Society

Enlightenment Now: 6 key ideas

by Steven Pinker

The core ideas of Enlightenment Now, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 6

   Progress is real

   Life expectancy, health, wealth, safety and education have improved dramatically over the last two centuries, even if it doesn't feel that way.

2. IDEA 2 OF 6

   Reason, science and humanism

   Pinker credits Enlightenment values for most of this progress.

3. IDEA 3 OF 6

   Negativity bias

   News focuses on sudden disasters, while slow improvements go unreported.

   That skews perception.

4. IDEA 4 OF 6

   Problems are solvable

   Progress comes from applying knowledge to problems, which creates new problems to solve in turn.

5. IDEA 5 OF 6

   Poverty versus inequality

   Global extreme poverty has fallen sharply even as inequality debates continue.

6. IDEA 6 OF 6

   Defend the institutions

   Progress depends on maintaining democratic, scientific and liberal institutions.