My Tribe in Central American rainforest constantly works with historians and scientist to try and trade ideas with the modern world.. to see how we might heal together, But we are constantly under attack and murdered, for our forest and our land, and our old culture. Let us continue to work towards a brighter future , for the modern world and the Indigenous ancient peoples of the world. -Tawira cabu wihna kiamka
You may need to recruit, ask for warriors and builders from the earth all over to join you and fight with you. If you insist on fighting alone against the money.. I fear for you.
The Bible and Darwin can be a toxic combination. God gave me the right to exploit nature (only humans are important to God) and Darwin gave me the right to kick down ( survival of the winner). Given this power, I dont want to change.
I had the pleasure of having Dr. Anderson as a professor several times in undergrad at Ohio State and watching this puts me right back in the classroom. This man has a brilliant mind and an intellect I respect so much. These kinds of thoughts and questions were normal in his classes and I love seeing it on a grander scale!
He had me going for the first 10 minutes and then he began to list all the defects of modern science-based reality as if the ancient models did not have all the same. The only difference I can see is the scale which is planet wide now but restricted then by how far people were willing to walk.
Just finished taking his Classical Greek history course. He’s easily one of the best teachers I’ve had at Ohio State. Congrats on a great talk Dr. Anderson!
nell wtd It was in person when I took it, but with the restrictions it could very well be online. He teaches it every other semester so I’m not sure if you’d be able to take it. This semester he’s supposed to be teaching pre-classical Greek history
Cyborg The date shown is the publish date, it was actually filmed on February 22. The Twitter feed I found did not give the year but just guessing it was this one. Right before the shite hit the fan if you will. To My Evoloving Wisdom, it is a nice utopian sort of thought but you and I had no say in what "real" world we would live in. The only "real" thought or idea I sort of got from his speech is that we should relish our imaginary mind just as much as our intellectual one. Science has been good for humanity from the standpoint of humans living longer and very comfortably for the most part. As far as addressing what is "real" for the past civilizations is questionable on a lot of fronts. But what is "real" is that these great civilizations have come and gone and so shall ours. As far as nature, we may as individuals can and should stay closely connected to it, it's very healthy in more ways than one. All the best to you both of course, have a great Sunday.
All you have to do is go live for a couple of years in a country where you don’t speak the language. And, as my favorite history prof used to remind us, “The past is another country.” We are each a product of this moment, this place, this culture.
@@JustSpectre and, how much of one's interpretation of past civilizations is colored by their own prejudices and culture, no matter how objective and fact based they think they are being?
@@JustSpectre Interesting, thank you, I will check out Pearce and Lewis-Williams. Unless we are constantly questioning our own assumptions/opinions and seeking alternate views, it is very easy to get caught up in our own boxes of beliefs and emotions. I think it applies to everything in our lives (diet, politics, beliefs, etc)
ISIS, was another reality. Once inside these mindsets it is almost impossible to escape, because you mistrust your own thoughts as apostasy to the faith. To me it seems arrogant and foolish to think you can really throw on the “thinking cap” of a different culture so flippantly. We should be very very careful when considering what to throw away / adopt.
I try to tell people this all the time. This guy says it so succinctly. I might have to steal some of his turns of phrases. I like him. I like him a lot.
A very profound speech. In conclusion, none of our so called real worlds is the real world. The real world is ever changing depending on our psychology and understanding of the world.
Indeed, and all the more amazing to compare the ancient world of mutual 'interdependencies' to today's _enlightened_ "I'm a Libertarian, totally free and independent of responsibility to anyone or anything but myself!"
@Solomon Kamara : I disagree. I think it's a cop-out for people who don't want to face reality. The speaker never once gave us a single reason that we should believe in gods and such, other than: they didn't do as much damage to the planet as we are now. But they didn't have the same tools we do now, if they had, they would have done no better, perhaps much worse. Reality is not up for grabs to the highest bidder, I cannot and will not subscribe to that mentality. I'm not even saying that spirituality doesn't benefit people, I personally know that it does sometimes. The problem is with such belief systems of the non verifiable type, it's left wide open for corruption. And we all know how corruption seeps in even without opening the doors up wide and actually inviting it in with open arms, lols.
Simple? No, but they were misguided. It is a waste of time, talent, energy and resources to worship, erect temples to and plan your affairs around non-existent beings.
@@pietersteenkamp5241 - Not true. Having advanced tech doesn't make you more intelligent. If it were possible to round up 100 six-year-olds from Ancient Greece and bring them to our era, don't you believe they could be taught anything our current six-year-olds could be taught?
This speaker is a GENIUS in his field! The way he delivered every word was in itself like an ocean flowing with wisdom and deep-rooted societal history. All in all, it was an amazing talk! For sure, I did came to know that everything holds in the eyes of the beholder - what I see might be different from what you see. A holographic world in a cupid bowl.
"...a GENIUS in his field!" Really? To be a genius means to be a luminary in multiple fields. Language is a tool like a scalpel, precise and deep cutting. But to many people use it like a hammer. Please employ your Thesaurus more often. Your conversations will become so much more delightful.
@@guywithdacap4713 Wow! I really admire the way you've pointed out my mistake. It seriously makes sense. Thanks for an honest feedback! I'll try my best to improve it! 😊😊
Wow! Best explaination I've ever come across on youtube for all the problems we are facing in today's world, from pandemic to global warming to economic meltdown etc. Let's hope world leaders will realize this before it's too late for all of us...
Such an important talk, very thought-provoking. Sometimes we find ourselves reading or listening to something and we know in our heart of hearts that this is something we needed to hear and think about. For me, this is one example. Having listened to it I find myself left with a lot of thoughts I did not have before that I want to stay with. It is tough to make sense of, and meaningfully compare, past thinking and beliefs, especially those of ancient times, with those of today. But this talk does just that, brilliantly, effortlessly. Inspiring and profoundly important, something I believe everyone could benefit from listening to, thank you Greg.
Disagree. This guy is masquerading a simple topic (which he's been commissioned to discuss by TED - a political tool) behind new-age lingo, making it look trendy. Plurality is nothing extraordinary. Rogan discusses how seemingly fringe thinking or ideas can be beneficial to existing mainstream thought. This guy, on the other hand, just uses complex "fringy" language to propose a very simple idea that only a 1st year college student doesn't know about. He and Rogan are on different planets.
Thank you, Dr Anderson, for this. I think you understand how those of us who grew up in non-western, "pre-modern" societies feel in the face of the arrogance of western ontology.
@@Onkruid Oh i would talk about it took us thousands of years to start separating facts from fiction and how far left we have to go; i would not glorify the conditions in ancient societies or start to suggest that they had either a more useful or a more accurate insight into reality. This man makes David Icke look like a deep thinker.
I don't feel like he was glorifying the conditions back then though. He just tells us that we should look upon our current view of reality with less excessive pride. We shouldn't think that our reality is automatically better than that of the ancient times. That does not imply that their reality was better, it just implies that we need to give some more thought to the fact that the way we see the world is not the only way of seeing the world and in my opinion that is a VERY interesting topic to talk about. Either way I respect your opinion of course! Not everyone finds the same things interesting and that's perfectly fine :). I would love to hear you talk about those things so it would be awesome if you would record yourself and upload it! I mean this sincerely and with no bad intentions, I do not want to make fun of you I'm just interested in what you have to say about those subjects just as much as I was interested to see what Mr Anderson had to say about his subjects. Have a nice day either way sir!
Kapish Dutta agreeed. There is no evidence we’re much different cognitively than our ancestors. And people think that just because they live in this era with all this technology(most of whom didn’t create anything in their lives) are so posh and ungrateful for it.
@@brendanmcpike184 True that! It's time to get back to our roots! Plenty of books are available. This is the right and easiest time in the history to get enlightened.
Luigi Dopobici I mean, I’m not really a Trump supporter but I do lean towards being a conservative just by temperament. But you have to think to be careful with that line of logic because that’s almost half the population. No offense but I would suggest to not go to those conclusions.
What a brilliant, wise and eloquent man. A great thinker and a great teacher. My hope is that he takes to many more stages and is handed many more microphones. Our "civilization" needs to hear the truth he articulates so beautifully. I think i want to quit my job and become a roadie for him.
I am proud of ancient Hinduism being alive and well today in India. Preserving the culture of our ancient ancestors is key to understanding who we are and where we come from.
The thought of working together strikes a tone especially in this day and age. Great things and horrendous things can be created by people coming together but the common goal is the driving force. If I think about living a life that reflects the world I would like to see, I see a very different day to day life. Thank You Tedx and Greg Anderson for the great thought
We are working together in a lot more complex ways and in a higher amount than any other time in history. Why would you think otherwise? That's insane.
Watching this amazingt talk, as the world battles an unseen enemy, both challeneged and empowered me. I've lived among traditional peoples and know how much we have to learn from them. The Cofan in Ecuador have always lived in harmony with the earth, water, and sky. I honor them and their lessons--and hope that we can pay attention to their wisdom. Thank you so much.
Because you're kids. TED is politics. The whole reason you're thinking it's "floating around" is because he gave you what you already thought, and coated it in a "new age" language of globalism and togetherness, while simulteneously turning your weapons against the perceived 'bad' perspectives you've been taught... presumably in favour of 'good' ones - which he neither explains nor justifies. In the end, he fails to make a case for a proposition he just outlined... or even to answer the question of why the "objective reality" of, for example, his wife not dying during child birth (thank you, medicine), is worse than the "mystical reality" whose existence he *reminded* people about for 15 minutes. There's nothing here at all. Unless you're 16 years old.
@@pqlr8763 actually no, I've come across material from different authors that point to the very same ideas pointed out in the video since several weeks before watching this.
Your third point put many of my feelings towards history into words. I believe history also shows us that we have the ability to change our world(s). It's a powerful thing to recognize.
You can romanticize and try to explain it any way you want but at the end of the day ancient reality was exactly the same as ours is today. Nothing has changed. The universal truths existed then the exact same way as they exist today. The only difference is we have far more collective knowledge today and understand more of those universal truths.
@Richard Vowler Gravity has been proven. It's the Law of Gravitational Attraction. The theory explains why and how it occurs. That explanation (ie theory) my change over time but it doesn't negate the fact that it occurs.
I've tried to explain the illusion of self and how our whole thing we got going here on so many levels constantly reinforces, the, I that is not me. no luck ever just couldn't get the words to click and this man laid it out beautifully and also in a format that will be easier for a specific group of people to avoid biases and write off listening before hearing. Thanks guy.
Agreed my unknown friend. Join us as we do our little bit using our music and messages to shine some light in these challenging ,twisted and upside down times. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER.
My channel is basically about how people in the past may have experienced reality in a completely different way from us. This lecture was like candy for me.
I understand that, and I'm no fan of the constructionist view, but I think its also true that there's no scientific reason why the individual-centric conception we have is objectively RIGHT. We could just as easily be family-oriented or nautre-oriented. It's like human rights, or money. They don't exist in any objective sense, they're just useful fictions that facilitate prosperous societies.
@@jakesoulvie4397 I don't see a reason why higher apes with 5 senses, speech and writing should be able to articulate the Absolute Truth of the Universe under any circumstances. We don't really understand what happened until after it happens. Sure we could change our "societal aim" but how would that happen if not for a collection of individuals?
@@QubitVector Well I'd agree, humans have no way of knowing a number of things. There are certain (maybe metaphysical) questions that may never be answered. And I'm not advocating we change our culture to be less individualistic. It's probably very useful that that idea underlies our society. I'm just saying that idea isn't true in any objective sense, just useful.
@@QubitVector Oh we know plenty absolute truths about the universe, like 2+2=4. Predictions? We can predict things to some degree, we predict rain. Magic? No, science.
By almost every scientific measure of well being NOW is the best of all times to have ever lived. Certainly, some people in the world suffer today. But on average, today we are better educated, healthier, wealthier, and safer. No other time in history compares to today's worldwide standards. For the most part today's "reality" has served humanity best. Interesting talk.
I find most interesting to think with this ideas about the future. What will it do to our society if we get a interplanetary species? How fast and how much will our view about reality change in those completely different environments?
He is amazing , just imagine . Our very selves has been thusly modelled .and mostly not even by our hand. So then,our minds are the green pastures that brings Forth this notion of who do we think we are. This misguided notion of separation , we do it to ourselves ,but we don’t have to . If we fill our minds with love then love flourishes ,if we offer gratitude then we acknowledge The gift received. If we fill our heads with compassion ,then we become compassionate . We truly are the genie in the bottle , All we got to do now is rub
I like what Greg Anderson has presented to us as a new way of thinking. It was a lot for me to take in and I am still trying to digest his words and summarize: Calling upon ancient realities of past civilizations that have worked for maybe thousands of years as examples to help our modern society in creating a survivable, sustainable future that works and doesn't destroy our planet and the creatures who live upon it.
This talk gave a completely new outlook towards the world I perceive. I believe in mystical powers but never thought of this dimension. Thanks for bringing it here
Awesome video. It is so easy to assume science has it all figured out. I could better appreciate that my culture is conditioning me to be an individual, when really this is one of many possible constructs I could have it be. Amazing.
Can't speak for all scientists, but I think the scientists I know that do research, do not assume that science has figured it all out. That's why they are scientists in the first place, to do research on topics we haven't figured out. Depending on the field of science, the knowledge body can shift rather dynamically and fast. It often seems to me that people, especially those who have less actual exposure to the scientific world, have an aversion because there seems to be a perception that science is cold, arrogant and somehow intolerant to 'intuitive' forms of knowledge. This can be the case or the attitude individuals may take, but that doesn't have to be the ethos of science at all. Perhaps the methods are rigid, tedious and alienating to people - you can either test it or you can't - which signals to a lot of people that their beliefs are invalidated. Natural reaction to that is often defensiveness. But underlying the methodology lies great creativity and hard work - personally I value that. At least that's why I love all sciences.
Not only the Athenians...most of the countries in the world. 10/11 years ago I "woke up", my senses were opened so that I remembered who I am, who we are. Surrounded by guides, spirits, gods. The spirits of the wind and trees and the sea etc, communicated with me. I can understand the language of the birds, animals...numbers. And so much more. Its faded again to some extent but its was an incredible adventure, which continues to this day.
Commenters are getting oddly defensive about his comparison of Athenian societal reality to our own and missing the point entirely. He's not saying Athenians were better than us, just explaining how their perception of reality was so different yet managed to uphold a productive society that was more in tune with the world around them. It's interesting to think humans created (and some continue to experience) a colony-type reality, much like bees or ants, via mythology and religion.
Mr. Anderson forgets to remember the horrors of the ancient worlds, like famine, deceases, human slavery, misogynist states, wars (there were plenty of them), plagues, poverty, etc. and the wonders of the new world like longer life expectancy, lower birth death rates, global wealth, better democratic law system, fast travels or telecommunications, like the one we are using to watch this talk. I bet that a girl of the ancient world would prefer to live now when she can get education, birth control, not to be sold in marriage, not to be punched by her husband and have an independent life as a person. Even a poor person in this era is more richer than the average person in ancient times. We also should be grateful with what we have now.
Radiation, electricity, electromagnetic fields, WiFi, etc - all real for all of us though we don't see them. Though they may look unreal (and divine) for the ancient people. This is some early XX century view :-)
Radiation, fields and particles, are they really real? Physicists themselves are still debating what is real in the quantum world. By the way, he is not just talking about physical reality, but also on the reality of different values and different ways of seeing what are important in the world.
Great talk, highly discerning and astute speaker. Over time humans have developed colossal egos - therefore our arrogance. We need to go back to basics if our race is to continue to exist.
Personal takeaways: *There is one altimate reality out there, our reality *Real things for us are material things.Invisible things are considered unreal. *Our real world is just one of countless real worlds the humans have had.
I suppose wifi signals nor TV signals nor are radio tower signals really really nor are they traceable not really real that logic. Sorry. To burst your bubble, just telling you like it is. They sure as heck aren't ghosts nor demons. 👻👹🙈🙉🙊👿😲😜🤔 Are Artificial Intelligences real? They are visible. Either with a chat screen like Siri, or a 3F graphic body like Paphus Solution Inc's My Virtual Girlfriend Cindy.
@@angelinarobert622 - Wi-Fi, television and radio signals can be detected and traced using the proper instruments. They can be proven to exist. Gods, ghosts, demons and water nymphs cannot. If you suggest that something, whatever that may be, exists, yet there is no way to detect its existence, it is the same as saying it does not exist.
This guy is a bit behind the times. It has taken him 20 years to get to this point. The Greeks are not the best example of past civilisations differing from ours. The biggest difference is that science is too often arrogant to dictate what our "reality" should be. As individuals, we are entitled to build our own reality.
I think individualism, a common theme he critiques, is a reaction to the modern world, which is probably more mechanistic, like an ant colony, than we'd like to admit. If we were less 'overcrowded', collectivism would be the dominant culture. How many sincerely individual people do we really meet (beyond the tokenistic trends of attire)? Most people I know eat, sleep, poo, watch TV and work for someone else. Oh and they breed future worker ants as well. Individualism is the desire that, ironically, can never be realised as 'self' is possibly the illusion of our modern subjective reality.
Depends on your definition of "individual" or individualism. Humanity, like reality, is a social construct. A true individual separates themselves from humanity, making of themselves nothing more then a merely technological animal.
Jake Aurod If humanity is a social construct then why wouldn’t an individual be? Human beings as a species can be defined as a collection of individuals that are capable of reproducing with opposite sexed individuals of the same group.
@@jakeaurod How can anyone be separated since we are all connected by our social conscious net of our species and many other nets of different conscious nets of our commonness with other beings?
@@januarysson5633 Individualism is a social construct, among those in the group in reference to the one that is not part of the group. Individualization can probably exist within the group, as far as the norms allow, but individualism beyond what is allowed can result in no longer being a member of the group.
What an incredible speech. I now have the urge to change something, seems sadly so hard from home... Well, I hope y'all are doing okay and can share this idea with other people in their group of friends or family :)
I see one BIG PROBLEM here: It is true that our individual and collective perceptions of the world shape the way we interpret our environment, build our societies and live our lives. E.g. economists say that individuals are self-interested and rational; thus we are competitive people living in a capitalist systems, striving for ever more wealth. This is clearly based on a myth (humans aren't just self-interested and they are certainly not raional) and destroys our planet. However, its is wrong to say that today's Western culture is no better than ancient cultures and that believing in something like an objective, physical world is arrogant: Science is not a discipline that produces facts but a process of asking questions and testing (each others) hypothesis. Every scientist has to assume that their findings are tested by others who have different beliefs, different perceptions of reality. Therefore he/she has to be cautious in their theories in order to produce results that can be found (quantitatively measured) and therefore perceived (interpreted) by others as 'true'. Therefore, a society that listens to science will form myths around things that are 'objective and physical' and can be perceived to be true by everyone, regardless of their individual belief system.
True in theory but not how it operates the same in practice. If you become a phd and continue in academia that notion will be quickly disillusioned. Science is effective but it is still subject to inertia. Similairly to the idea that religion perfectly practiced should generate human happiness and contentment but again not how it works in practice.
@@MegaAbdelgader Not all study areas are neatly testable. But our physical models are extensively tested and extremely reliable for predicting measurable phenomena. The inertia in the scientific community can be more a feature than a bug. Good scientists wait for very good evidence to accumulate before completely dropping old ideas. People aren't perfect, but the evidence is that the process works to predict measurable phenomena.
No offense, but your views are slightly strange. If there is no way to detect something, your senses can't detect it, instruments can't detect it, isn't that the same as something not existing? If you don't need to provide proof of your claim, can't you then claim anything? I could say "Allah came to me in a dream and said everyone in my town should give me their money" You could not prove I was lying, and I could then go on to have many more "dreams". Wouldn't it be better that I prove my claim?
@john smith when u said that u showed me that u don't know anything about the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) so don't talk about what ur unaware of
Gravity is real whether you believe in it or not. The sun will burn you whether you believe or not. Jumping off a cliff will kill you whether you believe or not. The idea that everything is 'constructed' is wishy washy nonsense.
Ive recently taken interest in asatru and norse gods and ive realized that although there are only about 20,000 actual practitioners world wide, the norse gods are very powerful and the asstru people put a lot of emphasis on being connected to your local nature while being careful not to disrespect the natives land and their ancestors and its a very interesting and emotional world to be in.
I hate to be "that guy" but in the classical Greek school of Epicurianism, "God" and "Gods" were indeed *_not_* focal points of existence, in fact Epicurus can be called the "First Atheist". Epicurus founded his entire philosophy on "atomism", which is to say he believed that all material things are composed of atoms, and from this base he grew a philosophy which prescribed modes, beliefs and actions which would address the "worthwhileness" of life. If he and his followers regarded God or gods at all it was more that they were just archetypical of different human paths. It's unknown what proportion of the Classical World was Epicurean, but Epicurean communes were spread across the Mediteranean until the Romans became Christian and began persecuting and erasing Epicureanism wherever they found it, starting in 391 CE. The Christians succeeded in burning every single copy of every publication Epicurus or his followers wrote except something like 3 letters, a list of quotes, and most importantly, they somehow missed one single copy of Lucretious' poem "De Rerum Natura" which is believed to be a distillation of nearly all of Epicurus' main ideas. This one single copy, which may have gone unread for a thousand years, once rediscovered in 1417 could well have been the spark of the Enlightenment, having been studied by everyone from Voltaire to Hume to even Moliere. The Epicureans likely would have found many of us in the Modern World (the "Enlightenment World") to be compatible with their worldview, even while, as it was in Epicurus' time, we still have people among us in the Modern World who really believe in demons and angels and gods (even while they paradoxically wear glasses, use video projectors, and carry cell phones in their pockets, etc.)
The Mediterranean at the time was a hotbed for different philosophies every city did things differently than the next. The point this guy is making is, if something affects your life it's real, whether tangible or not. The gods or the Epicureans beliefs molded the lives of their believers, the same way that celebrities and political parties mold people today
@@dylansharkey6040 If you live near a university library you could inquire about access for the general public, or they may even have "extension courses" in classics for the general public. If you don't I'd recomend looking up "Epicurus" "Epicureanism" "Atomism" "Lucretious" "De Rerum Natura" and "Christian suppression of (what the Christians called) paganism" on Wikipedia, and while reading the wiki page can be optional, try to focus on the sources indicated at the bottom of the article. Whatever you do, don't get your information from some guy in the TH-cam comments, or some guy on a stage with a styrofoam TEDx behind them either.
@@kamikazekopec1084 Actually if you re-watch the video here, it would appear the guy talking on stage here makes a very careful effort to discuss "Ancient Greece", and not "Classical Greece", and there's a huge difference that I suspect many people wouldn't have caught and that he took no care to explain. If, like many, you're not aware of the distinction, his talk would sound as if the Epicureans never existed. And if you're raised in a Christian environment and not studied in the Classics, it would further appear that Archimedeans and Thales and Aristarchus and Eratosthenes and whomever built the Antikythera Mechanism and so-on didn't ever exist either. The amount of "provable knowledge" the Christians destroyed or attempted to destroy was immense, and he's not acknowledged that in the slightest. That would be exactly how I would expect a Christian Obscurantist to speak.
