0:00:09.156,0:00:11.327
A few years ago, after an interview,

0:00:11.327,0:00:13.396
the cameramen aside of the journalist

0:00:13.396,0:00:14.839
hang around to talk to me.

0:00:15.516,0:00:17.996
He was amazed at the things I said,

0:00:17.996,0:00:21.676
because he had always heard[br]something else, on that subject,

0:00:21.676,0:00:23.486
and he wanted some clarification.

0:00:24.236,0:00:26.916
So I brought him proof of what I said,

0:00:27.596,0:00:31.776
showed him how his beliefs[br]had no scientific ground,

0:00:31.776,0:00:35.033
and we pleasantly chatted[br]for half an hour.

0:00:36.076,0:00:40.116
Eventually, he said,[br]"I understand, but I don't trust you."

0:00:41.756,0:00:45.503
I understand, but I don't trust you.

0:00:46.436,0:00:49.959
Even today, I'm grateful to that person[br]for the lesson he taught me.

0:00:49.959,0:00:53.116
That day I realized[br]that I didn't understand anything,

0:00:53.116,0:00:54.236
I had it all wrong.

0:00:54.750,0:00:57.396
I don't know if I've learned[br]how to communicate.

0:00:57.396,0:01:00.636
but I've certainly learned how not to.

0:01:00.636,0:01:03.211
How did I feel? Was that frustrating?

0:01:03.211,0:01:07.796
Yes, a lot: but also challenging.

0:01:07.796,0:01:10.476
If the facts are here, and they're proven,

0:01:11.236,0:01:15.116
I still have to find a way[br]to communicate them effectively.

0:01:15.116,0:01:19.026
I mean, in such a way[br]that they come to help our decisions.

0:01:19.876,0:01:24.636
So I started studying: I wanted[br]to understand better, I was curious.

0:01:25.316,0:01:30.036
The fact is, we all carry on[br]with our preconceptions,

0:01:30.617,0:01:31.676
that's how we evolved.

0:01:32.321,0:01:33.716
They also have a utility:

0:01:33.716,0:01:38.676
let's say that preconceptions[br]are prefabricated, ready-to-use ideas

0:01:38.676,0:01:40.138
that we carry with us.

0:01:40.138,0:01:44.807
Ready to be used quickly[br]when we need a quick decisions.

0:01:46.036,0:01:48.876
However, they also have[br]a rather serious side effect:

0:01:49.436,0:01:53.876
they prevent us from considering[br]new information,

0:01:53.876,0:01:56.796
especially when these are at odds

0:01:56.796,0:01:58.756
with the beliefs we already have.

0:01:58.756,0:02:02.916
They make us less agile, harder for us[br]to change our minds.

0:02:03.436,0:02:05.676
Yeah, because changing[br]your mind is painful,

0:02:05.676,0:02:07.716
it's admitting that we were wrong.

0:02:08.561,0:02:09.956
That's how our minds are.

0:02:10.516,0:02:13.863
This phenomenon is called[br]"cognitive dissonance",

0:02:13.863,0:02:15.436
makes us suffer

0:02:15.436,0:02:18.299
and the mind will do anything to avoid it.

0:02:18.299,0:02:19.309
We need to know it.

0:02:19.849,0:02:21.876
But this is annoying:

0:02:21.876,0:02:24.276
we need to make the right decision,

0:02:24.276,0:02:28.396
or at least the rightest one[br]with the information at our disposal.

0:02:28.396,0:02:30.286
How can we do that?

0:02:31.196,0:02:35.236
Well, there are tricks to cheat the mind

0:02:35.236,0:02:37.116
that respect its dynamics

0:02:37.116,0:02:41.036
but at the same time allow us[br]to acquire new information

0:02:41.036,0:02:43.849
and change your mind, if that's the case.

0:02:43.849,0:02:44.956
For example, a strategy

0:02:44.956,0:02:50.266
is give points of advantage[br]to the mind, flatter it.

0:02:50.266,0:02:52.116
"You did good!

0:02:52.116,0:02:54.956
The information you had,[br]the beliefs you had.

0:02:54.956,0:02:58.556
were correct, acceptable,[br]knowing what you knew.

0:02:59.276,0:03:01.036
But now there are new infos.

0:03:01.036,0:03:04.324
Show how agile you are,[br]how quick you are to adjust.

