Episode 70 – Steven Pinker on Catastrophism

Steven Pinker is an author, philosopher, and a damn good one at that.  His book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress argues that life is, on the whole, better for nearly every person everywhere in the world, today, than it was in years past.  

His words, which I discuss in this episode, are a summary of the most important points of this book and serve as a caution against catastrophism, tribalism, and fatalism that pervade our thoughts so easily.