@@MultiCappie Thanks for the reply. I'm studying at University now, but will likely have graduated by the time lock-down's really over lol, will see if they've got an e-Library resource. You think Ted talks aren't well sourced? Greek Mythology certainly seemed fascinating, and I believe a lot of their poems and plays were about it
Fantastic. When I'm done writing this message, I'm going to throw the phone out the window and go into the woods with my neighbor's wife after stealing it from her. I do not believe in the innocence of the ancient civilizations, nor in topics about good savages, nor in the goodness of superstition. With our power, they would not have lasted two days without destroying themselves. In fact, our global civilization may be much more robust and sustainable than yours. If our world is more dangerous, it is because being closer to the truth gives us powers that they would have considered proper to gods. And unlike them, we do not condemn the dissident to death for atheism: that, among many others, is the advantage of individualism that only modern societies have achieved, ceasing to be slaves to the wishes of the tribe.
@@BeingGraceDivine He's saying it's very new and unique that you could disagree with your leader's God, beliefs, and favorite color and not be executed or exiled for it.
@@RichardHarlos. I don't need to give it another listen to understand what the gentleman was saying. Nor do I have to agree with what he was saying if I do understand. I hope this makes sense. My issue may be more about semantics than anything. I understand that every individual, society, and time subjects reality to its interpretation. However I believe that an objective reality still exists. That is to say that true reality precedes the reality set on by situational awareness. And that is understood by calling it objective. I think an experience of true Consciousness and Awareness provides a glimpse into that reality. Of course any reflection is still subject to attitudes. We call that a subjective reality.
@@thediddler , I agree your objection seems semantic, mostly a consequence of the limited time allotted for a TED talk. In his 2018 book, Professor Anderson elaborates deeper what he could only mention briefly here. Thanks for your reply.
@@thediddler Excellent response to an initially condescending comment. Lovely to see that differing opinions don't need to descend into a shouting match of insults. Bravo.
Fantastic! This is a truth I have been trying to get through to students for decades. A truth requiring years of immersion in the products of totally different cultures. People who try to judge past cultures by modern standards are indeed arrogant and myopic. Human relationship to nature and each other was NOT THE SAME. Something like Achilles' quest for "glory" is NOT simply a selfish modern person wanting fame (the cheesy Brad Pitt version) but the ideal of a man sacrificing his life for his cultural values (knowing that going to Troy meant a short life) then finding out his culture had betrayed him (remember Pat Tillman?). These older stories are NOT about people trying to maximize their individuality but instead trying to find their optimum role in a society and universe valued as greater and more eternal than themselves. Among other gigantic differences.
Interesting concepts in this talk. I have some issues though. Earlier civilizations did not have all the excesses of modern times because they didn't have our knowledge base. Not because they had better models. Give ancient Greece the scientific knowledge of today and would they act any differently than we do today? I don't know. I rather doubt it. There is certainly no doubt that modern humanity is racing full steam ahead into the destruction of the resources that sustain us. And although it will likely destroy our civilizations I don't see it changing. Looking back on what more ancient cultures did, how they behaved, is not going to get us out of the trouble we are in. Looking forward, changing our cultures into what they need to become if we are to survive, that is the only way out of the doom that is awaiting us just around the corner.
You have a point, but I believe that the comparison between contemporary society and older civilizations can be of use if we understand that the knowledge of "what" to do (I.e.: the technical know-how upon which contemporary culture is based) must come hand in hand with the knowledge of "how to do so without it being detrimental to the world" (I.e.: knowing that even if fossil fuels systems are indeed more efficient compared to wind and solar power, their prolonged use on a vast scale would put in danger our survival) and that's where the idea of a unified world in which humans are in real harmony between themselves and their environment can be taken and has to be taken into consideration, and models of the world like those used by past civilizations are to be taken as examples for that, imo.
My Tribe in Central American rainforest constantly works with historians and scientist to try and trade ideas with the modern world.. to see how we might heal together, But we are constantly under attack and murdered, for our forest and our land, and our old culture. Let us continue to work towards a brighter future , for the modern world and the Indigenous ancient peoples of the world. -Tawira cabu wihna kiamka
You may need to recruit, ask for warriors and builders from the earth all over to join you and fight with you. If you insist on fighting alone against the money.. I fear for you.
@@botgod6264 I agree, the enemy is powerful and deceptive. It can take us easily 1 by 1, but we are more. United we can win.
The Bible and Darwin can be a toxic combination. God gave me the right to exploit nature (only humans are important to God) and Darwin gave me the right to kick down ( survival of the winner). Given this power, I dont want to change.
Ellen Gran One can subvert ANYTHING one wants to, to justify oneself, isn’t that true?
@يوسف الوزان no but somehow they justify it. Sometimes even do it for their god which litteraly tells them not to hurt or kill others. No logic.
I had the pleasure of having Dr. Anderson as a professor several times in undergrad at Ohio State and watching this puts me right back in the classroom. This man has a brilliant mind and an intellect I respect so much. These kinds of thoughts and questions were normal in his classes and I love seeing it on a grander scale!
He’s not Dr. but Mr. Anderson 😎.
He had me going for the first 10 minutes and then he began to list all the defects of modern science-based reality as if the ancient models did not have all the same. The only difference I can see is the scale which is planet wide now but restricted then by how far people were willing to walk.
Just finished taking his Classical Greek history course. He’s easily one of the best teachers I’ve had at Ohio State. Congrats on a great talk Dr. Anderson!
That's pretty cool, taking a class by this man, he seems passionate and to know what he is talking about.
hi! is this an online open course?
nell wtd It was in person when I took it, but with the restrictions it could very well be online. He teaches it every other semester so I’m not sure if you’d be able to take it. This semester he’s supposed to be teaching pre-classical Greek history
TedTalks during quarantines hit different
Cyborg
The date shown is the publish date, it was actually filmed on February 22. The Twitter feed I found did not give the year but just guessing it was this one. Right before the shite hit the fan if you will.
To My Evoloving Wisdom, it is a nice utopian sort of thought but you and I had no say in what "real" world we would live in. The only "real" thought or idea I sort of got from his speech is that we should relish our imaginary mind just as much as our intellectual one. Science has been good for humanity from the standpoint of humans living longer and very comfortably for the most part. As far as addressing what is "real" for the past civilizations is questionable on a lot of fronts. But what is "real" is that these great civilizations have come and gone and so shall ours. As far as nature, we may as individuals can and should stay closely connected to it, it's very healthy in more ways than one.
All the best to you both of course, have a great Sunday.
All you have to do is go live for a couple of years in a country where you don’t speak the language. And, as my favorite history prof used to remind us, “The past is another country.” We are each a product of this moment, this place, this culture.
@@JustSpectre and, how much of one's interpretation of past civilizations is colored by their own prejudices and culture, no matter how objective and fact based they think they are being?
@@JustSpectre Interesting, thank you, I will check out Pearce and Lewis-Williams. Unless we are constantly questioning our own assumptions/opinions and seeking alternate views, it is very easy to get caught up in our own boxes of beliefs and emotions. I think it applies to everything in our lives (diet, politics, beliefs, etc)
@@debramoll7 But haven't we, all humans from now and from the past, a common denominator????
ISIS, was another reality. Once inside these mindsets it is almost impossible to escape, because you mistrust your own thoughts as apostasy to the faith. To me it seems arrogant and foolish to think you can really throw on the “thinking cap” of a different culture so flippantly. We should be very very careful when considering what to throw away / adopt.
I try to tell people this all the time. This guy says it so succinctly. I might have to steal some of his turns of phrases. I like him. I like him a lot.
A very profound speech. In conclusion, none of our so called real worlds is the real world. The real world is ever changing depending on our psychology and understanding of the world.
Solomon Kamara is this really a concept that no one hasn’t heard before?
@@januarysson5633 no, cuz it's a phenomenal observed by a lot of people. However, it's still cool hearing how he put it together.
Right On.
Indeed, and all the more amazing to compare the ancient world of mutual 'interdependencies' to today's _enlightened_ "I'm a Libertarian, totally free and independent of responsibility to anyone or anything but myself!"
@Solomon Kamara : I disagree. I think it's a cop-out for people who don't want to face reality. The speaker never once gave us a single reason that we should believe in gods and such, other than: they didn't do as much damage to the planet as we are now. But they didn't have the same tools we do now, if they had, they would have done no better, perhaps much worse. Reality is not up for grabs to the highest bidder, I cannot and will not subscribe to that mentality.
I'm not even saying that spirituality doesn't benefit people, I personally know that it does sometimes. The problem is with such belief systems of the non verifiable type, it's left wide open for corruption. And we all know how corruption seeps in even without opening the doors up wide and actually inviting it in with open arms, lols.
Our ancestors are not Simple by any stretch of the imagination. We are not as smart as we believe we are.
Joe Whitt exactly right.
Uh, Mandela Effect here, there and here.
Simple? No, but they were misguided. It is a waste of time, talent, energy and resources to worship, erect temples to and plan your affairs around non-existent beings.
much much smarter than our ancestors.
@@pietersteenkamp5241 - Not true. Having advanced tech doesn't make you more intelligent. If it were possible to round up 100 six-year-olds from Ancient Greece and bring them to our era, don't you believe they could be taught anything our current six-year-olds could be taught?
This speaker is a GENIUS in his field! The way he delivered every word was in itself like an ocean flowing with wisdom and deep-rooted societal history. All in all, it was an amazing talk! For sure, I did came to know that everything holds in the eyes of the beholder - what I see might be different from what you see. A holographic world in a cupid bowl.
Deep as a puddle, wide as a matchstick.
"...a GENIUS in his field!" Really? To be a genius means to be a luminary in multiple fields. Language is a tool like a scalpel, precise and deep cutting. But to many people use it like a hammer. Please employ your Thesaurus more often. Your conversations will become so much more delightful.
@@guywithdacap4713 Wow! I really admire the way you've pointed out my mistake. It seriously makes sense. Thanks for an honest feedback! I'll try my best to improve it! 😊😊
@@pietersteenkamp5241 Haha.... Sarcasm and metaphors are my thing! You didn't got the right to steal it 😂😂
'Reality can be whatever I want.'
~Thanos
There must be order
- No thing
In which case "Reality be real. You know you want to."
Bill gates! 😂
“Upset the stablished order, and everything becomes chaos” - joker
I don’t know, I had to throw something in there
Has little to do with the video
Rebel
Wow! Best explaination I've ever come across on youtube for all the problems we are facing in today's world, from pandemic to global warming to economic meltdown etc. Let's hope world leaders will realize this before it's too late for all of us...
Unfortunately they won't
Best ted talks I’ve heard in a long time. Very relevant for this time.
Ascension Mojo What did he say that hasn’t been said before?
@@januarysson5633 What are you trying to convey?
DailyToker Hmm...That there’s nothing new under the sun.
@@januarysson5633 That's a very flat perspective.
@@januarysson5633 Everybody hasn't got to explore everything under the sun yet
A change in the way of our thinking starts with people like him. It’ll take many more people like him and time for us to shift.
If we have time? .. You might like Jiddu Krishnamurti talks. He was something else, so many years ago..
Such an important talk, very thought-provoking. Sometimes we find ourselves reading or listening to something and we know in our heart of hearts that this is something we needed to hear and think about. For me, this is one example. Having listened to it I find myself left with a lot of thoughts I did not have before that I want to stay with. It is tough to make sense of, and meaningfully compare, past thinking and beliefs, especially those of ancient times, with those of today. But this talk does just that, brilliantly, effortlessly. Inspiring and profoundly important, something I believe everyone could benefit from listening to, thank you Greg.
Let’s get this guy on Joe Rogan podcast!!!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
B. O. B. B Brilliant idea!
🙏🏾🙏🏾
"Jamie, lookup Greg Anderson"
Disagree. This guy is masquerading a simple topic (which he's been commissioned to discuss by TED - a political tool) behind new-age lingo, making it look trendy. Plurality is nothing extraordinary. Rogan discusses how seemingly fringe thinking or ideas can be beneficial to existing mainstream thought. This guy, on the other hand, just uses complex "fringy" language to propose a very simple idea that only a 1st year college student doesn't know about. He and Rogan are on different planets.
Yes indeed
Best TED Talk ever.
Thank you, Dr Anderson, for this. I think you understand how those of us who grew up in non-western, "pre-modern" societies feel in the face of the arrogance of western ontology.
I appreciate how detailed and thorough you were in this.
This man is an EXCELLENT speaker. Really enjoyable way of telling his story!
Amen.
I only wish he had interesting or even useful things to say.
@@pietersteenkamp5241 Ahaaa interesting things eh? So what would you say then if you were up there on that stage?
@@Onkruid Oh i would talk about it took us thousands of years to start separating facts from fiction and how far left we have to go; i would not glorify the conditions in ancient societies or start to suggest that they had either a more useful or a more accurate insight into reality. This man makes David Icke look like a deep thinker.
I don't feel like he was glorifying the conditions back then though. He just tells us that we should look upon our current view of reality with less excessive pride. We shouldn't think that our reality is automatically better than that of the ancient times. That does not imply that their reality was better, it just implies that we need to give some more thought to the fact that the way we see the world is not the only way of seeing the world and in my opinion that is a VERY interesting topic to talk about.
Either way I respect your opinion of course! Not everyone finds the same things interesting and that's perfectly fine :). I would love to hear you talk about those things so it would be awesome if you would record yourself and upload it! I mean this sincerely and with no bad intentions, I do not want to make fun of you I'm just interested in what you have to say about those subjects just as much as I was interested to see what Mr Anderson had to say about his subjects. Have a nice day either way sir!
This has got to be the most underrated ted talk ever. Unbelievably good
Right time to throw a video like this! Incredible
Kapish Dutta agreeed. There is no evidence we’re much different cognitively than our ancestors. And people think that just because they live in this era with all this technology(most of whom didn’t create anything in their lives) are so posh and ungrateful for it.
@@brendanmcpike184 True that! It's time to get back to our roots! Plenty of books are available. This is the right and easiest time in the history to get enlightened.
Indeed
not a single trump supporter would understand a single word stated in this video.
Luigi Dopobici I mean, I’m not really a Trump supporter but I do lean towards being a conservative just by temperament. But you have to think to be careful with that line of logic because that’s almost half the population. No offense but I would suggest to not go to those conclusions.
What a brilliant, wise and eloquent man. A great thinker and a great teacher. My hope is that he takes to many more stages and is handed many more microphones. Our "civilization" needs to hear the truth he articulates so beautifully. I think i want to quit my job and become a roadie for him.
Greg, great talk. Absolutely outstanding! You tackled such a complex topic with such grace and compassion.
I am proud of ancient Hinduism being alive and well today in India. Preserving the culture of our ancient ancestors is key to understanding who we are and where we come from.
Loved this talk. Thaanks for opening my mind to different perceptions of reality.
same here i totally agree
The thought of working together strikes a tone especially in this day and age. Great things and horrendous things can be created by people coming together but the common goal is the driving force. If I think about living a life that reflects the world I would like to see, I see a very different day to day life. Thank You Tedx and Greg Anderson for the great thought
We are working together in a lot more complex ways and in a higher amount than any other time in history. Why would you think otherwise? That's insane.
So.... I literally was sitting here reading the Bible, for the first time in 15 years.... and I get a notification of this video. Interesting.
Always watching bro
Is this video gonna just be about nihilism and against faith? Save me some time and propaganda and let me know before I watch...
wildebt no it’s not at all. Actually it’s a great video that give a great realization of perspective
Dam it google, even the Bible!?
"coincidence is gods way of acting on the earth"- Einstein
I was about to cut it short, but he started making sense after 12:00. And I’m glad I watched it till the end. Amazing speech 👏🏼
Just be humble. Then you will see the beauty of other different realities.
One of the great speeches I've ever seen
I am from Peru
The historian Greg Anderson is quite right
Watching this amazingt talk, as the world battles an unseen enemy, both challeneged and empowered me. I've lived among traditional peoples and know how much we have to learn from them. The Cofan in Ecuador have always lived in harmony with the earth, water, and sky. I honor them and their lessons--and hope that we can pay attention to their wisdom. Thank you so much.
I swear this knowledge is floating around us rn.
Was thinking the same, it appears everywhere in different forms.
The internet as we know it is a crude imitation.
Because you're kids. TED is politics. The whole reason you're thinking it's "floating around" is because he gave you what you already thought, and coated it in a "new age" language of globalism and togetherness, while simulteneously turning your weapons against the perceived 'bad' perspectives you've been taught... presumably in favour of 'good' ones - which he neither explains nor justifies. In the end, he fails to make a case for a proposition he just outlined... or even to answer the question of why the "objective reality" of, for example, his wife not dying during child birth (thank you, medicine), is worse than the "mystical reality" whose existence he *reminded* people about for 15 minutes. There's nothing here at all. Unless you're 16 years old.
@@pqlr8763 I believe that every truth is also a false. I also don't believe it to fit in. I'm 19 so that makes me better than a 16 year old.
@@pqlr8763 actually no, I've come across material from different authors that point to the very same ideas pointed out in the video since several weeks before watching this.
Your third point put many of my feelings towards history into words. I believe history also shows us that we have the ability to change our world(s). It's a powerful thing to recognize.
You can romanticize and try to explain it any way you want but at the end of the day ancient reality was exactly the same as ours is today. Nothing has changed. The universal truths existed then the exact same way as they exist today. The only difference is we have far more collective knowledge today and understand more of those universal truths.
Name one universal truth
@@JohnSmith-wx4ts Gravity exists on this planet and its effects are the same for everyone and everything.
@Richard Vowler Gravity has been proven. It's the Law of Gravitational Attraction. The theory explains why and how it occurs. That explanation (ie theory) my change over time but it doesn't negate the fact that it occurs.
I've tried to explain the illusion of self and how our whole thing we got going here on so many levels constantly reinforces, the, I that is not me. no luck ever just couldn't get the words to click and this man laid it out beautifully and also in a format that will be easier for a specific group of people to avoid biases and write off listening before hearing.
Thanks guy.
Yes, we are conditioned from birth to believe in the "I", so it will take a very enlightened person to wake up others
Individualism vs comm(unity)....takes on so much more importance in the midst of this pandemic.
I'm going to save this one.
I want to listen again and think about what the professor said in depth.
even though i belive in the multiverse this guy is completly blowing my mind nd putting it back together superfast over and over. he is a genuis!
Agreed my unknown friend. Join us as we do our little bit using our music and messages to shine some light in these challenging ,twisted and upside down times. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER.
My channel is basically about how people in the past may have experienced reality in a completely different way from us. This lecture was like candy for me.
"Reality is not just a material given to us by nature"
i know, what a great quote! i believe he said: "reality is not just a material order given to us by nature."
A civilization where people are civil to eachother..live to serve one another as a whole!....what a beautiful concept.
This is a purely social constructionist argument. "There is no Truth/Reality except what people say there is".
I understand that, and I'm no fan of the constructionist view, but I think its also true that there's no scientific reason why the individual-centric conception we have is objectively RIGHT. We could just as easily be family-oriented or nautre-oriented. It's like human rights, or money. They don't exist in any objective sense, they're just useful fictions that facilitate prosperous societies.
@@jakesoulvie4397 I don't see a reason why higher apes with 5 senses, speech and writing should be able to articulate the Absolute Truth of the Universe under any circumstances. We don't really understand what happened until after it happens. Sure we could change our "societal aim" but how would that happen if not for a collection of individuals?
@@QubitVector Well I'd agree, humans have no way of knowing a number of things. There are certain (maybe metaphysical) questions that may never be answered. And I'm not advocating we change our culture to be less individualistic. It's probably very useful that that idea underlies our society. I'm just saying that idea isn't true in any objective sense, just useful.
@@QubitVector Oh we know plenty absolute truths about the universe, like 2+2=4. Predictions? We can predict things to some degree, we predict rain. Magic? No, science.
It was more like "There is no Truth/Reality except what every culture besides the Western Civilization said there is."
By almost every scientific measure of well being NOW is the best of all times to have ever lived. Certainly, some people in the world suffer today. But on average, today we are better educated, healthier, wealthier, and safer. No other time in history compares to today's worldwide standards. For the most part today's "reality" has served humanity best. Interesting talk.
I find most interesting to think with this ideas about the future. What will it do to our society if we get a interplanetary species?
How fast and how much will our view about reality change in those completely different environments?
Photelegy I will still believe in God and Jesus. He said he had many mansions.
One of the best ted talks for sure
He is amazing , just imagine .
Our very selves has been thusly modelled .and mostly not even by our hand.
So then,our minds are the green pastures that brings Forth this notion of who do we think we are.
This misguided notion of separation , we do it to ourselves ,but we don’t have to .
If we fill our minds with love then love flourishes ,if we offer gratitude then we acknowledge The gift received.
If we fill our heads with compassion ,then we become compassionate .
We truly are the genie in the bottle ,
All we got to do now is rub
Nice
I like what Greg Anderson has presented to us as a new way of thinking. It was a lot for me to take in and I am still trying to digest his words and summarize: Calling upon ancient realities of past civilizations that have worked for maybe thousands of years as examples to help our modern society in creating a survivable, sustainable future that works and doesn't destroy our planet and the creatures who live upon it.
The son of agent Smith and the book keeping lady at every high school ever, just gave me one of the best ted talks ever.
Fr😂
... Professor Greg...best lecture I've listened to in quite a while...Aloha nui loa...
„Who else be a fan of TEDx Talks before 2020😍”
(I hope you are doing well!)
@@jahmar196 😨😨
I was pre knowing its ideological agenda. Its really left wing atheist propaganda .
Very early does it question mainstream or it gets censored
@@dadsonworldwide3238 😐😐
They seem to support marxist ideologies... Im not a fan of that by any means
Thank you for your very enlightening talk. I am going to think about it for a long time.
Our psychology is effectively an essential. Thank you very much for this video shared.
I’d vote for this guy
The way he talks about the gods in Athens reminds me of the book "American Gods" by Neil Gaimen.
Great job! Thank you.
This will become psytrance samples🤣
JustSpectre Alan Watts samples be hittin too
LMAO how did y--
And Carl Jung. Don’t forget about him, either. Lol
Thanks for the idea!! I'm going to get sampling this right now!
@@JustSpectre I'm making those tracks now.
Great topic and timing.
Thank you TH-cam algorithm to actually recommend something nice for once.
This talk gave a completely new outlook towards the world I perceive. I believe in mystical powers but never thought of this dimension. Thanks for bringing it here
If u play with nature , remember it's turn is yet to come...
You always play with nature. Its all around you
@@AM-fh7ek LOL. 🤣🤣 ....u took very Seriously ...
It is Corona Virus.?
@@need2know739 corona virus is a scam
@@AM-fh7ek , Yip unfortunately has the same effects on societies regardless just the same.😠
Such an important message. Hopefully it will find enough ears willing to listen and act upon it...
Awesome video. It is so easy to assume science has it all figured out. I could better appreciate that my culture is conditioning me to be an individual, when really this is one of many possible constructs I could have it be. Amazing.
Right On 300% and then some.
Can't speak for all scientists, but I think the scientists I know that do research, do not assume that science has figured it all out. That's why they are scientists in the first place, to do research on topics we haven't figured out. Depending on the field of science, the knowledge body can shift rather dynamically and fast. It often seems to me that people, especially those who have less actual exposure to the scientific world, have an aversion because there seems to be a perception that science is cold, arrogant and somehow intolerant to 'intuitive' forms of knowledge. This can be the case or the attitude individuals may take, but that doesn't have to be the ethos of science at all. Perhaps the methods are rigid, tedious and alienating to people - you can either test it or you can't - which signals to a lot of people that their beliefs are invalidated. Natural reaction to that is often defensiveness. But underlying the methodology lies great creativity and hard work - personally I value that. At least that's why I love all sciences.
Not only the Athenians...most of the countries in the world.
