TED

So... Of course as I was approaching the 7 minute mark of this video, the video cut out and wouldn't start up again.  I have no clue what 2 thirds of the speech was about.  All I can talk about is what I did hear and see.  The main point I got from the beginning was that countries strive with laws created from reason.  The countries that have historically pulled ahead have all had a set of laws for the citizens to follow.  I agree that this makes sense.  With laws, there is a normal way people act based on fear of consequences mixed with predisposition to follow instincts.  Without laws, people have no reason to not do something if it doesn't affect them self in a negative way as jail time or fines would.  Another big example for reasonable versus not reasonable was communism.  As communism sounds like it could work, it is an extreme.  In both Germany and Korea, when the country was split, half became communist.  It both cases, the communist half fell behind as the non-communist side accelled in both technology and culture.  So, from the small amount of the video I saw, I agree with Niall Ferguson.  His points make sense, and coincide with what I believe.  I have a feeling that I missed a big point in the video, but what can I do; I just can't always rely on technology.