Enlightenment now : the case for reason, science, humanism, and progress

Resource Information

The work Enlightenment now : the case for reason, science, humanism, and progress represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Memorial Hall Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Enlightenment now : the case for reason, science, humanism, and progress

Title remainder

the case for reason, science, humanism, and progress

Statement of responsibility

Steven Pinker

Creator

• Pinker, Steven, 1954-

Author

• Pinker, Steven, 1954-

Subject

• Civilization, Modern -- 21st century
• Enlightenment
• Enlightenment
• Humanism
• Humanism
• PSYCHOLOGY -- Social Psychology
• Progress
• Progress
• 2000-2099
• Quality of life
• Quality of life
• Reason
• Reason
• SCIENCE -- Philosophy & Social Aspects
• SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Violence in Society
• Social change
• Social change
• Progress
• Civilization, Modern

Language

eng

Summary

• The follow-up to Pinker's groundbreaking The Better Angels of Our Nature presents the big picture of human progress: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science. Far from being a naive hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. The Enlightenment project swims against currents of human nature--tribalism, authoritarianism, demonization, magical thinking--which demagogues are all too willing to exploit. Many commentators, committed to political, religious, or romantic ideologies, fight a rearguard action against it. The result is a corrosive fatalism and a willingness to wreck the precious institutions of liberal democracy and global cooperation
• Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data. In seventy-five graphs, Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West, but worldwide. This progress is not the result of some cosmic force. It is a gift of the Enlightenment: the conviction that reason and science can enhance human flourishing. Far from being a naïve hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. The Enlightenment project swims against currents of human nature -- tribalism, authoritarianism, demonization, magical thinking -- which demagogues are all too willing to exploit. Many commentators, committed to political, religious, or romantic ideologies, fight a rearguard action against it. The result is a corrosive fatalism and a willingness to wreck the precious institutions of liberal democracy and global cooperation. Pinker makes the case for reason, science, and humanism: the ideals we need to confront our problems and continue our progress

Cataloging source

YDX

Dewey number

303.44

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

LC call number

HM891

LC item number

.P56 2018

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography