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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
A 21st century defense of enlightenment ideals. I especially liked the second part, in which the progress of the west and the world in general over the last few centuries is shown categorically in many different areas, with data behind it as proof. The final section is a slog, though, and Pinker's ideal humanistic society sounds dull and boring as shit. Also, the sheer focus on Donald Trump dates it a bit.
While the absolutely vasts amounts of data collected in this book is absolutely to be commended, I would probably give this book a 3.75 out of 5 if could given Pinker's puritanical, almost religious level of devotion to Enlightment values as the basis for all forms of progress in modern society. He also routinely is dismissive of the role of religion in the moral development of Western society (something psychologists such as Peterson and Haidt both acknowledge as having played a role), citing the application of scientific methodologies as the basis for the development of modern Western moral and political systems, which, with respect to Mr. Pinker, I think is a bit of a stretch. Ones belief in the Theory of Relativity is not what gave an individual the spiritual fortitude or moral certitude to storm the beaches of Normady. And while I would fall short of calling it a diatribe, his condemnation of Trump in the deeper part of the book undercuts his credibility a bit given that a good deal of the aspersions he attributes to Trump and his policies have largely been debunked to one degree or another at the time of my reading of this book. Also, I think some of his policy prescriptions and his dedicated belief in the power of federal legislation and international law as a guiding influence for continued progress could bear further scrutiny.
Those critiques aside, I generally agree with Pinker's overarching contention that things, on the whole, are getting better for humanity, which is a message that tends to get lost in the fog of negative media attention that dominates a lot of the public discourse, but one that many, especially those living in Western nations, would be better served to be consistently reminded of.
Those critiques aside, I generally agree with Pinker's overarching contention that things, on the whole, are getting better for humanity, which is a message that tends to get lost in the fog of negative media attention that dominates a lot of the public discourse, but one that many, especially those living in Western nations, would be better served to be consistently reminded of.
Super optimistic view of modern human society. Gives a view of why we are rich yet unsatisfied.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book was paradigm-shifting for me in the best way. I think everyone needs to read this. I wish there was a version of this that was less academic so that it's more accessible to the greater public.
There was an issue I had with his view on Neitchze where some of the quotes were misinterpreted and taken out of context. And some other slight/ minor things I disagreed with, but the meat of the book is so phenomenal that I'd still consider this a five star. Will probably go back and refer to this book in the future
There was an issue I had with his view on Neitchze where some of the quotes were misinterpreted and taken out of context. And some other slight/ minor things I disagreed with, but the meat of the book is so phenomenal that I'd still consider this a five star. Will probably go back and refer to this book in the future
I didn't plan in advance to finish Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress while standing in line to vote this morning, but it's certainly fitting. Pinker lays out a very convincing argument about the meaning of progress, how life has been improving across a wide range of measures throughout the world, and how that progress is rooted in Enlightenment ideals of reason and humanism. It also thoroughly discusses the biases and fallacies that can make it difficult to maintain an understanding driven by data and logic, and common counter-Enlightenment attacks from the perspectives of religiosity, tribalism, populist authoritarianism, and romantic individualism. It also gives some solid reasons based on historical trends to hope that the current populist/reactionary era will be a blip on an upward trendline rather than the beginning of the end for democracy, and that there is at least some basis for hope in our ability to respond to critical areas like climate change.
The writing is clear, logical, and convincing, though the middle does drag a bit with chapter after chapter focused following the same template (introducing a topic such as peace, equal rights, happiness, etc., and demonstrating steady progress with charts and graphs), with a nagging feeling that it is difficult to be sure that these particular statistics aren't being cherry-picked to support the conclusion. Still a very important message, and I hope that it spreads widely and is read by those who are still convinceable.
The writing is clear, logical, and convincing, though the middle does drag a bit with chapter after chapter focused following the same template (introducing a topic such as peace, equal rights, happiness, etc., and demonstrating steady progress with charts and graphs), with a nagging feeling that it is difficult to be sure that these particular statistics aren't being cherry-picked to support the conclusion. Still a very important message, and I hope that it spreads widely and is read by those who are still convinceable.
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
No can do. Page 24 and I am aware that his proponderance for the use of 5 or more syllable words is going to do my head in and make for a very uncomfortable read. Also, I found what I was looking for in a Ted Talk he did in 2017.
A super long and sometimes repetitive read, but worth it for me imo. I have a number of issues with Pinker's arguments, but regardless I do agree with his general thesis, which is that life, for the majority of people on this planet, has gotten better (slowly) over time. For example, on average, "bad ideas" like racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. are all decreasing. Average wealth has increased, violence is down, etc. And that has been an encouraging idea when we are all prone to recency bias and think everything is going to hell.
