Is Right and Wrong Always Black and White? | Juan Enriquez | TEDxBeaconStreet

In retrospect, it is easy to see how seriously mistaken we were

But at the time there can be extraordinary societal pressures to conform with the norms set by mom, the preacher, teacher, doctor, lawyer, police, and government. Even on a subject as horrid as slavery.

In this context let’s celebrate the heroes who stood up, not judge too harshly those who went along, and have the humility to accept that we too, may be doing things our grandkids will consider horrific...
An active investor in early stage private companies in the life sciences and big data sectors, Juan is one of the world’s leading authorities on the uses and benefits of genomic code. He is the co-author of a recently published book Evolving Ourselves: How Unnatural Selection and Nonrandom Mutation are Shaping Life on Earth (March 2015) which describes a world where humans increasingly shape their environment, themselves, and other species.
He is also the author of the global bestseller As The Future Catches You and of The Untied States of America, and co-author of Homo Evolutis. Juan writes, speaks, and teaches about the profound changes that genomics and other life sciences will cause in business, technology, politics, and society. He is one of the top speakers at TED and other venues. He and Bill Gatess were the first outside guest curators for TED.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

Пікірлер: 60

  • @bertgh
    @bertgh8 жыл бұрын

    A little more of a middle ground is so necessary in today's world. Recently I was just thinking about this issue. It's difficult to talk about almost any subject before someone turns extremely emotional and defensive. Even the intention of questioning somene else's vision turns out very ugly. I really hope the comments below show some of the spirit of Juan Enriquez's talk and not start discussions that lead nowhere.

  • @asneakychicken322

    @asneakychicken322

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Here4nowiam Case in point on what the op was talking about. What you call wrong other people might call right, whether they're alive now or in the future. What about that can't you wrap your head around. I don't think the world is going the wrong way, the general trend is that we're becoming more acceptable of different people and that we have more freedoms with how people want to live their lives as opposed to how other people want them to live it.

  • @I810752

    @I810752

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@Here4nowiam તને મારા ચિત્રની પૂજા કરતા જોયા પછી તારી માતાએ મારો સંપર્ક કર્યો. તે હવે મને મળવા માટે આતુર છે. પરંતુ તમે જાણો છો તેમ હું તમને ઈચ્છું છું. I'm all that you will never be. Wealthy handsome and well taken care of my needs. I really wish though , that your m 0 ther was my first but she is very busy with her business . I got to get my appointment soon long line I heard

  • @septimaserpent

    @septimaserpent

    2 ай бұрын

    Straight Up!!!

  • @firebird6136
    @firebird61365 жыл бұрын

    But just because *EVERYONE* believes in it, it doesn’t make it “right”. I consider saving people as “right” because it makes society work in a way that I enjoy

  • @greetonsmith6350

    @greetonsmith6350

    3 жыл бұрын

    100%. Now what is popular, is considered the truth. Whether it's a fact or not.

  • @behdadkhazaeli8248
    @behdadkhazaeli82484 жыл бұрын

    I translated this talk to Persian and I really appreciate what Juan tries to communicate to the world. Thank you

  • @treborironwolfe978
    @treborironwolfe9785 жыл бұрын

    Bless you, Juan Enriquez; you are a true inspiration much needed in this world.

  • @udaybharadwaj9387
    @udaybharadwaj93874 жыл бұрын

    Very good talk.

  • @BrianMcInnis87
    @BrianMcInnis878 жыл бұрын

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: I've never heard a better speaker than this man.

  • @MichaelAlexander1967
    @MichaelAlexander19675 жыл бұрын

    This guy has his audience emotionaly captivated, except those with thier eyes closed. Kind of hypnotic.

  • @missicabelle
    @missicabelle7 жыл бұрын

    The ultimate specific subject that gravitated my attention was just because a person has some education and highly praisable we become sheep of a flock because why question what we were instilled to believe by our parents and elders and people of high statue.

  • @ahmedabdi8025
    @ahmedabdi80252 жыл бұрын

    Being right is more important than the truth.

