DeepSummary
Shankar Vedantam shares a personal story about how he has changed over time, from a 12-year-old soccer fan to a podcast host interested in different sports. He introduces the concept of the 'illusion of continuity' - the belief that our future selves will have the same views and perspectives as our current selves, even though our cells are constantly regenerating and our outlooks evolve.
Vedantam discusses the profound implications of this illusion, using examples like the couple John and Stephanie Rinka, where Stephanie's views on end-of-life care changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, contrary to her previous adamant wishes. He argues that when we make long-term decisions or promises, we are essentially committing future versions of ourselves who may not share our current mindset.
To address this 'wicked problem', Vedantam offers three pieces of advice: 1) Stay curious and actively shape who you want to become, 2) Express views with humility, acknowledging that your future self may disagree, and 3) Be brave in pursuing new capacities, recognizing that your future self may have strengths you currently lack.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Our future selves will likely have different views, preferences and perspectives than our current selves due to constant psychological and biological change.
- Making long-term decisions or commitments involves binding future versions of ourselves who may disagree with our present mindset.
- We should actively shape who we want to become in the future by exposing ourselves to new ideas and experiences.
- Expressing views with humility acknowledges that our future selves may not share the same opinions.
- We should not limit ourselves based on current perceived limitations, as our future selves may have greater wisdom and capacities.
- Maintaining curiosity, practicing humility, and being brave in pursuing new opportunities can help align our future selves with who we want to become.
- The profound effects of the 'illusion of continuity' are evident in personal decisions, interpersonal relationships, lawmaking, and more.
- Recognizing the inevitability of change in our identities and embracing a role in crafting our future selves is crucial.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If you accept the idea that you're going to be a different person in 30 years time, you should play an active role crafting the person you are going to become. You should be the curator of your future self. You should be the architect of your future self.“ by Shankar Vedantam
- “Our future selves are also going to have capacities and strengths and wisdom that we do not possess today. So when we confront opportunities and we hesitate, when I tell myself, I don't think I have it in me to quit my job and start my own company, or I tell myself I don't have it in me to learn a musical instrument at the age of 52. Or I tell myself I don't have it in me to look after a disabled child, what we really should be saying is, I don't have the capacity to do those things today. That doesn't mean I won't have the capacity to do those things tomorrow.“ by Shankar Vedantam
- “And the ethical problem is that Stephanie, at age 39, as she was healthy, had no real conception of what Stephanie, at age 59, with a terminal illness, gasping for air, would really want.“ by Shankar Vedantam
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Episode Information
TED Talks Daily
TED
2/3/24
"You are constantly becoming a new person," says journalist Shankar Vedantam. In a talk full of beautiful storytelling, he explains the profound impact of something he calls the "illusion of continuity" -- the belief that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives and hopes as our current selves -- and shows how we can more proactively craft the people we are to become.