Truthspeak
The 2015 fall Munk debate | Progress
Progress. It is one of the animating concepts of the modern era. From the Enlightenment onwards, the West has had an enduring belief that through the evolution of institutions, innovations and ideas, the human condition is improving. This process is supposedly accelerating as new technologies, individual freedoms and the spread of global norms empowers individuals and societies around the world. But is progress inevitable? Its critics argue that human civilization has become different, not better, over the last two and a half centuries. What is seen as breakthrough or innovation in one period becomes a setback or limitation in another. In short, progress is an ideology not a fact; a way of thinking about the world as opposed to a description of reality.
Arguing for the resolution will be Steven Pinker, a pioneering cognitive scientist named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World”. He will be joined by the author of The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, Matt Ridley, whose books have sold over one million copies, been translated into 30 languages and shortlisted for nine major literary prizes.
Speaking against the resolution will be Malcolm Gladwell, author of five New York Times bestsellers and one of Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers.” Gladwell will be joined by Alain de Botton, founder of The School of Life, who has written a bestselling body of work on the philosophy of everyday life.
For the results of the debate, see https://www.munkdebates.com/The-Debates/Progress
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All these comments, yet none that I can see touch on the most pressing issue: What the hell is going on with Alain's hair?
Alain just knows that everyone is depressed. He just knows it!
Pinker's hair alone could win this debate, but once Gladwell was insisting on having more women on the stage we knew that Pinker and co. had this debate in the bag
I bet you some people in the audience are convinced they could have done better in this debate, yet they have never publish a single book or written on this at all, but they are still CONVINCED they cold have had the perfect words, unassailable words.
What is left of humans if we manage to get rid of al our imperfections and flaws?? A "perfect" human??
What is left of a lion or a eagle if they are not allowed to hunt or kill anymore, make them vegetarians?? In other words, what makes a lion or an eagle what they are??
With current levels of invention and technology, and the coming DECREASE in population, as demographics show, as births are way BELOW replacement levels around the world, all the issues here presented will be solved.
Thanks to all four participants,,,we always need reasoning and this debaters gave us this opportunity.
Yuval Noah Harrari would have been a better debater than either on the con side… although I don’t know exactly which side he would be on.
Pinker is a man of slight build, but a powerhouse of intellect and commitment to the improvement of humanity. I love that guy.
Now I know why the school of life's dating advices never worked in real life.
Climate change ….. trump ….. Putin ….. global pandemics …..
Very amusing debate. Thank you !
Pinker and Ridley are talking facts, data and evidence,
while the other two are just talking.
There will be ups and downs, but overall world progress will continue to trend up over the next 1000 years.
Really good debate, you know its good when the time flies bye. The pro side clearly won, the con side made good points but it was in the wrong debate, and yes Alan De Botton was more of a cunning debater and kept misinterpreting things.
Glad to see everyone enjoying these days. I'll be putting up a new debate soon. Keep sharing and subscribing to spread the word!
I was a real fan of Alain de Botton until I saw his horrific, repeated ad-hominem attacks and straw-manning of Stephen Pinker during this "debate". Not anymore. Malcolm was even worse, but I expected more from Alain.
This was tough to watch, thanks to our friends that debated using fictional characters, anecdotes, and bad jokes about hair.
Quick feeling here:
I have the impression that CON team was seeing in PRO team Bowlby's experiment with the baby monkey and two mothers – one with foos but of metal, and a furry one.
Like Alain, I'm very much afraid.
They seem to be in market competing on who seeks the most bananas and oranges. They all have a point, but some more delusional than others.
Pinker is a delusional asinine moron. Botton is a GENIUS. Period. End of discussion