Three more of those delightful RSA Animates, created from talks given at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce by some of the day’s leading thinkers. The common theme: Things we shouldn’t take for granted.
Slavoj Zizek: First as tragedy, then as farce
Political philosopher Zizek looks at the flawed heart of “charity capitalism” and finds in the searing critique of Oscar Wilde the sharpest riposte to today’s feel-good consumerism while pointing towards another path towards creating a more truly human society.
Matthew Taylor: 21st century enlightenment
RSA’s Chief executive ponders ways to restore the human capacity for empathy, the essential human value in an increasingly globalized world. A nice line: “If you want to be happy, don’t read self help books; hang out with happy people.”
Steven Pinker: Language as a Window into Human Nature
And an always timely reminder of the depths underlying our words from one of the world’s leading linguists, including the reason rebellions usually begin in public squares.
Have fun, and if you’d like the see the full lectures from which the animations were excepted — plus much, much more — at the RSA’s You Tube page. http://www.youtube.com/user/theRSAorg
