Learn · TED

Talk14 min

How common knowledge shapes the world

Steven Pinker · TED

Watch At TED

About

Common knowledge is the secret engine of social life, letting us coordinate everything from meet-ups to markets to international diplomacy. In this fascinating talk, experimental cognitive scientist Steven Pinker explores its momentous impact, threading together stories of why autocrats fear blank signs, why central bankers mumble and why saying the quiet part out loud can wreck a friendship. With wit and wisdom, he invites us to better understand the ways we get into each other’s heads — and what it means when shared norms wobble.

The talk

  1. How common knowledge shapes the world 14 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED2025
Speaker
Steven Pinker
Year
2025
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Economics, Psychology and the brain, Society and politics, History, Languages and linguistics
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed