Believe in Progress

In an excerpt from his book Rationality, psychologist Steven Pinker explains why, despite everything, our future is bright

- Steven Pinker

WHEN WE LOOK beyond the headlines to the trend lines, we find that humanity overall is healthier, richer, longer lived, better fed, better educated and safer from war, murder and accidents than in decades and centuries past.

Although many measures of human well-being, when plotted over time, show a gratifying increase (though not always or everywhere), it's not because of some force or evolutionary law that lifts us ever upward. On the contrary, nature has no regard for our wellbeing, and often, as with pandemics and natural disasters, it looks as if it's trying to grind us down.

What we call “progress” is shorthand for a set of pushbacks and victories wrung out of an unforgiving universe. It is a phenomenon that needs to be explained. The explanation is rationality. When humans set themselves the goal of improving the welfare of their fellow beings (as opposed to other dubious pursuits, such as glory or redemption), and they apply their ingenuity in institutions that pool it with that of other people, they occasionally succeed. When they retain the successes and take note of the failures, the benefits can accumulate, and we call the big picture “progress.”'

Here are four areas of great progress we have made together. With these in mind, perhaps the future isn't as dire as doomsayers might imagine. In fact, we have much to hope for as we look ahead.

We Live Longer