From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
The difference now is that our actions are not isolated. Developments in communication mean that we now engage in a subtle yet continual process of peer-review which assesses the morality of our conduct as societies and individuals.
Those who criticise China have a case to complain about the contributory role the country's authoritarian system played in the spread of the pandemic, but that very system also allowed authorities to get a quick grip on it and bring it under control with impressive efficiency.
The average American worker was subject to danger every bit as great as soldiers in war.
I feel as if our world is moving away from the ideals we subscribed to, and I wanted to reflect that through music. I wanted to create something hopeful and uplifting from this dark material of our times as a metaphor for the questions we are facing as a society.
The more pronounced a group identity is, especially when an identifiable outgroup exists, the more likely individuals are to dehumanize those not in their group.
In No One Killed Jessica (2011), a true crime tale of a woman searching for her sister's killer, Balan (known to her many fans as simply Vidya) proved that a film without a male lead could be a commercial success.
Bias means your mind, your experiences, and your knowledge is too narrow to take in and truly appreciate the person standing in front of you. We have to hold all humans in respect.
On a personal level, the best defense against materialism and greed is to give money away. You need to be charitable, engage in philanthropy.
Film is a reflection of society, both present and past.
World income per capita has increased 14-fold in the past 200 years, whereas over 300,000 years of human existence, it hardly changed. I describe it as the mystery of growth, namely what generated this dramatic transformation in the standard of living over the past 200 years after literally 300,000 years of stagnation?
The story is told sincerely, but the cumulative effect is misleading – a subconsciously organised trick.
One of the most important pieces of advice I could give you is to keep the conversation casual, inquisitive and authentic. Casual means keep it light, don't try and get too deep or specific! Inquisitive means don't keep talking about you! Ask people about themselves, their lives, their career, get to know them! Authentic means be real, don't try and force a networking persona on yourself, just be relaxed and be your natural self.