EPISODE · May 14, 2026 · 7 MIN
What is "The Thinker" actually pondering about? - Noah Charney
from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed
Get to know Auguste Rodin’s infamous sculpture “The Thinker,” and find out who was the inspiration for this masterpiece.--Contrary to popular belief, "The Thinker" sculpture isn’t just a universal symbol of eternal contemplation. French sculptor Auguste Rodin intended it to represent a specific person— and fit into a much larger piece featuring the fiery pits of Hell. So, who was "The Thinker," and what was he actually thinking? Noah Charney digs into the secrets of this infamous work of art.Lesson by Noah Charney, directed by Avi Ofer.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-thinker-actually-thinking-about-noah-charneyDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-thinker-actually-thinking-about-noah-charney/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://aviofer.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Gerardo Castro, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, and Dan Nguyen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Get to know Auguste Rodin’s infamous sculpture “The Thinker,” and find out who was the inspiration for this masterpiece.--Contrary to popular belief, "The Thinker" sculpture isn’t just a universal symbol of eternal contemplation. French sculptor Auguste Rodin intended it to represent a specific person— and fit into a much larger piece featuring the fiery pits of Hell. So, who was "The Thinker," and what was he actually thinking? Noah Charney digs into the secrets of this infamous work of art.Lesson by Noah Charney, directed by Avi Ofer.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-thinker-actually-thinking-about-noah-charneyDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-the-thinker-actually-thinking-about-noah-charney/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://aviofer.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Gerardo Castro, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, and Dan Nguyen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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What is "The Thinker" actually pondering about? - Noah Charney
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