Eric Weiner

Author, "The Socrates Express," "The Geography of Genius," "The Geography of Bliss," and "Man Seeks God"

Sociology

Happiness

Eric Weiner can't keep away from the big questions. His book, The Geography of Bliss, was about happiness (big topic); and, Man Seeks God, is about, well, God (even bigger topic), and in his New York Times bestseller The Geography of Genius, Eric followed the question of how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times from ancient Athens to Renaissance Florence to modern day Silicon Valley.

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But as you know if you've read Bliss, Eric has the special ability to take these big questions and make them personal: he brings an everyman's perspective, immediately sympathetic, full of humor, insight, and even self-doubt, that makes everything he talks about funny and real. He calls it "funny/serious": a unique balance of skepticism and sincerity.

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Now Eric seeks to answer the question of how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times. He explores the history of places from ancient Athens to Renaissance Florence to modern day Silicon Valley in his New York Times bestseller The Geography of Genius. It's being published in 15 countries, from Bulgaria to Vietnam.

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Since Eric is a former international correspondent for NPR and the New York Times, when he has questions, he travels. His newest book, The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons form Dead Philosophers, Eric travels by train, making stops in Athens, Delhi, Coney Island and points in between, to recapture philosophy’s original purpose: teaching us how to lead wiser, more meaningful lives. In The Socrates Express, Weiner invites us to voyage alongside him on his life-changing pursuit of wisdom and discovery as he attempts to find answers to our most vital questions.

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His book, The Geography of Bliss took him from Bhutan, where the government measures the country's well-being by its Gross Domestic Happiness, to Iceland, where strong communities and stiff drinks keep citizens cheery in the brutal cold. In Man Seeks God: My Flirtations With The Divine, Eric is prompted by a health scare to explore the world's religions and try them on for size. It's an amazing story filled with such memorable characters as the UFO-worshipping Raëlians and the great Nepalese Buddhist sage Wayne-from-Staten-Island, but also a very real spiritual journey that teaches Eric deep truths. As for his personal decision? We'll let him tell you that himself.

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When he does, we know you'll enjoy the chance to laugh while you learn. And there is a lot to learn. As the world grows more connected, a real understanding of global faiths only becomes more crucial. More personally, Eric's talks could create a safe space for exploring these traditions outside the spin zone, or just a chance to glean some knowledge from these ancient teachings. Whatever your angle, you'll leave Eric's talks smiling — and a little wiser, too.

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Topics

Why the Italian Renaissance is a Better Model for Innovation than Silicon Valley

The Hidden Upside of Disruption / The Importance of Mentors / The Benefits of “Friendly Competition”

Business Lessons from the World's Most Creative Places (And a Few of the Happiest Ones Too)

When attempting to manage disruption, corporate leaders typically turn to management journals and similar such sources for guidance. These are fine, but there is a better resource: the world. In his research and writing, Eric views the world, historically and today, as a laboratory of good ideas. In particular, he has spent the past several years investigating golden ages, from ancient Athens to today’s Silicon Valley. These extraordinary places produced a mother lode of good ideas and bright minds — and they have much to teach us. So does the emerging “science of creativity.” Here are a few of the lessons Eric will explore in this talk: Why the Italian Renaissance is a Better Model for Innovation than Silicon Valley The Hidden Upside of Disruption / The Importance of Mentors / The Benefits of “Friendly Competition” Lessons from Ancient Greece The Benefits of Messiness / Why Borrowing Ideas Should be Encouraged Lessons from Freud’s Vienna The Power of “Third Places” / Openness to Experience: the Single Most Important Trait for Innovation / How to Find Inspiration in Difficult, Even Painful, Circumstances / Why Walking Leads to Good Ideas Lessons from China’s Golden Age Innovating By Building on Tradition / Trickle-down Leadership During Hard Times Thailand and the Power of Not Thinking (too much) Plus: Why Relationships are More Important than Problems Lessons from Bhutan, the land of “Gross National Happiness” How to Ask Better Questions / How to Convert Liabilities (like isolation) into Advantages Iceland: a Case Study In Reliance How this Small Nation Survived a Financial Crisis — and Why It is (Still) one of the happiest, and wealthiest, in the world.

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