Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker might be the most important book I’ve ever read. It has altered my world view (in a constructive, positive way) and reinforced my confidence in the ideas of the Paradigms book I’m writing. Although very dense and time consuming, Enlightenment Now gives reason for being optimistic about humanity and the planet. To summarize in 3 sentences:

Pinker argues that the Enlightenment created a framework of science, reason, humanism and progress that has bettered the entire world. Because the media will get more attention and revenue if they report negativity, barely anyone is aware that people around the world are healthier, wealthier, freer, safer, smarter, happier, live longer, enjoy more leisure activities and leisure time, and lead richer and more fulfilling lives. Pinker proves this with an enormous amount of cited data, including over 70 insightful graphs, and advocates for a reaffirmation of Enlightenment principles: we might be irrational beings with many biases, but our ability to reason is what has enabled us to make all this progress, in addition to the scientific principles of requiring evidence, employing logical thinking, and reviewing each other’s work to validate ideas and phenomena.

I am convinced of the book’s thesis. We can attribute our progress—our accumulated knowledge and better life experience—to the sovereignty of reason, the application of science, and a humanistic morality. And we need to recognize this is what’s got us here.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It truly is a big beautiful amazing world. Yes, we still have problems, and many serious ones. But how lucky am I, are we, to stand on the shoulders of giants and enjoy the fruits of previous generation’s strive for progress. May we continue to improve the world for all.