Can humanity ever know what it really wants? | Leo McCann | TEDxKings College School

The gap between what people say they want and what they actually do is a long-standing philosophical question that, as the talk suggests, comes up in everyday life. The speaker, Leo McCann, asks what this means for institutions such as voting and sentencing, which are built on the assumption that people know their own minds. The talk was given at TEDxKings College School, an independently organised TEDx event. The speaker is a Year 11 pupil at King's College School, Wimbledon.

• The gap between stated wants and actual behaviour
• Why institutions such as voting and sentencing assume people know their own minds
• A philosophical question explored by a Year 11 pupil at a TEDx event

Leo examines the gap between what we say we want and what we actually do, a problem philosophers have worried about for a very long time and which most of us encounter before breakfast. He then asks what it means for institutions, from voting to sentencing, that are designed around the assumption that people know their own minds. Leo is a Year 11 pupil at King's College School, Wimbledon, who is passionate about philosophy, politics, and the delicate link between the two. He has a particular interest in theology, and is a founding member of "Big Questions and the Bible", a club which explores profound questions through a religious lens. Outside school, he enjoys rugby, football, and cricket, and is a keen supporter of AFC Wimbledon. He also loves music and travelling. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx