ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Barry Schwartz - Psychologist
Barry Schwartz studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. Lately, working with Ken Sharpe, he's studying wisdom.

Why you should listen

In his 2004 book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: Why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression? Conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but Schwartz argues the opposite: He makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today's western world is actually making us miserable.

Infinite choice is paralyzing, Schwartz argues, and exhausting to the human psyche. It leads us to set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. His relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, TVs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, who and when to marry), underscore this central point: Too much choice undermines happiness.

Schwartz's previous research has addressed morality, decision-making and the varied inter-relationships between science and society. Before Paradox he published The Costs of Living, which traces the impact of free-market thinking on the explosion of consumerism -- and the effect of the new capitalism on social and cultural institutions that once operated above the market, such as medicine, sports, and the law.

Both books level serious criticism of modern western society, illuminating the under-reported psychological plagues of our time. But they also offer concrete ideas on addressing the problems, from a personal and societal level.

Schwartz is the author of the TED Book, Why We Work

More profile about the speaker
Barry Schwartz | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Barry Schwartz: The way we think about work is broken

Barry Schwartz: Način na koji razmišljamo o radu je pokvaren

Filmed:
3,253,011 views

Zašto je neki rad zadovoljavajući? Osim plaće, postoje neopipljivi razlozi koji to vrednuju, predlaže Barry Schwart, a koje naš trenutni način razmišljanja o radu ignorira. Vrijeme je da prestanemo o radnicima razmišljati kao o zupčanicima na kotaču.
- Psychologist
Barry Schwartz studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. Lately, working with Ken Sharpe, he's studying wisdom. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
TodayDanas I'm going to talk about work.
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Danas ću pričati o poslu.
00:15
And the questionpitanje I want to askpitati
and answerodgovor is this:
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I pitanje koje želim postaviti i na njega odgovoriti je:
00:18
"Why do we work?"
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"Zašto radimo?"
00:21
Why do we dragkočnica ourselvessebe
out of bedkrevet everysvaki morningjutro
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Zašto se svakoga jutra
izvlačimo iz kreveta,
00:25
insteadumjesto of livingživot our livesživot
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umjesto da živimo svoje živote
00:27
just filledispunjen with bouncingodskakanje from one
TED-likeTED, kao adventureavantura to anotherjoš?
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ispunjene samo izmijenjivanjem
avantura o kakvima se čuje na TED-u?
00:32
(LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
00:34
You maysvibanj be askingtraži yourselvessami
that very questionpitanje.
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Možda se pitate baš to pitanje.
00:37
Now, I know of coursenaravno,
we have to make a livingživot,
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Znam da moramo zarađivati za život,
00:39
but nobodynitko in this roomsoba thinksmisli
that that's the answerodgovor to the questionpitanje,
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ali nitko u ovoj prostoriji ne misli
da postoji odgovor na pitanje
00:43
"Why do we work?"
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"Zašto radimo?"
00:44
For folksljudi in this roomsoba,
the work we do is challengingizazovno,
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Za sve u ovoj prostoriji,posao
koji radimo je izazovan,
00:48
it's engagingprivlačan, it's stimulatingpoticanje,
it's meaningfulznačajan.
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privlačan,stimulirajuć,značajan.
00:52
And if we're luckysretan,
it mightmoć even be importantvažno.
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I ako smo te sreće,čak i važan.
00:55
So, we wouldn'tne bi work
if we didn't get paidplaćen,
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Dakle,ne bismo radili da nam ne plaćaju,
00:57
but that's not why we do what we do.
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ali to nije razlog zašto radimo
to što radimo.
01:00
And in generalgeneral,
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I općenito,
01:01
I think we think that materialmaterijal rewardsnagrade
are a prettyprilično badloše reasonrazlog
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smatram da mislimo da su
materijalne nagrade dosta loš razlog
01:04
for doing the work that we do.
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da radimo to što radimo.
01:06
When we say of somebodyneko
that he's "in it for the moneynovac,"
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Kad kažemo da netko nešto radi zbog novca,
01:10
we are not just beingbiće descriptiveopisni.
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ne opisujemo samo.
01:13
(LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
01:14