0:03:05.036,0:03:11.012
Things like this: we can afford[br]to be condescending to ourselves.

0:03:12.436,0:03:16.236
At this point, you must be wondering[br]what I was talking about that day,

0:03:16.236,0:03:20.196
what will ever be so thorny, scary,

0:03:20.196,0:03:23.756
to be absolutely rejected.

0:03:23.756,0:03:26.596
Well, I was talking[br]about agriculture, food,

0:03:26.596,0:03:30.196
innovations related[br]to the food production system,

0:03:30.716,0:03:32.756
genetics, biotechnology.

0:03:33.996,0:03:35.892
I won't discuss it here today.

0:03:35.876,0:03:40.756
a TEDx is a cup of tea[br]that only refreshes for a few minutes,

0:03:41.396,0:03:43.716
a mouthful of ideas and stimuli.

0:03:45.076,0:03:47.216
But I want to tell you that I'm worried,

0:03:47.216,0:03:50.431
because I see how our society is facing

0:03:50.431,0:03:53.559
decisions related to food production.

0:03:54.956,0:03:58.636
Since it's a delicate subject,[br]because it touches our belly,

0:03:58.636,0:04:01.116
culinary traditions,

0:04:01.116,0:04:04.636
the environment and its protection,[br]the landscape, health,

0:04:05.756,0:04:10.796
is a subject riddled of ideologies,[br]and therefore of preconceptions.

0:04:10.796,0:04:15.825
We all think we have the right recipe[br]for sustainable agriculture.

0:04:15.825,0:04:18.036
We are all so convinced!

0:04:18.036,0:04:20.456
And so, when a different idea comes along

0:04:20.456,0:04:24.636
we lock ourselves in defense,[br]ready to retaliate to demolish it.

0:04:25.516,0:04:29.716
The mainstream is really powerful,

0:04:29.716,0:04:33.236
the dominant narrative[br]we've heard for years

0:04:33.236,0:04:35.116
in certain supermarkets ads,

0:04:35.116,0:04:36.361
for example,

0:04:36.361,0:04:40.316
or we have seen on certain[br]television broadcasts,

0:04:40.316,0:04:43.236
or have read in the stories and articles

0:04:43.236,0:04:45.756
of some opinionist etc.

0:04:45.756,0:04:51.476
that dominant narrative[br]shaped our thoughts.

0:04:51.996,0:04:57.036
And so, today, by instinct,[br]it seems good, clean, right to us.

0:04:57.036,0:04:58.815
We would never question it.

0:04:59.676,0:05:04.356
This applies to everyone, be careful:[br]it is a risk that we all take.

0:05:04.356,0:05:06.907
Faced with a verified fact that shows us

0:05:06.907,0:05:09.997
that our position has limits,

0:05:09.997,0:05:11.956
we won't change our minds:

0:05:12.413,0:05:14.196
rather, we'll find a different reason

0:05:14.196,0:05:16.516
to keep thinking the same way,

0:05:17.036,0:05:20.556
maintaining the status quo.

0:05:20.556,0:05:23.916
This is a proven fact:[br]there are many years of study,

0:05:23.916,0:05:27.288
and many scientific works that prove it.

0:05:27.288,0:05:29.735
That's who we are,[br]and it's better to know.

0:05:30.396,0:05:33.036
Democracy also has[br]to come to terms with it:

0:05:33.036,0:05:37.076
on the other hand, we come[br]from a very instructive period.

0:05:38.236,0:05:40.990
You've heard of "infodemia,"

0:05:40.990,0:05:44.596
that cacophony of information

0:05:44.596,0:05:47.236
we have been subjected to[br]in the last year.

0:05:48.036,0:05:50.716
It caused us such a discomfort

0:05:50.716,0:05:53.076
that in some protests

0:05:53.076,0:05:57.436
billboards with the sentence[br]"Enough with science" showed up.

0:05:57.928,0:05:59.516
Which, of course, is absurd.

0:06:00.108,0:06:03.476
I mean, we can take a stand[br]against another stand;

0:06:03.476,0:06:07.356
but science doesn't take a stand,[br]so what's the point of attacking it?

0:06:08.196,0:06:12.276
And yet it is a signal[br]of the frustration, fear

0:06:12.276,0:06:15.477
that some people feel,[br]it's understandable.

