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I wanted to share this very recent TED talk because I'd like to hear what your thoughts are on the subjects. The talk was as expected. The speaker rushes through complex issues with (very few) facts, and inexplicably injects altruism as a solution. He discusses whether people are altruistic or selfish. I found his framing of that discussion to be disingenuous. Had he instead chosen to compare to rational self-interest, the topic could've been illuminating. It should be no surprise, then, that his "solution" to problems in the world, is not a world where interactions are voluntary. Instead, he chooses to make no mention of the political structures of modern societies. Considering the fact that people in positions of power generally have less empathy (more likely to be sociopaths or psychopaths), that's a huge, unmentioned gap in his theory. Come to think of it, a lot of the most prominent Buddhists glorify the democracies of the West and involve themselves in world politics (Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi). This is despite the Buddhist principle of doing no harm. Buddhism: Principles of Moral Thought and Action All together, I found the entire talk to be frustratingly vague. Instead of getting into economic and psychological realities, he offers no explanation for statements like "you will have a caring economy." Instead of philosophy, he offers sophistry like "finance at the service of society, and not society at the service of finances." Is finance not a part of society? Edit I forgot to mention the similarities between this talk and Communism. Altruism replaces the part of self-interest in economy Greed or selfishness is a problem People have to change (no detailed approach)