10/11 years ago I "woke up", my senses were opened so that I remembered who I am, who we are. Surrounded by guides, spirits, gods. The spirits of the wind and trees and the sea etc, communicated with me. I can understand the language of the birds, animals...numbers. And so much more.
Its faded again to some extent but its was an incredible adventure, which continues to this day.
This video motivates me a lot! I'm going to translate it to my language
Commenters are getting oddly defensive about his comparison of Athenian societal reality to our own and missing the point entirely. He's not saying Athenians were better than us, just explaining how their perception of reality was so different yet managed to uphold a productive society that was more in tune with the world around them. It's interesting to think humans created (and some continue to experience) a colony-type reality, much like bees or ants, via mythology and religion.
Borderless mind is a beauty!
I have learned a lot from this channel
Mr. Anderson forgets to remember the horrors of the ancient worlds, like famine, deceases, human slavery, misogynist states, wars (there were plenty of them), plagues, poverty, etc. and the wonders of the new world like longer life expectancy, lower birth death rates, global wealth, better democratic law system, fast travels or telecommunications, like the one we are using to watch this talk. I bet that a girl of the ancient world would prefer to live now when she can get education, birth control, not to be sold in marriage, not to be punched by her husband and have an independent life as a person. Even a poor person in this era is more richer than the average person in ancient times. We also should be grateful with what we have now.
Diseases
Also, there are many places on earth where women are still experiencing the atrocities you describe as from the past. Right now. Sadly.
@victoria zabaras I'm sure that's what the global norm was. Yes.
Finally some sense dawning on us through seers like Anderson.
When mind splits from reality, mind vanishes.
@Treno di Vapore Look out at concrete reality, not inward. Focus your mind. Or retreat into imagination and symbols and emotions.
Captivating, Mr. Anderson...LOL. Seriously, His multiple world idea is thought-provoking
you're the epitome of an Atlas Shrugged antagonist
dam right ... frightening
Why?
@@victorlemashon1133 read the book
Yuck, libertarians.
an Atlas Shrugged antagonist would be a government beaurocrat.
an excellent talk
I hope the organizers meant to call him a "radical historian" the way that the ninja turtles use the word
I just love that his name is Mr Anderson (Neo) hahaha what a coincidence and most appropriate! Thank u professor 🙏
Radiation, electricity, electromagnetic fields, WiFi, etc - all real for all of us though we don't see them. Though they may look unreal (and divine) for the ancient people.
This is some early XX century view :-)
right on!
Radiation, fields and particles, are they really real? Physicists themselves are still debating what is real in the quantum world.
By the way, he is not just talking about physical reality, but also on the reality of different values and different ways of seeing what are important in the world.
Here come the Blue Smoke Truthers...
Less desire means less suffering
Great talk, highly discerning and astute speaker. Over time humans have developed colossal egos - therefore our arrogance. We need to go back to basics if our race is to continue to exist.
Why whould we exist if the price is payed in trees and animals? Humans are the sickness of this planet indeed.
Thank you to all the First Nation humans of the world 🙏
Personal takeaways:
*There is one altimate reality out there, our reality
*Real things for us are material things.Invisible things are considered unreal.
*Our real world is just one of countless real worlds the humans have had.
I suppose wifi signals nor TV signals nor are radio tower signals really really nor are they traceable not really real that logic. Sorry. To burst your bubble, just telling you like it is. They sure as heck aren't ghosts nor demons. 👻👹🙈🙉🙊👿😲😜🤔 Are Artificial Intelligences real? They are visible. Either with a chat screen like Siri, or a 3F graphic body like Paphus Solution Inc's My Virtual Girlfriend Cindy.
@@angelinarobert622 - Wi-Fi, television and radio signals can be detected and traced using the proper instruments. They can be proven to exist. Gods, ghosts, demons and water nymphs cannot. If you suggest that something, whatever that may be, exists, yet there is no way to detect its existence, it is the same as saying it does not exist.
*ultimate reality
Amazing Video.. Loved it.. And I can listen to him and His Thoughts all day.. Thankyou so much for this Video ❤
This guy is a bit behind the times. It has taken him 20 years to get to this point.
The Greeks are not the best example of past civilisations differing from ours. The biggest difference is that science is too often arrogant to dictate what our "reality" should be. As individuals, we are entitled to build our own reality.
Humility is the key. Because if you arrogant he do not learn.
I think individualism, a common theme he critiques, is a reaction to the modern world, which is probably more mechanistic, like an ant colony, than we'd like to admit. If we were less 'overcrowded', collectivism would be the dominant culture. How many sincerely individual people do we really meet (beyond the tokenistic trends of attire)? Most people I know eat, sleep, poo, watch TV and work for someone else. Oh and they breed future worker ants as well. Individualism is the desire that, ironically, can never be realised as 'self' is possibly the illusion of our modern subjective reality.
James Hatton No one can know who they really are unless they’re part of a group.
Depends on your definition of "individual" or individualism. Humanity, like reality, is a social construct. A true individual separates themselves from humanity, making of themselves nothing more then a merely technological animal.
Jake Aurod If humanity is a social construct then why wouldn’t an individual be? Human beings as a species can be defined as a collection of individuals that are capable of reproducing with opposite sexed individuals of the same group.
@@jakeaurod How can anyone be separated since we are all connected by our social conscious net of our species and many other nets of different conscious nets of our commonness with other beings?
@@januarysson5633 Individualism is a social construct, among those in the group in reference to the one that is not part of the group. Individualization can probably exist within the group, as far as the norms allow, but individualism beyond what is allowed can result in no longer being a member of the group.
What an incredible speech. I now have the urge to change something, seems sadly so hard from home... Well, I hope y'all are doing okay and can share this idea with other people in their group of friends or family :)
Change starts with the self, then moves to the family, then the community.
I see one BIG PROBLEM here: It is true that our individual and collective perceptions of the world shape the way we interpret our environment, build our societies and live our lives. E.g. economists say that individuals are self-interested and rational; thus we are competitive people living in a capitalist systems, striving for ever more wealth. This is clearly based on a myth (humans aren't just self-interested and they are certainly not raional) and destroys our planet.
However, its is wrong to say that today's Western culture is no better than ancient cultures and that believing in something like an objective, physical world is arrogant:
Science is not a discipline that produces facts but a process of asking questions and testing (each others) hypothesis. Every scientist has to assume that their findings are tested by others who have different beliefs, different perceptions of reality. Therefore he/she has to be cautious in their theories in order to produce results that can be found (quantitatively measured) and therefore perceived (interpreted) by others as 'true'. Therefore, a society that listens to science will form myths around things that are 'objective and physical' and can be perceived to be true by everyone, regardless of their individual belief system.
True in theory but not how it operates the same in practice. If you become a phd and continue in academia that notion will be quickly disillusioned. Science is effective but it is still subject to inertia. Similairly to the idea that religion perfectly practiced should generate human happiness and contentment but again not how it works in practice.
@@MegaAbdelgader Not all study areas are neatly testable. But our physical models are extensively tested and extremely reliable for predicting measurable phenomena. The inertia in the scientific community can be more a feature than a bug. Good scientists wait for very good evidence to accumulate before completely dropping old ideas. People aren't perfect, but the evidence is that the process works to predict measurable phenomena.
@@davidwilder2242 Thank you - finally a set of sensible comments
That lecture was LIT, thank you sir!
I' think if something it's invisible,doesn't mean it's not real
No offense, but your views are slightly strange. If there is no way to detect something, your senses can't detect it, instruments can't detect it, isn't that the same as something not existing? If you don't need to provide proof of your claim, can't you then claim anything? I could say "Allah came to me in a dream and said everyone in my town should give me their money" You could not prove I was lying, and I could then go on to have many more "dreams". Wouldn't it be better that I prove my claim?
@john smith - I'm not that familiar with Islam, but it does seem like a reasonable religious request. That's hilarious!
@john smith - Much better narrative flow. This sentence is a keeper.
