And that’s exactly why, though TED is sexy, it’s also kind of intellectually bankrupt: it’s actively helping stop new DNA from happening.
Let me put it even more sharply.
There have been gatherings like TED for hundreds of years. But the vast majority of the world continues to live in bone-crushing poverty, misery, and fear.
Think about that for a second.
At least there’s ted.com.
Even still, it smells like a missed opportunity:
TED isn’t part of the answer - it’s part of the problem. It’s a negative equilibrium: all that great thinking is directed to the place where it’s least productive.
For the record, this bit of context is worth hearing: The problem isn’t the people there or the speakers; “the problem is dna - whether simple awareness is the most productive use of said speakers’ output (esp in a world of cheap info).”
UPDATE:
EXACTLY proving the points above, Bill Gates releases actual Mosquitos into the crowd at TED.
