Book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
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Topic
Psychology, science.
About the book
People often forget about facts and statistics, being influenced by loud headlines and scandalous speeches. Pessimism, cynicism and nihilism have taken strong roots in modern society. Politicians often speculate that we all live in poverty, but tomorrow will be better. Cognitive scientist and Harvard University professor Steven Pinker argues that we are already living in the best period of world history.
Who is the book for
The book is for everyone who is interested in social processes, psychology, science.
Why this book
In his book, the doctor of cognitive science explains in an accessible way why such Enlightenment ideals as reason, science, and humanism laid the foundations for modern prosperity, and why the ability to empathise and think rationally helped us evolve and become rational. So, when someone says once again that the world is falling into the abyss, and progress has long since begun to work against humanity, ask them to give some arguments.
About the authors
Stephen Pinker is a science populariser, linguist, cognitive scientist, and professor at Harvard University. For several years, he was ranked among the top 100 world thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. He is the author of a number of books, including Language as Instinct, How the Brain Works, and The Clean Slate.
Books on similar topics
«Facts. 10 misconceptions about the world, and why everything is much better than we think» by Hans Rosling, Anna Rosling-Röhnlund, Ulla Rosling, «Nash Format», 2019
«Thinking Fast and Slow» by Daniel Kahneman, «Nash Format», 2017
Reviews
This is not just Stephen Pinker's best work, it's one of the most powerful books I've ever read.
— Bill GatesA wonderful book that improves your mood and makes you want to close your Twitter feed as soon as possible.
— Economist
Quotes
— The good and the bad
"Bad things happen quickly, but good things are not created in one day. And their unfolding will be out of sync with the news cycle in one way or another."
— About trends
"A positive trend is a hint (but not proof) that we are doing something right. So it is necessary"