Barry Schwartz on wisdom and virtue

There were a few moments in this talk when I felt moved and a bit emotional. Around the 9 minute mark he talks about rules and there use, and it reminded me of events over the past 15 years where I feel I've come up against rules for rules sake. He argues that rules are used as an insurance policy, which is sometimes needed, but the big downside is it creates mediocrity and potential misjudgements.

He goes onto talk about what is needed to change this. He talks about celebrating moral exemplars. Made me think, who the hell are mine? He talks about teaching, and he has made me add another thing to my list of core behaviours we should be helping people nurture at People Who Do - Character. He says character is about learning how to respect yourself, others and lifelong learning. That seems like a good set of principles to keep in mind each day.

I'm looking forward to reading his book, Practical Wisdom.