Head of TED Talks Shares a New Vision of Generosity

As head of TED, Chris Anderson has had a ringside view of the world’s boldest thinkers sharing their most uplifting ideas. Inspired by them, he believes that it’s within our grasp to turn outrage back into optimism. It all comes down to reimagining one of the most fundamental human virtues: generosity. What if generosity could become infectious generosity?

Chris offers a playbook for how to embark on our own generous acts—whether gifts of money, time, talent, connection, or kindness—and to prime them, thanks to the Internet, to have self-replicating, even world-changing, impact.

Shermer and Anderson discuss: • what makes things infectious • generosity • how his life turned out (genes, environment, luck) • what makes TED successful • power laws and giving • charging vs. giving away • altruism • being good without God • billionaires • how average people can participate • public vs. private solutions to social problems • donor fatigue

Chris Anderson has been the curator of TED since 2001. He holds a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, graduating in 1978 with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. His new book is Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading.