Name: Our loss of wisdom
Uploaded: 2009-02-16T08:27:00Z
Duration: 20 min 31 s
Description: Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for "practical wisdom" as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for "practical wisdom" as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

Our loss of wisdom

Society’s obsession with strict procedures and financial incentives undermines our ability to do the right thing. Vivid stories, like hospital janitors quietly breaking rules to care for patients’ families, show how compassion outshines job descriptions. Rigid systems, from foster care mishaps to scripted classrooms, stifle moral skill and initiative. True progress depends on nurturing practical wisdom—the blend of moral will and skill that helps people improvise, adapt, and act for the greater good.