This is a continuation of my previous post on the latest TED fiasco.
I’ve read thoroughly and carefully TED’s more nuanced “fresh take”. Below is my reaction. I posted it as a comment on the TED Blog.
1) Props to TED for making this discussion transparent, posting Sheldrake and Hancock’s responses, and for listening to the deluge of passionate voices who rattled the TED Blog (present company included). as someone who has an experience working as a social media community moderator, I understand the challenges of balancing the platform content while maintaining a brand. You can’t make everyone 100% happy 100% of the time. You have to walk the fine line of freedom of speech, censorship, as well as the legalities.
2) TED is now a global brand. For it to be continually successful it has to be pro-establishment and stay within the bounds of the status quo. In the domain of science, which is currently dominated by the materialistic paradigm, TED cannot afford to be too radical. Since TED’s “Science Board” is comprised of anonymous scientists, I can only speculate that many, if not most, of them are deep into the materialistic paradigm (hence the knee-jerk reaction to Sheldrake’s presentation). For those in the know, it’s no secret that Rupert Sheldrake is a very divisive figure in the scientific community, precisely because his theories and research challenge the very fabric of establishment (materialistic) science. Continue reading >




