Why do we get the wrong leaders?
Does power corrupt, or are corruptible people drawn to power? What is the "Dark Triad," and are there more psychopaths in politics and business than the general population? Why do we keep being drawn to people who clearly are unfit for leadership? Should we worry more about bad systems of power, or bad leaders who wield it? How can we reform the system and ensure that good, decent people rule instead? Are tyrants the products of bad systems or are they just bad people? And why do we give power to awful people?
In this talk, professor of global politics and contributing writer for The Atlantic, Brian Klaas, draws on his research interviewing over 500 of the world's top leaders - from the noblest to the dirtiest - including presidents, war criminals, cult leaders, terrorists, psychopaths, and dictators to reveal the most surprising workings of power: how children can predict who is going to win an election based just on the faces of politicians; why narcissists make more money; whether a thirst for power is a genetic condition; and how to fix the mess we're in, ruled so often by power-hungry megalomaniacs…
- Science and Cocktails episode with Brian Klaas (Project Lead, Neo-Populism).
