Enlightenment Now
Steven Pinker
Discover how the pillars of reason, science, and humanism have fueled unprecedented global progress in health, wealth, and safety. By mastering this data-driven perspective, you will trade modern cynicism for a grounded optimism that reveals how far humanity has come and how we can continue to solve our greatest challenges.
The Enlightenment Framework
Explores the physical and philosophical foundations of progress, grounding Enlightenment ideals in the laws of thermodynamics and information theory.
Entropy, Evolution, and Information
The Four Pillars of Modernity
The Humanist Compass
The Miracle of Physical Survival
Documents the historic surge in human longevity and the technological triumphs over famine and infectious diseases.
The Great Escape from Death
The End of Famine
Conquering the Invisible Killers
Prosperity and the Planet
Examines the explosion of global wealth and the possibility of protecting the environment through technological innovation.
The Great Enrichment
The Inequality Paradox
Enlightenment Environmentalism
Peace and Security
Argues that despite sensationalist media, the world has become significantly safer and less violent.
The Long Peace
The Safety Revolution
Terrorism in Perspective
Liberty and Knowledge
Explores the global expansion of democratic governance, civil rights, and the democratization of information.
The Democratic Wave
The Circle of Sympathy
The Knowledge Explosion
Human Flourishing
Examines subjective well-being and addresses modern anxieties about loneliness and existential threats.
The Pursuit of Happiness
The Myth of Modern Loneliness
Rationalizing Existential Threats
The Defense of Reason
A concluding defense of Enlightenment values against the rising tides of populism and irrationality.
The War on Science
Reason in a Post-Truth World
The Case for Progress
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Interactive Socratic dialogue, level by level