My number one issue with this book and with Steven Pinker personally though is that he speaks with incredible condescension towards the people who advocate, fight for, and complain about the inequalities and injustices of the world. Pinker does state in the book that we should praise these people who want to make the world a better place, but he only does that once in the whole book! For the rest of the entire book, he takes his time mocking those who complain about and want to improve the state of the world. Yet, ironically, it's because of these very activists who have created much of the progress that he is telling us we should be proud of.
For example, take the topic of workers rights. He claims that we should all be grateful for the 40-hour work week because people, including children, worked 80-100 hours when industrialization first spread. But how did we get to the 40-hour work week from there? It didn't just happen. Progress stops and actually reverses in most cases when people stop fighting and accept the status quo.
If you've ever come across any books about working class history, you'll find countless examples of people literally dying to try and beg the elite class for better working and living conditions. https://workingclasshistory.com/ is a good resource for this. A specific example for those who don't know: Jeon Tae-il was a Korean boy who killed himself by lighting himself on fire because of the terrible working conditions when S. Korea first underwent industrialization. This act sparked a whole movement across South Korea, a movement his mother, Lee So-sun, spent the rest of her life continuing to fight for. If people never fought for working rights, children slaves would most definitely still be the norm.
I chose the topic of workers rights because it's one I'm familiar with, but I felt that for ALL of the different topics Pinker covers in his book, he makes it seem like progress just naturally happens and that we should all stop complaining and keep living our lives like nothing's wrong. (Again, Pinker does say that progress actually doesn't just happen and that we need to fight for it, but again, he only says that once in the whole book, choosing to spend the rest of his time ironically complaining about people who complain too much!). But if anything, I feel like I've learned the opposite from this book. That fighting for and advocating for change actually IS working, and we should continue to do so, not only for ourselves but for all future generations. To me, this was the real inspiring takeaway I got from this book.
"Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion." ― Oscar Wilde.
Other notes:
- As countless others have said, the data Pinker chooses to support many of his arguments including the environment, the wealth [inequality] gap, and mental health and suicide rates are all incredibly selective and thus deceptive.
- Though others might not agree, I found his views on choosing science, reason, and humanism over religion as a breath of fresh air. Religion is always a touchy subject, and I'm not sure if this book would appeal to those who are indeed religious, but as an atheist myself, I wholeheartedly agreed with his points on this.
- I found this book review on The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/steven-pinker-enlightenment-now/554054/ to be an insightful one.
My number one issue with this book and with Steven Pinker personally though is that he speaks with incredible condescension towards the people who advocate, fight for, and complain about the inequalities and injustices of the world. Pinker does state in the book that we should praise these people who want to make the world a better place, but he only does that once in the whole book! For the rest of the entire book, he takes his time mocking those who complain about and want to improve the state of the world. Yet, ironically, it's because of these very activists who have created much of the progress that he is telling us we should be proud of.
For example, take the topic of workers rights. He claims that we should all be grateful for the 40-hour work week because people, including children, worked 80-100 hours when industrialization first spread. But how did we get to the 40-hour work week from there? It didn't just happen. Progress stops and actually reverses in most cases when people stop fighting and accept the status quo.
If you've ever come across any books about working class history, you'll find countless examples of people literally dying to try and beg the elite class for better working and living conditions. https://workingclasshistory.com/ is a good resource for this. A specific example for those who don't know: Jeon Tae-il was a Korean boy who killed himself by lighting himself on fire because of the terrible working conditions when S. Korea first underwent industrialization. This act sparked a whole movement across South Korea, a movement his mother, Lee So-sun, spent the rest of her life continuing to fight for. If people never fought for working rights, children slaves would most definitely still be the norm.
I chose the topic of workers rights because it's one I'm familiar with, but I felt that for ALL of the different topics Pinker covers in his book, he makes it seem like progress just naturally happens and that we should all stop complaining and keep living our lives like nothing's wrong. (Again, Pinker does say that progress actually doesn't just happen and that we need to fight for it, but again, he only says that once in the whole book, choosing to spend the rest of his time ironically complaining about people who complain too much!). But if anything, I feel like I've learned the opposite from this book. That fighting for and advocating for change actually IS working, and we should continue to do so, not only for ourselves but for all future generations. To me, this was the real inspiring takeaway I got from this book.
"Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion." ― Oscar Wilde.
Other notes:
- As countless others have said, the data Pinker chooses to support many of his arguments including the environment, the wealth [inequality] gap, and mental health and suicide rates are all incredibly selective and thus deceptive.
- Though others might not agree, I found his views on choosing science, reason, and humanism over religion as a breath of fresh air. Religion is always a touchy subject, and I'm not sure if this book would appeal to those who are indeed religious, but as an atheist myself, I wholeheartedly agreed with his points on this.
- I found this book review on The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/steven-pinker-enlightenment-now/554054/ to be an insightful one.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
I absolutely loved this book, at times it felt slow however the enlightenment in the ideas is unparalleled and makes for a gripping read worthy of multiple experiences. I strongly recommend this book along with Dr. Rosling’s “Factfullness”