actually not accurate, one word: Asteroid

  • This reminds me of how every year when I mention that I'm going to get a flu shot there's always someone who "knows a guy" who got sick / was hospitalized / died because of the flu shot and swears to never get one because of the danger. I have NEVER convinced this person (and s/he's different every year) of the silliness of this given that the odds of dying from the flu are so much higher than a side effect from a flu shot.

  • What was the very last question that was asked? (The guy with the super long beard...) I couldn't understand him.

  • He's asking something like how can people be persuaded to be more concerned about aging. (Rather than be concerned about certain ilnesses that actually occur because of aging.)

  • re $20 and lost ticket; if you've only got $20 in your wallet, why would you spend it on a ticket when you can't get a meal to go along with the evening? if you had $40 in your wallet, that would allow for fun in addition to replacing the lost ticket. it's not about how much money you've lost, it's about how much money you had left over.

  • That's not what he's saying. In the second option you had $40 dollars, you lost $20 along the way and you spend the remaining $20 on a ticket.

    In both options you end up at the theatre with $20 and no ticket. This is in no way a question about "how much money you had left over."

  • This is hilarious - In the question about the Rs (Are there more English words that have R as the first or third letter?), I immediately thought "herd" and assumed there were more with the third letter. And then, I immediately assumed I was wrong.

    Hehe.

  • I am trying to spread a bit more happiness on YouTube by encouraging people to join the Smiles Revolution - a movement to make YouTube comments and videos more kinder and appreciative. If you like the idea, check out my channel - I am not doing this for personal benefit, but because I would like YouTube to be a more accepting and happy place. Please pass it on and let others know! Thanks.

  • "I am not doing this for personal benefit, but because (I would like)"

    then you are doing it for personal benefit my friend, no shame in it

  • Oh, I guess so, sorry! I just meant, I wasn't trying to be one of those "sub me plz" people, I was trying to be a bit more polite about it! lol

  • The answer to the 1st question optimizes my thoughts, excellent speaker

  • is this where geico got its idea for "I'm the money you could be saving on your car insurance"

  • Truly great.

  • Gave another perspective. Thanks.

  • 12:00

    The reason that people SO OFTEN do this is because we think we might find the £20 - Whereas if we found the extra ticket, it would be useless. £20 is still £20 when you have 2 of them

    A ticket is now NOTHING when we have two of them - Especially afte the show is over.

  • The Media are NOT our friends, The Media DO NOT have to tell the truth ( ever ), The Media Do NOT have to report actual facts. News reports are just news reports based on someones opinion not what is real. WAKE UP!

  • you mean "the media is not" and "the media does not" . You're welcome.

  • the media is owned by the elite bankers which own the fed too(the fed owns every dollar there is on the planet(more than 100 trillion) and charges interest): THE NEW WORL ORDER IS REAL

  • you're wrong. "Media" is the plural form of "Medium". if you know anything about grammar and subject/verb agreement, then you would know that it is in fact "media are not" and "media do not". You're welcome.

  • I stand corrected.

  • Looks like that chimp in Sweden proved Gilbert wrong ,With humans being the species that can plan

  • 经典

  • Terror has rational/irrational minds behind it via the terrifying memeplex without limits of Islam. Natural events and accidents are not part of an asymetrical, expanding and driven plan. All sane people work to minimise natural events and accidents. All nihilist Jihadist work to maximise and expand terror. Terror without end. There are no deliberate global earthquake triggers or car crashes without end.

  • You can tell he's addressing people in the US because he specifically contrasts the irrational fear of terror with the way the people in Israel feel about it, which is that they are no longer so distressed by it. So your argument about having different levels of terror danger falls down.

  • Andy. Fear of terrorisms not "irrational". Earthquake transport crash/failure & drowning R not being "driven" & "planned" but happen due 2 error or nature. Terrors deliberate driven expanding & planned by millions & millions of Muslims who follow Islam. jihadwatchorg Brucebawercom brusselsjournalcom melaniephillipscom faithfreedomorg memritvorg atlasshrugs com thereligionofpeacecom theprophetofdoomnet americancongressfortruthcom danielpipesorg shoebatcom islammonitororg stophonourkillingscom

  • i think he is ignoring the value we place on time a pleasure. in the $100 comparison, around minute 16, the convenience vs the price saved is a factor in that decision. he says it's still 100 bucks, but my value of my time to do something is a factor in a decision, even if i'm going to save money.

  • umm.. the convenience factor is the same.. weren't you listening?

    The time taken to drive to the other side of town is the same in both examples.. the money saved is the same.. assuming there are no other differences except the price of the item you're buying.. why would you choose differently in the two scenarios? How can the price of the item affect the convenience?

  • this guys is not only smart but a great communicator

  • lol i started watching this and i was like 30mins yeah right i cant watch that much then at 20min i was like aww hell with it ill watch the whole thing

  • His comments on the terrorist question were kind of weak in my opinion. He didn't point out that terrorism has a premeditated component and that is what the outrage is? I.e., the premeditated murder of innocent people to make a political point.

  • He's pointing out that this is irrational. You die in a car accident, you die from a suicide bomb, the result is exactly the same, you die. It is irrational to be more afraid of suicide bombs than when driving on the road. Seriously. And I chose that example carefully, driving on the road is fucking dangerous and people forget that. In fact, it is BECAUSE people forget it that it IS so dangerous.

