I was recently asked to give a public lecture at the University of Pennsylvania on the subject of “proof.” My question is: How much proof do we need about the harmfulness of something before we act? I began with the strange history of how long it took for society to grasp the seriousness of black-lung disease, and then moved into an argument about the black-lung diseases of today. --Malcolm Gladwell
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This lecture was presented as part of the University of Pennsylvania's "Year of Proof" program.Mr. Gladwell is the author of four books, including The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference (2000) and Outliers: The Story of Success (2008). All four books were New York Times Bestsellers.Gladwell's books and articles often deal with the unexpected implications of research in the social sciences and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of sociology, psychology, and social psychology.
