Emily Levine: A trickster's theory of everything

http://www.ted.com Philosopher-comedian Emily Levine talks (hilariously) about science, math, society and the way everything connects. She's a brilliant trickster, poking holes in our fixed ideas and bringing hidden truths to light. Settle in and let her ping your brain.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Emily
• Levine
• TEDTalks
• TED
• talks
• humor
• philosophy
• trickster
• connections
• contradictions
• jokes
• objectivity
• science

[ssandell9]

she has lots of good things to say, but snorts entirely too much when inhaling. i had to point that out as it was bothering the piss out of me.

[jebuff]

Her "objectification" of scientists, economists, and seizing the higher ground of "trixter" bugs me a bit. It's unnecessarily divisive. The TED audience, full of successful ground-breakers, agents of technical change, finds ways to bridge the gap, to find the inner trixter without abandoning intellect. She seems to get superiority mileage out of pretending that the two populations are distinct, that the trixter persona, herself, guides the otherwise blinkered scientists.

[manicdepressive88]

@leconfidant Such is the problem with 16 year old biology students loudly championing the cause of science (I was a particularly obnoxious variant a few years ago).

As far as I'm concerned, scientists simply don't champion their own causes enough with the general public (not sure if it's indifference, a lack of respect or a tendency to play close to the vest after a lifetime of scarring peer-review)

It takes a big person to apologize and I appreciate it

[leconfidant]

@manicdepressive88 Quite right, well said and my apologies.

I regularly come across science enthusiasts who take it as insist that all of science is an isolated process of hypothesis testing as they understood it in high school. They then take this 'certainty' to dismiss everything non-science as non-sense.

Perhaps science and humanities are equally vulnerable to the politics of funding and so on, though hard science has the luxury of occasionally unambiguous evidence.

[manicdepressive88]

@leconfidant as someone who sees, meets and talks to scientists 5 days a week, I can tell you that they are acutely aware of the social factors that affect their research. Your contention that they aren't is at odds with the really intelligent points that I've read from you on this page.

[leconfidant]

@Mastikator Scientists have always been a natural target of tricksters. In theatre, the harlequin always made sport of another character, 'the doctor'. It was important that the trickster could win out over both knowledge and power. And it still is in my opinion.

[leconfidant]

@manicdepressive88 Irrationalism is a major part of our philosophy and culture. Only scientists are foolish enough to think that only rationality can have value.

[leconfidant]

@jaydesh9 Because a) It's genius and b), It's important and relevant.

[leconfidant]

@itteration2 On the contrary, people in the humanities understand hypothesis testing and statistical analysis pretty well. Scientists are much more unaware of the political, economic and cultural biases which lead them to choose the hypotheses and analyses they do. This is problematic because by the result is culture and science mutually affirming a delusion. It needs someone who can be outside of both to pull the carpet away.

[leconfidant]

@jebuff This is appropriate. The trixter isn't higher ground, so much as a joker or trump card. Note that she doesn't gain her credibility by saying she's a qualified trickster, but by laying out an alternative, non-conflictual hypothesis and presenting examples which are amusing. Every trickster knows serious work gets done by serious people. Their concern is when ideas or relationships get stuck. No trickster tries to occupy the throne. Nor do they offer solurions so much as critique.

[hevikaru]

@ssandell9 Half way through the video I didn't notice it, but then I read your comment... :D