  • It's not irrational. We all live and then we all die. So it's just not a valid point in comparison to "how" one dies. It does matter, if you die from a disease, an accident, natural causes, or Premeditated Murder. His comments is very weak if put into the proper context... leave the context out, and sure -- we all die -- so does that mean we don't go after the bad guys that kill us intentionally? It's important to use the proper context.

  • It is irrational. It is irrational to be more afraid of a suicide bomb than of driving in a car. We all die, but we dont all die prematurely. Dying prematurely by car or bomb is the same result. It is rational to be more ANGRY about the bomb, because it was premeditated while the car was an accident. But its not rational to be more AFRAID of the bomb.

  • My fear is equal on on level with respect to death... My fear of a bomb is greater than that of a car.

    When a bomb kills me, it criminal, body pieces everywhere -- I want my loved one to not see me in pieces. I also don't want my loved ones getting hurt trying to seek revenge for the prick(s) that blew me up. I fear for the consequences of an evil event like this and how my loved ones would be impacted for life.

    Dying in a car via an accident though hard , is fairly normal. Via bomb its not.

  • A car accident can put you in peices too. In fact a car accident is more likely to be horrifric, because you might die slowly. A bomb usually will kill you quickly. It is not rational to be MORE AFRAID of a bomb. It is rational to be more angry about a bomb, because it was on purpose while a car accident is not. However, you are like most people, you still have not fully understood this because you have not taken the time to fully think it through using logic.

  • I'm a very logical person, a Boolean expert in fact. It's not rational to try to rationalize how dying from a bomb is no different from dying in a car. After all it's a subjective topic is it not? I do realize I'm more likely to die in a car here - and that's relative to my residence. However, If I'm from Afghanistan -- I'm sure to have a different perspective. It's relevant to subjective and objective variances. It's relevance is only subject to the individuals opinion.

  • Im afraid your boolean expertise has not helped you with the practical application of logical thought. The speaker is refering to people in the US. Your argument falls down from this point on.

  • I'm afraid you are suffering from a case of narcissism that has blocked your ability to think clearly... See another subjective thought..

  • Im afraid you're incorrect, you're simply not able to see the situation clearly.

  • Only according to your subjective irrational opinion. So it really doesn't matter.

    It's really a terrible example if you really ask me. What part of murder versus accident don't you get?

  • My opinion is not irrational. Your opinion is irrational. What you are failing to understand here is the distinction between "anger" and "fear". Fear is logically calibrated to risk, and risk only. The method of dying does not logically effect the fear level. Dying from an accident or murder is the same result, same risk, so logically the same fear level. But the accident can be seen as unavoidable, so there can be no logical anger. Murder is on purpose, so you feel anger. You have been educated

  • What utter BS.. Sorry man...Tell that to a cancer patient that is dying slowing in excruciating pain. You have no means to calibrate risk to my fear. The result of being dead if murdered or by accident is death.. We can only agree on that. But to question the fearfulness or concerns of people fearful of dying from bomb, accident, sky diving whatever is a totally different point. They are not one in the same least you feel people are and should act like machines of the state. Were all unique.

  • Also, I don't recall him say he was referring to only people in the US.... Are you sure only you are not saying that?

    Your argument should read, dead is dead and I don't care how you die, dead is dead , so it's not rational to fear being dead since you're going to die. Once you're dead it doesn't matter to you anymore, as it only impacts those you left behind that cared for you. 99.999999999999999999999999% of the world could care less so relevance does not matter in my subjective opinion.

  • No, thats not how the argument goes. It has nothing to do with dying naturally, that does not figure in the logic at all. Its about dying prematurely. No one wants to die prematurely. And dying prematurely by bomb or car is the same result, and is to be logically feared at the same level. You have misunderstood the premise of the argument.

  • I agree. Its not the quantity, but the quality of life, that matter. It would be bad if we were dying and realising we could have done more, or regretted it.

  • hd or high quality please

  • 28:00 LMAO the dude trys to give an answer hahaha

  • does anyone else find that this guy sounds a bit like kermit the frog?

  • It's not easy being green.

  • The value of money now is a heck of a lot higher than slightly more money in the future when you have to tell your landlord when he's getting his rent. This is the part economists leave out.

  • Jaywalker is shit.

  • Awesome talk. I love TED.

  • Aubrey De freakin' De Grey asked a question, that's was totally unexpected!

  • Haha "If we're so stupid, how did we get to the moon?" 22.10

    That guy Jay Walker at 30.03 is really good too.

  • Oh Poor Old Dan! If everybody actually thought.. then the circus wouldn't be this exciting!! :D

  • Gambling is a crime in most states unless the government allows the populace to get ripped off the poor to trade the remainder of their check. Unfortunately only a asshole would let 6 minutes pass by before bringing it up.

  • The Leroy example was excellent!

  • maybe solving poverty will some how reduce terrorism ?

  • did he say "at no point will the fireman look taller than the fiddler", doesn't he mean the opposite?

  • Excellent Ted Talk, but I hate that dickhead who comes in the end, asking questions only himself wants to know.