Now, I think this is totallypotpuno obviousočigledan,
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Mislim da je to potpuno očito,
01:16
but the very obviousnessočiglednost of it
raisespodiže what is for me
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ali upravo očitost toga u meni postavlja
01:19
an incrediblynevjerojatno profounddubok questionpitanje.
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to iznimno duboko pitanje.
01:21
Why, if this is so obviousočigledan,
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Zašto,ako je tako očito,
01:24
why is it that for the overwhelmingneodoljiv
majorityvećina of people on the planetplaneta,
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za večinu ljudi na ovom svijetu
01:30
the work they do
has nonenijedan of the characteristicskarakteristike
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posao koji rade nema niti jednu karakteristiku
01:34
that get us up and out of bedkrevet
and off to the officeured everysvaki morningjutro?
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koja bi nas svako jutro probudila,
digla iz kreveta i odvela u ured?
01:38
How is it that we allowdopustiti
the majorityvećina of people on the planetplaneta
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Zašto dopuštamo većini ljudi na svijetu
01:42
to do work that is monotonousmonotono,
meaninglessbez značenja and soul-deadeningduša izolacijski?
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da rade monoton,beznačajan posao,
posao koji ubija dušu?
01:47
Why is it that as capitalismkapitalizam developedrazvijen,
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Zašto je s ravojem kapitalizma
01:50
it createdstvorio a modenačin of productionproizvodnja,
of goodsroba and servicesusluge,
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nastao način proizvodnje dobara i usluga
01:53
in whichkoji all the nonmaterialhumanijeg satisfactionszadovoljstvo
that mightmoć come from work were eliminatedeliminiran?
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u kojem su sva nematerijalna zadovoljstva
koja mogu proizaći iz posla isključena?
02:00
WorkersRadnika who do this kindljubazan of work,
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Radnici koji rade te poslove,
02:02
whetherda li they do it in factoriestvornice,
in call centerscentri,
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bilo da rade u tvornicama,
pozivnim centrima
02:05
or in fulfillmentispunjenje warehousesskladišta,
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ili skladištima,
02:07
do it for payplatiti.
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rade ih za plaću.
02:09
There is certainlysigurno no other earthlyZemaljski reasonrazlog
to do what they do exceptosim for payplatiti.
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Zasigurno ne postoji niti jedan drugi
zemaljski razlog zašto,osim zbog plaće.
02:15
So the questionpitanje is, "Why?"
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Dakle,pitanje je "Zašto?"
02:18
And here'sevo the answerodgovor:
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I evo odgovora:
02:20
the answerodgovor is technologytehnologija.
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odgovor je tehnologija.
02:23
Now, I know, I know --
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OK,znam,znam-
02:24
yeah, yeah, yeah, technologytehnologija, automationAutomatizacija
screwsvijci people, blahpretjerivanje blahpretjerivanje --
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da,da,da,tehnologija,
automatizacija uništava ljude,bla bla-
02:28
that's not what I mean.
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to nije ono na što mislim.
02:29
I'm not talkingkoji govori about
the kindljubazan of technologytehnologija
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Ne mislim na tu vrstu tehnologije
02:32
that has envelopedobavijen our livesživot,
and that people come to TEDTED to hearčuti about.
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koja je obuzela naše živote
i o kojoj ljudi dolaze pričati na TED.
02:36
I'm not talkingkoji govori about
the technologytehnologija of things,
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Ne pričam o tehnologiji stvari,
02:39
profounddubok thoughiako that is.
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iako je to duboka tema.
02:41
I'm talkingkoji govori about anotherjoš technologytehnologija.
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Govorim o drugoj tehnologiji.
02:43
I'm talkingkoji govori about the technologytehnologija of ideasideje.
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Govorim o tehnologiji ideja.
02:47
I call it, "ideaideja technologytehnologija" --
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Zovem ju "idejna tehnologija"-
02:49
how cleverpametan of me.
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kako pametno.
02:50
(LaughterSmijeh)
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(Smijeh)
02:52
In additiondodatak to creatingstvaranje things,
scienceznanost createsstvara ideasideje.
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Uz stvaranje stvari,
znanost stvara i ideje.
02:56
ScienceZnanost createsstvara waysnačine of understandingrazumijevanje.
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Znanost stvara načine razmišljanja.
02:59
And in the socialsocijalni sciencesznanosti,
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I u društvenim znanostima,
03:01
the waysnačine of understandingrazumijevanje that get createdstvorio
