Daniel Goleman
PopTech 2009
With his 1995 worldwide bestseller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, psychologist Daniel Goleman argued persuasively that human competencies like self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy add value to cognitive abilities. Since that breakthrough publication, Goleman has continued to enrich our understanding of the critical importance of interpersonal capacities in books such as Working with Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership.
Goleman’s latest work takes a more political turn. In Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything, he skewers some of the piety of the green movement and challenges readers to confront the true social environmental consequences of their everyday purchasing decisions. The picture he paints is not entirely bleak, however: he argues that new information technologies will allow hitherto unprecedented transparency, and that market share will shift toward more responsible manufacturers.
In addition to his career as an author, Goleman co-founded the Yale University Child Studies Center, and contributes to UC Berkeley’s Greater Good magazine.