Thought experiments at TED

Perhaps it was the title of the track: Mindshift. But three of the speakers in the first session at TED all threw out a thought experiment at the gathered crowd. A meme, I say, a veritable meme!

Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman, kicked off the event proper. He challenged us to imagine that after our next vacation, all our photographs would be destroyed. Then we’d take a drug that would mean that we wouldn’t remember anything about our holiday. Would we, asked Kahneman, still choose to go on the same vacation? His question was intended to illuminate the difference between the “experiencing self”, which lives in the present, and the “remembering self”, which keeps track of memories. These two very different concepts cause very different responses—and are important considerations for those looking to study happiness, a deeply complex concept. It was a lyrical presentation and a thought-provoking way to start the day.