“Our economic measures aren't wrong, they're incomplete. Smith noted that a successful economic system is one where everyone who participates can flourish. That's not about equality of outcome, but about the fact that everyone has the ability to flourish, equality of opportunity.”
— Glenn Hubbard
Dean of Columbia Business School & Economic Policy Advisor

The quote archive

Society

A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.

Over 70% of the labour force in sub-Saharan Africa is involved in agriculture. This means the sector forms a lynch-pin of society.

— Susan Payne

Unknown.

Over half the sub-Saharan African population is under 18 years old, versus Latin America, where over half the population is under 25 years old and Asia, where it is under 35 years old. These EM populations are young, expansive and dynamic.

— Susan Payne

Unknown.

Globally, we have neglected this topic [agriculture] for decades. We have, worldwide, over a billion undernourished people. Food prices have risen over the past few years, with our own research showing these should accelerate up from 2010.

— Susan Payne

Unknown.

There is a big black box of as-yet unimagined risk. Most of what now seem like the biggest risks to society were unknown one hundred years ago.

— Nick Bostrom

Philosopher & Director of Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford

Right now, biological evolution is not the main engine of change in the human condition. Instead, social and technological development, which occur on shorter timescales, are the predominant change-makers.

— Nick Bostrom

Philosopher & Director of Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford

In my view, all the big existential risks are anthropogenic, arising out of human activity. More specifically, the biggest existential risks in this century arise out of anticipated future technological advances.

— Nick Bostrom

Philosopher & Director of Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford

The average American worker was subject to danger every bit as great as soldiers in war.

— President Harrison

Connection is why we're here. It gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The ability to feel connected is neurobiologically wired into us.

— Brene Brown

Researcher & Author on Vulnerability, Shame, and Leadership

The developed world actually has worse demographics when looking at competitiveness and systemic issues, and has a lot of work to do in order to shore up financial systems.

— John Brynjolfsson

Unknown.

New media conducive to fostering participation can indeed increase freedoms… just as the printing press, the postal service, the telegraph and the telephone did before.

— Clay Shirky

Internet theorist & author on cognitive surplus and social media's impact.

The printing press helped democratise Europe by providing space for discussion and agreement among politically engaged citizens, often before the state had fully democratised.

— Jurgen Habermas

German Philosopher & Social Theorist; Developed Theory of Communicative Action

It's not just the internet which is contributing to these changes, its mobile and digital technology generally, it makes everyone a journalist. This is why the internet has blown apart the notion of journalism, because it gets rid of the gatekeepers.

— Gigi Sohn

FCC Nominee and Net Neutrality Advocate

The internet has had a tremendous positive impact because it's the most democratised and decentralised medium ever known. Along comes the internet, and it changes all that, it puts the power of communication in everyone's hand, at least everyone who can afford access.

— Gigi Sohn

FCC Nominee and Net Neutrality Advocate

Our nations cannot exist independently, we are intrinsically linked to the global economy, and another-nations problems will, invariably, affect us.

— Not Available

Roughly 100 countries in the world have already eliminated malaria (most of them since the Second World War). Of the 100 countries in the world that still have endemic malaria, 39 are in the process of eliminating while the remaining 61 are making steady progress.

— Sir Richard Feachem

Unknown.