This Steven Pinker TED Talk illuminates multiple ways in which the world is increasingly getting better. Globally we are experiencing a reduction in poverty, violence, war, and disease, while access to education, health care, food, and clean water are becoming more ubiquitous. Pinker demonstrates that progress isn’t inevitable, and it doesn’t mean everything gets better for everyone all the time. Instead, progress is problem-solving. “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.” Intrigued by Pinker’s optimistic message? Tommy recommends diving deeper and reading Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.
