Philip Zimbardo – Profile
Philip Zimbardo, PhD is a professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University. He has spoken on the TED stage about a wide range of topics, from male shyness to the psychology of good and evil. Zimbardo was a key player in creating the Stanford Prison Experiment, a now famous and somewhat controversial psychological experiment in which students played roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison. The goal was to see if peoples' good natures might prevail in a powerfully negative environment, and the results were that the situation had a powerful impact on the nature of the people involved. Zimbardo has since authored numerous books and become a well-respected figure in the world of psychology.
Zimbardo's TED Talks:
The Heroic Imagination Project
Other Links
The Heroic Imagination Project website
Website for his book, The Lucifer Effect
Official website of the Stanford Prison Experiment
"Maverick academic Philip Zimbardo says we are all capable of evil. Is he right?" article on The Independent
For your bookshelf
The Lucifer Effect
Cover of The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
The Lucifer Effect is Philip Zimbardo's book about the nature of good and evil, and what makes people tend towards evil or good actions. Zimbardo's TED talk on the Psychology of evil discusses the book and its subject matter.
The Time Paradox
by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd
Cover of The Time Paradox
The Time Paradox examines the human perspective on time. See Zimbardo's TED talk for more on the subject.