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brandonmgh 's review for:
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.