Royal Society of Arts: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us", hN uses it in discussions of pay, management, and motivation as the standard short explanation of autonomy, mastery and purpose.
- 11 HN recommenders 10 months 2010–2022explainerHN uses it in discussions of pay, management, and motivation as the standard short explanation of autonomy, mastery and purpose.
- 10 HN recommenders 9 months 2011–2026lectureHN recommends it as an accessible, widely shared critique of schooling, and cites it in threads on ADHD, creativity and education reform.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2022lectureHN recommends it as a short, clear explanation of why people avoid saying things explicitly and how common knowledge works socially and politically.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2016explainerHN commenters recommend it as a quick animated introduction to Harvey's and Marx's critique of capitalism.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2021explainerRecommended as an accessible animated introduction to McGilchrist's thesis on hemispheres and narrow versus diffuse attention.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2022talkFrequently linked in threads on philanthropy, ethical consumption and billionaire giving as a short, approachable critique of charity.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2011–2022explainerHN uses it as a go-to short critique of mandatory positivity in workplaces, startups and corporate culture.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2020explainerRecommended as a quick, memorable explanation of how to support someone in pain without making it about yourself.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2022talkPointed to as an antidote to pessimism about the future, tied to Deutsch's ideas in The Beginning of Infinity.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2014explainerRecommended in threads about culture and time orientation as an accessible presentation of Zimbardo's framework.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015explainerHN cites it for Ariely's finding that people cheat a little without feeling guilty.
- cited 3× 0 months 2020–2022lectureUsed as a reference when discussing meaningless work and bureaucracy growth in tech and management.
Questions
Which Royal Society of Arts video does Hacker News recommend most?
RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us: recommended in 10 different months by 11 HN users between 2010 and 2022.
Is this every Royal Society of Arts video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.