Skip to main content

How do you know whom to trust? - Ram Neta

995,843 Views

4,519 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

We believe a lot of things because we’ve been told - from our personal acquaintances and also experts. With so many belief systems being passed to us, how do we know whom to trust? Using contemporary examples, Ram Neta explains when listening to experts is a good idea...and when it’s not.

Njeri is an expert astronomer, and she has been watching with concern as an asteroid moves closer and closer to the Earth. On the basis of her observations, Njeri claims that there is a 100% chance that the asteroid will hit the Earth. She has announced a 100% chance of asteroid contact only 20 times in her career, and she has been right 17 of those times. How confident should you be that the asteroid will hit the Earth?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Animator Colleen Cox
  • Educator Ram Neta
  • Narrator Ram Neta

More from The Way We Think