Lets Talk About Globalization! | Charles Beem | TEDxUNCPembroke

Summary

The speaker shares their mission to make the world a better place through small acts of kindness and teaching about the interconnectedness of civilizations. They recount their journey of writing a textbook to explain the misunderstood concept of globalization, emphasizing human capital and the 'Cosmopolitan spirit' as the driving forces behind progress. The speaker uses historical examples to illustrate the benefits of global cooperation, advocating for a globalized effort to tackle today's challenges like climate change and pandemics.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The speaker's mission is to make the world a better place, starting with small acts of kindness and teaching about global interconnectedness.
• 📚 The speaker has taught a history course called 'World Civilizations' for 25 years, focusing on the development of global interconnectedness.
• 💡 The speaker wrote their own textbook to address the issue of expensive educational materials, incorporating their ideas on the history of civilizations.
• 🔄 The concept of globalization is misunderstood and often associated with negative aspects like capitalism and environmental destruction, but the speaker embraces it as a positive force.
• 🧱 The speaker argues that building bridges, not walls, is the key to fostering global interconnectedness and overcoming challenges.
• 📈 Human capital, or the collective productivity of people, is identified as the engine of globalization, leading to exponential increases in sophistication and progress.
• 🎆 The speaker uses the historical example of gunpowder to illustrate how the exchange of ideas and technology can drive global progress.
• 📞 The evolution of communication technology, from a single landline phone to smartphones, exemplifies the advancement and interconnectedness of our world.
• 🌐 The 'Cosmopolitan spirit' is described as the willingness to engage with and learn from diverse people, which is crucial for the success of globalization.
• 🏛️ The speaker's historical narrative includes significant figures and empires that contributed to the development of a globalized world.
• 💉 The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines is cited as a modern example of successful globalization, showcasing the power of combined human capital to solve global problems.

Q & A

What is the speaker's mission in life?

The speaker's mission in life is to make the world a better place.

How does the speaker define 'globalization'?

The speaker defines 'globalization' as the processes by which the peoples of the world come closer together.

What is the speaker's profession and how does it relate to globalization?

The speaker is a history teacher, and he teaches a course called 'World Civilizations' which explores the evolution of civilizations and the concept of globalization.

Why did the speaker decide to write his own textbook?

The speaker decided to write his own textbook because the existing textbooks he had been using for years had become quite expensive.

What is the speaker's view on the term 'globalist'?

The speaker views the term 'globalist' positively and wears the hashtag with pride and purpose, despite it being misunderstood in today's context.

What does the speaker believe are the common misconceptions about globalization?

The speaker believes that common misconceptions about globalization include its association with predatory international capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, the erosion of national identities, destruction of tropical rainforests, climate change, and pandemic diseases.

What historical examples does the speaker use to illustrate the ineffectiveness of walls?

The speaker uses the walls of Jericho and the Berlin Wall of the 20th century as examples to illustrate that walls never work in the long term.

What does the speaker consider as the engine that makes globalization happen?

The speaker considers 'human capital' as the engine that makes globalization happen, which is the result of human productivity.

How does the speaker describe the 'Cosmopolitan spirit'?

The speaker describes the 'Cosmopolitan spirit' as a willingness to interact with and learn from people who are different from oneself.

What role does the speaker believe the 'Cosmopolitan spirit' plays in the process of globalization?

The speaker believes that the 'Cosmopolitan spirit' allows human capital to come together in big, bold, and exciting ways, which is essential for globalization.

How does the speaker relate the invention of gunpowder to the concept of globalization?

The speaker relates the invention of gunpowder to globalization by explaining how it was shared and adapted by different civilizations, such as the Chinese, the Islamic civilization, and later the Europeans, illustrating the interconnectedness of global development.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to help make the world a better place?

The speaker suggests being nice to people whenever possible and combining human capital in big, bold, and exciting ways to solve global problems as ways to help make the world a better place.