Steven Pinker: Progress, Despite Everything

21 thoughts on “Steven Pinker: Progress, Despite Everything”

1. Just to illuminiate what might be the darkside of the Enlightenment, the belief that human rationality can provide the solution to all problems. This is Communism (Marx). This is Fascism (Gentile, Mussolini). All of these are attempts to create systems based on rational thought and deduction that would bring about the promised land (so to speak). The Enlightenment was a fantastic thing but even so there are plenty of horrible trends that can be laid at its feet.

2. Who is this hideous old Yenta?

3. I've actually watched the "Did political correctness get Trump elected" panel that Dr. Pinker mentions. It was very enjoyable.

4. All this good news coming from Steven Pinker is bad news for the politicians who want to take credit for 'solving' all of the world's problems.

5. Two very good hearted people.

6. Steven Pinker vs Slavoj Žižek.

7. "Incredible ooo-odds." I love how JP draws out certain words with his accent.

8. I have a sneaky doubt about the importance of better now or before, wich I belive is less important than better than it can be or not? Hearing that as a reason bring me back to the cave.=}So we can legitimise a mechanism because better than before, and with wonderful comfort overpopulate earth, while we cry about climate, and overpopulate even more and figurite out that the problem was only with the fuel", but if I write more examples how we try not resolve problems, i think the fire burn out in the cave.=}

9. 17:40 "Obesity is a bigger problem than starvation." He should have emphasized that more — this is probably the first time in history that this statement could be made.

10. @Jordan B Peterson
    What is your opinion on those who say Free Markets haven't been lifting millions out of poverty and in fact if one adjusted the International Poverty Line for inflation there are more people under the IPL than ever?

    Because if adjusted for inflation from its current $1.90/day to a more accurate $2.50/day the global poverty level would be increased from ~735.9 million (2015) to around 3.1 billion.

    This is based on statistics stating that in most developing nations those at or even above the poverty line set by the Word Bank still suffer malnutrition and significantly higher mortality rates.

    https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty

11. It is refreshing and inspiring to know that life for humans is better than ever. The other side of the coin is that almost every other living thing on the planet, and the planet itself, is worse off because of humans. So I guess if all one cares about is humanity this is great news. Unfortunately, such views are like a virus that is destroying our home and will eventually destroy us if we don't grow up and get potty trained. It's not all about you.

12. Watching this conversation made me feel better. An informed optimist, that's rare. Thank you for sharing.

13. This interview was quite painful to watch. While admiring both of these gentlemen for their work, articulation, and rhetorical criticism of Marxism/socialism, their contradictory worldviews are highlighted in full display here. Both of them during the interview plugged their committal and/or participation in Agenda 21 Sustainable Development or MDGs. If they are so smart and such prolific readers how can they advocate this global plan for a totalitarian communist state which reduces humans to a level lower than animals (we are to live in ‘human settlements’ while cordoning off half of the World’s arable land for only animals and technocrats will control the rest) Is this not exactly what Stalin and Mao and Pot and the others did? How can they be so intelligent but not question who is behind the Marxist takeover of the institutions? When you find a single person still espousing Marxist ideas your mind is blown. Two, you become suspicious; three, you start to wonder. 30 percent of academia?!? The probability of so many simply mislead nutjobs wandering around on campus is close to zero. Not to mention the rest of the Marxists coming out of the woodwork everywhere especially since us plebs began to calculate those very odds. Who is behind it?!? Too bad all this IQ power inevitable has to be on the side of the totalitarian communist state despite their opposing rhetoric.

14. Another disturbing part of this video is their discussion over Molyneux and his obsession with IQ. I do agree that Molyneux is obsessed; with himself that is. Molyneux is going to promote anything Molyneux. But, let’s look at the IQ and race discussion that is completely forbidden rhetoric in our PC World. Pinker’s employer, Harvard University, recently had a complaint filed by 64 institutions claiming “Asian-Americans have to score on average about 140 points higher than white students, 270 higher than Hispanic students, and 450 higher than black students to equal their chances of gaining admission to Harvard. The SAT exam has 2400-point scale.” This matches almost exactly IQ by nation (and hence the race associated with that nation) that can easily be found doing a search. We know that a goal (I don’t think it is the ultimate goal but the intermittent goal until they get the power they desire) of Agenda 21 as well as for the Marxist is ‘equity’. Equity for a Marxist really means uniformity. Marxist can easily be traced to the ruling class; the class above the ‘oppressors/ bourgeois’. Pleb uniformity in a perfectly prescribed hierarchy designed by the Marxist technocrats has always been the beehive wet dream of the ruling class. IQ matters. Pinker himself has been caught boasting on the IQ of his group.

