140 years later....

The idea that knowledge must be social was one of the essential ideas that led to the forming of the Metaphysical Club at Cambridge in 1872. Today, almost 140 years later, one venue outside the bounds of academia that I think represents the spirit of the original club is the online and live TED talks. TED/Ideas Worth Spreading (www.ted.com/) began in 1984 as a conference to unite people from the worlds of technology, entertainment, and design. However, since its inception the realm of TED has expanded to include just about all areas of human inquiry and is devoted to spreading and sharing knowledge and ideas. Much like the original Metaphysical Club, the TED forum includes community, conversation, conferences, and initiatives. And very much in the spirit of Peirce, Dewey, Holmes, and James the tenor of the TED community conversation tends toward discussions that regard how we bet on the future.