are waysnačine of understandingrazumijevanje ourselvessebe.
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načini razumijevanja koji su stvoreni,
su načini razumijevanja nas samih.
03:06
And they have an enormousogroman influenceutjecaj
on how we think, what we aspiretežiti to,
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I oni imaju ogroman utjecaj na naše
načine razmišljanja,naše aspiracije,
03:10
and how we actčin.
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naše postupke.
03:12
If you think your povertysiromaštvo
is God'sBog je will, you praymoliti.
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Ako smatrate da je vaše siromaštvo
Božja volja,molite.
03:16
If you think your povertysiromaštvo is the resultproizlaziti
of your ownvlastiti inadequacyneadekvatnost,
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Ako smatrate da je vaše siromaštvo
rezultat vaše neučinkovitosti,
03:20
you shrinkse smanjiti into despairočajavati.
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utonete u očaj.
03:23
And if you think your povertysiromaštvo is
the resultproizlaziti of oppressionugnjetavanje and dominationdominacija,
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A ako mislite da je vaše siromaštvo
rezultat opresije i dominacije,
03:27
then you riseustati up in revoltpobuna.
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pobunite se.
03:29
WhetherDa li your responseodgovor to povertysiromaštvo
is resignationostavka or revolutionrevolucija,
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Hoće li vaš odgovor na siromaštvo
biti rezignacija ili revolucija,
03:34
dependsovisi on how you understandrazumjeti
the sourcesizvori of your povertysiromaštvo.
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ovisi o načinu razumijevanja izvora
vašeg siromaštva.
03:37
This is the roleuloga that ideasideje playigrati
in shapingOblikovanje us as humanljudski beingsbića,
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To je uloga koju imaju ideje
u oblikovanju ljudskih bića
03:43
and this is why ideaideja technologytehnologija maysvibanj be
the mostnajviše profoundlyduboko importantvažno technologytehnologija
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i to je ralog zašto je idejna tehnologija
možda najvažnija tehnologija
03:49
that scienceznanost givesdaje us.
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koju nam daje znanost.
03:51
And there's something specialposeban
about ideaideja technologytehnologija,
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I postoji nešto posebno
o idejnoj tehnologiji,
03:55
that makesmarke it differentdrugačiji
from the technologytehnologija of things.
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nešto što ju razlikuje
od tehnologije stvari.
03:58
With things, if the technologytehnologija sucksje sranje,
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Kada govorimo o stvarima,
ako tehnologija ne valja,
04:01
it just vanishesnestaje, right?
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samo nestane,je li tako?
04:04
BadLoše technologytehnologija disappearsnestaje.
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Loša tehnologija nestaje.
04:06
With ideasideje --
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Kada govorimo o idejama-
04:08
falselažan ideasideje about humanljudski beingsbića
will not go away
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Lažne ideje o ljudskim bićima
neće nestati,
04:13
if people believe that they're truepravi.
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ako ljudi vjeruju u njih.
04:16
Because if people believe
that they're truepravi,
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Jer,ako ljudi vjeruju da su istinite,
04:19
they createstvoriti waysnačine of livingživot
and institutionsinstitucije
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stvaraju načine života i institucije
04:22
that are consistentdosljedan
with these very falselažan ideasideje.
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koje se usklađene
s tim veoma lažnim idejama.
04:26
And that's how the industrialindustrijski revolutionrevolucija
createdstvorio a factorytvornica systemsistem
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I tako je industrijska revolucija
stvorila sustav tvornica
04:30
in whichkoji there was really nothing you
could possiblymožda get out of your day'sdan je work,
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u kojem niste mogli izvući ništa
iz svog radnog dana,
04:34
exceptosim for the payplatiti at the endkraj of the day.
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osim plaće na kraju dana.
04:37
Because the fatherotac --
one of the fathersoci
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Zato što je otac-jedan od otaca.
04:39
of the IndustrialIndustrijske RevolutionRevolucija,
AdamAdam SmithSmith --
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industrijske revolucije,Adam Smith--
04:41
was convinceduvjeren that humanljudski beingsbića
were by theirnjihov very naturesnaravi lazylijeni,
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bio uvjeren da su ljudska bića
po svojoj prirodi lijena
04:45
and wouldn'tne bi do anything
unlessosim ako you madenapravljen it worthvrijedan theirnjihov while,
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i da neće ništa raditi,
osim ako ih ne potaknete nečim,
04:48
and the way you madenapravljen it worthvrijedan theirnjihov while
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a to nešto je bilo
04:50
was by incentivizingIncentivizing,
by givingdavanje them rewardsnagrade.
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nagrađivanje.
04:53
That was the only reasonrazlog
anyonebilo tko ever did anything.
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To je bio jedini razlog
zašto je bilo tko išta radio.
04:56
So we createdstvorio a factorytvornica systemsistem consistentdosljedan
with that falselažan viewpogled of humanljudski naturepriroda.
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Stvorili smo sustav tvornica usklađen
s lažnom idejom ljudske prirode.
05:01
But oncejednom that systemsistem
of productionproizvodnja was in placemjesto,
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Ali jednom kad se taj
sustav proizvodnje ustalio,
05:04
there was really no other way
for people to operateraditi,
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nije bilo drugog načina
da ljudi funkcioniraju,
05:07
exceptosim in a way that was consistentdosljedan
with AdamAdam Smith'sSmith je visionvizija.
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osim na način usklačen
s viđenjem Adama Smitha.
05:12
So the work exampleprimjer is merelysamo an exampleprimjer
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Dakle,posao je jednostavno primjer
05:15
of how falselažan ideasideje
can createstvoriti a circumstanceokolnost
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kao pogrešne ideje mogu stvoriti priliku
05:19
that endskrajevi up makingizrađivanje them truepravi.
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u kojoj završe ispravne.
05:23
It is not truepravi
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Nije istina
05:25
that you "just can't get
good help anymoreviše."
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da više ne možete dobiti "dobru pomoć".
05:29
It is truepravi
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Istina je
05:31
that you "can't get good help anymoreviše"
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da više ne možete dobiti "dobru pomoć"
05:34
when you give people work to do
that is demeaningponižavajuće and soullessbez duše.
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kada ljudima dajete posao
koji je nedostojan i bezdušan.
05:39
And interestinglyzanimljivo enoughdovoljno, AdamAdam SmithSmith --
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I zanimljivo je da je Adam Smith-
05:41
the sameisti guy who gavedali us
this incrediblenevjerojatan inventionizum
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isti čovjek koji nam je priskrbio
taj nevjerojatan izum
05:45
of massmasa productionproizvodnja, and divisionpodjela of laborrad
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masovne proizvodnje i podjelu rada
05:47
-- understoodrazumjeti this.
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-- to razumio.
05:48
He said, of people who workedradio
in assemblyskupština lineslinije,
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Rekao je,o ljudima koji su
radili na pokretnim trakama,
05:52
of menmuškarci who workedradio
in assemblyskupština lineslinije, he sayskaže:
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o muškarcima koji su ondje radili,on kaže:
05:54
"He generallyobično becomespostaje as stupidglup as it is
possiblemoguće for a humanljudski beingbiće to becomepostati."
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"Postaju onoliko glupi koliko je
moguće da čovjek postane."
06:01
Now, noticeobavijest the wordriječ here is "becomepostati."
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Primijetite da je ovdje riječ "postati".
06:03
"He generallyobično becomespostaje as stupidglup as it is
possiblemoguće for a humanljudski beingbiće to becomepostati."
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"Postaju onoliko glupi
koliko je moguće da čovjek postane".
06:09
WhetherDa li he intendednamijenjen it or not,
what AdamAdam SmithSmith was tellingreći us there,
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Neovisno o tome da li je to želio,
ono što nam je Adam Smith ovjde rekao,
06:13
is that the very shapeoblik of the institutioninstitucija
withinunutar whichkoji people work
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jest da sam oblik institucije u kojoj ljudi rade
06:17
createsstvara people who are fittedpristaje
to the demandszahtjevi of that institutioninstitucija
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stvara ljude koji su prilagođeni
zahtjevima institucije
06:21
and depriveslišava people of the opportunityprilika
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i oduzima ljudima priliku
06:24
to deriveizvući the kindsvrste of satisfactionszadovoljstvo
from theirnjihov work that we take for grantedodobreno.
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da dobiju to zadovoljstvo
iz posla koje uzimamo zdravo za gotovo.
06:29
The thing about scienceznanost --
naturalprirodni scienceznanost --
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Problem u znanosti--prirodnim znanostima--
06:32
is that we can spinzavrtiti fantasticfantastičan
theoriesteorije about the cosmoskosmos,
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je da možemo stvoriti
fantastične teorije o svemiru
06:36
and have completepotpun confidencepovjerenje
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i imati potpune dokaze
06:38
that the cosmoskosmos is completelypotpuno
indifferentravnodušan to our theoriesteorije.
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da je svemir u potpunosti