  • @firebird6136
    @firebird61365 жыл бұрын

    To answer the question; No. You only have to look to the most infamous villains in history. Do you think any of them would’ve done the extreme things they did if they didn’t believe they were inherently good and right? And that’s a terrifying truth in the real world. Everyone who does what they do thinks they are right at the time for doing so 😬 *This video is one of the best! Keep it up!*

  • @jordanhaynes9728

    @jordanhaynes9728

    3 жыл бұрын

    so how do you know if you are right x

  • @alexandra8833

    @alexandra8833

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jordanhaynes9728 That's the most interesting thing about it; you don't and can't know.

  • @jakariashafin1695

    @jakariashafin1695

    Жыл бұрын

    Or they could be psychos too unempathetic or mad to ether realise it was bad or care that it was bad and they could even enjoy the pain they inflict on others.

  • @bommaritohawaii
    @bommaritohawaii6 жыл бұрын

    The historical context and truths of the past are interesting and certainly concerning... what interests me is the question - can we as a species evolve to a point where the mindset and reality of economics, politics, etc of our species isn't to win by others losing or hurting... but as a whole can we have the mindset and create a world in which the limits of money and power are more so a lack of imagination rather than a resource controlling scarcity paradigm? I'm talking off planet intergalactic populations, rapid creation through manipulation of atoms, etc.

  • @Kannieblue
    @Kannieblue3 жыл бұрын

    we are all children of our own times...

  • @adon2424
    @adon24246 жыл бұрын

    A safe space. That is a great idea. It is not widely known, if at all, that most, if not all of the disagreements, arguments, and conflicts are the result of differences of definition and not differences of opinion. For example, what is a "safe space"?

  • @natif6souljahat89

    @natif6souljahat89

    6 жыл бұрын

    Adon Lando safe space- a space that is safe

  • @Xollani
    @Xollani8 жыл бұрын

    Juan Enriquez is brilliant, not only that he seems to be quite compassionate as well as passionate for making a positive impact in the world.

  • @scartissue454

    @scartissue454

    6 жыл бұрын

    Zen He's not brilliant at all. What he is extremely selfish and arrogant. Looks like he pulled the veil over your eyes.

  • @jamessullivan6224

    @jamessullivan6224

    5 жыл бұрын

    Compassion leads directly to the childish belief in 'fairness' and 'equality' then advocates for wealth redistribution by force and dead bodies lining the streets. 'Compassion' has led to the largest mass murders in human history.

  • @jamessullivan6224

    @jamessullivan6224

    5 жыл бұрын

    I greatly respect and enjoy Mr. Juan Enriquez's talks about science not morality.

  • @asneakychicken322

    @asneakychicken322

    4 жыл бұрын

    ​@@jamessullivan6224 geez you seem like a real stand up bloke. Of course things should be as fair as possible, whatever happened to the US Constitution, "all men are created equal" obviously that's just childish hey

  • @spike3346
    @spike33462 жыл бұрын

    South Carolina revised there constitution. Lets us also include how we combat oppressions of the past, and learn from them.

  • @suhailahmad3737
    @suhailahmad37376 жыл бұрын

    To answer the question, it is no.

  • @firebird6136
    @firebird61365 жыл бұрын

    I can’t find any logical reason why people are morally unequal to each other because they were born in other countries. My pet was born in another country. I don’t enslave him because of it

  • @d-k-1

    @d-k-1

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yeah but I'm pretty sure you use some form of a leash for the pet.. right?

  • @brycesawyer0
    @brycesawyer04 жыл бұрын

    There is no right and wrong as a universal fact, these notions are personal. That's how so many opinions exist, and are always ever changing.

  • @brycesawyer0

    @brycesawyer0

    4 жыл бұрын

    @OneAndOnly Fiqri you will find it uncomfortable, and unaccustomed to what you are used to. But you cannot assume that to be wrong.

  • @erinroxmyjox
    @erinroxmyjox2 жыл бұрын

    Why didn't they show what the teacher and preacher say?

  • @levinletlive4504
    @levinletlive45044 жыл бұрын

    I'm honestly very prepared for my kids to drag me like I dragged my parents lol

  • @freethink8235
    @freethink82355 жыл бұрын

    👍

  • @bibo3373
    @bibo33736 жыл бұрын

    it's unfair to judge societies or countries of the past from the context of a much more knowledgeable time. i got the impression that Juan cut them some slack but not much.

