[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's 1995,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.00,0:00:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm in college,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.00,0:00:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a friend and I go on a road trip
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.00,0:00:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from Providence, Rhode Island
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.00,0:00:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to Portland, Oregon.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.00,0:00:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you know, we're young and unemployed,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.00,0:00:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we do the whole thing on back roads
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.00,0:00:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through state parks
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.00,0:00:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and national forests --
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.00,0:00:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,basically the longest route we can possibly take.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.00,0:00:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And somewhere in the middle of South Dakota,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.00,0:00:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I turn to my friend
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.00,0:00:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I ask her a question
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.00,0:00:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's been bothering me
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.00,0:00:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for 2,000 miles.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.00,0:00:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"What's up with the Chinese character I keep seeing by the side of the road?"
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.00,0:00:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My friend looks at me totally blankly.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.00,0:00:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's actually a gentleman in the front row
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.00,0:00:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who's doing a perfect imitation of her look.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.00,0:00:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.00,0:01:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I'm like, "You know,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.00,0:01:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the signs we keep seeing
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.00,0:01:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the Chinese character on them."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.00,0:01:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She just stares at me for a few moments,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.00,0:01:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then she cracks up,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.00,0:01:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because she figures out what I'm talking about.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.00,0:01:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what I'm talking about is this.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.00,0:01:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.00,0:01:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right, the famous Chinese character for picnic area.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.00,0:01:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.00,0:01:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've spent the last five years of my life
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.00,0:01:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thinking about situations
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.00,0:01:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,exactly like this --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.00,0:01:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why we sometimes misunderstand
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.00,0:01:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the signs around us,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.00,0:01:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how we behave when that happens,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.00,0:01:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what all of this can tell us about human nature.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.00,0:01:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, as you heard Chris say,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.00,0:01:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've spent the last five years
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.00,0:01:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thinking about being wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.00,0:02:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This might strike you as a strange career move,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.00,0:02:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it actually has one great advantage:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.00,0:02:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no job competition.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.00,0:02:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.00,0:02:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, most of us do everything we can
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.00,0:02:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to avoid thinking about being wrong,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.00,0:02:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or at least to avoid thinking about the possibility
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.00,0:02:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we ourselves are wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.00,0:02:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We get it in the abstract.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.00,0:02:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We all know everybody in this room makes mistakes.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.00,0:02:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The human species, in general, is fallible -- okay fine.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.00,0:02:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when it comes down to me, right now,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.00,0:02:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to all the beliefs I hold,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.00,0:02:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,here in the present tense,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.00,0:02:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suddenly all of this abstract appreciation of fallibility
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.00,0:02:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,goes out the window --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.00,0:02:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I can't actually think of anything I'm wrong about.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.00,0:02:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is, the present tense is where we live.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.00,0:02:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We go to meetings in the present tense;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.00,0:02:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we go on family vacations in the present tense;
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.00,0:02:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we go to the polls and vote in the present tense.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.00,0:03:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So effectively, we all kind of wind up traveling through life,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.00,0:03:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trapped in this little bubble
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.00,0:03:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of feeling very right about everything.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.00,0:03:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think this is a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.00,0:03:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think it's a problem for each of us as individuals,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.00,0:03:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in our personal and professional lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.00,0:03:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I think it's a problem for all of us collectively as a culture.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.00,0:03:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what I want to do today
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.00,0:03:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is, first of all, talk about why we get stuck
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.00,0:03:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inside this feeling of being right.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.00,0:03:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And second, why it's such a problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.00,0:03:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally, I want to convince you
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.00,0:03:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it is possible
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.00,0:03:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to step outside of that feeling
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.00,0:03:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that if you can do so,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.00,0:03:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is the single greatest
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.00,0:03:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moral, intellectual and creative leap you can make.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.00,0:03:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So why do we get stuck
