We will start with one of my favorite Ted Talks Videos:
At TEDGlobal 2010, author Matt Ridley shows how, throughout history, the engine of human progress has been the meeting and mating of ideas to make new ideas. It's not important how clever individuals are, he says; what really matters is how smart the collective brain is.
Matt Ridley: When Ideas have Sex
What are your thoughts on what Dr. Ridley lecture?
I really enjoyed this talk entirely. I liked the reference between “Oz” and “Adam” involving trade. This example really does create (as Mr. Ridely said) more momentum for trade because both ends receive something. Even between the sexes, the woman trades roots so she wont have to hunt and the man trades the meat so he doesn’t have to dig; it all works out. It makes sense that when a group is isolated that their advancements are virtually obsolete. As reference to the title, there is not much room for the ideas to mate and create better newer ideas. I never took into consideration how old trade really is and certainly didn’t think it would be older than farming. The mouse-axe reference is great. It is true, no one on this earth knows how to make a mouse, which doesn’t seem so complex.
ReplyDelete“We all know little bits, but none of us knows the whole”.
I found the lecture very interesting and Dr. Matt Ridley himself very amusing. Ridley's theory is unique and he presented the theory in the same matter. Seeing "the human collective" from Ridley's prospective is fascinating. I also agree with Anthony that the mouse-axe reference is terrific.
ReplyDeleteI found the title of the lecture really fascinating. It just really catches your attention. How can something abstract have sex? He is talking about the "reproduction" of ideas and the exchange of ideas. It is completely true in respect to ideas growing from human interaction--without social contact ideas would never travel and never grow and develop to the extent of our modern day technology.
ReplyDeleteThis lecture was great, I wish I could have him lecturing me daily.I love how he is able to take the idea of sex and tie it to creation of culture, objects, expansion, and advancements. I love the example of the time your would have to work to buy one hour of reading light, it really is mind-blowing. I am really amazed at the advancements that have been made in such a short period of time. Great video.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the lecture and found Dr. Ridley very entertaining! I agree with Emily when she talked about the "reproduction" of ideas and how Dr. Ridley made it more captivating by using the word sex and personifying ideas in that way! It is a great way to attract the audience's attention. Im very fascinated with the advancements that have been made in such little time and I agree that without social interaction, all of this couldn't be possible!
ReplyDeleteI think this was a very powerful speech. Humans have indeed come along way and have managed to come up with a very productive way of developing new societies. Game design requires many specialists. We have programmers, audio specialists, game designers, concept artists, level designers and so on. I could really relate to Matt Ridley.
ReplyDeleteThis video actually reminded me of two old sayings, two heads are better than one and I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine. I love how he said that everyone has hundreds of people working for them yet no one knows how to create a simple pencil or pastry. Everyone is interconnected in some way or another and everyone is helping towards innovation (even if they don't know it)
ReplyDeleteBut doesn't having a collective brain tie in with being smart? It almost seems like it is contradicting itself...either way I guess its a pretty interesting comment.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe don't think about it to often, but what do you do when the lights go out in your house? If your like most people, when the lights go out due to power failure you will simply just wait and assume that someone is fixing the issue at that moment. Well, thats exactly what I think Matt is trying to get you think. That the reason behind why everything is the way it is in the world, is due to "Trade". For example, at any moment in your day there are countless of places, where other people will prepare you any food you desire. Everyone is trading something between one another, making the complexity of just a computer mouse very complex, due to the fact that maybe you know how to run a company to sell mouses, but have to trade to produce the mouse.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a lot of sense what he says. The evolution of the idea combined with the beauty of trade makes us who we are. And looking at today's society, it's insane what we are going to produce in 5, 10 and 15 years. When the world comes together, we can only become a better world and a more powerful and intelligent community.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great presentation. However i agree with Nick in that it is like it's contradicting itself.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how far the human race has come. People are connecting more with other people, which is sparking new ideas everyday. When people work together and trade ideas productivity increases dramatically.
ReplyDeleteThis TED talk was quiet interesting. The human has certainly evolved into a more advanced species. Division of specialization is what life is all about!
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely an interesting Ted Talk but I would have to say that I don't completely agree with his views. I do agree that the reason we have advanced so rapidly as a species is because we communicate our ideas and create a so called collective brain, but I believe the IQ of an individual is certainly an important attribute to look at. The most intelligent people among us are what help fuel the ideas of the collective mind in my opinion much more rapidly. Just look at Ted Talks many of those people have highly impressive IQ's and their ideas fuel everyone else's ideas much more than the average person. They contribute to the collective brain by getting the creative juices flowing so to speak and to propel society forward much more rapidly than if we all had the same IQ. Wow that was long not doing that again :)
ReplyDeleteDr. Ridley was definitely an interesting and entertaining speaker, and his ideas and language communicated through the speech were thought provoking. It is true that our (humans) progress can only be hastened with the sharing and globalization of ideas. Trade, combined with the ability of the all intelligent people around the world to produce new, and more sophisticated products can inspire hope in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis Ted Talk was interesting and I appreciate how Ridley was able to drive through the presentation by touching on multiple concepts. I have learned about comparative advantage before but I think the way that Ridley explained was very easy to comprehend. After watching the TED Talk I started noticing how things around me are like the computer mouse, how things are composed of multiple components. Also, I had to look up the presentation on Youtube because the link did not work for me.