  • @SexySaSueMi

    @SexySaSueMi

    Жыл бұрын

    I disagree. I am a biochemical engineer and I always have said that one day - much of what we've done will be considered barbaric. COVID and the truths behind it will be seen with so much scrutiny by our grandchildren.

  • @UrbanSipfly
    @UrbanSipfly7 жыл бұрын

    Pick your poison, ladies and gentlemen!

  • @chris9527

    @chris9527

    4 жыл бұрын

    But why is poison even an option

  • @texling93
    @texling933 жыл бұрын

    Can't hear what he is saying. Maybe that's why we don't know the reason we don't know the reason between right and wrong..............

  • @peanut12345
    @peanut123455 жыл бұрын

    Poison the Patient and says the Doctor its "Treatment and Protocol", but he has Medical Ethics.

  • @gabe9932
    @gabe9932 Жыл бұрын

    There’s a reason this has so many views and so less of likes

  • @jeffbillon3765
    @jeffbillon37657 жыл бұрын

    2:04 Taking statements out of both historical and social context strips away the truth of its reality.

  • @mukeshkav8558

    @mukeshkav8558

    7 жыл бұрын

    Jeff Billon It is mythology mate..

  • @jshir17
    @jshir174 жыл бұрын

    There are no such "things" as right and wrong. There are people who are right or wrong and who do acts that are either right or wrong. Thus morality is relative to people.

  • @samualwilliamson369
    @samualwilliamson3695 жыл бұрын

    Cause and effect is your karma now live out your cycle become more then your spirit anything that can see smell touch tast has a spirit go beyond that because we should become gods cuz we already are we already won I already have it Don't forget your true currency is your attention

  • @TheKnoxvicious
    @TheKnoxvicious Жыл бұрын

    Wow - the slavery passages of the Bible were taken completely out of context. It talked about indentured servitude - when someone willing serves a master in order to pay off a debt. that’s NOT the same as slavery.

  • @MrSamulele0
    @MrSamulele06 жыл бұрын

    And you left out Darwin.

  • @jamessullivan6224
    @jamessullivan62245 жыл бұрын

    I'm a fan of Juan Enriquez but this was needless moralizing.

  • @kwabenasarpong3613
    @kwabenasarpong36134 жыл бұрын

    This English teacher is sad

  • @vector2799
    @vector27994 жыл бұрын

    Well by atheism no By religion yes

  • @scartissue454
    @scartissue4546 жыл бұрын

    This man only cares about himself and his own agenda. The only true point he made was at the end - "We need to understand that we too can be fallible." However, his entire speech had nothing to do with this.

  • @vinmaho3901
    @vinmaho39012 жыл бұрын

    Is it that difficult to realize the difference. Shldnt take a clown showing TED talks in his moms basement..

  • @laurenwortman4640
    @laurenwortman46404 жыл бұрын

    I hate how this guy dances around issues, but says things in a way that makes things sound like you think he is making a point when he doesn’t have a position. That is cowardly and not someone that should be influencing masses. Unfortunate that these types of people are in high positions of power.

  • @asneakychicken322

    @asneakychicken322

    4 жыл бұрын

    What? What do you think he should have brought up that he didn't then. What I got from this and what his whole point was is that we shouldn't be too quick to judge people from a point of moral absolutism as what is right and wrong depends entirely on the place and time in which you live, the obvious example being slavery, everyone agrees it's terrible nowadays but 200 years ago it was pretty ok to engage in it. Who's right and wrong there? Your answer depends entirely on your upbringing and society in which you live. We can't imagine what morals people will have about things in another 200 years and whether they think we were upstanding people or barbarians

  • @Borrowed_Rowboat

    @Borrowed_Rowboat

    3 жыл бұрын

    I agree with aSneakyChicken that you seem, at least at the time you wrote this, to have missed Mr. Enriquez's point entirely. Another way of expressing it would be that we should not be so quick to polarize morally around issues by either holding fast to previous norms or ostracizing those who have not or cannot come around to new, developing ones. This kind of understanding will make us all slower to rage, which runs counter to what most in positions of power apparently want.