15. My final complaint about both professors and nearly every other member of academia is their complete ignorance of economics. They both give a fair amount of lip service to ‘capitalism’. I dare say that for both being so articulate with words, it is shameful that this word is chosen by either. Free market is a far better, less corrupted, way to describe the opposite of socialism. The word capitalism has been misused as much as democracy and should be avoided. Pinker thinks that social welfare programs are just grand, never mentioning that nearly every one of these programs in the West are simply insolvent Ponzi schemes on the verge of collapse. His virtue-signaling to the checkbook-balancing pleb’s sensibilities is quite sickening. Neither has ever mentioned the ills of central banking, fractional reserve lending, the largest debt bubble in the history of mankind that we find ourselves in the midst of, or the ever-expanding derivative bubble holding the entire financial house of cards together. These four things along with the Ponzi social programs that Pinkers plugs every chance he gets are destined, and by all odds orchestrated, to bring about the eventual and inevitable collapse of the West. And by the way, Prof. Peterson, billionaires don’t become that rich by productivity. They become that way by orchestrating and gaming the aforementioned Ponzi system that we poor plebs forced to live within.

16. Greed is what improves the world. Greed is not a deadly sin nor is greed bad – indeed – greed is perhaps the best of all human motivations. I believe the common mischaracterization of "greed" as evil is a result of low-resolution thinking regarding the definition of greed. It should be appreciated that everywhere there are humans there will be greed, in any economic system and any form of government. Saying a person is bad because they are greedy is silly and the result of a very low-resolution analysis by one who either cannot think or will not think. Stated differently, blaming greed for bad human behavior is as silly as blaming gravity for a plane crash. Greed, like gravity, is simply a motivator and has no good or evil element. That said, greed unconstrained by morality becomes Envy – and envy is bad for to envy is to covet. Where does this come from: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s." To Covet is to envy – not to be greedy.

    A moral person motivated by greed will endeavor to improve his life while not violating the rights of others. I submit "Evil Capitalist"/ entrepreneurs, motivated by greed, over just the past 50 years alone, have done more to elevate the standard of living and improve the lives of humans than all the self-righteous tree-hugging liberals have ever done throughout time (in the name of Altruism).

    Consider this: There are capitalists/entrepreneurs (people) out there right now racking their brain to devise a way to make our life better – not because they love us – but because they wish to make a profit off of us in a free market exchange of goods between two consenting adults. Basically, Inventor-A, motivated by greed in search of profits, works long hard hours and invents Device-X that makes human life better – perhaps significantly better. Inventor-A did not invent Device-X because he loves humanity, it invents Device-X to make a profit. Consequently, people voluntarily purchase Device X from Inventor-A who makes as much profit as he can off the transaction (i.e. Inventor-A charges what people will voluntarily pay – which by definition – what Device-X is worth). As a result, Inventor-A improves his life by improving the lives of others.

    Such is why the USA rocketed to the top of the World powers in record time – our free-market system, coupled with our legal system founded on the supremacy of Natural Rights of the individual, using greed as its motivator, created the incentive for one to improve the quality of life for all humans in return for profit. And liberals think "profit" is a dirty word – well at least their ignorance is consistent here.

17. But if more people can afford things like canola products for example. Doesn't supply and demand guarantee, that more forests will be destroyed to make way for more canola plantations. Same to be said for the meat industry. It involves (under current practices) extensive clearing of forestry. If theres more people that can afford meat, meat production increases right ??? Same goes for cotton right? More people that can afford cotton products the more that cotton farms clear. Surely the benefit of education etc, that come along with prosperity. Does not outweigh consumerism??? Or am i missing something fundamental here ??

18. I'm happy I can live in times of such a brilliant minds. And the fact I have free access to it amazed me every day.

19. I'm of two minds regarding Mr Pinker's glowing optimism.

    On the one hand, I see a human race that's busily extincting itself in at least 5 ways at once (exponentially-increasing population, resource exhaustion, aristocracy/corporatocracy, theocracy, and complete dependence on unhardened power and communications infrastructure); I estimate that human civilization will probably collapse circa 2030CE at which time species Homo sapiens will go mostly-extinct.

    But on the other hand, yes, it's true that many (but not all) aspects of human society have been steadily improving over the last 700 years (though perhaps not fast enough to save us from destruction). And, one can't go around being fatalistic or dwelling constantly on the dangers humankind is facing. And, it's mentally unhealthy NOT be be grateful for all the good things we DO have and the progress we ARE making.

    So, I cautiously approve of Mr Pinker's message. Yes, let's be optimistic. But, let's not pretend we're not in danger; we are. We should strike a middle ground: both be aware of the dangers that beset us, AND work optimistically towards solving them. I think that's the only mentally and socially healthy way to proceed.

20. Peterson is drawing a narrative in his video. It's his channel and he has na identity. If you're unsatisfied about Peterson "cutting" Pinker off then go start your own channel and good luck doing anything remotely close to getting to interview "Pinker" yourself.

21. Veering off topic slightly, I wonder if there is an economic system or a societal structure that optimises well-being in the majority if not the whole, while also allowing people to feel accomplished and fulfilled without it being socialism or communism. Is capitalism and the illusion of freedom through wealth the highest order mankind can muster? Is there no higher ideal? Is there nothing better than the American dream? What if we could do better? What would it look like?

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