From post-truth to pro-truth | Alex Edmans | TEDxLondonBusinessSchool

We seem to live in a post-truth world now, with the use of anecdote over evidence, the disdain of experts that we saw in the referendum, and social media leading to people only paying attention to articles that they agree with. Alex Edmans’s talk will explore the ramifications of acting on impulse before thinking through whether or not information is reliable, and offer tools for us to survive in a post-truth society.

Alex Edmans is a Professor of Finance at London Business School, specialising in corporate governance, executive compensation, and corporate social responsibility. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, written for the Harvard Business Review, and presented to the Bank of England, Federal Reserve, HM Treasury, IMF, SEC and more.

[whereisreason]

Notwithstanding Kathy's comments ( infra ) wherein she makes some very  good points, I support this presentaion. The world is being bombarded by digital poison. The epoch-making tsunami of digital land-fill on anti-social media means we must all be on our guard. Well done Prof ! Keep it up mate :-)

[stopfoolingpeople]

This is indeed a great presentation. The ideas are clear and timely! hats off to this young professor!

[gegegrace]

Great talk from a phenomenal professor!

[docj]

Thank you, sir, for another great talk!

[thirumalarayahalemane]

DO YOUR SHARE & DO IT NOW, spread the word,

[kybronmvp-forever]

Imagine having to watch this for English 103

[thirumalarayahalemane]

YES, OUR SONS SUFFERED, WERE TARGETED, YES.

[jesselee]

Yea they never should have killed Data in Nemesis.

[Furkan-degw]

I need a translation for Turkish, i didnt understand completly. Can someone help me??

[dinninfreeman]

Never theorize before you have data.Invariably you end up twisting facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.
-Sherlock holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle,  A Scandal in Bohemia (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #1)

[kathyforbes]

Good speech overall. Well thought out and presented. I do, however, take issue with Edmans' position that “peer reviewed” research serves as real evidence pertaining to vaccines or this or that drug. Complete rubbish IMO. The politics and economics surrounding peer reviewed studies is no different from the back scratching that takes place in corporate board rooms around the world, every day. Just because you have M.D. or PhD after your name, doesn’t mean you are any more ethical than anyone else.

But, hey, don’t take my word (opinion) for it. But do consider what industry insiders and experts have to say, who have the courage to speak up.

Dr. Marcia Angell, a physician and longtime Editor-in-Chief of the New England Medical Journal (NEMJ), one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals in the world, makes her view of clinical research quite plain:

“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of the New England Journal of Medicine”

"Science, I had come to learn, is as political, competitive, and fierce a career as you can find, full of the temptation to find easy paths." — Paul Kalanithi, neurosurgeon and writer (1977–2015)

And how can we rely on peer reviewed studies, when so few peers actually comprehend the studies they are charged with reviewing?

"Far too often, there are less than 10 people on this planet who can fully comprehend a single scientist's research." —Michael Burel, PhD student, stem cell biology, New York University School of Medicine