TED Talks Daily

More than 2,000 years ago in ancient Athens, young citizens were required to complete “ephebeia,” a two-year civic service program that taught them the laws of the city and how to defend their democracy. Author and historian Scott Reich believes this practice reflects something crucial we often forget: citizens aren’t born — they’re trained. In a hopeful talk, he shares his plan to bring a modern version of this program to the United States and explains why it could benefit everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you heard the clean energy transition is failing? Energy analyst Michael Liebreich says to look again. Using a four-line spreadsheet model of the global energy system, he shows why fossil fuels will inevitably get squeezed out over time — with no bans required. The shift is well underway, he explains: it just looks different than many of us expected. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aria Florant cofounded a nonprofit to help accelerate the reparations movement in the US … but less than a year in, her partnership with her own cofounder fell apart. Drawing on what brought the two of them back together — plus lessons from South Africa, Germany and Colombia — she lays out a four-step process for repairing harm between two people or across an entire nation. Most people think reparations are all about money, she says, but true repair goes far beyond the financial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s dirtier: your phone or your hands? Molecular biologist Lotti Tajouri says there’s a gaping hole in our hygiene routine. We scrub our hands clean, then reach right for the phone — a warm, humid and mobile home for bacteria and viruses. He explores the unnervingly vibrant microbial world living on your phone and shows how you can keep this “third hand” clean. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When life gets uncertain, do you grip a little tighter? Neuroscientist Heather Berlin explores a surprising paradox: the harder you try to control everything, the more likely you are to get in your own way. Drawing on brain research and her own struggles with uncertainty, she shares practical ways to let go and make room for creativity, calm and flow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.