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.00,0:03:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this feeling of being right?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.00,0:03:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One reason, actually, has to do with a feeling of being wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.00,0:03:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let me ask you guys something --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.00,0:03:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or actually, let me ask you guys something, because you're right here:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.00,0:03:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does it feel -- emotionally --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.00,0:04:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how does it feel to be wrong?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.00,0:04:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dreadful. Thumbs down.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.00,0:04:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Embarrassing. Okay, wonderful, great.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.00,0:04:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dreadful, thumbs down, embarrassing --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.00,0:04:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thank you, these are great answers,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.00,0:04:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they're answers to a different question.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.00,0:04:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You guys are answering the question:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.00,0:04:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does it feel to realize you're wrong?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.00,0:04:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.00,0:04:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Realizing you're wrong can feel like all of that and a lot of other things, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.00,0:04:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean it can be devastating, it can be revelatory,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.00,0:04:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it can actually be quite funny,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.00,0:04:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like my stupid Chinese character mistake.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.00,0:04:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But just being wrong
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.00,0:04:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,doesn't feel like anything.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.00,0:04:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll give you an analogy.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.00,0:04:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you remember that Loony Tunes cartoon
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.00,0:04:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where there's this pathetic coyote
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.00,0:04:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who's always chasing and never catching a roadrunner?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.00,0:04:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In pretty much every episode of this cartoon,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.00,0:04:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a moment where the coyote is chasing the roadrunner
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.00,0:04:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the roadrunner runs off a cliff,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.00,0:04:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is fine -- he's a bird, he can fly.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.00,0:05:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the thing is, the coyote runs off the cliff right after him.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.00,0:05:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what's funny --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.00,0:05:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at least if you're six years old --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.00,0:05:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that the coyote's totally fine too.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.00,0:05:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He just keeps running --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.00,0:05:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right up until the moment that he looks down
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.00,0:05:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and realizes that he's in mid-air.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.00,0:05:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's when he falls.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.00,0:05:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we're wrong about something --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.00,0:05:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not when we realize it, but before that --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.00,0:05:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're like that coyote
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.00,0:05:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after he's gone off the cliff and before he looks down.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.00,0:05:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know, we're already wrong,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.00,0:05:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we're already in trouble,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.00,0:05:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but we feel like we're on solid ground.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.00,0:05:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I should actually correct something I said a moment ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.00,0:05:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It does feel like something to be wrong;
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.00,0:05:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it feels like being right.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.00,0:05:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.00,0:05:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is one reason, a structural reason,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.00,0:05:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why we get stuck inside this feeling of rightness.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.00,0:05:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I call this error blindness.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.00,0:06:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of the time,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.00,0:06:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we don't have any kind of internal cue
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.00,0:06:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to let us know that we're wrong about something,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.00,0:06:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until it's too late.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.00,0:06:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there's a second reason that we get stuck inside this feeling as well --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.00,0:06:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this one is cultural.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.00,0:06:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think back for a moment to elementary school.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.00,0:06:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're sitting there in class,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.00,0:06:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and your teacher is handing back quiz papers,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.00,0:06:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and one of them looks like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.00,0:06:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not mine, by the way.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.00,0:06:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.00,0:06:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So there you are in grade school,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.00,0:06:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you know exactly what to think
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.00,0:06:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the kid who got this paper.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.00,0:06:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's the dumb kid, the troublemaker,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.00,0:06:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the one who never does his homework.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.00,0:06:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So by the time you are nine years old,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.00,0:06:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you've already learned, first of all,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.00,0:06:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that people who get stuff wrong
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.00,0:06:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are lazy, irresponsible dimwits --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.00,0:06:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and second of all,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.00,0:06:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the way to succeed in life
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.00,0:07:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to never make any mistakes.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.00,0:07:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We learn these really bad lessons really well.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.00,0:07:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And a lot of us --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.00,0:07:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I suspect, especially a lot of us in this room --
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.00,0:07:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,deal with them by just becoming
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perfect little A students,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:16.00,0:07:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perfectionists, over-achievers.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.00,0:07:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Right,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.00,0:07:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mr. CFO, astrophysicist, ultra-marathoner?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.00,0:07:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.00,0:07:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You're all CFO, astrophysicists, ultra-marathoners, it turns out.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.00,0:07:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, so fine.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.00,0:07:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Except that then we freak out
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.00,0:07:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the possibility that we've gotten something wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.00,0:07:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because according to this,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.00,0:07:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,getting something wrong
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.00,0:07:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,means there's something wrong with us.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.00,0:07:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we just insist that we're right,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.00,0:07:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because it makes us feel smart and responsible
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.00,0:07:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and virtuous and safe.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.00,0:08:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let me tell you a story.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.00,0:08:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A couple of years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:03.00,0:08:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a woman comes into Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for a surgery.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.00,0:08:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Beth Israel's in Boston.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.00,0:08:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's the teaching hospital for Harvard --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.00,0:08:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the best hospitals in the country.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.00,0:08:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this woman comes in and she's taken into the operating room.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:15.00,0:08:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She's anesthetized, the surgeon does his thing --
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.00,0:08:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stitches her back up, sends her out to the recovery room.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.00,0:08:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everything seems to have gone fine.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.00,0:08:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she wakes up, and she looks down at herself,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.00,0:08:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she says, "Why is the wrong side of my body in bandages?"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.00,0:08:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well the wrong side of her body is in bandages
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.00,0:08:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because the surgeon has performed a major operation
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.00,0:08:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on her left leg instead of her right one.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.00,0:08:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When the vice president for health care quality at Beth Israel
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.00,0:08:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,spoke about this incident,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.00,0:08:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he said something very interesting.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.00,0:08:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He said, "For whatever reason,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.00,0:08:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the surgeon simply felt
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.00,0:08:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that he was on the correct side of the patient."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.00,0:08:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.00,0:09:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The point of this story
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.00,0:09:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that trusting too much in the feeling
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.00,0:09:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of being on the correct side of anything
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.00,0:09:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can be very dangerous.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.00,0:09:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This internal sense of rightness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.00,0:09:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we all experience so often
Dialogue: 0,0:09:16.00,0:09:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is not a reliable guide
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.00,0:09:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to what is actually going on in the external world.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.00,0:09:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when we act like it is,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.00,0:09:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we stop entertaining the possibility that we could be wrong,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.00,0:09:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,well that's when we end up doing things
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.00,0:09:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like dumping 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.00,0:09:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or torpedoing the global economy.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:37.00,0:09:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is a huge practical problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.00,0:09:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's also a huge social problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.00,0:09:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Think for a moment about what it means to feel right.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.00,0:09:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It means that you think that your beliefs
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.00,0:09:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just perfectly reflect reality.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.00,0:09:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when you feel that way,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.00,0:09:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you've got a problem to solve,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.00,0:09:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is, how are you going to explain
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.00,0:10:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of those people who disagree with you?
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.00,0:10:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It turns out, most of us explain those people the same way,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.00,0:10:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by resorting to a series of unfortunate assumptions.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.00,0:10:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first thing we usually do when someone disagrees with us
Dialogue: 0,0:10:11.00,0:10:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is we just assume they're ignorant.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.00,0:10:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They don't have access to the same information that we do,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:16.00,0:10:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when we generously share that information with them,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.00,0:10:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're going to see the light and come on over to our team.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:22.00,0:10:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When that doesn't work,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.00,0:10:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when it turns out those people have all the same facts that we do
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.00,0:10:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they still disagree with us,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.00,0:10:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then we move on to a second assumption,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:31.00,0:10:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is that they're idiots.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.00,0:10:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:10:35.00,0:10:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They have all the right pieces of the puzzle,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.00,0:10:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they are too moronic to put them together correctly.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.00,0:10:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when that doesn't work,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.00,0:10:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when it turns out that people who disagree with us
Dialogue: 0,0:10:45.00,0:10:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have all the same facts we do
Dialogue: 0,0:10:47.00,0:10:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are actually pretty smart,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.00,0:10:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then we move on to a third assumption:
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.00,0:10:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they know the truth,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:56.00,0:10:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they are deliberately distorting it
Dialogue: 0,0:10:58.00,0:11:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for their own malevolent purposes.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.00,0:11:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this is a catastrophe.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.00,0:11:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This attachment to our own rightness
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.00,0:11:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,keeps us from preventing mistakes
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.00,0:11:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we absolutely need to
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.00,0:11:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and causes us to treat each other terribly.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:15.00,0:11:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But to me, what's most baffling
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.00,0:11:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most tragic about this
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.00,0:11:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that it misses the whole point of being human.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.00,0:11:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's like we want to imagine
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.00,0:11:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that our minds are just these perfectly translucent windows
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.00,0:11:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we just gaze out of them
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.00,0:11:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and describe the world as it unfolds.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.00,0:11:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we want everybody else to gaze out of the same window
Dialogue: 0,0:11:36.00,0:11:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and see the exact same thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:38.00,0:11:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is not true,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.00,0:11:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if it were, life would be incredibly boring.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.00,0:11:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The miracle of your mind
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.00,0:11:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,isn't that you can see the world as it is.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.00,0:11:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's that you can see the world as it isn't.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.00,0:11:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can remember the past,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:56.00,0:11:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we can think about the future,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.00,0:12:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we can imagine what it's like
Dialogue: 0,0:12:01.00,0:12:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be some other person in some other place.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.00,0:12:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we all do this a little differently,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.00,0:12:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is why we can all look up at the same night sky
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.00,0:12:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and see this
Dialogue: 0,0:12:10.00,0:12:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also this
Dialogue: 0,0:12:12.00,0:12:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and also this.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:15.00,0:12:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yeah, it is also why we get things wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.00,0:12:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,1,200 years before Descartes said his famous thing
Dialogue: 0,0:12:21.00,0:12:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about "I think therefore I am,"
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.00,0:12:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this guy, St. Augustine, sat down
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.00,0:12:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and wrote "Fallor ergo sum" --
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.00,0:12:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I err therefore I am."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.00,0:12:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Augustine understood
Dialogue: 0,0:12:34.00,0:12:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that our capacity to screw up,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.00,0:12:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's not some kind of embarrassing defect
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.00,0:12:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the human system,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:40.00,0:12:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something we can eradicate or overcome.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.00,0:12:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's totally fundamental to who we are.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.00,0:12:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because, unlike God,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.00,0:12:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we don't really know what's going on out there.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.00,0:12:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And unlike all of the other animals,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.00,0:12:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we are obsessed with trying to figure it out.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:58.00,0:13:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To me, this obsession
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.00,0:13:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the source and root
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.00,0:13:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of all of our productivity and creativity.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.00,0:13:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Last year, for various reasons,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.00,0:13:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I found myself listening to a lot of episodes
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.00,0:13:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the Public Radio show This American Life.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.00,0:13:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so I'm listening and I'm listening,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.00,0:13:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at some point, I start feeling
Dialogue: 0,0:13:18.00,0:13:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like all the stories are about being wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:22.00,0:13:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And my first thought was,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.00,0:13:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I've lost it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.00,0:13:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've become the crazy wrongness lady.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.00,0:13:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just imagined it everywhere,"
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.00,0:13:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which has happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.00,0:13:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But a couple of months later,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.00,0:13:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I actually had a chance to interview Ira Glass, who's the host of the show.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:36.00,0:13:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I mentioned this to him,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.00,0:13:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he was like, "No actually, that's true.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.00,0:13:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact," he says,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:43.00,0:13:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"as a staff, we joke
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.00,0:13:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that every single episode of our show
Dialogue: 0,0:13:47.00,0:13:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has the same crypto-theme.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:50.00,0:13:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the crypto-theme is:
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.00,0:13:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,'I thought this one thing was going to happen
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.00,0:13:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and something else happened instead.'
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.00,0:14:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thing is," says Ira Glass, "we need this.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.00,0:14:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need these moments
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.00,0:14:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of surprise and reversal and wrongness
Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.00,0:14:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make these stories work."
