Steven Pinker: Things are Getting BETTER! (#148)

Was 2020 really the "worst year ever," as some would have us
believe? Or are things getting better? Harvard psychologist Steven
Pinker has shown that poverty, pollution and other challenges are
on the wane and we're doing better now in every one of a host of
important metrics compared with 30 years ago. Yet progress isn't
inevitable, and it doesn't mean everything gets better for all
humans all the time, Pinker says. Instead, progress is
problem-solving, and we should look at things like climate change,
pandemics, and the threat of war as problems to be solved, not
inevitable apocalypses in waiting. "We will never have a perfect
world, and it would be dangerous to seek one," he says. "But
there's no limit to the betterments we can attain if we continue to
apply knowledge to enhance human flourishing." Thanks to our
sponsors! https://magbreakthrough.com/impossible
http://betterhelp.com/impossible Topics Discussed: How his thinking
on liberalism has changed in light of recent events Presumably it's
still the antidote, but what nuances should we keep in mind For
example, free speech is sacrosanct, but with today's technology,
"lies get halfway around the world before the truth can tie its
laces." The gatekeepers to the public square are increasingly
concentrated. Technology/social media exacerbate this issue What
should we do? Advice to young adults How to navigate these dynamics
Career considerations His thoughts on capitalism, e.g., Coca Cola,
MLB, Delta protesting Georgia; Dr. Seuss; What about our current
situation reconfirms his views? What has caused a rethink? What
does he believe that nobody else does? What is he most hopeful
about? Most concerned about? Get Enlightenment Now: The Case for
Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress https://amzn.to/3eV6Vs2
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmXH_moPhfkqCk6S3b9RWuw/join
Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/drbriankeating And
please join my mailing list to get resources and enter giveaways to
win a FREE copy of my book (and more)
http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Watch my most popular
videos Noam Chomsky:
https://youtu.be/Iaz6JIxDh6Y?sub_confirmation=1 Frank Wilczek
https://youtu.be/3z8RqKMQHe0?sub_confirmation=1 Weinstein and
Wolfram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0AZ4Y4Ip4?sub_confirmation=1
Sheldon Glashow: https://youtu.be/a0_iaWgxQtA?sub_confirmation=1
Michael Saylor The Physics of Bitcoin
https://youtu.be/CaN_CDKqXOg?sub_confirmation=1 Sir Roger Penrose,
Nobel Prize winner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMuqyAvX7Wo?sub_confirmation=1 Jill
Tarter https://youtu.be/O9K9OBd3vHk?sub_confirmation=1 Find me on
Twitter at https://twitter.com/DrBrianKeating Find me on Instagram
at https://instagram.com/DrBrianKeating Buy my book LOSING THE
NOBEL PRIZE: http://amzn.to/2sa5UpA Subscribe for more great
content https://www.youtube.com/DrBrianKeating?sub_confirmation=1
️Detailed Blog posts here: https://briankeating.com/blog.php Join
my mailing list: http://briankeating.com/mailing_list.php Join my
Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/losingthenobelprize ️Please
subscribe, rate, and review the INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE Podcast on
iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/into-the-impossible/id1169885840?mt=2
️Listen on all other platforms: https://wavve.link/into A
production of http://imagination.ucsd.edu/ Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices