Relevance | Tarik Stait-Gardner | TEDxMalvern College Qingdao

Key Concepts

• TEDx: An event beneficial for both speakers (building courage, confidence, skills) and the audience (exposure to diverse, connected topics).
• Making Connections: The audience's role is to find links between seemingly disparate topics presented at TEDx.
• Relevance & Ripples: The central theme suggested by the speaker; the success of TEDx depends on the audience finding the talks relevant and being affected by their "ripples."
• Moral Dilemma: Illustrated through a personal anecdote involving a stone on stairs, highlighting the conflict between self-interest and responsibility towards others.
• Immanuel Kant: 18th-century German philosopher known for his work on ethics.
• Categorical Imperative: Kant's ethical principle stating that one should act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law. In the speaker's context, it means considering the impact of one's actions on everyone, everywhere, before acting.
• Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales): A real-world example of applying long-term ethical considerations (similar to the categorical imperative) in government policy.

Introduction: The Value and Purpose of TEDx

The speaker begins by highlighting the benefits of TEDx events. For speakers, it's an opportunity to develop courage, gain confidence, hone public speaking skills, and deepen their knowledge through research. For the audience, TEDx offers exposure to a wide array of diverse topics within a short period. Examples mentioned include "magical rabbits and magicians hats," "beautiful insects," "young energetic women alongside rather calmer wiser older women," and a "singer's microphone which can magically turn into an ice cream." The core challenge and opportunity for the audience is not just passive listening but actively "making connections" between these varied subjects. The speaker poses questions like connecting Shakespeare (whose birthday coincided with International Book Day that week) and children's stories with robots, wallets, luggage labels, and philosophy.

The Central Theme: Relevance and Ripples

The speaker proposes "relevance" as a potential unifying connection between all the talks. The ultimate measure of the TEDx event's success is defined by the audience's takeaway: "Yes the talks I've heard are relevant the ripples that I have witnessed have made me think." If the audience's perspective shifts even slightly due to the talks, the event is considered a success. The concept of "ripples" – the spreading effects of actions or ideas – is central to the speaker's personal story and message.

Personal Anecdote: The Stone on the Stairs (A Moral Dilemma)

To illustrate the theme of ripples and moral responsibility, the speaker shares a personal experience from about 15 years prior at a previous school (catering to ages 3-18).

• The Setup: The speaker was rushing late to a meeting up a flight of stairs. A large stone ("the villain") was hidden on the second-to-last step.
• The Incident: The speaker saw the stone at the last second and avoided stepping on it, initially feeling relief ("I'm saved").
• The Freeze & Dilemma: Despite the urgency of the meeting pulling him forward, something stopped him. He realized the potential danger the stone posed to others.
• Considering the Ripples:
  • His younger daughter (primary school age) could run down later, not see the stone, fall, and suffer injuries (broken teeth, wrist, dislocated shoulder).
  • His older daughter (secondary school age) could also fall while chatting with friends (potential broken neck/spine).
  • The impact extended to his daughters' friends and their parents.
  • Further circles included unknown children and colleagues at the school.
• The Epiphany: The speaker realized that if he selfishly continued to his meeting, he would become the villain, morally wrong for leaving the hazard. This realization ("my moment of epiphany") broke his paralysis.
• The Resolution: He stepped back, picked up the stone, and returned it to the garden bed it came from. He felt a "weight had been lifted" and gained "dynamism," subsequently making it to his meeting on time.

Philosophical Connection: Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative

The speaker connects his personal moral struggle to the broader philosophical inquiry into morality, specifically citing the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant.

• Kant's Dilemma: Kant also wrestled with the question of how to act morally and avoid selfishness.
• Kant's Maxim: Before any action or word, one must consider its potential impact (positive or negative) on those around them – from the inner circle (family, friends) outwards to encompass potentially everyone globally.
• The Categorical Imperative: Kant termed this principle the "categorical imperative." The speaker explains it as "categorical it has to be done imperative do it." It's presented as a strong command to consider the universal consequences of one's actions.

Real-World Application: The Welsh Government Example

The speaker provides a contemporary example of applying such ethical considerations on a governmental scale.

• Initiative: The Welsh Government established a new department in 2015 called the "Well-being of Future Generations." It is noted as the first of its kind globally.
• Function: This department reviews every policy, proposal, or idea from all other government departments (e.g., building schools, leisure centres, motorways, nuclear reactors).
• Decision Criteria: The department assesses proposals based on their long-term impact, specifically considering potential negative consequences for future generations of Welsh children (looking 20, 50, even 200 years ahead). This process mirrors the forward-looking aspect of the categorical imperative.
• Power: If a negative long-term impact is identified, the department has the power to veto the proposal, even if it offers short-term benefits (e.g., for the next 5-10 years). The speaker emphasizes the significance of this power ("What power in one department").

Conclusion: TEDx Success and the Call to Action

The speaker concludes by tying the discussion back to the TEDx event itself. The event's true success hinges on the audience internalizing and applying the principle of the categorical imperative in their own lives. The final message is a call for the audience members to question themselves about morality and the impact of their actions, echoing the speaker's personal experience and Kant's philosophy. If the audience embraces this way of thinking, the TEDx event will have achieved its purpose.