TED on Sunday: Bill Gates on the Importance of Being Optimistic

It should come as no surprise that the world's richest man and most visible philanthropist is a self-proclaimed optimist. But as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates argues in this TED talk, he has reason to be. The average human lifespan has doubled over the last hundred years. Infant mortality has fallen by a factor of two. Dreadful diseases such as smallpox and polio have been fully or almost fully eradicated. And, argues Gates, even greater victories lie ahead -- if we can muster the will and the resources to pursue them. (Posted: February 2009; Running time: 20:17)

Liked this talk? Try one of these:

• Clay Shirky on the Transformed Media Landscape
• Katherine Fulton on the Future of Philanthropy
• Seth Godin on Leadership
• Barry Schwartz on the Paradox of Choice
• Alex Tabarrok on the Benefits of Globalization
• Majora Carter on Environmental Justice
• Al Gore on Climate Change
• Sylvia Earle on Saving the 'Blue Heart' of the Planet
• James Howard Kunstler on the Death of Suburbia
• Clay Shirky on Epochal Change
• Mark Bittman on How We Eat
• Hans Rosling on the Dimensions of Development
• Sir Ken Robinson on Education and Creativity

And for those who can't get enough of TED, check out Jim Simpson's post about a cool hidden feature of most TED Talks.

-- Mitch Nauffts