Barry Schwartz: The way we think about work is broken
בארי שוורץ: הדרך בה אנחנו חושבים על עבודה לא עובדת
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
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and answer is this:
out of bed every morning
TED-like adventure to another?
that very question.
we have to make a living,
אנחנו צריכים להתפרנס.
that that's the answer to the question,
לא חושב שזו התשובה לשאלה,
the work we do is challenging,
העבודה שאנחנו עושים היא מאתגרת,
it's meaningful.
it might even be important.
if we didn't get paid,
שאנחנו עושים מה שאנחנו עושים.
are a pretty bad reason
that he's "in it for the money,"
שהוא "בפנים בשביל הכסף,"
raises what is for me
majority of people on the planet,
has none of the characteristics
and off to the office every morning?
ובדרך לעבודה כל בוקר?
the majority of people on the planet
לרוב האנשים על הפלנטה
meaningless and soul-deadening?
חסרת משמעות והורגת נשמה?
of goods and services,
that might come from work were eliminated?
יכול להגיע מהעבודה מנוטרל?
in call centers,
to do what they do except for pay.
מה שהם עושים חוץ מתשלום.
screws people, blah blah --
אוטומציה דופקת את האנשים, בלה בלה --
the kind of technology
and that people come to TED to hear about.
ושאנשים באים ל TED לשמוע עליה.
the technology of things,
science creates ideas.
are ways of understanding ourselves.
on how we think, what we aspire to,
על איך שאנחנו חושבים, למה אנחנו שואפים,
is God's will, you pray.
הוא רצון האל, אתם מתפללים.
of your own inadequacy,
הוא התוצאה של חוסר היכולת שלכם,
the result of oppression and domination,
הוא התוצאה של דיכוי ושליטה,
is resignation or revolution,
היא השלמה או מהפכה,
the sources of your poverty.
את המקורות לעוני שלכם.
in shaping us as human beings,
משחקים בעיצובנו כאנשים,
the most profoundly important technology
היא אולי הטכנולוגיה הכי חשובה ועמוקה
about idea technology,
from the technology of things.
will not go away
that they're true,
and institutions
with these very false ideas.
created a factory system
could possibly get out of your day's work,
לקבל כלום ביום העבודה שלכם,
one of the fathers
Adam Smith --
were by their very natures lazy,
unless you made it worth their while,
by giving them rewards.
anyone ever did anything.
שמישהו עשה משהו אי פעם.
with that false view of human nature.
לנקודת המבט השגויה הזו של הטבע האנושי.
of production was in place,
for people to operate,
with Adam Smith's vision.
can create a circumstance
good help anymore."
עובדים טובים יותר."
that is demeaning and soulless.
וחסרת נשמה לעשות.
this incredible invention
in assembly lines,
in assembly lines, he says:
possible for a human being to become."
במידה האפשרית שבן אדם יכול להיות."
possible for a human being to become."
במידה האפשרית שבן אדם יכול להיות."
what Adam Smith was telling us there,
מה שאתם סמית' אמר לנו שם,
within which people work
to the demands of that institution
from their work that we take for granted.
שאנחנו לוקחים כמובן מאליו.
natural science --
theories about the cosmos,
תאוריות נפלאות בנוגע ליקום,
indifferent to our theories.
we have about the cosmos.
the theories we have of human nature,
בנוגע לתאוריות שיש לנו על הטבע האנושי,
by the theories we have
על ידי התאוריות שיש לנו
and help us understand human beings.
להבין את אנשים.
Clifford Geertz, said, years ago,
אמר, לפני הרבה שנים,
are the "unfinished animals."
was that it is only human nature
היה שזה רק הטבע האנושי
of the society in which people live.
that is to say our human nature,
שזה אומר הטבע האנושי שלנו,
than it is discovered.
within which people live and work.
בהם אנשים חיים ועובדים.
to being with masters of the universe --
להיות האדונים של היקום --
yourself a question,
to run your organizations.
כדי לנהל את הארגונים שלכם.
do you want to help design?
אתם רוצים לעזור לעצב?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Barry Schwartz - PsychologistBarry 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.
Barry Schwartz | Speaker | TED.com