Sociology

david brooks

The Social Animal

Tapping into the findings of his latest book, NYTimes columnist David Brooks unpacks new insights into human nature from the cognitive sciences — insights with massive implications for economics and politics as well as our own self-knowledge.

rachel-botsman-collaboration

The Case for Collaborative Consumption

Rachel Botsman says we’re “wired to share.” That’s exactly why companies like Zipcar and Swaptree are so successful, she says. Collaboration is taking us back to an earlier time where our communication took form through trade.

population-roger-jeffery

Population: how much of a problem?

Professor Roger Jeffery looks at the controversial topic of world population within current demographic knowledge, and look at linkages to issues of food security, migration, economic development and human rights.

Steven Johnson talk at TED

Where good ideas come from

Steven Johnson says we need to put the coffee place environment into effect in the workplace. He also makes a compelling argument for why the secrecy of ideas needs to be eliminated and sharing needs to be implemented.

Matt Ridley Rational Optimist

Matt Ridley on The Rational Optimist & “Ideas Having Sex”

We have our physical evolution, but what creates our cultural evolution? Author Matt Ridley says this occurs from the exchange of ideas. In fact, he says we are the only species to have done this which is the reason for our success.

Seth Priebatsch social game

Building the Game Layer on Top of the World

Seth Priebatsch, Princeton dropout, says building the social layer to society is finished. It’s over. Facebook rules that world. But Priebatsch says there the next framework to be built will be the game layer. In fact, we have already begun building this, it is just poorly constructed so far.

Matt Ridley, When Idea Have Sex

When Ideas Have Sex

Forget IQ. It is a concept that has become irrelevant, says author Matt Ridley. It’s how well people communicate their ideas that makes us intelligent. By communicating effectively, our ideas are able to meet and mate — a natural selection of thoughts that weeds out the bad ones — which expands our collective brain.

Laurie Santos monkeys and irrationaility

How Monkeys Mirror Human Irrationality

Think you are smarter than a monkey? Yale Psychology Professor Laurie Santos begs to differ. She has been studying human irrationally by comparing it to decision-making in our primitive relatives.

Michael Wesch lecture The Future of Communication

The Future of Communication

The way we find information has changed and is changing drastically everyday with the creation of new technology. Social networking, such as Digg and Delicious, have created new and more effective ways to collaborate and organize with anyone anywhere.

Anthony Giddens globalization communications lecture

Globalization and Communication

We have entered an age where communication connects us all. Globalization is here to stay. But what does that mean for us as a society? Globalization brings about big changes in the way we operate and think, so what are the pros and cons of these changes?

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