![]() The point is that we should be aware of the data. In a sense they are, but their point isn’t that we should see the glass as half-full or wear rose-colored glasses. And I resist the characterization of Better Angels and Enlightenment Now as optimistic books. I’m curious to know: Would you describe yourself as an optimist? Rufus Griscom: I’ve been cheerleading from the sidelines for your last two books, The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now, both of which do something reckless, which is to take an optimistic view of historical trends and the trajectory of our species more broadly. Listen to the full episode below, or read a few key highlights. ![]() In today’s episode of the Next Big Idea podcast, Steven argues that those benefits would accumulate even faster if we all learned a bit of logic, got better at sniffing out fallacies, embraced institutions that safeguard empirical truths, and entertained the idea that halting, imperfect progress may be better than no progress at all. When they retain the successes and take note of the failures, the benefits can accumulate.” In his new book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker writes: “When humans set themselves the goal of improving the welfare of their fellows … and they apply their ingenuity in institutions that pool it with others’, they occasionally succeed. ![]()
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