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.00,0:14:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for the rest of us, audience members,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.00,0:14:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as listeners, as readers,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.00,0:14:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we eat this stuff up.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.00,0:14:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We love things like plot twists
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.00,0:14:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and red herrings and surprise endings.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:20.00,0:14:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When it comes to our stories,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:23.00,0:14:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we love being wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:26.00,0:14:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, you know, our stories are like this
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.00,0:14:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because our lives are like this.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.00,0:14:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We think this one thing is going to happen
Dialogue: 0,0:14:34.00,0:14:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and something else happens instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:37.00,0:14:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,George Bush thought he was going to invade Iraq,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:39.00,0:14:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,find a bunch of weapons of mass destruction,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.00,0:14:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,liberate the people and bring democracy to the Middle East.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:45.00,0:14:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And something else happened instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.00,0:14:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Hosni Mubarak
Dialogue: 0,0:14:50.00,0:14:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thought he was going to be the dictator of Egypt for the rest of his life,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:52.00,0:14:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until he got too old or too sick
Dialogue: 0,0:14:54.00,0:14:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and could pass the reigns of power onto his son.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.00,0:15:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And something else happened instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:01.00,0:15:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And maybe you thought
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.00,0:15:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you were going to grow up and marry your high school sweetheart
Dialogue: 0,0:15:05.00,0:15:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and move back to your hometown and raise a bunch of kids together.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:09.00,0:15:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And something else happened instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:12.00,0:15:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have to tell you
Dialogue: 0,0:15:14.00,0:15:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I thought I was writing an incredibly nerdy book
Dialogue: 0,0:15:16.00,0:15:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about a subject everybody hates
Dialogue: 0,0:15:18.00,0:15:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for an audience that would never materialize.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.00,0:15:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And something else happened instead.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:23.00,0:15:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.00,0:15:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, this is life.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.00,0:15:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For good and for ill,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.00,0:15:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we generate these incredible stories
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.00,0:15:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the world around us,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:34.00,0:15:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then the world turns around and astonishes us.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:40.00,0:15:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No offense, but this entire conference
Dialogue: 0,0:15:43.00,0:15:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is an unbelievable monument
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.00,0:15:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to our capacity to get stuff wrong.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:47.00,0:15:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We just spent an entire week
Dialogue: 0,0:15:49.00,0:15:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,talking about innovations and advancements
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.00,0:15:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and improvements,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.00,0:15:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but you know why we need all of those innovations
Dialogue: 0,0:15:56.00,0:15:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and advancements and improvements?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:58.00,0:16:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because half the stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:16:00.00,0:16:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's the most mind-boggling and world-altering --
Dialogue: 0,0:16:03.00,0:16:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,TED 1998 --
Dialogue: 0,0:16:05.00,0:16:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,eh.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:07.00,0:16:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.00,0:16:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Didn't really work out that way, did it?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.00,0:16:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:15.00,0:16:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Where's my jet pack, Chris?
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.00,0:16:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.00,0:16:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:16:27.00,0:16:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here we are again.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:30.00,0:16:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's how it goes.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.00,0:16:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We come up with another idea.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:34.00,0:16:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We tell another story.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:37.00,0:16:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We hold another conference.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:40.00,0:16:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The theme of this one,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.00,0:16:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you guys have now heard seven million times,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:44.00,0:16:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the rediscovery of wonder.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:46.00,0:16:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And to me,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:48.00,0:16:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you really want to rediscover wonder,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:51.00,0:16:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you need to step outside
Dialogue: 0,0:16:53.00,0:16:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of that tiny, terrified space of rightness
Dialogue: 0,0:16:59.00,0:17:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and look around at each other
Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.00,0:17:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and look out at the vastness
Dialogue: 0,0:17:05.00,0:17:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and complexity and mystery
Dialogue: 0,0:17:08.00,0:17:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the universe
Dialogue: 0,0:17:11.00,0:17:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and be able to say,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:14.00,0:17:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Wow, I don't know.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:18.00,0:17:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe I'm wrong."
Dialogue: 0,0:17:20.00,0:17:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.00,0:17:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:17:25.00,0:17:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you guys.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:27.00,0:17:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)