Enlightenment Now

Glass half-full

We live in an age of doom and gloom. All the news we hear seems to be bad. Everything seems to be turning to shit. Americans were so disenchanted with this state of decline that they elected Donald Trump. The British were so disillusioned that they voted for Brexit. We have global warming, overpopulation, pollution. What is happening? How did things get so bad?

They didn’t. Stephen Pinker’s latest book is an optimistic look at the state of the World today. Like other feel-good books I’ve read & reviewed (‘The Rational Optimist’,’ Abundance’, and Pinker’s own ‘The Better Angels of our Nature’), this book tries to convince the listener that things aren’t really as bad as they seem – and it succeeds.

His method in this book is statistical. Basically, for each different aspect of World life that he examines, he provides evidence of progress by using graphs to show that things have become massively better over time.

Now, it’s awkward to look at graphs when you are out in the woods on your bike, but fortunately this isn’t necessary, because they are all well-described in the audio narrative and are pretty straightforward. Of course, if you want to check them out later, there is an accompanying pdf.

Looking at a whole screed of indices of human well-being and progress, Pinker shows us that on a global scale things have moved and are still moving in a very positive direction: Life expectancy, child mortality, poverty, war, road safety, human rights, civil rights, literacy etc etc. are all getting better over time, and in the process he also explains why it is that we are often not aware, or fail to fully notice, these encouraging trends.

Because all these observations are supported by hard statistics, it is very easy to be convinced. He also makes the point that there is no place for complacency. All the gains we have made have been the result of hard work. We face challenges that require continued hard work and ingenuity, and we need to commit ourselves to this in order to continue our progress.

This is a very refreshing and uplifting look at our World and is well worth a listen.

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awesome book

This is a book I will return to frequently to ensure I am not swayed by the tempory news cycles

Does this book ever end

At nearly 20 hours this book seems to be as fulfilling as bottomless coffee. Enlightening but eventually, getting bored of it.

This book will definitely enlighten

The book provides cold hard stats to bring balance to our perceptions of everything, from wars to racism to vaccines.

Great Content - well researched

This was an enjoyable and informative audiobook.

My only issue was with the Steven's anti-Trump bias. Some of his criticisms were indeed justified. However when discussing creeping authoritarianism and war, there was no discussion of Barrack Obama or Hilary Clinton in their roles as war mongers in Syria or Libya. Their complete disregard for congressional approval in waging war against those sovereign nations was unconstitutional. Obama too was an Authoritarian. Steven's push back against populism is understandable, though how it was represented was biased in my opinion.

He also makes the case for cosmopolitanism and open societies while addressing the inherant totalitarianism and radicalism present within Islam. It would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on how a cosmopolitan and liberal society can co-exist with people who hold antithetical beleifs, and what should be done at a state level re immigration and how to deal with people who fail to integrate.

His criticism of Nietzche was interesting.

I enjoyed listening to his arguments for secular, humanist societies built around the philosophical universalisation of morals and ethics. His information re the reduction of crime and poverty in all countries, even the poorest and the increased life span enjoyed by all people was uplifting.

Other than the above criticisms I highly reccommend this audiobook. It was enjoyable, interesting and entertaining.

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Most Boring Audiobook

Struggled to finish this audio book as it contains too much factual data & refers to charts which is difficult to reference to on a mobile device. This genre of book is not suitable to be made into an audiobook.

A case for scientific-based optimism

It's easy with all the worries of the world to think that everything is getting worse, or at the least, is bound to get worse at any moment. Pinker in this book makes the compelling case that most of those concerns are either misguided, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong when one looks at the evidence. And on that, Pinker's book largely succeeds in explaining just how things have changed and have done so in almost all cases for the better. And that this progress has come because humanity has reaped the harvest of the enlightenment ideals and values.

The rise of science is often credited with advancements in medicine and food supply. If there was no other reason than to privilege science as a worthy pursuit, it would be this. But in addition to us living longer and healthier, we are more connected, able to travel further, have access to affordable necessities, and shared in the prosperity that has come from better harnessing nature. Poverty is decreasing, extreme poverty is all but eradicated, and the masses in both the developing and developed world are living improved lives as a result - working less and having more time for leisure.

The book is at its strongest when bringing alive the practical consequences of the data, where what it means in real terms is laid out. It does this by contrast - by looking at alternative modes of government and moral thinking, and showing just how the way things are now are better. The arguments about markets lifting people out of poverty were especially compelling, as was the more rational view of how to deal with environmental problems such as global warming. (Though I wish there was time dedicated to dealing with the issue of plastic in our oceans.) The book keeps utopian thinking in check by repeatedly showing how utopian beliefs get in the way of practical problem solving, and how practical problem solving is how we've gotten this far.

Perhaps if there's a weakness to the book, it's the connection to particular philosophers and philosophical strands as being the intellectual foundations of the successes, or foundations of the counter-enlightenment that obfuscates and seeks to undo the Enlightenment. For example, the book closes with a very uncharitable reading of Nietzsche that lays the blame for much of the horrors of the 20th century at his philosophy. This seems like it gives way too much power to his words in fascism and war. Similarly the likes of Kant et al. get a lot of credit for the goods of the subsequent successes of the enlightenment. This case isn't sufficiently made, and seems a little overblown given the role of historical contingency in shaping the course of history.

That quibble aside, there's a lot of good to find in this book. And to me the take-home message is this:
1. We ought to understand the world through science and reason in order to solve the problems we as a species face.
2. Despite a long history of intellectual pessimism about three state of the world, the fruits of science and reason have improved the lives of people in the last few hundred years and in particular very recently.
3. The values of the enlightenment: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, give the moral and cultural foundations that allow for individuals and societies to flourish in a way no other ideals have.
and finally
4. If we want this to continue, we should continue to value science and reason as the tools for achieving this. It may not create a utopia, but it's far better than the alternatives that have come before despite any superficially seductive qualities they have to the human mind.

Interesting but tedious

The concepts and facts were magnificent and Mr Pinker made his point beautifully as alway. However, sometimes the book dragged itself out. It could have had the same impact with a lot less words.

A dose of reality

As I progressed through this book, deep seated ideas, beliefs inclined towards more pessimistic view of our future were challenged one by one. The light of facts and what could they mean to my understanding of the world, it’s past, present and future continuum transformed fabric of my hopes, expectations, relationship with this world in a peaceful manner!!