@john smith we can believe it If we know it's real even can't see it 😉 it's all about ur Faith man
@john smith when u said that u showed me that u don't know anything about the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) so don't talk about what ur unaware of
Thank you.
Reality is constructed , meanings are created & weaved by humans.. whatever stands your mind.. is real..
Gravity is real whether you believe in it or not. The sun will burn you whether you believe or not. Jumping off a cliff will kill you whether you believe or not. The idea that everything is 'constructed' is wishy washy nonsense.
Ive recently taken interest in asatru and norse gods and ive realized that although there are only about 20,000 actual practitioners world wide, the norse gods are very powerful and the asstru people put a lot of emphasis on being connected to your local nature while being careful not to disrespect the natives land and their ancestors and its a very interesting and emotional world to be in.
I hate to be "that guy" but in the classical Greek school of Epicurianism, "God" and "Gods" were indeed *_not_* focal points of existence, in fact Epicurus can be called the "First Atheist". Epicurus founded his entire philosophy on "atomism", which is to say he believed that all material things are composed of atoms, and from this base he grew a philosophy which prescribed modes, beliefs and actions which would address the "worthwhileness" of life. If he and his followers regarded God or gods at all it was more that they were just archetypical of different human paths.
It's unknown what proportion of the Classical World was Epicurean, but Epicurean communes were spread across the Mediteranean until the Romans became Christian and began persecuting and erasing Epicureanism wherever they found it, starting in 391 CE. The Christians succeeded in burning every single copy of every publication Epicurus or his followers wrote except something like 3 letters, a list of quotes, and most importantly, they somehow missed one single copy of Lucretious' poem "De Rerum Natura" which is believed to be a distillation of nearly all of Epicurus' main ideas. This one single copy, which may have gone unread for a thousand years, once rediscovered in 1417 could well have been the spark of the Enlightenment, having been studied by everyone from Voltaire to Hume to even Moliere.
The Epicureans likely would have found many of us in the Modern World (the "Enlightenment World") to be compatible with their worldview, even while, as it was in Epicurus' time, we still have people among us in the Modern World who really believe in demons and angels and gods (even while they paradoxically wear glasses, use video projectors, and carry cell phones in their pockets, etc.)
Where did you find this information? I'm very interested in Ancient Greece but wouldn't know where to find good, well sourced information
The Mediterranean at the time was a hotbed for different philosophies every city did things differently than the next. The point this guy is making is, if something affects your life it's real, whether tangible or not. The gods or the Epicureans beliefs molded the lives of their believers, the same way that celebrities and political parties mold people today
@@dylansharkey6040 If you live near a university library you could inquire about access for the general public, or they may even have "extension courses" in classics for the general public. If you don't I'd recomend looking up "Epicurus" "Epicureanism" "Atomism" "Lucretious" "De Rerum Natura" and "Christian suppression of (what the Christians called) paganism" on Wikipedia, and while reading the wiki page can be optional, try to focus on the sources indicated at the bottom of the article.
Whatever you do, don't get your information from some guy in the TH-cam comments, or some guy on a stage with a styrofoam TEDx behind them either.
@@kamikazekopec1084 Actually if you re-watch the video here, it would appear the guy talking on stage here makes a very careful effort to discuss "Ancient Greece", and not "Classical Greece", and there's a huge difference that I suspect many people wouldn't have caught and that he took no care to explain. If, like many, you're not aware of the distinction, his talk would sound as if the Epicureans never existed. And if you're raised in a Christian environment and not studied in the Classics, it would further appear that Archimedeans and Thales and Aristarchus and Eratosthenes and whomever built the Antikythera Mechanism and so-on didn't ever exist either.
The amount of "provable knowledge" the Christians destroyed or attempted to destroy was immense, and he's not acknowledged that in the slightest. That would be exactly how I would expect a Christian Obscurantist to speak.
@@MultiCappie Thanks for the reply. I'm studying at University now, but will likely have graduated by the time lock-down's really over lol, will see if they've got an e-Library resource. You think Ted talks aren't well sourced?
Greek Mythology certainly seemed fascinating, and I believe a lot of their poems and plays were about it
This is such an insightful suggestion, thank you Greg!
Fantastic. When I'm done writing this message, I'm going to throw the phone out the window and go into the woods with my neighbor's wife after stealing it from her. I do not believe in the innocence of the ancient civilizations, nor in topics about good savages, nor in the goodness of superstition. With our power, they would not have lasted two days without destroying themselves. In fact, our global civilization may be much more robust and sustainable than yours. If our world is more dangerous, it is because being closer to the truth gives us powers that they would have considered proper to gods. And unlike them, we do not condemn the dissident to death for atheism: that, among many others, is the advantage of individualism that only modern societies have achieved, ceasing to be slaves to the wishes of the tribe.
Damn, the Very Best Comment I have read in the last 3 to 4 months, Thanks Bro.
what tribe are you referring to? is there a human collective tribe that has ever actually been a collective?
@@BeingGraceDivine He's saying it's very new and unique that you could disagree with your leader's God, beliefs, and favorite color and not be executed or exiled for it.
Very well remembered and executed
Yes, this is reminding me of the book Sapiens, which goes over the changing ideas of reality.
There is an objective reality. Its interpretation is that which needs to be reconstructed.
No, there isn't an objective reality. Have another listen and give your full attention this time :)
@@RichardHarlos. I don't need to give it another listen to understand what the gentleman was saying. Nor do I have to agree with what he was saying if I do understand. I hope this makes sense. My issue may be more about semantics than anything. I understand that every individual, society, and time subjects reality to its interpretation. However I believe that an objective reality still exists. That is to say that true reality precedes the reality set on by situational awareness. And that is understood by calling it objective. I think an experience of true Consciousness and Awareness provides a glimpse into that reality. Of course any reflection is still subject to attitudes. We call that a subjective reality.
@@thediddler , I agree your objection seems semantic, mostly a consequence of the limited time allotted for a TED talk. In his 2018 book, Professor Anderson elaborates deeper what he could only mention briefly here.
Thanks for your reply.
@@RichardHarlos thank you Tin-kin
@@thediddler Excellent response to an initially condescending comment. Lovely to see that differing opinions don't need to descend into a shouting match of insults. Bravo.
Fantastic! This is a truth I have been trying to get through to students for decades. A truth requiring years of immersion in the products of totally different cultures. People who try to judge past cultures by modern standards are indeed arrogant and myopic. Human relationship to nature and each other was NOT THE SAME. Something like Achilles' quest for "glory" is NOT simply a selfish modern person wanting fame (the cheesy Brad Pitt version) but the ideal of a man sacrificing his life for his cultural values (knowing that going to Troy meant a short life) then finding out his culture had betrayed him (remember Pat Tillman?). These older stories are NOT about people trying to maximize their individuality but instead trying to find their optimum role in a society and universe valued as greater and more eternal than themselves. Among other gigantic differences.
Interesting concepts in this talk. I have some issues though. Earlier civilizations did not have all the excesses of modern times because they didn't have our knowledge base. Not because they had better models. Give ancient Greece the scientific knowledge of today and would they act any differently than we do today? I don't know. I rather doubt it.
There is certainly no doubt that modern humanity is racing full steam ahead into the destruction of the resources that sustain us. And although it will likely destroy our civilizations I don't see it changing. Looking back on what more ancient cultures did, how they behaved, is not going to get us out of the trouble we are in. Looking forward, changing our cultures into what they need to become if we are to survive, that is the only way out of the doom that is awaiting us just around the corner.
You have a point, but I believe that the comparison between contemporary society and older civilizations can be of use if we understand that the knowledge of "what" to do (I.e.: the technical know-how upon which contemporary culture is based) must come hand in hand with the knowledge of "how to do so without it being detrimental to the world" (I.e.: knowing that even if fossil fuels systems are indeed more efficient compared to wind and solar power, their prolonged use on a vast scale would put in danger our survival) and that's where the idea of a unified world in which humans are in real harmony between themselves and their environment can be taken and has to be taken into consideration, and models of the world like those used by past civilizations are to be taken as examples for that, imo.