0:06:16.316,0:06:18.047
Sometimes, some people ask me:

0:06:18.047,0:06:21.036
"How do you choose who to trust?"

0:06:21.840,0:06:24.986
Which journalist, which communicator?

0:06:25.926,0:06:30.116
I choose those who care[br]about their reputation.

0:06:30.836,0:06:32.996
Those who constantly[br]verifies their sources,

0:06:32.996,0:06:37.956
because she fears the shame[br]of writing unverified things.

0:06:39.436,0:06:42.836
I choose those who can't afford[br]to lose their reputation,

0:06:42.836,0:06:45.456
because it's her most precious asset,

0:06:45.456,0:06:48.456
and then communicates responsibly.

0:06:50.636,0:06:54.436
Today's theme is "Second Chance".

0:06:54.872,0:06:57.721
If I met that cameraman today,[br]what would I tell him?

0:06:57.721,0:07:01.196
Well, I don't think I'd bother[br]taking his fears away.

0:07:01.196,0:07:02.236
I'd leave it to him.

0:07:02.236,0:07:05.396
I understand, we attach to our fears.

0:07:06.676,0:07:11.916
No, I think I'd rather show him[br]what opportunities we're missing.

0:07:12.596,0:07:15.436
what chances of sustainable[br]food production

0:07:15.436,0:07:17.306
which we said no to.

0:07:17.306,0:07:19.196
Lost benefits.

0:07:19.676,0:07:21.036
Yeah, I think I'd do that.

0:07:21.036,0:07:27.196
because I have learned, each of us[br]has fears to be respected,

0:07:28.135,0:07:30.496
and we are solely responsible for.

0:07:30.996,0:07:32.796
So, today, when I need to talk

0:07:32.796,0:07:36.316
of complex, polarizing,[br]scary themes, what do I do?

0:07:37.356,0:07:42.356
Well, I'm thinking of Mrs. Paola,[br]a lady who follows me.

0:07:42.356,0:07:44.836
and who wrote to me[br]after reading my article

0:07:44.836,0:07:48.316
where I was talking about agriculture,[br]innovation, environmentalism.

0:07:49.316,0:07:53.836
That environmentalism that often[br]forgets its original mission,

0:07:53.836,0:07:57.476
and rejects innovations that are also[br]beneficial to the environment,

0:07:57.476,0:07:58.876
in the name of ideology.

0:08:00.036,0:08:01.716
Mrs. Paola wrote to me:

0:08:02.479,0:08:06.821
"I became interested in agriculture[br]at the tender age of 73,

0:08:06.821,0:08:08.476
for the love of my grandchildren.

0:08:08.476,0:08:09.486
Because I understood

0:08:09.486,0:08:13.556
that much of their future[br]depends on this branch of science.

0:08:14.396,0:08:16.596
And speaking of fear marketing,

0:08:16.596,0:08:19.956
marketing that exploits consumers' fears,

0:08:19.956,0:08:22.396
she asked me, "Who benefits?

0:08:23.156,0:08:27.966
I don't want to be a useful idiot[br]in someone else's hands anymore."

0:08:30.276,0:08:32.806
I told her, you're not a useful idiot.

0:08:32.806,0:08:37.156
you are living proof that democracy[br]is an immense value.

0:08:38.316,0:08:42.076
You are proof of how valuable[br]an election vote is.

0:08:42.076,0:08:44.996
a choice of purchase,[br]a freedom of thought,

0:08:45.676,0:08:48.436
a choice of sharing contents[br]and considerations.

0:08:50.396,0:08:52.276
What's pushing Mrs. Paola?

0:08:53.026,0:08:54.036
Curiosity.

0:08:54.796,0:08:58.356
Which has no age, and is strong enough

0:08:58.356,0:09:02.016
to push us to look beyond our beliefs.

0:09:03.276,0:09:05.116
Curiosity is a precious ally

0:09:05.116,0:09:09.236
to take our fears, our mind by the hand,

0:09:09.236,0:09:11.556
and start walking again.

0:09:11.556,0:09:14.476
It's the engine of discovery, of the new.

0:09:16.756,0:09:20.756
This is not a happy ending story:[br]this is still an endless story.

0:09:21.716,0:09:24.436
Yes, we can't live without ideologies.

0:09:25.356,0:09:27.996
But we can keep looking them in the face,

0:09:27.996,0:09:30.596
with genuine curiosity.