The Cato Institute
http://www.cato.org/events/everything-getting-better-why-do-we-remain-so-pessimistic
Evidence from academic institutions and international organizations shows dramatic improvements in human well-being. These improvements are especially striking in the developing world. Unfortunately, there is often a wide gap between reality and public perceptions, including that of many policymakers, scholars in unrelated fields, and intelligent lay persons. To make matters worse, the media emphasizes bad news, while ignoring many positive long-term trends.
Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg.
Source
So cool, Pinker is my favorite writer. Wish this had happened when I interned at cato.
Seems ironic that the 'intellectual elite' isn't statistically and quantitatively informed: how did they become the 'elite' then? But this guy never fails to be thought provocative. So clued up!
Pinker has made a great body of data known to society and we should be grateful. What seems to be missing from the conversation is that violence, illness, and death have been reduced at a price, and that price is an integrated, top-heavy system. I would not go so far as to say that the latter is necessary for the former, but that is the trade that has been made such that while we live longer with less feer of violence and disease, we are a society of individuals who often feel devoid of power and go through existential crises that become the new norm.
Outlandish predictions based on fear unfounded fear hardly ever come to pass. Having said that.. When they do come to pass.. Then the Mongols kill everyone…
Thumbs up and put on favorites.
Thank you Mr. Brown, Pinker, and CATO for this!
Now Steven Pinker seems to be a free market fantasist on the top of his other delusions. Yoo-hoo Steven! Your research is lazy garbage that doesn't appeal to anyone outside your walled elite circles.
pinker is so great. love to listen to him. but…did he get botox
ass
steven pinker
I'm a Quaker? So what
Fuck the poor let them all starve to death Ayn Rand lives on
The last comment is the most salient comment. We live in a world in which "experts" don't think quantitatively. It's a real shame.
I am GRATEFUL for flush toilets. The plumber who was at my house yesterday is one of my many heroes!!!
Too bad the American christian right-wing keeps beating the holy war drum. All it takes is one wacko in charge and we're fucked. Only us reasonable people are even open to what he's saying. He makes perfect sense, but since when did the war hawks of the far right-wing in America know what sense IS, much less respect smart people and science?
I greatly admire Professor Steven Pinker. I had the pleasure of meeting him and getting his book "The Better Angels of Our Nature" signed. Phenomenal intellect.
This man really has no idea of his place in nature, what the exponential function is, what resources are and that they are quite finite on a finite sphere. I would pay money to see the look on his face when he does all get it. Cato 'institute': a great exponent of the madhouse that is 'humanity'.
Where can i buy a Pinker wig?
What abundance? Most people struggle to cope with rent, but obviously Pinker has no such problems. It's easy to live in a bubble.
TV MAKES US NEUROTIC – ESPECIALLY SINCE 911
I'm with Schopenhauer. The fact that life is less dangerous really is meaningless. It's the lack of personal meaning that causes pessimism. Going shopping only works for so long. That and the fact that we think too much.
This guy always seems to really miss the point…
"because I believe that being an educated person means thinking statistically and quantitatively"
"what causes things to get better (in statistical and quantitative terms)?"
"democratic franchise, OR free markets, OR international institutions….no causal factor has been identified…it's indeterminate"
Attacking straw men is no substitute for coherence. Pinker is babbling. If you take anything from this interview, you have deceived yourself.
And nukes. The nuclear peace model is unfortunately also true. If we did not have nukes, we would have certainly had another world war by now.
At 1:15 "commentators always say we live in the most dangerous time ever". This is very important to remember, and also look back to what dangers/worries we had back in the 90´s 80´s and what people tought would be the end of whatever. Most things, if not all never happened, and something else happened instead.
Search the internets or try to find some old newspapers..I mean jesus, who makes up this stuff? Sure whine about "the media" but everyone else is falling along, inluding both yesterdays and todays politicians, populists, left or right, random youtubers and their clickbaits. Doesn´t matter. Fear sells. Dont fucking buy it! Just look at the stats and feel comfort in that things are imrpoving, sometimes slowly, sometimes fast.
We need good news to be the norm, not bad news 24/7. Of course we get depressed.
Except that we are living in a time when black against white animosity is growing , evidence all the anti-white hoaxes , blacks people hate whites and are murdering them way out of proportion to their numbers.
Oh heavenly father we thank you for guiding Thomas Crapper to invent the flush toilet, and this meal I'm about to eat. AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH AMEN ALREADY!