But the way to deal with them is not to moan that we’re doomed or to lurch back to a mythical age of greatness. The challenges we face today are formidable, including climate change and nuclear weapons.

They impel us to use our faculties of reason and sympathy to solve the problems that inevitably come with being products of evolution in an indifferent universe. These are the ideals of the Enlightenment: reason, science, and humanism. It’s the gift of a set of ideas that many of us embrace without even realizing it. If you follow the trend lines, you discover that our lives have become longer, healthier, safer, richer, happier, and more peaceful-not just in the West, but worldwide. But this is an illusion: a symptom of historical amnesia and statistical fallacies. The rule of law does make people living in democracies safer.If you follow the headlines, the world in the 21st century appears to be sinking into chaos, hatred, and irrationality. And some of his conclusions are irrefutable. I do not have the expertise to assess the details of the evidence Pinker relies on, but he does cite recognized authorities. The book is not triumphalist but consistently evidence-based. 53-67) developing agricultural methods that are making great strides toward eliminating famine (68-78) increasing per capita income and reducing income inequality (71-120) working on technology and global cooperation to address pressing environmental problems (121-55) decreasing war-related deaths (156-66) increasing safety (167-90) reducing deaths caused by terrorism (191-98) adopting democratic forms of government that promote higher economic growth (200) spreading equal rights (214-32) increasing literacy and the quality of education (247-61) dramatically improving the quality of life (247-61) leading happier lives (262-89) and addressing the existential threats of overpopulation, resource shortages, and the threat of nuclear war (290-321). There are 17 chapters setting out evidence (illustrated in some 75 charts) that globally humans are living longer healthier lives (pp.

Pinker argues that humanism (a reasoned commitment to maximizing human flourishing), science, and democracy have resulted in substantial, measurable human progress over the last 500 years.

Steven pinker enlightenment