ReplyDeleteI thought the lecture was pretty cool. I did not know that neanderthals had such big brains. I also was not aware that the exchange of ideas has such an impact on the advancement of mankind.
ReplyDeleteI think the lecture is very interesting but a bit long. The material that he covered in his lecture was alright and the way he put it is what made it fun to listen to. I was also unaware of the impact of the exchange of ideas and innovations.
ReplyDeleteim not sure but the link doesnt really work for me.
ReplyDeleteI am having the same issues as Johnny. The link does not work. is there any other way to view the lecture besides the link posted above?
ReplyDeleteI found myself intrigued to what this lecture was titled. The attention it grasps is a bit deceitful, because obviously something abstract can't have intercourse. However, I was impressed how he related that with reproducing ideas itself. I completely agree with what he was saying, because humans grow their ideas based on others in which has created what we live in today.
ReplyDeleteIt may be right that collective brains are more important than individuals. Because teamwork can create more powerful strength. It play an important role in our life.
ReplyDeleteThe link didn't work for me either but if you type in Matt Ridley: When Ideas Have Sex on google, it's like the first link to come up.
ReplyDeleteAs for the lecture itself, it was an interesting topic and very well presented. It really makes you realize how dependent we all are on each other as a human race. The fact that no one knows how to make a whole product (ie the mouse) is one that really gets you thinking!
The most fascinating part for me was when Ridley was giving the comparative advantage example. If people specializing in a certain profession they can trade with other people in other jobs. which ultimately saves time. And the more people, the more money can be made. and that is where the reproducing comes in. Very interesting lecture.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching this video and hardly noticed its length due to its amusement. Ridley's presentation was very intriguing and he gave his speech in a way that was very understandable. It is interesting realizing how dependent society is, and how beneficial an outcome can be while working cooperatively with others.
ReplyDeleteI liked the video. It makes sense when two people interact and exchange ideas a new idea can be made by one or the other. i've never thought about it but that is how most ideas are made. If i couldn't talk to another person the ideas i would come up with would be intercriedably original but at the same time simple. a great example of this is science 1000s of years ago we had 4 elements earth wind fire and water, simple idea. but today we have a ton more elements and compounds the thing is that without that idea of earth wind and fire and water we wouldn't be where we are today
ReplyDeletethis one above was posted by mackenzie bly not my nickname mack bly
ReplyDeleteI think the sentence: "what really matters is how smart the collective brain is." Form Matt Ridley is really correct. There is no doubt that work in team is a great idea. Not only in career but also in our life. No one will live with relaxtionship. We need partners,we need groups. To work you group can improve our work and it can make more enjoyment while we are working.
ReplyDelete"Exchange" is the absolute cause of our development from B.C. times until now. One example of this can be found in the Yucatan Peninsula, where several Indian tribes occupied the Texcoco lake area before the Aztecs. The success of the Aztecs is largely attributed to the borrowing from previous tribes and their "thriving cities" such as the Maya, Olmecs, Zapotecs, Tiwanaku, etc. And there are striking similarities between Egyptian and Mexican Empires' religious rituals and clothing, etc. The act of subconscious/conscious exchange is one of the biggest overlying messages of the history of people.
ReplyDeleteLove all the TedTalk videos. They are all really interesting. Definitely like this one a lot learning a little bit more about the history of people.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this video it wasn't as boring as I thought it was going to be and it kept me entertained. The lecture made me think about myself and my life. I think if i want to succeed I'll need a lot of help from others.
ReplyDeleteit was a good topic and it helps us all think in a different perspective on things around us.
ReplyDeleteThe lecture was very interesting and there were many examples that are very helpful to understanding what Dr. Matt Ridley said. I found myself getting information easily in this class.
ReplyDeleteI thought Matt Ridley's lecture was very interesting. I enjoyed the point he made that we have all this modern technology, but none of us really know where it comes from or how it's made. Most of the technology we interact with on a daily basis falls into this category. It's a little mind boggling to think about how interconnected we all are. Although I thought all of Mr. Ridley's points were interesting, I am not sure I agree with the point he made that IQ is irrelevant. I think the intelligence of an individual goes a long way towards the innovation and advances of humanity. We have to be smart enough to know how to work together, how to use the technology we create, and how to take what is available to us and create something better.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Matt Ridley's style of lecturing! He did a good job of balancing dense information with humor. It's interesting to think that exchange between individuals has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years. I liked when he said that there is not a single person that knows how to make a computer mouse. Some people know how to create certain parts but no one can make an entire mouse. He says, "We've created the ability to create things that we don't even understand." That's both amazing and terrifying.
ReplyDeleteThis video definitely has a point about ideas. I like how the video used the concept of "sex" in collaborating ideas because it gives us a better visual of how ideas are produced. Another aspect mentioned of interest was when he said nobody knew how to make a computer mouse. This was definitely true the only way it could be made is if many ideas were combined to make the whole.
ReplyDeleteThe lecture was really interesting, and it helped me to broaden the span of my knowledge in this thing. Also it included many significant points.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, I agree that, we are smart, if we can work together and show our ideas out, we will make some new ideas.
ReplyDeleteI think Matt Ridley 's lecture was interesting and unique. It was lengthy, but he made it easy to watch. His ideas really get you thinking and motivates you to create bright ideas.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting. I think that he was trying to show us how we need each other to make things. From the beginning of time when people use to trade things they had for things they needed. We need to work together to be able to get all the needs that we need by helping each other
ReplyDelete