indiferentan prema našim teorijama.
06:43
It's going to work the sameisti damnproklet way
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Funkcionirat će na isti prokleti način,
06:45
no matterstvar what theoriesteorije
we have about the cosmoskosmos.
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bez obzira koje mi teorije imamo o njemu.
06:48
But we do have to worrybrinuti about
the theoriesteorije we have of humanljudski naturepriroda,
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Ali moramo brinuti o teorijama
koje imamo o ljudskoj prirodi,
06:54
because humanljudski naturepriroda will be changedpromijenjen
by the theoriesteorije we have
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jer ljudsku priorodu mijenjamo
svojim teorijama
06:59
that are designedkonstruiran to explainobjasniti
and help us understandrazumjeti humanljudski beingsbića.
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koje stvaramo da bismo objasnili
i razumjeli ljudska bića.
07:03
The distinguishedrazlikuje anthropologistantropolog,
CliffordClifford GeertzGeertz, said, yearsgodina agoprije,
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Poznati antropolog,Clifford Geertz,
je rekao,prije mnogo godina,
07:08
that humanljudski beingsbića
are the "unfinishednezavršen animalsživotinje."
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da su ljudska bića "nedovršene životinje".
07:12
And what he meantznačilo by that
was that it is only humanljudski naturepriroda
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I ono što je time mislio je
da je samo ljudski
07:16
to have a humanljudski naturepriroda
129
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imati ljudsku prirodu
07:18
that is very much the productproizvod
of the societydruštvo in whichkoji people liveživjeti.
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koja je proizvod društva
u kojem ljudi žive.
07:23
That humanljudski naturepriroda,
that is to say our humanljudski naturepriroda,
131
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3100
Ta ljudska priroda,
točnije ta naša ljudska priroda,
07:26
is much more createdstvorio
than it is discoveredotkriven.
132
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3970
je više stvarana,nego otkrivana.
07:30
We designdizajn humanljudski naturepriroda
133
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2040
Mi stvaramo ljudsku prirodu
07:32
by designingprojektiranje the institutionsinstitucije
withinunutar whichkoji people liveživjeti and work.
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stvarajući institucije
u kojima ljudi žive i rade.
07:37
And so you people --
135
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1130
Dakle,vi ljudi --
07:38
prettyprilično much the closestnajbliže I ever get
to beingbiće with mastersmajstori of the universesvemir --
136
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4810
najbliže što ću ikad biti
s gospodarima svemira --
07:43
you people should be askingtraži
yourselfsami a questionpitanje,
137
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3980
vi, ljudi, bi se trebali pitati,
07:47
as you go back home
to runtrčanje your organizationsorganizacija.
138
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3030
dok se vraćate kući
voditi svoje organizacije,
07:50
Just what kindljubazan of humanljudski naturepriroda
do you want to help designdizajn?
139
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"U stvaranju kakve
ljudske prirode želite pomoči?"
07:54
Thank you.
140
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Hvala vam.
07:55
(ApplausePljesak)
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1880
(Pljesak)
07:57
ThanksHvala.
142
465090
1040
Hvala.
Translated by Dora Ustulica
Reviewed by Ivan Stamenkovic

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Barry Schwartz - Psychologist
Barry Schwartz studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. Lately, working with Ken Sharpe, he's studying wisdom.

Why you should listen

In his 2004 book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: Why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression? Conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but Schwartz argues the opposite: He makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today's western world is actually making us miserable.

Infinite choice is paralyzing, Schwartz argues, and exhausting to the human psyche. It leads us to set unreasonably high expectations, question our choices before we even make them and blame our failures entirely on ourselves. His relatable examples, from consumer products (jeans, TVs, salad dressings) to lifestyle choices (where to live, what job to take, who and when to marry), underscore this central point: Too much choice undermines happiness.

Schwartz's previous research has addressed morality, decision-making and the varied inter-relationships between science and society. Before Paradox he published The Costs of Living, which traces the impact of free-market thinking on the explosion of consumerism -- and the effect of the new capitalism on social and cultural institutions that once operated above the market, such as medicine, sports, and the law.

Both books level serious criticism of modern western society, illuminating the under-reported psychological plagues of our time. But they also offer concrete ideas on addressing the problems, from a personal and societal level.

Schwartz is the author of the TED Book, Why We Work

More profile about the speaker
Barry Schwartz | Speaker | TED.com