Some of the biggest thinkers in today's society are expressing frustration and fear about humanities ability to deal with our biggest problems. As technology, climate, and population trend towards exponential growth, we have some of the biggest challenges and the biggest opportunities for our future. Education, culture, and the institutions that make our world run have to change dramatically and rapidly. We need an anthopocene upgrade to our pleistocene software.

William Lidwell is vice president of research and development at Avenues: The World School. He is author of the best-selling Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into more than 20 languages; Deconstructing Product Design, a social deconstruction engaging more than 20 experts and 100 classic products; and lecturer on topics of psychology and design for The Great Courses and Lynda.com.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx