Niall Ferguson:
The 6 killer apps of prosperity

TEDGlobal 2011 · 20:19 · Filmed Jul 2011 
Subtitles available in 33 languages 
 View interactive transcript
Over the past few centuries, Western cultures have been very good at creating general prosperity for themselves. Historian Niall Ferguson asks: Why the West, and less so the rest? He suggests half a dozen big ideas from Western culture — call them the 6 killer apps — that promote wealth, stability and innovation. And in this new century, he says, these apps are all shareable.
Historian
History is a curious thing, and Niall Ferguson investigates not only what happened but why. (Hint: Politics and money explain a lot.) Full bio
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.

Discuss

579 comments
Enthusiastically agree? Respectfully beg to differ? Have your say here.
Please  or sign up to add comments.
Sort comments by 
RK
Ranjit Kumar
Posted 11 days ago
Let him understand the world history.. the history of colonised world before scripting such a simplified talk. He is boasting about a system which is not even 500 years old, how did people live in Asia, South America and Africa before? did they not have systems, politics, medicine and what not that can be included in his 6 apps.. Why did the Europeans ventured out for trade to India in the first place?
Somehow I feel pity for the roraing applause.. he fed the ego of the majority western audience there, who found a solace in their brief historic pride