Paul Slovic discusses human perception towards mass tragedies and losses at scale.

We as a global society value individual lives greatly and respond strongly to protect a single

Paul Slovic discusses human perception towards mass tragedies and losses at scale.

We as a global society value individual lives greatly and respond strongly to protect a single person in need, but often ignore mass tragedies and fail to take appropriate measures to reduce their losses. As the numbers grow larger, we become insensitive; the data fail to trigger the emotion or feeling necessary to motivate action. In some cases, large numbers convey a false sense of inefficacy, discouraging us from taking valuable actions. Understanding how our minds deceive us in the face of large losses of life is essential to motivating actions needed to reduce the harm from catastrophic consequences such as those associated with poverty, disease, climate disasters, and violence.

Paul Slovic received his B.A. degree from Stanford University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from the University of Michigan. In 1976, Dr. Slovic founded the research institute Decision Research with Sarah Lichtenstein and Baruch Fischhoff, where he currently serves as President. He has also been a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon since 1986. He and his colleagues worldwide have developed methods to describe risk perceptions and measure their impacts on individuals, industry, and society. His most recent work examines “psychic numbing” and the failure to respond to global threats from genocide and nuclear war. He publishes extensively and serves as a consultant to industry and government.

Dr. Slovic is a past President of the Society for Risk Analysis and in 1991 received its Distinguished Contribution Award. In 1993 he received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association. In 1995 he received the Outstanding Contribution to Science Award from the Oregon Academy of Science. He has received honorary doctorates from the Stockholm School of Economics (1996) and the University of East Anglia (2005). Dr. Slovic was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2016.

Moderated by Ozgen Dundar.

"We're at this stage because we've treated the earth like a resource to be exploited for profit," argues Paul Paz y Miño, associate director of Amazon Watch. Fires in the Amazon are waking

"We're at this stage because we've treated the earth like a resource to be exploited for profit," argues Paul Paz y Miño, associate director of Amazon Watch. Fires in the Amazon are waking people up to the need for a radical change in how we value nature -- going beyond its economic worth or carbon sequestration potential.

Richard Wolff is an economist, author, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Massachusettes, Amherst. In this speech he addresses the current economic crises, its' roots and what we can do

Richard Wolff is an economist, author, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Massachusettes, Amherst. In this speech he addresses the current economic crises, its' roots and what we can do about it. Filmed by Paul Hubbard at Brown University, Providence RI on 12-2-09

Award-winning economist Paul Collier shows how we might reconcile our economic and environmental

Award-winning economist Paul Collier shows how we might reconcile our economic and environmental interests.  Plunder - few exploit the many, taking now what belongs to the future. Our obligations to the future is basic principle. Uploaded on May 20, 2010

To buy his book from Amazon, click on the image or visit your local bookstore.

 Produced by RSA, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce.

Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery -- from branding

Multidisciplinary artist and TED Fellow Paul Rucker is unstitching the legacy of systemic racism in the United States. A collector of artifacts connected to the history of slavery -- from branding irons and shackles to postcards depicting lynchings -- Rucker couldn't find an undamaged Ku Klux Klan robe for his collection, so he began making his own. The result: striking garments in non-traditional fabrics like kente cloth, camouflage and silk that confront the normalization of systemic racism in the US. "If we as a people collectively look at these objects and realize that they are part of our history, we can find a way to where they have no more power over us," Rucker says. (This talk contains graphic images.)

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